eating habits

So I've never really given my eating habits much thought,  but my husband and I are staying at his grandma's house in new Hampshire for a few days and she has commented twice today that I am not eating much. I just told her I eat slowly and I am on a high protein diet.  I haven't told any of my in laws about my surgery.  I don't mind if his grandmother knows but I don't want my mother in law to know. She can be very judgemental.  Anyway I guess it just made me feel a little awkward.  What do you guys do in these situations? 

If I really didn't want to disclose my surgery, I'd deflect/bru**** off with things like:

1. I don't have much of an appetite right now.  
2. You're right.  
3. Thanks for your concern, I'm doing okay.  
4. I'm just eating smaller portions these days. 
5. I don't like eating large portions when it's this hot outside.  (This would work for where I live right now!)  
6. Your cooking sucks.  (Okay, this one is TOTALLY a joke, don't say this!)
7. I'm on a pretty restrictive diet.  
8. Can we please talk about something other than my eating habits?  How about...
9. Etc.

I think it's best to pick one and then stick to it without fail.  And, after your line/script is delivered, change the subject to something that is not your eating habits.  

Thanks Gwen!  It's just weird because she saw how I used to wat, and now I eat like a bird lol. I think so far she's accepted my explanations. 

And it's hard because she's family and old, so you don't really want to be a jerk :P  

My mother got sick 6 months after my surgery and so i went to take care of her having told no one and i mean no one about my surgery.  So they were all impressed with my weight loss and when they would make comments about how little i ate i would say "you thought got here eating what i used to eat?  You find out that trick and let me know, okay" then quite a few would pat their waistlines and say "Guess that's right", the other thing i'd say was "I found little and often works best for me" or "i realized after a lifetime of dieting that portion control was my problem so I've worked really hard to get that under control".  Yep i'm a professional liar.

All of Gwen's suggestions are great. Also, I've found letting people know that my doctor is on board with my plan helps them feel more comfortable - usually people are just concerned about your overall health when they bring up eating habits like that. letting them know that your doctor knows what you are doing helps them to understand that you are mindful of your eating habits, and you and your doctor have a plan that includes both weight loss and long term maintenance. For people I don't want to discuss my surgery with, I usually go with something like "I have worked out an eating plan that both my doctor and I are comfortable with. Once I achieve my goals, we are going to update my plan to maintain my weight loss. I know my portions look small, but that's just in comparison to my previous portions which my doctor and I determined to be a major contributing factor in my weight problem." And try not to get defensive. People see that as a sign that you are ashamed of something, and will probably get the wrong impression about what you are "hiding."

I haven't encountered this yet because my immediate family and co-workers are aware of my surgery.  I've wondered how to handle this exact situation.  I'm interested in seeing replies to your question.

I decided to tell my mom, step-dad and brother, as well as my in-laws. They are supportive, but concerned about surgery risks. I am still pre-op, in a 6 mo. program with surgery to be scheduled sometime in Sept/October. Almost every time I visit with them, they ask me how is my diet going, am I losing weight, are you allowed to eat that? It has been difficult (as we all know!) and I feel scrutinized already over what I eat and I haven't even had surgery yet! 

Right now honesty is working for me, but at some point, I am sure I will have to deflect questions that I may not want to answer. 

I am sorry that you cannot be completely honest with your MIL, but I think many of us here can understand that sometimes we just want to keep certain things private. And that is OK!

Good Luck!

Thanks for everyone's reply.  I knew this would happen eventually.  I'm just not totally comfortable with my in laws having that information about me. Even after all this time, I am still shy about talking about it. I guess I am still ashamed I let myself get as heavy as I did.