Question:
Eating out - Last night was my first try at eating out
My husband took me to Red Lobster for my birthday. I ordered the half portion of Tilipia (very mild fish - I am not a big fish fan) and he had shrimp, crab legs and lobster, none of which I have ever eaten. I tried a bite of each....Well after 9 weeks of the same 7 or 8 food items, they were pretty good....I told him, he may have to cook me some at home LOL!! Please let me know your experiences with eating out...Do you order off the regular menu and just take the leftovers home, do you order off the childrens menu or do you ask them to give you a childs size portion off the main menu? Thanks, Sharon -50 pounds in 9 weeks. — Sharon H. (posted on July 20, 2002)
July 20, 2002
Hi, first of all My husband and I are both post op. We have always loved to
eat out usually at buffets, they are a huge waste of money now.
so we just order what we want off of the regular menu, and take the
leftovers home for lunch the next day, (our kids usually get to them before
us) lol
but red lobster is a whole different story, we hate seafood reheated, so we
share a order of alaskin king crab legs, and thats all we can eat is the
crab, everything else comes home to the kids!!
— rebecca N.
July 20, 2002
Believe it or not, I eat better when I eat out then when I have to cook for
myself @ home. I order whatever I want. I take home left overs and
usually bring them for work the next day depending on what it is. I don't
know where you live but I will give you an idea of different things I order
when I go out. When I was about where you are, I would get Shrimp on the
Barbie with a salad @ Outback. YUMMY. Just enough and I didn't have to
take any home. I also LOVE the Salmon at Outback. It is probably one of
the best places for Salmon and the portion is perfect. I am not a side
dish eater so I can eat almost the whole piece of salmon. I also sometimes
will order Alice's Spring Chicken without the spring (no cheese - eat very
little of the bacon) can only eat about 1/2 of the chicken breast. There
is a resturant here in Florida called J.Alexanders...I always get the
Grilled Salmon Ceaser salad. Again, the portion of the Salmon is perfect
and I can eat almost the entire piece. I don't eat a lot of the salad, but
it is very yummy. Almost any kind of grilled chicken or fish will work on
top of a salad. There have been times when I have just been in the mood
for a good old fashion burger. Flanigans is one of the best places for
that. I eat about 1/2 the burger and take the rest home...no bread of
course. I may even have 3 french fries just to be satisfied with my
craving. I have had crab legs at several places. It works well for me. I
was never a big dunker in butter - so I rarely do that...I just use some
lemon and I am set! It all depends on the type of crab on how much I can
eat. I like the Dungenes crab the best. I have also had Filet Mignon at
some good resturants...I didn't have that until I was over 6 months out
though. It was VERY YUMMY...but I don't like to eat a lot of red meat. I
usually stick with chicken or fish and things without heavy sauces. I ask
for sauces on the side so I can control how much, if any, I will eat. I
have never ordered off of the children's menu because I find it mostly
fried, high fat or pasta....basically it is just business as usual for me
when I go out..I just have lots of left overs. I have gone to places where
food has lasted me 4 meals. Even now at 10 mths out, I still have a lot to
take home at times. I hope this helps :)
— Ilene M.
July 20, 2002
— tannedtigress
July 20, 2002
Me and Jen both post ops try to share meals, although occasionally we dont
and bring stuff home. We eat some of that the rest is enjoyred by our girls
puddle and suzie, our poodles. I have a restaurant card but dont carry it.
Havent had a problem sharing.
— bob-haller
July 20, 2002
I eat out a LOT!!! Red Lobster has an excellent children's menu. I
typically order the fried shrimp (7 pieces). They always substitute and
let me have a baked potato instead of french fries and will even let me
have a salad instead of applesauce!! This is MORE then enough for me to
eat and I never have any leftovers. Not too bad for only $3.99!!! I've
found I can't eat at the Olive Garden anymore. Pasta fills me up to quick
and I end up eating half a breadstick and a meatball and I'm full. I go to
Roadhouse steakhouse and get a steak sandwich (no bun) with a baked potato
and I can finish about half of the steak. The rest I take home and try to
make a meal out of it the next day. Most times though, I give it to the
dogs to eat. With my weight LOSS, they've ended up with a weight GAIN!!!
— Patty H.
July 20, 2002
Sharon, I just got back from 8 days in Chicago with my husband. I never
ordered a meal, just ate a few bites off his plate. No one had a problem
with that (even at Dick's Last Resort, where you pay for them to insult
you. LOL)
— lablady_29
July 20, 2002
The other night we went to Applebees...ordered their 9 oz steak off the
regular menu (I just can't do the children's menu...fried chicken, grilled
cheese...not the best choices) I eat about 2/3 of my steak...cut up into
teeny weeny pieces...a few bites of the grilled veggies and one or two
bites of the potato...a few nibbles off the bread.
I ate very slowly and chewed everything well...I could have eaten a little
more of my dinner but I chose to have it wrapped up and had it for lunch at
work the next day...DH was having their awesome apple crisp for desert, and
I wanted just one bite of that...so I made sure I saved a little room LOL
I felt totally satisfied after that...and lunch the next day was great
too!!!
8 months 4 days post op 240 to 130...@goal :0)
~CAE~
— Mustang
July 20, 2002
I tend to order an appetizer if it's high in protein. If I order a meal, I
take the rest home and take it to work for lunch the next day. I find I
waste food less now than I did before surgery.
— Jennifer A.
July 20, 2002
It took me a while to get used to the new way of my going out to eat. I
always had big eyes and ordered more than I could eat. Since surgery it
hasn't changed much. I still end up ordering more than I can eat. I was
never able to eat the leftovers because the food can get tough the day
after and didn't go down too well. What ended up happening was that
whomever I went to dinner with would share something with me so that there
was less of a hassle. Also, if I was unable to share I would bring the
leftovers home for my brother who looked forward to "doggie
bags". BEWARE of your husband gainning weight!!! The only problem
that I did come accross is that when I got a boyfriend he gainned a lot of
weight because he ate his meal along with the rest of mine and loved to eat
leftovers as a late night snack. The moral of the story......... order
with your stomach in mind not your eyes or head.
— Erika B.
July 20, 2002
My son in law said he would be happy to go out to dinner with us anytime.
He gets to eat from our plates too. LOL
— faybay
July 20, 2002
Hi Sharon~
I went out to dinner for the first time the other night also. We went to
Logan's Steakhouse. I tried to order off of the children's menu but my
selection was hotdog, chicken tenders, steak tips or mac & cheese. So
I decided to order a grilled chicken sandwich with out the bun and mashed
potatoes. It was great! I could eat about 5 bited or chicken and 4-5
bited of potatoes. I took the left overs home and had them for breakfast
and lunch the next day. I have to admit I was scared to go out for the
first time but we went to the restraunt that we knew the waiter and I told
him what I had done since he asked why he hadn't seen us in so long. He
was very helpful and great!!
Good luck! Candi
— Candi B.
July 21, 2002
Sharon---you are at the point where you can try anything--just remember
your limits and guidelines set forth by your surgeon. Get your protein in
first and foremost, dont drink while eating--wait 30 minutes, no carbonated
beverages, no fried foods. I'm sure you're aware of what foods are good
for you protein wise---when you order your food ask the waiter/waittress
for a to go box so that you dont overeat. You can even ask for a bread
plate that is small so you can gauge your amount. Hope this helps!
— Bambi C.
July 21, 2002
First I order an appi and tell the server (pc ;) ) that I would like to
wait to order my entree. Then say that I'm full and the appi usually fills
me. If I do have leftovers I get a doggy bag and give them to my dogs. The
pups LOVE WLS ;) Good Luck
— Robert L.
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