When going to a restaurant, what do you order?

I would like to ask my fellow bandster, when you do go to a restaurant, what would you order? It takes me now a long time to review the menu, you want to make a sound choice when ordering food, knowing you can only eat so much. I haven't learned how to eat salad, the last time I ate one was 8 months ago, and I balled over, the lettuce got stuck in my stomach and it was so painful, ever since, I never ever wanted to eat lettuce again. So far, am good with soups, but is that all I will ever eat in a restaurant???

Wow, that is a task sometimes. I don't like to eat in public. I ate lunch in the car today (doing some traveling on the interstate) and my kids asked me to lunch.

I got a drink and when the food came, I grabbed a fry or two...just to look like I was eating.

When I want Pizza Hut buffet, I have to get it 'to go' because salad is hard on me.

But don't sweat it! I like to order potatoes (sweet potatoes are my fav) and something cheap when I go out to eat.

I order whatever I want usually but I do tend to avoid big heavy meals - big slabs of meat or chicken.

Safe options for me are salads (love a good caesar salad) or pasta. Neither of which are always the lowest fat options - a caesar salad can be HUGE fat - but I dont eat out often enough for it to really matter. I just tend to pick things I know I can eat safely, I can eat meat and chicken without problem but they have more potential to get stuck if I forget to chew when I'm talking.

Fish I struggle with a bit, I adore salmon but I only eat it at home as I find it very difficult.

As far as fast food restaurants go, well we dont go to them. I might buy the kids McDonalds for lunch as a treat during the school holidays or we might take them there before the movies (and Doug and I wouldnt eat) but that's it. We would never visit there as a family for dinner. But Pizza Hut and mexican and stuffm we just never do it becuase whilst the kids like it, we think the food's crap. If we're going to go out we make it a treat and choose really nice food.

whew... thats nice to hear from the two of you! When my son's eat pizza, I end up picking on the toppings and making sure i chew well. It really is a task eating out... any of you try eating sushi with nori??? (the seaweed?) very very hard to digest!!!

I know, I ate sushi a couple of months ago, it was no easy task. I ended up picking it apart to remove the seaweed. It wasn't pretty but it still tasted good. I have heard others on the site mention that some places will put soy paper on it instead of seaweed. I asked last time I went to Sho Guns and they looked at me like I was crazy.

Depends on the restaurant. I tend to order something "simple" so that I have some idea of how many calories I'm taking in. e.g. a steak and veggies. And then I take home most of it, if it was good.

If my husband is ordering something I like, I usually split a plate with him since it's only a few bites of food.

I'm a fan of chili, so sometimes I order that. I don't go out for fast food at all anymore. If I did, I'd probably get something like chicken nuggets, that doesn't have a doughy bun.

We went to Red Robin (a burger place) last weekend for the kids, and instead of chili I got the fried fish. Only had a few bites - it was delicious! - but boy did I have a stomachache later. Ugh. I'm so not used to fried food anymore.

I eat out quite often. Pretty much order what ever i want with the exception of anything bready. I ALWAYS ALWAYS ask for a to go box when they bring the food. Right away i pack up anything beyond the portion im goin to have that way im not tempted to eat beyond control.

I haven't found a restaurant yet that I cannot find something on the menu. Soup is always a good one, easy on the band. Baked or grilled fish. Filet mignon I find is tender enough, although I can never eat it all. My friends and family joke that they can get all the way through desert before I'm done with my dinner!

Fast food takes a little research. Wendy's has a chili, McDonal's has a fruit and yogurt parfait (although I much prefer their vanilla cones!), Taco Bell has a side order of pintos and cheese that is a perfect size all by itself. When I go to a Chinese-type fast food, I can usually get a sample of their offerings, and then I can find something that's tender and just get the entree - no rice or noodles.

My lap band keeps me in check. I don't have to worry about overeating anything. I just chew slowly and leave my fork on the plate a lot. Lucky me - there's not a way in the world I can eat a french fry any more :) More for eveyone else! Or I just substitute mashed potatoes.

Hugs!
Donna

My wife was just banded on 4/9, and I won't be banded until 5/14, but we have been 'practicing' when we eat out. We've done several things.

1. We both have a set of small 'bandster' silverware that we carry in a net bags everywhere. These help us to take smaller bites while eating.

2. We agree on an entre' and split it. When we went to Olive Garden and had the herbed salmon last week, the waiter was great. We asked for an extra plate and he actually split the meal onto seperate plates for us. No leftovers and no extra charge.

3. We time ourselves while eating. Minimum 20 minutes, 30 minutes is even better. No big production or timers, we just check one of our watches.

4. When I'm by myself, I feel sort of strange with the minature utensils, so instead I go to a chinese place and use chopsticks. Slows me down reduces the size of bites I take.

give it a try

gk

I absolutley LOVE the Fajita Fiesta Pollo salad from Red Robin. It is so yummy and big enough to take half home to enjoy the next day. If we go out I usually pick a place that
A. Doesn't have a buffet
B. Serves fresh salads
C. I can sit down and be served

I figure I am a mom and I am always serving everyone in my house. When I go out I want someone to wait on me. :biggrin2:!!

We actaully went to Ruby Tuesdays yesterday for lunch and I got the salad bar. It was so fresh and I ate until I could not eat no more. It more than satisfied me.

There have been several threads where the OP listed many restaurants and asked us what we order at each place. You might want to look for some of those, they contain good info.

In general, I order whatever I would have ordered pre-op, except for red meat which I've given up. If I'm really tight, or not sure hwo tight I am, I will generally go with something safe like soup. If I'm not terribly hungry it's an a la carte baked potato or a side/add like when you can add 3 shrimp for $7. Most often I get whatever entree sounds good, usually something seafood, chicken, or turkey. Whatever I can't eat comes a few more meals, or DH will eat it.

Its so nice to hear about choices. Somehow, my tummy does not like chicken- it will take a few red meat and pork, however, chicken, goes up really fast!!! anyone have the same experience?

Lani, my doctor warned me about chicken. Chicken is so easy to overcook because it has to be cooked thoroughly! I have found, however, that if I grill it to the point of doneness (when the juices run clear) and don't overgrill it, the breasts come out very juicy and tender. I can also eat chicken in soups, or in chicken n' dumplings, because it's very tender there, too. Roasted chicken, like you can pick up in the grocery store, I've found has very tender breast meat, too. One thing is certain - chew, chew, chew! Chicken is one of those foods that I can get to my satiety point easily. I guess because I really chew it well, and I wait until each bite "hits bottom" before taking another bite. Shrimp cocktail does that for me, too.

Everybody is different! Gosh, I can eat ice cream until the tub is empty, whereas others just can't do ice cream at all. Maybe chicken is just one of those things you can't do, who knows?

Hugs!
Donna

I usually order fish or shellfish. Crabcakes seem to be the easiest thing for me to eat. I have ordered chicken but it has to have something on it or it will be to dry. Salsa or something. If it's a long leisurely dinner, I'll get a steak but it takes me FOREVER to eat my little pile of pencil earasers. LOL. I like baked sweet potatoes, and veggies are all good for me. Even salad. As long as I chew it well, so far I'm okay with it. My left overs that I bring home never go to waste. Either I have it for lunch the next day or two or my son confiscates it.

i was at a party last night. catered food. I had to carefully pick the food, veggies and I followed everyone's suggestion, chew, chew, chew, chew. I was offered chocolate cake- I declined- I've tried cake and it goes up pretty fast!!!