What a "real" meal out can look like these days (6 months out)

You're welcome. It IS different for everyone.

I had surgery to live a more normal life. To me, that means usually staying exactly on plan and being always on it with my food and fluids... but to allow for a few times when I just have a few fries.

Others have the surgery and have to have stay militant all of the time and never cheat and get into maintenance and never cheat.

Know yourself. That's the most important thing. Track everything. Write down... yes, even when you royally screw up... don't NOT write it down. Track it. It counts. So what it threw your carbs up over double. KNOW what you are doing. I screw up or I plan to cheat - and I log it. It keeps me honest.

(yeah, I had the inside of pumpkin pie this weekend too - and a few bites of the crust too) :) I woke up a pound down the next day

(sometimes I think the scale needs to stop rewarding that behavior! LOL) - Seriously though, the doctor did tell me that it takes 2-4 days for what you eat to show up on your weight. I fully expect to be up a pound or two here soon, but I KNOW it will come right back off too. Of course, I have yet to get anywhere near my RMR, so.... who knows!

Love it!! I went out with my hubby and Sis in law the other day to Olive Garden (I must be a masochist) but I had a little soup broth and a few mashed beans and was quite full and felt very fulfilled. I joked that I was a cheap date now.

Ha! Yup... those first few meals were extra fun. Hubby says I'm not as cheap as I was... esp because he's a red meat eater and I prefer chicken or fish as a rule - so we still get two dishes. AND if we go out to a nice restaurant, I almost always order something "weird" (as he says) that costs an arm and a leg and "then you only eat a little of it!"

Yeah, but those "weird" foods make some kick butt leftovers ;)

You'll be a cheap date for a LONG time. :) That just means he should take you out more often!

 Thank you for posting this!! Eating out is one of the main things we do for fun where I live. I actually found myself eating out during my first week post-op. I begged for Japanese so I could get the clear soup lol. It worked! I'm excited for the day when I can go out and share. Never used to do that because I was such a food hoarder at restaurants. 

Yes. I had clear soup as well... it was NICE to do something normal - well, as normal as it gets. Luckily it was a place we frequent and the waitress there knew me... she was laughing that I didn't finish all the soup! But she knew what was up so it wasn't a big deal. Being a regular helps a lot too because she will tell them to go easy on the sauce for me when I order seared ahi there or whatever else as time goes by... :)

 I feel compelled to respond because I was mentioned by Frisco.

I am non-militant if you prefer to look at it that way!  I question how realistic it really is to have a lifetime strategy of avoiding food.  Therefore I decided my best strategy for longterm success was to foster a healtnhy relationship with food.  I have never had that before and I looked at surgery as an opportunity to press the reset button.  

I've always eaten healthily and well rounded so I live by just a few guidelines:  eat protein first, keep healthy, well-balanced food around, never overeat, and don't deprive myself.  

Ultimately what words of wisdom I would give anyone is that surgery is the first of a 3 pronged attack.  You have to change your guts (the surgery), change your way of eating, and change your way of thinking.  I decided to let my change of eating be a product of my change of thinking.  That's the hardest thing to change, imho.  It's all downhill from there!  126lbs. later I am happy to be completely at peace with my eating habits, food is no longer a big to-do.  

Example:  I don't typically eat this way, but over Christmas...
Christmas Eve:
rib roast (small piece- 2oz.)
2 Tbs. glazed carrots
1/4 c. scalloped potatoes
10 haricots vert

Couple hours later...
half a small slice coconut cake (split with my sister who also had wls and has lost 110lbs.)

Christmas Day:
mimosa
sausage kolache

3ish oz. ham
1/4 c. cheese grits
3 Tbs. pea salad
3 Tbs. cranberry gelatin

Thanks for the response. You're doing great!

Yes, I think changing my head is the hardest part of this whole thing. Thank goodness I found a counselor, I think she's been an important key in this whole thing.

While I understand the reasoning behind "stay militant all of the time and never cheat and get into maintenance and never cheat" I totally don't get how people go from out of control eaters/mobidly obese to the point of needing weight loss surgery to being militant and controlled in their eating.
How the hell do you do that???
I had WLS in August of this year and at almost 4 months out this last month has been quite a struggling and caving in to head hunger way too much as am able to eat anything now.
Christmas was quite out of control with much grazing on way too many refined carbs.
While the size of my stomach has changed my brain hasn't.  Every evening I have to fight head hunger and when eating straight carbs I can consume larger quantitys. Thats scary.  Nothing has changed as far as having more will power post op and exercising or distracting activities have no positive effect with battling my head hunger. 
I'm truly happy for those who somehow have miraculously gained post op will power but that has completely escaped me and I'm still perplexed how people seem to have this new found ability of controlled eating. 

Only those who are doing that can answer for real but I suspect it's just how their brains work. I can see how that would be difficult. I think you actually answered your own question though. It's your head, not your stomach that needs more healing. If you can, look for a counselor that specializes in weight issues. Mine is the best thing I did for myself this year, or at least equal to surgery. My insurance, surprisingly, covers her too. (it didn't cover surgery).

I would start a food journal, writing down not only what you are eating but how you are feeling. Stressed? Happy? Sad? Etc. Might be valuable insight there.

This was an awesome post! Blondebrown, thanks for chiming in! You have been an inspiration throughout my journey. Your opinion means a lot!
My goal is to live a balanced, nutritious lifestyle. I know I cannot deprive myself! I tried numerous times in the past and flunked horribly. I cannot eat non fat and low carb at the same time. Thou shall not eat bland cardboard! My food must be deliciously on plan! I need a little gravy with my turkey meatloaf, lol!
That's my way and it works for me! I track daily on myfitpal. I stay under calorie and carbs goal while upping protein.