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NO! IT'S A TRAP! Seriously though, don't think this way. There is nothing rude about stopping when you're full. Eating to make other people happy is crazy and part of what got us here today. Wash that thought right out. Coping mechanisms: get smaller dishes. Eat with chopsticks. When going out for meals with friends, angle to make it a family-style restaurant or tapas place where everyone eats from communal dishes. If you do go to a meal-per-person place, aim for the soup. Ask the server if you can have their salad mains served as a side salad instead. And if all else fails, just don't care. Eat the five bites and when your colleague looks at your plate and asks if you didn't like the food, tell them you got hiccups halfway through the meal or got so focused on talking and now you're going to bring it home because you want to finish it later. They won't care past that unless you actually look sickly. The one exception I make for this rule is if a family member or friend is cooking for you in their house. In which case I make sure to tell them up front I'm not hungry/ate a lot beforehand/don't want to eat a lot, but that I do want one bite of the dish they slaved over. And when I eat that bite I make sure they know I loved it - most people don't care whether or not you ate in quantity, but that you appreciated the quality. So the compliment matters more than leaving a clean plate. If the other person is paying for your meal, tell them up front you plan to order lightly but deliciously and again, compliment and thank. I've also had a devious amount of success tasting something, saying "oh, this is so good! try some!" and then getting other people to snag bites off my plate. Magically disappearing food!

I eat normally now, and I love it. 1200 calories a day. I'm never hungry. My energy is awesome. But you know...there's a big difference between eating "normally" and eating the way we used to. I used to think it was "normal" to drink a 2 liter of Pepsi over the course of a day, and have...ya know....5 or 6 slices of bread in a day (what's a few PB and J sandwiches?)...maybe some fried chicken...and dessert? Booyah! Bring it on...big servings and seconds, please. And pass the Doritos, dammit....TV means snacks! Yeah, no. What I used to perceive as normal...and what I now realize is normal....are two very different things. My advice...(take it or leave it)... Really figure out what normal is gonna look like for you long term. Do some research. Talk to your nutritionist. Create a new healthy normal. Be very careful of extremes and extremist thinking. Eating the crazy number of calories I used to eat...ain't normal. But eating starvation level calories long term isn't normal either. (I realize for many folks this is a necessary step in the process) Avoid extremes and work toward sane moderation. "Normal" isn't that far away:)

I am 8 weeks out of gastric sleeve surgery and have lost a great amount of weight, I’m happy with my progress. I just can’t believe how small my portions are. I knew of course they’d be small, but I can literally manage two bites before I feel really full. How long will it be until I can actually eat a fairly normal portion size and not look rude at meals? I don’t mean to sound stupid or ungrateful for my surgery, but once I hit my goal weight, I would like to be able to enjoy eating out and family meals like a “normal” person. At the moment, eating is not a good experience and I don’t like the feeling whilst eating or immediately after. Can anyone share their story with portion size?

Good luck, you sound committed and maybe just a little stubborn. I think you'll make it after all. Want pictures when it happens, okay?😝

Winston Churchill said, "If you're going through Hell, keep going." We've all been there. You are not alone.

Please do and keep us posted. We are all in this together. I do hope you feel better and get some relief soon. I still think try to cut out those narcotics. They do more harm in the long run.

Where on Earth do you find bras? I am constantly challenged. All the bra manufacturers assume that if you're this heavy, a significant part of the weight must have gone to your boobs! Anything smaller than a D is so hard to find. What can I say, Never got a visit from the T!tty Fairy!

Brilliant idea!

Thankfully/Unfortunately I have a wardrobe that ranges from Medium to XL as my weight bounces around over the years, so no need to buy anything.

I am at day 7 of 14 of the liquid diet and my surgery is scheduled for 1st March. So far so good. I had been having a protein shake for breakfast and lunch and a regular meal often with seconds and (zero snacking) for the past 6 months and so far the liquid diet has been pretty easy. My strategy, which I expect is not for everyone was really effective and I am down 93lb since last April. The only difference I am doing for the liquid diet is I have replaced dinner with a creamy soup. My NUT suggested Pacific or Imagine Brand low fat soups. The Pacific Organic Creamy Tomato and Roasted Pepper and Tomato are pretty good. They are about 100 calories per cup.