Happy Friday

OK so I'm having trouble having a happy Friday or weekend all together. On the weekends I normally go out with friends/family and a big part of that used to be eating and not necesarily overeating but eating and I kinda miss it, not really the eating part but the fellowship. It just that I sit there concentrating so much on small bites/ and trying to drag out my meal that I just can't relax....so I thought maybe you guys could advise me on how to have a happy Friday. What do you guys do to get past this?? TIA

I understand exactly what you're going through.  It's amazing how much food is associated with socializing.  When my wife had her birthday (1 week post-op) the family takes her out to dinner to celebrate.  Luckily for me, I just went off clear liquids and could have soupy mashed potatoes.  We took her to Longhorn steak house, my kids said "but daddy, you can't have anything", I told them "oh yes I can".  I took some chicken broth with me, ordered a "naked" baked potato along with a bowl.  I scooped out about 1/2 of the potato and put it in the bowl with the chicken broth and made my mashed potatoes.  It really felt great to be able to eat with the family to celebrate.  The funny thing is I didn't even crave the desert (although I wanted the steak real bad).  I'm learning to be able to go out to socialize and look for items that are "kosher".  Sometimes you have to look hard, and lots of times the staff is more than willing to accomodate you.  Good luck!