Eating Out - Embarrasing???

[Day Dreamer 23]

We eat out A LOT! (Yes, even post op) But now, I generally do not order anything! I pick off my hubby's plate or one of my kids plates. If the waitress really starts bugging me, I might order a hot tea or coffee - they usually think you are sick. But when other people stare, I never attribute it to my small plate or stealing bites off everyone else. In my own twisted world, I attribute their staring to my sexy new look Ok maybe that isn't what they are looking at but who cares?!?!

Enjoy your meal - even if you only eat a few tiny bites. Just smile and keep it moving. Worse comes to worse, say something. "Can I help you?" That tends to keep haters at bay - or - can open up a convo with someone secretly considering WLS.

[nadoue 158]

hi everyone!

i got sleeved on sept the 14 and i still cant tolerate any kind of food puree etc, Protein cant even come close, any suggestions?

[Tippy2us 11]

LOL Great Post!!

I love my sleeve life too :-) Absolutely thrilled!!

[Lissa 2,631]

Nadoue, You will probably get more responses if you create a thread, but I do have some suggestions for getting in Proteins if all you can handle is liquids. Are you able to do eggs at all? If so, you have a great vehicle to add some Protein in the form of melted cheese and/or pureed meats. Also, there are tons of Protein rich drinks. Perhaps you can't handle a Protein shake, but could you add some Protein powder to chicken or beef broth? Or to coffee, or milk, or tea. I tried the Espresso flavor of Click Protein Powder with hot Water and it wasn't too bad, although I only did that once.

Also, for the Protein shakes, you can make them up with almond or soy milk if regular milk bothers you. If drinking them is a problem, why not turn them into either a pudding consistency or use them as freezer pops?

Personally, I got sick of "sweet" really quick on the liquid diet, so I went to other alternatives for protein. Flaked tuna is easy to chew or puree and, with a dab of mayo, easy to get down. I also used potted meat, which is kind of like deviled ham, and ate some with my eggs when I was really desperate for something different. I also ate some canned beef stew during my puree stage. I could only do an ounce or two, but the broth and the soft beef gave me some good protein.

Lastly, if you truly can't handle anything more than liquids, is it because your doctor requires a longer liquid stage? Or, are you eating too fast? I use a baby spoon to eat with, at home anyway. Cut the bites up tiny, the size of the eraser on a pencil, and chew them very very very well. My nutritionist recommends 20 times, but I chew 32 times because that's what I learned as a kid. I also have a killer gag reflex, so I'm amazed that I haven't gotten sick once so far.

Make sure you aren't drinking too close to meal time, either before or after. Having a tummy full of Water is not conducive to putting protein in the sleeve. You should stop drinking at least 15-30 minutes before you eat and wait 30 minutes after before drinking again.

Are you eating slider foods? If so, you are filling your sleeve with junk, which means you aren't putting GOOD fuel in your body. I admit that I did eat a lot of instant mashed potatoes for the mushee stage, but I ate them after getting in my 2 oz of protein if I still felt like I needed more. There are tons of alternatives that could work to get your protein in during the mushee stage. I've eaten the innards of a beef taco, pinto Beans with cheese, pureed Wendy's chili (it's like a hot Tomato based Soup when you blend it), chicken noodle Soup (just the broth), egg drop soup (at full liquids when I could have eggs), and a dozen other "insides" of other foods. Chicken salad, tuna salad, and egg salad have all been food for me when I've been on the road. I also try to carry a thermos full of soup for days when I know I'll be on the road. If nothing else, it is a good snack if I'm actually needing to eat and don't have time to stop.

If none of the above applies to you, then you should probably call your doctor and see where he thinks you should be. It's very possible that you need either a gas reducer or that you are healing slower than others. Neither of those is a bad thing...it's just how your sleeve works. Good luck!

[ab76307 22]

HaHa I am one week out today so I can have Soup. Prior to surgery I was very used to eating with the largest spoon in our silverware set. Now I am trying to learn how to take smaller bites so I have bought baby spoons. My family went to O Charleys tonight and I got a cup of soup which I didn't eat half of. I of course took my baby spoon to eat with and I defintantly got some strange looks from the people sitting around me while I was using my puple baby spoon!

[sirensiren 67]

As a pre-sleever, about to get sleeved November 8th, it's VERY exciting to hear how little everyone eats- right now, I can put always a 1500 calorie meal from iHop, and want ice cream in 30 minutes after the meal.

I'm intending to stick to sharing appetizers when out, and taking my time. In Los Angeles, people are used to seeing people go out to eat on a diet. I see only being able to eat small amounts of food at a time as great, and worth the stares!

[Papa Jack 86]

I shared a meal with my hubby recently. Just asked the waitress for an extra plate. He ate the steak and potato, I ate the shrimp and steamed veggies. No one stared because it's perfectly normal for a couple to share a meal

ETA: Anyone shocked at the amount of food served as a "normal" portion at restuarants now? I'm SHOCKED at what I used to be able to consume. 6oz steak 5 shrimp large baked potato with butter and sour cream and a serving of steamed veggies. HOLY CRAP I'm EXPLODE if I tried more than the 5 shrimp and veggies. LOL

6 oz Steak??? I always got the biggest size...

[Becca 108]

We went out to eat yesterday and I ordered tortilla Soup. The bowl was huge and I only ate about 1/3. The waiter kept asking if I wanted something else and wouldn't leave me alone. I wasn't in the mood to tell him the whole WLS thing. I finally just told him I had eaten earlier. It is so strange how people react to us not eating much. You would think with the obesity epeidemic, they would be happy about it.

[BenisaMartim4 369]

I have not had my surgery yet (Dec.6), but I have been laughing and telling my husband about this. I already have to take half my food home in a box anyway. After my sleeve, I won't have to order at all. I can just eat some of his. It will cut our bill in half. Then I can save my half of the money to buy new clothes. Yay! :0)

[cutie pie 71]

ok, so i had dinner with my boyfriends sons (ages 14 and 16 both over 6 ft) ... i cooked for them and we sat down to dinner ... well at my man's house everything is over-sized the plates are huge and so i used a salad plate ( at my house i have 3oz bowls that i eat from ) ... so while eating, laughing, and talking... i was not paying attention to how much i was eating ( but his boys were ) and I had one bite too many and was so sick and miserable.... this is the first time that happened to me so I went to vomit in the bathroom .. well the boys not knowing i had wls called their dad and told him that i was bulimic ... They said that i had only had 3 small bites and chewed them forever then excused myself to vomit it up ... too funny ( oh ! the little one keep trying to give me something to drink when i was puking...he keep saying it would settle my tummy ... how cute : ) well need less to say i had to tell them about my wls ( especially when their dad came home and told me what they said) ... we all had one big laugh about it ... I have to admit it was pretty funny seeing from their perspective...

[lostalongtheway 5]

I probably would have asked them if they wanted some.