Relax, enjoy, go with the flow. As far as food goes, just order something you know is safe for you to eat.

Oh gods, stay away from PoF, you'll fare much better with OK Cupid. Even then it's a nightmare, though. I don't wish modern dating on my worst enemy. Hopefully, I won't be doing that again for a while.

I did notice that things got SO MUCH EASIER once I stopped stressing/obsessing about it. I took on the view that dating is just an addition to my already busy and fulfilling lifestyle. Once I started looking at it as an Option (compared to doing anything in the world that I want, because I'm an adult) I just went with the flow. Keep up with the excitement, but just relax, and don't expect too much out of it. People on the internet are creepy, flaky, and downright disgusting at times (and this is coming from a man's POV). My current girlfriend has shown me a smattering of the BS she went through on those sites, shudder.

I had the same worries about the eating thing too. I actually stopped dating until I was 4 months Post, just so I'd have the experience of what foods I could/not tolerate. I can't imagine getting Dumping Syndrome on a date, lol. I stuck with sushi as my go-to first date. I felt comfortable splitting a roll, or ordering sashimi. Also, I'd order the meats a la carte in normal restaurants; a side of chicken breast with a side of broccoli, a burger with bacon, cheese, and no bun, or something safe. If the conversation is going well, the guy's not going to be focusing on what or how much you don't eat.

Oh, also, I made sure that in my profile I mentioned that I was in to taking care of myself, and that "over the last few years, I have lost over 150 pounds". Nicer that it wasn't lying, since I have been actively losing weight since 2013. I didn't go into the details, and it hardly ever came up. Usually just saying "tracking my calories" "eating healthier" and "dedication" was enough to pass that part of the convo.

Best of luck to you in this weird and frightening venture. If you want a good companion source, go to reddit and subscribe to the subforum OKcupid (www.Reddit.com/r/okcupid). Tons of great advice on fixing up your profile, dating tidbits, horror stories, and general randomness. Also, tons of bad advice thrown in for good measure.

I totally know where you're coming from. I am only one month post surgery and I've put my POF account on hold for the last few months. My worry was that I usually would get messages from men who are attracted to plus sized women... and well, I didn't know how much longer I would be a plus sized woman. And while I'm getting more and more into my fitness I'm in no way interested in trying to chat up those gym rat type guys on that website.

I'm just hoping that I'll know when I'm ready to get back out there to the dating world. And maybe as I get more confident I'll meet someone the old fashion way lol

PS....Supernatural is amazing. I went to the convention when they came to my state last summer. It was so much fun!!! I wish I could afford to go again this year!

OMG you will meet David Tennant...swoon...lol My 16yr old daughter got me hooked on Dr Who...she was like 13...and she is also a huge fan of Misha Collins. So jealous...anyone that is cool should love Dr Who...if they don't walk away...haha.

As for food...can you look up the restaurant, get a sense of the food, be able to find something you can have.

I have no clue on anything online dating ways...I married a good friend's brother...got introduced and hit it off...that was 18yrs ago. Good luck, and be safe. And trust your instincts.

PoF...that brings back memories. Not good ones. I went through all of the same thoughts you're having about it being time to get out there, when I was 39. I went onto Match.com and inside 2 weeks met my huband. 5 years later he is still the love of my life. So....its worth the stress and anxiety but you might do better on a more reputable site than PoF. Regarding the food, although I am pre-op I get your concern. Maybe you don't need to explain anything to him at all. If he asks you could say its nerves, that is true and chances are good he's nervous too.

anbrdr wrote: »

Sweet, once the first one's out of the way, they'll all get easier (mostly).

^^This!

I met my current boyfriend two years ago on OKCupid. I found that the same guys are on all the same sites. Even some of the paid ones. Just have to weed out the good from the bad and keep your guard up. PM me if you want to talk about it. I went through my share of frogs and bad choices.

Met hubby on POF and we will have our 8th anniversary coming up at end of month. Depends on what fishing for I guess if you find what you are looking for. He is my geek extrodinaire and I feel so lucky to have found him in my life.

Now, I am changing, physically and mentally, and he did state that he finds it harder to keep his hands off. Not that it is a bad thing.

Planet Comicon coming up soon, looking forward to my evening with Kevin Smith.

teehee I met my husband @kc4nus in a Yahoo! chatroom in the 90s. On dialup. When dinosaurs roamed the earth.

Neither of us was looking. It just happened. That's probably why it worked. Sometimes, you can try too hard. Concentrate on you for a while.