This question is for folks who are eating normal foods now.

What foods do you have trouble eating with the band?

No matter how hard I try I cannot eat yams -- kills me everytime.

My list isn't very long because my doctor has a pretty restrictive eating program during the weight loss phase, and I haven't really ventured afield.

But I sometimes have trouble dense Protein (beef, chicken, pork) in the evening. (I'm usually fine earlier in the day.) And lettuce---of all things!---sometimes finds itself lying across my stoma and blocking other things from moving through; I have to be careful with leafy stuff.

Pasta, rice, bread, cake? Who knows...I haven't tried. I will, someday, if an occasion warrants and I really want it. So far, I've been fine without.

Does anyone have a problem with shrimp? That and halibut are 2 of my staple Proteins. Don't eat beef, pork and only rarely chicken.

Katie

when you say the food 'gets stuck' what does that feel like and what do you do about it??? i'm getting banded june 28th.

For Protein I can eat shrimp, hamburger, moist chicken, ham steak, turkey sausages, turkey bacon, and scrambled eggs and omlets. Tuna and pork sticks and haven't tried steak or beef roast. I'm at 5.5 cc in 10cc band and have pretty good restriction. I hope I can continue to eat the same stuff I'm eating now after getting more fills.

Thanks for the tip on white sweet taters sslouha.

Maries, for me getting stuck is the feeling of food painfully scraping it's way down my esophagus and sitting up high in my chest like a lump that won't go down. I'm not sure if this is what others call being stuck. It usually just goes away in a minute or two unless I keep eating that food. Everyone gets different sensations I think. It's a trial and error thing and taking small bites, eating slowly, and chewing real well helps avoid such problems.

For me it is scrambled eggs (all other types are ok), bread (including soft shell tortillas) and the worst of all is steak. I have tried filet mignon and prime rib, the steak gets stuck real good so I am up in the middle of the night sweating bullets praying for it to either come up or go down.

Right now I don't have good restriction, but when I do I would add french fries and mashed potatoes (but baked are ok). And sometimes fruit such as blueberries and grapes also.

Great question, I was thinking of asking it too!

mornings I cant get much of anything down, I usualy just stick to a protien shake in the morning or it just comes back up. Around lunch time im good to have my weight watchers food and that seems to be ok. no probs there.

I also seem to have problems with and no longer eat tortilas, tamales, popcorn, over cooked beef, muffins, potato skins and most fruit.

I went to Outback a while ago and had the sirloin steak. It was very unpleasant. I was up all night, even though I took tiny bites and ate slowly. I braise short ribs and chuck steak in the crock pot all the time and have no problems.

I haven't tried bread, but I love corn tortillas with my vegetarian pinto Beans. Haven't tried Pasta yet, either, but I guess I will soon. I'm doing a 5K walk on June 5th, and there is a pasta dinner the evening before. Hope they have whole wheat spaghetti. I guess I'll eat mostly salad and have a Protein shake when I get home.

Bread and left overs of any kind...doesn't matter what it is...once you re-heat something it is too dry and WILL NOT go down.

As far as steak, I have learned that rare to medium rare are digestable...especially the higher end cuts.

My surgeon suggested something that really works. When I go out to eat, I will have a glass of red wine because it suppose to help relax the esophagus.

I find bananas and oranges hard for me to eat, so I stay way from them. I eat bread sparingly....but I love bread, its my weakness. :redface:

I really haven't had problems with much food. I found when I was sick that I couldn't drink orange juice. It gave me bad heartburn the three times I tried it. (Go figure)

I have to add another.. leftover shrimp.

I went to Red Lobster the other day and ate about 1/2 of my meal. Well I have first bite syndrome so I ate a bite, waited about 20 min for it to come up then ate 1/2 my meal.

I reheated the food in the microwave two days later and had the first bite and brought it up then had the 2nd, then the 3rd, then the 4th. then I brought it all up and saliva vomited for the next 4 hours.

I broke a blood vessel in my eye from the retching. Ughhh!

I had 1 cc removed the day I ate Red Lobster for the first time and thought I was ok with eating, but that first bite syndrome is killing me.

I have gained 4 lbs because the only thing I can keep down are sweets (chocolate) and protein shakes so I am drinking them 4 times a day.

I see the dr again on Tuesday and am ready to have the band removed, I can't take this first bite stuff anymore.

Chicken or turkey breast meat. Bagels and soft breads. Sometimes hamburger. Anything that I don't chew properly.

Hamburger does not like me! Breads, pastas, rice...anything that can swell in your pouch I really try to stay away from or I take one tiny bite and that's it. I love potatoes, so far the instant mashed potatoes work the best for me. You can get them in a variety box and they make 1/2 cup servings and I usually can eat about 1/3 of a cup very slowly. One tip my dietitian gave me was any time you eat meat make sure you have some kind of "sauce" (bbq, ketchup, mayo, etc..) for it because that helps it go down easier.

eggs are another food that get stuck.

Sometimes if I stand while I eat I have better luck with food going down rather than sitting. If I've been having issues...

I had a horrible experience with a hard boiled egg...but everything else is okay or not okay from one day to the next...last night at a few pretzels...no problem...today tried to eat the same pretzels...had an episode...I don't think I am at my "sweet spot" yet either...