Eating Out

First topic message reminder :

Ive begun to go out again with friends for dinners and lunch..

Its great to have that girly time.. but grrrrrrrrrrrrr every single place, the staff remark on how little I have eaten, ask if I can eat more, or if there was something wrong with the food ... Do you find the same thing?

Gosh I never have a problem eating out and do so alot. Most of my friends and family know I have had surgery, well most of the town probably by now as if anyone asks I tell them. There are heaps of people who are quite happy to share what I can't eat. And if they don't I just leave it. It doesn't matter to me whether its an entree size or main. If its what I want then I have it. I enjoy every mouthfull regardless or how much I can fit in. Sometimes I can eat a full meal so don't waste much, others I can hardly fit anything in. Very rarely will I get a doggy bag unless it is absolutely devine food and I have so far only had that once.

One place that I will take a container tho is the Dome cafe. They do a lovely eggs benedict and I can only fit in half. Hubby doesn't want a serve and a half and its too lovely to waste do that will be a doggy bag one.

Also I wish people would slow down when eating. I could fit in alot more if I could take longer but when everyone else on the table is finished and your still eating it sort of takes the joy away. Like starting when they have their entree and still eating when they finish their main. LOL

I'll just keep asking for a doggie bag, did it pre surgery for years and was never sick. HOWEVER if I wasnt going straight home, just left it on the table.

applesauce wrote:

I have always had the view that they did not cut my wallet in half like my stomach and a meal out is not about how much I can put in my mouth but about good company and a good time. That is what I am paying for.
applesauce

I read this just after I had my surgery on another thread (by the same author) and it is really good advice. Enjoy your meal out and then if they ask if there was a problem with the food just say "no it was fantastic, I just dont eat much and it was a generous serve".

Until I read Applesauce's advice the first time I would always be unsatisfied with eating out as I would order what would be appropriately sized rather than what I wanted to eat and that just sucked. They are there to serve you not judge you so dont let them!

I don't have that problem... my DH just announces to the waitresses (and half the restaurant, mind you!) that I have had surgery so I am unable to eat much and I will be sharing his.

*sigh*

He means well... and one time I got a free soup and icecream out of it!
(I swear the owners thought I had cancer or something, nobody who has had weight loss surgery would just announce it like that, there MUST be something seriously wrong with me!)

Now I insist on a meal of my own.
I order an entree OR a main... unless I am feeling really indulgent and want the different flavours!

all you people doing the doggy bag thing can I urge cautiion here especially if you are only a couple of months out from surgery. You so do NOT want food poisioning. Leaving food on a table un refrigerated then eating it over several days when you have no idea how fresh the ingredients where when cooked is not the smartest thing to do.

I have always had the view that they did not cut my wallet in half like my stomach and a meal out is not about how much I can put in my mouth but about good company and a good time. That is what I am paying for.

If you are still going to insist on doing the doggy bag please pop an esky in your car and ONLY have it the next day. Even then with summer on the way do you really want to be vomiting for hours on end with your new tummy.

applesauce

I just love the idea of BYO doggy bag!! I'm sooo gonna try this! My first meal out was last week and I went out for Thai food the other night with my lovely girls from uni (one of whom I hadn't seen in more than 10 years). I decided to order a main curry and rice (WHAT was a I thinking??) I basically served small portion onto my plate and pushed it around and ate a little bit. The girls at me strangely (because the old Berta would have woofed it all done quickly no doubt) but decided to explain the op so that they'd understand. They were so supportive.

When the serve came over to collect the plates she eyed my curiously and I just politely asked for a doggy bag and ate the left overs for lunch with hubby the next day. BUT the idea of the doggy bag from home is a great one!! Thanks for that!

Berta x

Order tapas or entree then you don't have to share and can have what you want.
I eat out and have no probs, choose off the menu what I want to eat, don't share, don't take home a doggy bag, if there is anything left, so be it!!
I sat with a lady when I went out to dinner while in Rainbow Beach, wife of my sons friend, she was a 24 year lady who looked great. She took forever to eat her dinner, then left half of it!

Even after 4 months out I still struggle with eating out. Now my hubby is getting better at sharing but the thing is that I want to order what I want and to have to have what someone else is having bugs me.......

We went out for dinner on Wednesday night with 'old' friends that know nothing about my surgery (I dont think they would be able to comprehend it). I ordered a dinner salad and my hubby just winked at me and said 'i think i would like the salt and pepper squid', knowing full well that 2 of those little yummy peices were going onto my salad ;)
He's a good egg that one! I sure did enjoy the squid and as for the salad it hardly looked touched. When everyone commented, I simply asked them if they were still hungry and if they would like mine. They politely declined as to not look like little piggy's.

LOL!!
the frst time i ate out i ordered a seafood basket and it was HUGE
it looked like it wasnt touched when they took it away at the end of lunch,(well it really was close
to being untouched!!) and the chef sent the waitress out to ask if there was something wrong with it! So i told her the story and she suggested ordering a kids meal the next time .
but thats a whole other story!!

I found when i was early out, they asked alot if my meal was ok, now i think they just expect me not to eat it all. ( i guess most people expect obese people to finish all their food lol, or there must be something wrong with it.)

when i go out now i generally share a meal with my husband, if i order my own food i always have left overs. (i only do this if i really want something in particular)

if we have desert i ask for two spoons

we go to a few places where they have meals for two, then they dont even notice how much i eat.

We're going out November 13 to a "posh" restaurant for our besties 40th. It's a set menu but you have a huuuuuge choice for mains. I'm taking one of my bigger handbags and stick in some tupperware. Voila!!! Meals for the next couple of days:-)

I've decided that this will be my plan of attack. I have noticed quite a number of restaurants just point blank refuse to do doggy bags!! So I will provide my own.

I try and take a container with me in my bag as I feel stupid asking for a doggy bag when I'm still fat. At the local pub they had a pasta night recently, $10 for the biggest bowl imaginable, it did me for 3 days. I normally go the entree of chicken skewers or garlic prawns but felt like something different. At SSS the other night I ordered an entree of chilli beef, ate too fast, had a spew and then ate the rest...how gross is that?! I felt like a Bulimic. Was a beautiful chilli though and only a couple of $$$.

Hi,

Ive been out a few times now. I have several strategies:

1. If with family I pick off my kids/husbands plates or go halves with my son. This did get me down a bit too, and I do feel left out, and theres only so much popcorn chicken/spaghetti bog one can handle...hubby is usually happy to share tho..but I do like saving the money.

2.If with the girls...they all know...and one of them is dieting and doing the 'bread and butter plate portion control diet', she and I now have a pact and we both share the meal. She is very relieved with this as she doesnt like wasting food either.

3 Am going out with my husband today in fact...we will probably order one entree and one main and ask for them both to come out. I will eat as much as I am comfortable with...he will finish it off. But I have learnt the hard way that I can no longer do a glass of wine with this.

4. If I can, I try and order something that can be halved. I ask for half served and half wrapped to go. When queried I have told the server that Ive had a stomach operation and now have a little stomach, and Ive lost 30kg and feel great. They are initially shocked (with the honesty I think or its TMI) and then usually more than happy to comply...all good restaurants want to make you happy. I have done this with salad, and sandwiches, and also with chinese food too.

I dont mind being queried about if there was a problem with the food...its their job to spot any problems and pass on info to the chef/manager...a sign of a good server! (We even got comped my meal once at a nice restaurant without anyone even asking....probably should have cleared that one up but...hey I'm a scumbag what can I say!)

I am finding that going out for a meal is no longer about the food. Its the social aspect that I enjoy now. Weird, it was ALWAYS about the food....not any more. This year will probably be the first year ever that I dont celebrate my birthday with a meal out to a nice restaurant....and while I grieved about this earlier on...especially any chance of ever having a degustation menu...now I dont really care..

I'll have a session at the spa instead!

Deb

Nice, ssjad, I love it!!

i don't order anything... just have some of the 3 kids plate or hubbies...lots of options then...lol

A couple of times I've just said that eating out was a spur of the moment thing, and I've actually just eaten. Staff are fine with that. But now I order a glass of wine and pick off my daughter's plate, and if the staff ask anything I just tell them I'm an alcoholic... they leave me alone then, and the rest of us get a giggle!

I am very blessed, hubby or kids eat what I can't. Otherwise I just it was lovely but I have had enough thank you.

I have only been out to eat 4 times since I stopped puree stage.
4 times it was for breakfast or lunch
4 times I have ordered scrambled eggs on it's own or entree soup and a drink.
4 times i could only eat 1/3 of the meal or drink.
4 times the waiter/ess asked me if there was something wrong with the meal!

I just say "no, i can't eat much, I've just had surgery". And they are very nice about it.
I just expect it everywhere now!

When I look at everyone's main meals, I think OMG! I used to eat that plus an entree and dessert!! What a massive amount of food! Never again, thank God!

I just say, thank you the meal was absolutely delishious, I just can't eat very much. Can I please have the rest to take home. and leave it there. mostly though, they don't ask. or I have ordered entree size and finished it, or shared main with my partner (or he eats what's left. lol).

The odd time I do order a main meal, due to nothing suitable on the entree menu, I have never been asked why I haven't eaten it all or was there anything wrong with it.

I mostly order tapas or entree, where I can eat most or all of the meal.

So no problems eating out for me.

Ive begun to go out again with friends for dinners and lunch..

Its great to have that girly time.. but grrrrrrrrrrrrr every single place, the staff remark on how little I have eaten, ask if I can eat more, or if there was something wrong with the food ... Do you find the same thing?