Hi All -

I was banded on 12/10 and have been on liquids and purees for the last 6 weeks. I got a 1cc fill on Tuesday and today I can start on solids. The program from the doctor for pre and 6 weeks post op has been awesome but now I feel like I'm on my own. Doctor said to eat healthy, eat protien first, and don't worry about calories, just listen to my band.

I'd love to listen to the band, but I still know there's things I should and shouldn't eat with the band. When y'all went back to solids, what sort of things were you eating? What seems to keep you full? Anything to totally avoid? (Other than sweets,liquid calories,etc)

I think I've been pretty educated up to this point, but now I'm sort of at a loss. Any help would be SO appreciated. Thanks!

Jason

Eat normally... so if you have steak, salad and potato - you would eat the steak first 4-6oz and then salad and then potato. If you're eating properly, chewing 30 times, waiting 30 to 60 seconds inbetween bites etc you should be full by the time you get to the potato.

You can eat regular solid foods, you won't know what your "NO" foods are until you try them. Personally I haven't found any yet. I've been able to eat everything as long as I chew it properly.

Although I must admit, cashews were a lil' hard on my tummy, but it could have been the coffee I drank before them (was trying to stay awake on a roadtrip).

Just eat sensible balanced meals and you should do just fine.

I really love ground turkey. I eat it in patties, with a slice of mozzerella cheese, and some broccoli.. ( get the frozen steamers) you can pop those in the microwave, makes for a quick easy meal.

I also use it to make taco meat, stroganoff meatballs, meatloaf.. There are so many different things you can do with it. And it is lean, very good for you.

Remember.. small bites..Eat 4 oz of meat each meal. Chew really good.

The diet that my doctor suggested I be on (even for the 3 months before my surgery) is the South Beach Diet. The basic premise is to eat low fat meats and cheeses, fruits, vegetables and Whole wheat or Whole grains. I was able to lose 19lbs pre-op in 3 months on South Beach and 25lbs more post-op in 3 months. It really is all about picking the healthier options. I do tend to stay away from lettuce and celery though, because I am afraid of having difficulty with them, but there is nothing I've found so far that I can't eat. It is difficult to stay away from some of the greasier, high fat foods because those tend to go down real easy. If you are worried about not staying full in between meals, I would just make sure you limit the amount of carbohydrates you eat because they are basically just sugar and the more you eat, the more you crave. Eating Proteins first, like they said, is your best bet to stay fuller longer. Good Luck! It's really not that scary, I'm sure you'll do just fine! It's actually quite amazing how normal you can really eat. I don't feel like I'm sacrificing much of anything by having this surgery done. I would go through this whole process again if I had to

Tread lightly and chew very well.

I agree chew slowly and start slowly. Consider it a bonus if you have restriction. I had 3 fills before I reached any level of restriction.

The diet that my doctor suggested I be on (even for the 3 months before my surgery) is the South Beach Diet. The basic premise is to eat low fat meats and cheeses, fruits, vegetables and Whole wheat or Whole grains. I was able to lose 19lbs pre-op in 3 months on South Beach and 25lbs more post-op in 3 months. It really is all about picking the healthier options. I do tend to stay away from lettuce and celery though, because I am afraid of having difficulty with them, but there is nothing I've found so far that I can't eat. It is difficult to stay away from some of the greasier, high fat foods because those tend to go down real easy. If you are worried about not staying full in between meals, I would just make sure you limit the amount of carbohydrates you eat because they are basically just sugar and the more you eat, the more you crave. Eating Proteins first, like they said, is your best bet to stay fuller longer. Good Luck! It's really not that scary, I'm sure you'll do just fine! It's actually quite amazing how normal you can really eat. I don't feel like I'm sacrificing much of anything by having this surgery done. I would go through this whole process again if I had to

I just had to chime in and say the Southbeach Diet is fantasic. It's what I'm doing as well. It's about the right fats (unsaturated) and the right carbs (fruit, whole grains and dairy)

i have been eating fairly normally as well but not any special diet as such, i eat all meats but chew atleast 25 times more if not sure i eat salads and veggies i have even now tried toasted bread but not much