Dining Out

[Guest guest]

Mexican:

I order a side of pintos and cheese then remove some of the meat

(usually shreaded beef or chicken), sauce, and lettuce from my

hubby's meal and spread it over my beans and cheese. Tastes great

and all I'm missing is the tortilla, but I get all the flavor.

Italian:

Order spaghetti and meatballs without the pasta. Afterall, that is

where the flavor is, right? Would you go into an italian restaurant

and order just a plate of spaghetti noodles without sauce? Probably

not. Most Italian restaurants carry egg plant or other vegetable

dishes like parmasean and lasagna.

Pizza:

I usually get a small (hubby and son like the same kind so they

usually share their pizza) Canadian bacon or ham with mushrooms. The

Canadian bacon and ham both have less fat than some of your other

choices and most post-ops know that mozzerella is one of our ok

choices. I slide the toppings, sauce, cheese, meat, mushies, off the

crust onto my plate and eat it with a fork. Afterall, lol, that is

where the flavor is right? Would you go into a pizza place and order

just a plain crust, no toppings?

Fast Food:

Oh the possibilities these days. Most places have a great variety of

salads. I will occassionally get a GRILLED chicken salad and ask for

one of their light dressings. I find I can make 3-4 meals out of one

of these salads. If you are craving a sandwhich, order a grilled

chicken sand then just remove the bun and eat the rest. Afterall (uh

huh, the phrase again, lol) that is where the flavor is right? Would

you go out for fast food and order only a bun?

Asian:

One of my favs... The best thing about this is that the main entrees

consist of proteins and veggies which are perfectly legal for

posties. Although you may want to be aware that cornstarch (carbie)

is usually used to thicken the sauces, you can easily choose

something suitable. I like beef/broccoli, cashew chicken,

chicken/mushrooms. Just forgo the noodles, rice, eggrolls (unless

you eat just the insides), and wontons and your meal will still be

wonderful.

American/Steakhouse:

There are not a lot of things you CANT have. I have taken a piece of

my hubby's steak and done fine with it. Salmon is a little fatty,

but has so many great nutrients and you can always enjoy your

leftovers later. Chicken dishes are always a good choice. I have not

had one encounter where a restaurant would not allow me to order off

the childs menu. On one occasion I found that most of the foods on

the childs menu were fried or fatty so I asked if I could order off

the senior menu, telling them that because of surgery I was not

capable of eating a regular adult meal. The restaurants and

personnel have always been obliging.

Breakfast:

Omelets, omelets, omelets... Yum. A little ham and a little cheese

and you have a great protein packed breakfast out. If you don't

tolerate real eggs well, most places do provide egg substitutes, all

you gotta do is ask. A veggie omelet is good too. Just ask for a

side of salsa to spice it up a little. Ordering a la carte is great

for breakfast. You can chose one egg and a side of ham. If you dare

(which I don't yet) crepes with sugarfree syrup contain less carbs

than a regular pancake does. Since crepes are made mostely with eggs

you've got a sweet little protein source as a bonus. Just skip on the

hashbrowns and you can get a low carb breakfast any place.

Hope this helps some of you that are concerned with eating out and

worried that your choices will be severely limited. They aren't.

All you have to do is have some creativity. The further I get in my

weightloss and the longer I live by the eating plans the more I find

that my choices and way of eating don't have to be boring.

Good Luck,

Toi

-97 lbs and loving my new eating style.

[Guest guest]

Dear Toi:

Thank you so much for putting a lot of time and effort into this

list. I printed it out... shunk it down and will now carry your

suggestions in my wallet. It will be nice to have when I start

feeling sorry for myself... or frustrated and I can have your list to

refer to.

Everyone.... have a safe and happy 4th of July.

Robyne

[Guest guest]

Hi Toi and thank you for your eating out tips they all sound like such good

choices. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Lori Anne

pre-op lap rny 8/25/03