Hi!  I am considering the RNY and have a questions for those that have been thru it.  My job requires me to travel and I am trying to figure out with the new diet (not post opt, I am talking like a year or so out) can you eat out and if so how hard is it?  When I travel I do have dinner meeting so I am trying to figure out will they be easy to manage or will I be struggle because I can't eat which then opens up a whole other conversation.  Any advice or information you have is greatly appreciated!

I have no trouble at all eating out. You can look for specific things on the menu that are WLS friendly-- lots of solid protein, few carbs. You can look for:

• Steak of any kind
• Grilled chicken, skip the noodles or rice if anything comes with
• Baked fish
• Fajitas (eat the guts)
• Stir-fry (skip the rice)

If people ask, I like to say I'm "on a funky diet," or say something about being "paleo," and it's never been an issue.

I haven't found a restaurant yet that I can't get at least something from.  The rub is having to pay $12 for a meal and eat less than half of it. 

I will do a protein appetizer or just get a steak and take a portion of it home.  If it comes with sides I go with veggies.  Last September I took my mom out for her birthday and I was 8 months out from band to bypass.  I noticed they had a sea scallop appetizer that included 5 huge sea scallops.  That is what I had for my meal.  I gave my mom 2 of them as 3 were more than enough.

The seafood is always good for me - Shrimp ****tail, crab cake and scallops - give me some onf those and I don;t even know that I am 'on a special diet.'  And take home - many hotel rooms not have frigs and microwaves - so I would often have shrimp etc for breakfast.  That is AOK with me, but might be repulsive for some.

I still find it a *****allenging if it's a 3-hour dinner meeting - I have to work hard not to say enough is enough and continue to pick at my food. But once I got 6-9 months out, there was always something acceptable to eat.

NO trouble eating out here.  I am 3 years post op.

Just for me, any restaurant meal becaomes at MINIMUM 3-4 meals. They really overfeed us in the US. 

Get used to lots and lots of left overs.

I am 8 years post op...I travel and eat out often.  I can enjoy 5 course dinner. I just don't eat all of the food. 

Early on - first few months - I ordered something like soups or fish and steamed veggies. .. I could always said  "I am not really that hungry, I had a large lunch.." or - when I was in a losing phase - I would say -" This is a way I eat now. I need to take care of me". 

As "a skinny *****"- it is almost expected of me not to eat a lot.  A lot of skinny people really don't eat a lot and they are very selective what they eat.  Except the young ones. 

I still have a great deal of restriction.  I can have 4 oz of steak and a few bites of veggies... Asking for extra butter - makes people jealous while I put a heaping spoon of butter on my meat or veggies.  Yea baby !!!typically I tell them "I need butter - I am on a diet.."..

I developed food allergies post op RNY... And now - if there are things I don't want to eat - I usually blame my allergies for that. 

Grains? "No thank you...allergic.." It keeps me on my best behaviour ... 

With so many people going keto, paleo, grain free, sugar free.. Etc... The restaurants are so used to "no starches" and they bring extra veggies... 

"Gluten allergies" are so prevalent - that most people don't eat that.  Btw- meatballs or meatloaf or even burgers can have a lot of fillers... 

Questions you get asked: it's all you going to have - "yea..I am not very hungry..." or "I don't feel like eating this right now... " and taking doggie bag with you (even if you toss it right outside the joint) shuts most people. 

Desserts - "I don't eat that " ..."I don't like how this makes me feel", or - "I don't really care for dessert..." and then change the subject..to a good steak.. Or great ribs... 

And so on.. 

Family and friends are the worst... They may try to force the food on you... Say "thanks"... Ask for a small portion to be taken home... Toss it...  But eventually family and friends will know the "new you" and as long as you are consistent - "no thank you" means "NO Thank you"  and don't whine what you can or can't have - people would not pay attention to you. 

In family setting - I can tell my BF to hide his pizza or I would bite him.... But since I am allergic to cheese and any bread- past-grains may make me really sick - we know I CAN'T have that. 

Hala - I never thought of it before, but you are correct, now that I have lost the weight, people who don't know me from before never tell me to eat more.  They just know I eat selectively and watch my portions and know that I will be asking for a leftover container.

So just last weekend I went out to eat with my Aunt (who doesn't understand not going out to eat, it's her way of loving us when we see her)... 

I'm almost 4 weeks post-op, and cleared for pureed/soft foods. I order the grilled salmon, with black beans and green beans as sides... I ate a very small amount of the fish, a couple of spoonfuls of the black beans and just took the rest home and my family devoured it later that day... they also ordered a spinach artichoke dip for an appetizer. I put 1 spoonful of it on my plate and picked at it while we waited for our meal.

I was surprisingly OK. The hardest part for me was not ordering at least a raspberry tea to drink! LOL

So even early out you can always find something. I would have ordered a soup, but they only had baked potato soup and a spicy chicken tortilla soup. I opted for the fish instead. 

And I think these days, saying your Paleo, or doing Atkins, etc., will get you cleared out of funky questions!

Okies love food!