I would ordera sandwich with whole what bread and depending on how big the sandwiches are, I would cut it in half or quarter. Soups are ok, but you want to avoid the liquid, that will wash away the food you eat faster than the nutrietns can be absorbed., Quesadillas are protein packed and a good choice, I would avaoid the tortilla part unless they offer whole wheat and then again depending on how big it is I would half or quarter it, salads are great too but it may be awhile before your new tummy can tolerate it. I've heard some people here can't eat salad because it upsets their stomache.
Get used to doggy bagging a lot of your food when you eat out. My husband and I go to breakfast on Sundays and I take 2/3 of my omelete home for my kids to eat.

Great question! I'm 11 months out from RNY gbs. We eat out...lots. I go for sandwich guts. I like chicken salad ones, they are easy for me to get down. If we're someplace more posh, like maybe Carrabas, it's either crab cakes and ceasar salad or shrimp scampi with ceasar salad. I usually end up bringing half of it home.

Eating out for me is no problem. That is as long as my tablemates don't mind me playing with my food! :)

Blessings,
Spotz

Thanks Shelley- That's very helpful. I had seen an earlier post about quesadilla w/o the tortilla. We like to go out to breakfast so it's nice to know that I will be able to adapt my new lifestyle to fit ours.

Spotz- Great response (I like the "playing" w/ food comment.) Actually yesterday I ordered a chicken philly and I was thinking that after GBS I would eat the chicken and cheese, no roll. Thanks.

I am 12 months post-op and what I usually do is try to order salads with grilled chicken (or fish if you prefer) if they are available - or get tuna or chicken salad. If they don't serve them alone, you can always eat it open faced and not eat the bottom piece of bread. I do that a lot. I have also gone to Subway and picked through my sub (i.e open it up and eat only the meat and cheese and veggies out of it). Some places will even do lettuce wraps. Like Jimmy Johns (one of my favorite sub places) will do any sub in a lettuce wrap.

I still don't eat much bread - I will do 1 piece of Nature's Own whole wheat cut in half and then I pack it with about 3oz of meat and a slice of cheese. 1 slice of that bread is 10g carb, 3g fiber, and 4g protein. I also enjoy the occassional 1/2 whole wheat english muffin toasted with 1Tbsp peanut butter.

It has taken me a while to be able to eat bread, especially non-toasted bread. So it may be 6+ months before you can tolerate it, but everyone is different. You just have to work with it. When I have the option to opt-out of bread (especially when I don't have control over the bread that is used), I usually do. I still try to maintain under 100g carbs per day.

I GO OUT OFTEN AND GENERALLY GET SALAD - COBB OR SOMETHING WITH CHICKEN OR SHRIMP AND SOMETIMES AN ENTREE - I CAN NEVER FINISH A COMPLETE MEAL SO I NIBBLE UNTIL I AM FULL AND THEN ALWAYS BRING THE REST HOME WITH ME. QUESADILLAS ARE MY FAVORITE. I STILL RARELY DO BREAD BUT IF I GET IT IT'S FLAT BREAD OR WHEAT TORTILLA.

LET ME ADD I TRY TO GET SOMETHING HIGH IN PROTEIN BECAUSE AT SOME POINT WE SHOULD BE GETTING OUR PROTEIN FROM FOODS AS WELL AS THE SHAKES.

I always go for the soup. If there are noodles in the soup then I don't eat them. Then I'll go for grilled chicken, (no fried or breaded). I haven't eaten salad yet, (I'm 6 months out) but will be trying it soon.

I order food and immediately section to eat some and bring some home. I ask for a container for the food I'm going to bring home immediately!

And me only being 8 weeks out...I eat 2 or 3 bites off my husbands plate! No sense in buying a kid meal or regular size dinner yet as I am still on soft foods.. So I grab a tiny bit of his. 2 bites and Im done.
I am sure to not eat anything made from White flour, sugar etc....

I'm 7 months out.

I still don't eat any starches (even whole grains) so I always go for a non-cream soup with no noodles/potatoes/rice.

I prefer if it has some meat, beans, or tofu for protein.

At this point I can eat almost anything, but early on I would have looked at the soups to see if any were easy to digest like a tomato soup or chicken soup. I also might have gone with the inside of a sandwich and either asked for no bread or immediately taken the bread off and put it away. When I first went out I would have the fish broiled with no butters etc. if that was possible. I would also get a doggie bag first thing and take about most of the food off. Then I would slowly eat a tiny bite and then see how it sat. Usually I would eat a little more once I got home if needed, but a very small amount will fill you up and do not try to push more food. It is hard to get the mind to remember that you are really full and satisfied after a bite or two. Watch out for chicken early on because some people do not tolerate it at all the first few months. Stay away from breads, pasta and rice. They will swell in the tummy even if you eat just a small amount and the swelling really can cause pain. Also, I love spicy food and I was not told that I should be careful of it, but spicy food and acidic foods can irritate the pouch early on after surgery so be aware. Also, sometimes food that you think is better for you really is not such as veggie burgers sometimes are worse for you than a real burger. Check it out before you assume one is worse or better for calories, carbs, etc. It is interesting to go through this learning process. Best of luck.

I usually order soup and a side salad. Was a happy girl when I found out french onion soup (minus the bread) has 10-15 gr protein. If no FO soup on the menu, then I go for chili. Have found some reallly good places for chili! Third choice is a salad with grilled chicken. Eat the chicken dipped in dressing (usually breast meat which I need moistened) and a little of the salad. Feels wasteful to leave so much behind so I usually go with the soup and side salad or the chili. If you like Middle Eastern food, then chicken shawarma with grilled veggies is AMAZING and lentil soup is very good too. My friends always ask for their lentil soup that comes with their dinners 'to go' and then give it to me. Freezes well!!

If I can get breakfast I order a side of scrambled eggs with cheese. I don't like to bring home leftover eggs or I would order an omelet. I do a lot of soups. Brocoli Cheese is one of my favs.

For those who mentioned chicken salad, are you worried with the hight fat in the mayo. I am two months out with the sleeve. I always look at the chicken salad on menus but was too nervous to order.

Thanks for asking this question! I am at the beginning of my journey and I really learned alot. Thanks all you wonderful ladies for your help with us newbies. : )