Do you ever eat normal again????

I'm 3 1/2 weeks out so I'm probably freaking out too early. I've lost a lot of weight since my surgery and have had my ups and downs with food which by reading post seems pretty normal for where I am. But I am having a really hard time incorporating my eating habits with everyday routine... Mentally it's really messing with me, will I ever be able to eat " normal" again? I know I will never eat the same amount, but will I be able to go out and have a meal with my family? Will I ever be able to grab something thru a drive thru again? If so when? Thanks in advance for your help!

Well, i'm 10 weeks out, and I sit down and eat meals. Well, if meat is a meal :)

Ive gone out to eat - it's awkward at first but then you just learn to eat your little bites and chat a lot .

As for drive thrus, I don't really think there is much benefit to them other than convenience. I suppose in a crunch, you could find something to make it work if you are committed to making the healthiest choice possible. If I had to, I could drive through a window and pick up a piece of chicken breast or refried beans or something. I dont because usually the best choice is still not that great for me, but that's just me.

I'll probably be eating out a couple times this weekend since I have lots of family here - so it's possible. Definition of eating a meal has changed quite a bit - but I can sit at a table and enjoy it.

I started eating out with friends/family around 3.5-4 months out. I still ate super restricted portions back then, and didn't indulge in any junk, ate lots of soups or appetizers (tiny portions of apps).

I ate out for every meal today. Now, take into account I'm a raging hormonal, pregnant woman so today was not the best choices, but I eat out around 3-4 times a week.

I enjoy eating out tremendously, and I remember never believing anyone that I'd every feel normal again. Well, I do feel normal, I eat normal foods, and don't really restrict much in my daily diet anymore, and haven't since getting into maintenance last year.

My capacity maxed out at around 8-9 months out. I've been eating the same amounts since then, and really the only thing that has changed are my slider foods have changed a bit. I can eat a little more bread than I could at 8 months out, but I still have really great restriction.

This is what I ate today at over 2 years out:

I had a small country fried steak with white gravy for breakfast this morning with some hashbrowns, for lunch I had my standard 5-6 tortilla chips with salsa and my one chicken fajita with beans, rice, guac, chicken, sour cream, sauteed onions and jalapenos, and for dinner I had 2 chicken tenders with honey, 6 fries and 2 jalapeno bomber thingies. I don't eat like this every day or even in maintenance especially all the fried foods, I'll blame the pregnancy on the fried food craze I went on today. I eat pretty normal though minus the pregnancy. Oh and I shared a bag of skittles with my 13yr old son tonight

 You are freaking out too early. Of course, you will be able to go out to eat with your family. Of course you will eat normal again (albeit a new and improved normal). 
Im 10 months out from surgery. Obviously, my choices are focused on protein when I eat at home or otherwise. Like today, I went to lunch with my hubby.....had some egg salad on wheat toast. I basically scraped off the egg salad and only had a few bites of the toast. I did have two bites of my hubby's mac n cheese and an onion ring. :) 
Relax......

I felt the same way early out.  I thought how in the world am I ever going to enjoy food again. I can tell you someday you will. Someday you may even actually panic because you feel like you are eating too normally. At 11months out now, I feel pretty normal. I can sit down with friends and family in a resturaunt and eat, I just take more than half my food home for later. I can even enjoy a taste or two of an appetizer.  At recent family potluck I was able to enjoy all my favorite potluck fair, just a tiny bit of it all and it took me alot longer than everyone else to eat :)  I often swing through drive thrus to get a burger and maybe a fries, I just end up eating the hamburg meat minus half the bun and a fry or two. It is nothing like pre-op days, but then do you really want to eat like you did before surgery?  I look at what I used to be able to eat and wonder why on earth I though I needed all that food. Yes, someday you will be able to eat normal again, but it will be a new normal.

Hi, I am 3 1/2 weeks out also.  I know what your feeling...BUT the one thing that I do know is I am so thankful for the gift of the sleeve.  Right now, when we are adjusting into the daily life of food again , it might seem daunting and even confusing at times (abnormal), but this will be a short period of time.  We are learning new relationships with food.
Most of us did not get to the place of needing wls by having a normal/healthy relationship with food.
All this being said, I hear what your saying... just know in time you and I will love that we can eat healthy, and far less than ever before AND feel satisfied and empowered...with our families and friends.
Best wishes to you and your continued success!

I am 10 days out, was invited to eat out with my son, daughter-in-law and daughter, they were so happy to have a normal active funny moma back....they were worried about surgery and recovery immediately post-op.
Anyway we went to a mexican rest. I had water with lemon, refried beans with cheese sauce (2 T) which I ate slow and talked alot....They never noticed the difference except my son got half my food when he was still hungry. That boy has the metabolism of a freight train(high speed), yeah but he is half my age also.

I know it feels like you will never be able to eat normally again.  What I've noticed is that I have a *new* normal.  I go out to restaurants all the time.  I go through drive throughs way less than I used to, but I still do it sometimes.  But what has changed is what I order.  I go to Wendys and get their chili.  At Taco Bell I'll get the Pintos 'n' Cheese.  Depending on how dense they make the Chili at Wendy's that day it may make one or two meals.  There's really nothing for me at McDonalds anymore though.  LOL.  When going out to restaurants I will still get steak, but I'll get the 6-ounce and save the leftovers instead of the 12-ounce and eat the whole thing.  I'm better at choosing my side items, too.

It will be a little awkward at first, but you get used to it.

Good luck!!

I am only one week out right now, and I honesty feel almost depressed. My relationship with food was more unhealthy than I thought it was. I am on all liquid for the next week, then I"m on to soft foods. I am so anxious to eat good healthy food, will I EVER be able to eat a sandwich again, or something with flavor. The protein shakes arent' that great and I honestly feel like this is going to last forever! Please any more words of encouragement would be nice. My family has to eat ...they eat amazing food around me...how do I handle this!?

 

 

 

Janelle

No worries! I'm a little over a month out now, guess I'm about week 6 (need to count on fingers LOL).

I went to a friends house Saturday night, girls night and we had dinner and watched a movie. I had a little of everything. Main was salmon, I took 1 oz of salmon, there was pasta with chicken, I took 1/2 oz of chicken and a couple noodles (bad girl I know), I had a little fruit and some salad. All portions about the size of a silver dollar. Salmon was a little bigger.

Nobody cared. And I eat so slow that i was still eating while they were. It's not like you will be wolfing a 1/4 cup of food down and be sitting there staring at people LOL. It took me as long to eat my food as it did my girl friends to eat theirs (and they had roughly 4 x's the portion).

I figure if someone wants to ask me why I'm not eating much, I'll be happy to tell them. If ever someone was rude about it, I'll be happy to tell them to shut it (nicely). My choice, my body, my life. You can be curious, but you can't be rude.

So far no one has said anything. OH AND, when I was still on soft foods - I took my greek yogurt to Chevy's on the River here with my coworkers for a lunch celebration. No problem

You'll do fine. I eat with my kids. Last night was taco's, they had taco's I had the lean meat with a little low fat cheese and avocado mixed in a small bowl. I was a happy camper!