Okay: so I had my first fill today: 6 weeks post op, took me to about a 4.5, I am on liquids for today & tomorrow and then the DR said to start eating like I will for the rest of my life: I have been doing fairly well: I have lost 23 pounds since surgery:

My question: I am scared to eat, he said that I would feel it but not to go to mushies: what do you recommend? I have already had some problems with chicken, I have done pretty well with ground beef: is it okay to stick with that?

Have you tried chicken thighs? They work much better for me (and they are cheaper!). I also eat a lot of fish. Beef works fine for me but it has a higher calorie count so I try and limit how much I eat. I posted a blog on what I eat here is a link...

What I eat... - LAP-BAND

Don't be scared to eat just go slow, and chew, chew, chew!

That's right, dark meat chicken is more tender, but my nutritionist says to limit that too because it is fattier. Fish is a good idea or you can cook your chicken breast in the crock pot, that keeps it really tender. Even though, no matter how tender it is, I am still having troubles with chicken. Tonight I had something for supper that I haven't had in quite some time and it's really good, not to mention that my nutritionist said it would be okay to have. I use the crab meat, warm it in a skillet that's been sprayed with pam, add a little dry mustard and light Miracle Whip. That's it. It's really good. It was enough to fill me too. I'm at 5 1/2 cc in my 10cc band and I had about 1/2 cup. Just make sure you're getting about 60 grams of Protein in a day. If you have to, don't forget to use a Protein Drink.

Good Luck!

I had one of my worst stuck episodes with ground beef. Even though it is ground, it still has gristle in it, and we don't always chew it well.

I do very well with dark meat chicken and beef. But I do get bored with chewing!

When I was having trouble with all types of meat I slowly started trying the softest things I could find. That ended up being crab (real crab) and scallops and ground beef only in chili.

Try those and work your way to more solid meat like fish, then chicken.

Your first fill may not be very tight after a week or 2.

Edited April 22, 201016 yr by Humming Bird

Actually no one can help you on this because it is so different for everyone. I can eat chicken and meat but I have to do very small bites and chew really well. If I get a bite of something that isn't chewing up completely because it is tough, or gristle-y, I just don't swallow it. I spit into a napkin and throw it away. Chicken skin is hard for me because I have always loved it. I can not chew it up enough now to make it go down well so it cured my love of skin. I just figure it is behavior modification. Tuna and canned salmon are good and go down easily, however I try to eat solid food when I can because I think it satisfys me better. Best of luck !!! Hugs!!!!!

I understand that your doctor's goal is to get you to "normal" as quickly as possible.

BUT, it's perfectly normal, after a fill (though it's usually not marked with the first), to experience swelling---and 'babying' the band for a few days can be a very good idea.

My doctor doesn't have us go to liquids or mushies after a fill, either. And it wasn't until my THIRD fill that this caused me any problem.

I got stuck right away---and rather than tell myself, "Well, time to take it easy," I proceeded to try "normal" food for the next several meals.

I ended up VASTLY prolonging the time before I could return to "normal".

Most of us have really, really excellent surgeons. But most of them do not have bands---and do not therefore really viscerally (no pun intended) understand our limitations all the time.

I'm not suggesting you discount what your doctor tells you---but rather reassuring you that, if you have difficulty, it's okay to listen to your band, and take your cues from your very own body. Certainly, you don't want to subsist long-term on liquids or mushies; but if you require a day or two to let swelling go down, there's no need to feel as though you're defying doctor's orders. You're not; you're doing what YOU need to do in order to feel well.