Ok say your on a date, and your out to dinner. You obviously dont eat half the food on your plate bcus it wont fit. Well at least I dont, when ppl ask u why you only ate that much. Or they say "you barley touched your food" What do you say? Do you tell them that its bcus u have had WLS?

For about a six month period I was dating and did not have any issues because I would normally not eat heavy prior to a date and I picked foods that I was able to tolerate well but if asked why I did not want to eat or why I did not touch my food I would not say anything about the WLS. WLS is something that people do not understand so it takes away from the greatness that comes with it.

no dont have to;; cause anyone that im talking to kn0ws prior to the date about me and that i have had it. but even if not and that wasnt the case, yea id tell em, why be ashamed ?>..

I am generally open about my wls.  However, I usually order an appetizer and a salad or side of veg instead of an entree.  The smaller portions don't draw attention to how much I've eaten. 

I would probably just say that I don't eat much, assuming this is someone I am just meeting.  I understand the desire to not tell.  I have never "allowed" my weight to be a topic of discussion, so for me to just open up and say I had WLS might be a stretch.  It would mostly depend on my level of comfort with the guy.  I mean you know if someone is a keeper and if they are not fairly early on.

 I actually don't do dates that involve a meal in the beginning.  Why should I?  Heck, I figure I spent so much of my life before WLS focused on food - I keep it out of the picture as much as possible now........ so I do something in the afternoon and say I ate lunch already or late night and say I ate dinner.... that way the only thing that comes up is a snack, which is easy to handle. 

I order small as well and just take my time.

My dates and the waitress do inquire as to why I do not eat much.


I usually just comment that I am a slow eater which is the truth !


I  always get a to go box.

I'm married but I'll give you my two cents on the subject.  My first thought was don't tell until you've determined you want to see that person again.  There's no point in telling every guy you go out with your WLS story. 

When you do go out try to find out in advance where you will be eating and check online the menu.  You can figure out ahead of time what you can or can't eat there.  When I finally started eating out again I was shocked at how many calories, fat & carbs some of my old favorites had.  When you get to the restuarant order an appetizer or a half portion if they allow it.  If that is not an option when the food arrives split it into a manageable portion that you can eat now and set to the side what's going in the take home box.  You will get to eat what you can handle and to your date it will look like you deliberately did it for portion control.  Portion control looks better than picking at your food.  It also cuts down on that one last bite syndrome that can make some people who've had WLS sick.  I've learned the hard way that one extra bite will equal misery for an hour or two for me. 

I gonna do the appetizer thing.
And its not that Im ashamed, but like some of you said some ppl just dont get it and I hate having to explain myself. And I also hate that since I have had WLS that its all people seem to talk to me about.

I am married also, so nothing to add on the dating front, except that I agree that I wouldn't share WLS with a first date.  It's the kind of topic that would consume the conversation.  Only a handfull of my closest friends even know I had it.

Tsunami & MM gave good tips & advice. 

I'll add that most of my eating out without Hubby involves business lunches.  I usually order an appetizer, or salad & water as the drink, which I may take a sip of before I eat, but don't drink once I start.

My behaviors have also shifted.  I noticed that in the years prior to WLS, I ate more than I talked. 

I now talk more than I eat, which makes the quantity of food  consumption much less noticeable.  In closer work settings, I have been asked a few times why I'm not 'starved like the rest of the team', etc. and I reply with 'I prefer a lite mid-day meal', or 'I always eat a lite lunch', which is accurate.