I ate my first meal out at Taco Time. It was a bowl of refried beans. I was about 7 weeks out. Just started on soft foods.

I went inside and sat down. I ate 2 bites. I was full.  I almost wept. 

I felt human for the first time since surgery.

I don't eat there much but I will never forget that meal.

Deb T.

Here's my prediction for you...the farther out you are from WLS, the more you embrace a healthier lifestyle, the less interest you will have for places like TBell. Go.   

While I am still very much a newbie and sooo much appreciate all the vets advice. I do have to say my "bible" given to me by my surgeon has an eating out page in it. Taco Bell beans and cheese, wendys chili, chipoltle bowls and a few more are on it. They realize in today's world not all of us can always have home cooked food and provided to top options (and even the modifications) to make good choices when eating out is nessesaary. For example I went on a job interview last week and I ended up having to do an on the job skills and then got hired and had to do paperwork. What I thought would be 30 mins to an hour turned in three hours. The closest thing to me was a Taco Bell. So that's what I had. Not the best ideal option- that I will agree with. But better than waiting another hour till I drove home and then another 10-15 mins to cook/prepare something I could eat. 

Life happens so so I would rather be prepared than not :)

It's good to learn what you can eat while you are out. Things that worked for me..stopping at a 7-11 and buying beef jerky,cold water, string cheese,and boiled eggs.

I would also stop at place that have all day breakfast and have an egg or two. I stop at a Vietnamese deli and have steamed tofu. Most fast food will make me sick but I do have 3 french fries out of every order my son gets.

You also will learn what to keep stashed in your car.

Deb T.

Not all of us can always have home cooked food

-I am not picking a fight, but your situation is really rare. What it comes down to is priorities. Would I like to go to church on sunday? Hell ya, but my priority is feeding myself and my husband well so I spend about 6 hours in the kitchen making breakfasts, lunches and suppers for us while listening to some tv preacher.  Why?  Because I PICK ME.  I pick myself over my job and all the other bull**** the world THINKS is important.  

I hope the OP finds a way to priorotize her life, get this crap out of it that clogs up her time, and chooses to make her life, wants, and health her big priorities. 

Seems a bit har****hink for the most part all of us are working to make our lives better and healthier. Sometimes for me it comes down to working out or a home cooked meal. Which then would you classify as more important? Also rememeber that your at goal and life is much different at goal than it is when your new and very limited to what youcan eat. We should all be realistic and supportive here. Priorities are different for everyone. My religion churh and God come first to me. But to someone else that can be placed further down the list. I only use this example because you did. There are other things such as family and my education and my job (which allows me to pay for my gym membership doctors fees and more) that may be ranked in different priories levels than you. That doesn't mean I am any less commited. I feel more commited that I am able to fit in more than I ever had before. Using lunch hour to get caught up on school work AND excersise. Fittin in the fm before work or on weekends. This would have never happened before surgery. So if I have to grab something out quickly because of this- I want to be educated on the best choices. As I get further out and can keep high protien things like bars or nuts or such in my car this won't be as big of an issue but for now with the limit on what I can actually eat it is. And I am choosing to be educated and make the best choices I can with my given cir****tances.

Sometimes for me it comes down to working out or a home cooked meal. Which then would you classify as more important

-The homecooked meal. You can't outrun a bad diet.  According to my trainer, weightloss/maintance is 70% diet, 20% weights/resistance and 10% cardio. So the diet is way more important.

I feel more commited that I am able to fit in more than I ever had before

-Are you sure you arent "overcommitted" Fitting in more things isnt necessarily better. Especially if you can not follow your diet and it forces you to make poor choices.

We should all be realistic and supportive here. 

_ I am being realistic and supportative. There is only 24hours in day.  There will be many b.s. things along the way that will try to derail you and get you to take your eyes off the prize. IN those instances, ya gotta prioritize and pick.

I'm as far out as you. Of course the vets are right...we should avoid fast food...but I have to admit... I had a half of a meximelt. 

One reason I would stay away from fast food places. Is old habits are hard to break. I would try making things to bring with you when you go places. I have a lunch box that goes with me everywhere so I don't make haste decisions. 

Bring string cheese and things that are easily made weekly. I make over a dozen hard boiled eggs every week so I know I have something on hand. Canned tuna I have a ton of that to. 

I was a person who ate fast food on a regular basis and I won't even go there to pick something up for my family. I would also get some refried beans from the store and buy containers to put them in. 

I find myself packing food when I know the only other option is fast food.  The good thing is that you don't need much anymore!  A couple string cheeses or babybel cheeses along with a hard boiled egg or two totally fills me up.

But I do make an exception for Wendy's chili.  That is a fast food item I'll happily have.