Hi everyone!

I was banded on 3/1/11 and am currently 13 days post op and have just begun introducing eggs into my diet. I cheated a little bit with a soft crabcake and some butternut squash yesterday (and feeling terrible) after being so sick of strained soup! I have a few questions hoping some of you bandsters out here could help me. So here goes:

food questions:

- at what point is it ok to attempt to introduce salads into my diet ? (i have been craving this walnut goat cheese salad from unos pizzeria for about 3 weeks now and want one soooo bad!!!)

-at what point can i begin attempting to take in vegetables and seeing which ones agree/dont agree with my band?

-at what point can i possibly try some bread?

- at what point can I begin taking Aleve/Advil again when I get a headache? I am already off the blood thinners but forgot to question my doctor about this.

lap band post op questions:

I have been nervous about eating anything other than liquids and the only discomfort or rather "weirdness" i have felt so far has been actually feeling the liquids or food go down into my stomach, not sure if i am explaining this correctly but it is exactly what I feel and although I do not feel much restriction with eating (I can only assume from reading on here that's because I haven't had a fill yet), I am still trying to be careful about what I eat and how much. We go out to eat alot in my family and I am trying to portion control my food and stop way before I would even consider being full even though I feel like I can pretty much eat the amount I could prior to the surgery My question is, how do you know your full other than your own brain telling you...is it a pain you feel in your chest? stomach becomes queasy? etc...

Although I was only banded 13 days ago and am still mostly on liquids and eggs, I was wondering if I could probably attempt to introduce some soft meat such as chicken to see how I react to it?

I have been waiting 15-20 minutes after I eat to drink anything..is this enough time or should I be waiting longer?

any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

My first question for you would be did your surgeon's office or nutritionist give you any post-op guidelines for what to eat and when? If so, I would recommend you follow those instructions. I will answer your questions based on the instructions I received and I am sure others will do the same, but you will find that different doctors have different opinions on what to eat, how much and when...

1. I was able to introduce salads back at 4 weeks post-op. I did 2 weeks on liquids, 2 weeks on mushies and then I could eat solids. That said, I don't normally eat a lot of salads unless they come with a lot of Protein on them (and then I mainly eat the protein) because lettuce just takes up space in your pouch and doesn't have a lot of nutuional value...just my opinion

2 &3. I could try veggies and bread at 4 weeks.

4. Aleve/Advil - my surgeon told me not to use them - only Tylenol - and I haven't as of yet.

5. As far as how to tell when you are full...I can only speak for myself, but I rarely get a full feeling while I am eating. If I do feel full, it happens about 15-20 minutes after I finish. For that reason, I weigh and measure everything I eat (when I'm at home), I eat 3-4 oz protein and 1/2 cup veggies and when that is gone then I am finished. Normally, I don't feel full (at least not the way I used to feel full), but rather I just don't feel hungry anymore. That has been one of the biggest things I have had to get used to because I used to eat until I literally couldn't eat another bite.

6. I could eat meat and chicken at 4 weeks, but could have canned chicken and tuna at 2 weeks.

7. My surgeon recommends not drinking 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after a meal. I have a very hard time with the before a meal part of that - I just don't do it. I do, however, try hard to wait the 30 minutes after the meal - I've just gotten in the habit of not having a drink by my plate and checking my watch when I finish eating so I know when I can have a drink. If I am eating something spicy and need a drink then I just take a very small sip and that is all.

I hope this helps...

Hi everyone!

I was banded on 3/1/11 and am currently 13 days post op and have just begun introducing eggs into my diet. I cheated a little bit with a soft crabcake and some butternut squash yesterday (and feeling terrible) after being so sick of strained soup! I have a few questions hoping some of you bandsters out here could help me. So here goes:

food questions:

- at what point is it ok to attempt to introduce salads into my diet ? (i have been craving this walnut goat cheese salad from unos pizzeria for about 3 weeks now and want one soooo bad!!!)

-at what point can i begin attempting to take in vegetables and seeing which ones agree/dont agree with my band?

-at what point can i possibly try some bread?

- at what point can I begin taking Aleve/Advil again when I get a headache? I am already off the blood thinners but forgot to question my doctor about this.

lap band post op questions:

I have been nervous about eating anything other than liquids and the only discomfort or rather "weirdness" i have felt so far has been actually feeling the liquids or food go down into my stomach, not sure if i am explaining this correctly but it is exactly what I feel and although I do not feel much restriction with eating (I can only assume from reading on here that's because I haven't had a fill yet), I am still trying to be careful about what I eat and how much. We go out to eat alot in my family and I am trying to portion control my food and stop way before I would even consider being full even though I feel like I can pretty much eat the amount I could prior to the surgery My question is, how do you know your full other than your own brain telling you...is it a pain you feel in your chest? stomach becomes queasy? etc...

Although I was only banded 13 days ago and am still mostly on liquids and eggs, I was wondering if I could probably attempt to introduce some soft meat such as chicken to see how I react to it?

I have been waiting 15-20 minutes after I eat to drink anything..is this enough time or should I be waiting longer?

any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

1. Salad when you are on solids.. some veggies can be hard to digest. Just remember, lettuce isn't that filling, and dressing has a zillion calories! be careful... not my favorite meal choice.

2. Veggies, I think you should be ok once you are on solids, my book said introduce them last because they are fibrous and hard to break down. But your band is empty, you shouldn't have problems getting any food down after you are cleared for solids.

3. Bread, again, when you are on solids.. I was aloud toast and crackers on soft foods... i was scared of soft bread for a long time, but I have eaten it and it goes down fine for me, but some people have problems with it getting stuck.

4. I'd say advil when you are on solids, before that you aren't aloud pills, I used liquid tylenol.

5. You just have to figure out when to stop eating, it's about learning to realize when you are no longer hungry. The band will help with hunger when you get your fill. For me, I can go a good 4-5 hours without eating. The band will never stop you from eating. I certainly eat less, but I can eat enough to sabotage my diet.. (and I certainly did this weekend on vacation :-/) Unless you have problems where everything gets stuck, and you get sick a lot you gotta watch your calories!

I usually feel moderately full after eating, but you won't ever be bloated thanksgiving day full. As for eating out, your meals are 300-400 calories.. which is hard at restaurants! I eat out a lot too. Do some research before you go, most chain restaurants have nutrition information online. If all else fails, just get grilled chicken or fish, and veggies. Also a good rule of thumb for restaurants, unless you have a "Diet portion" eat half your meal... Also remember, most restaurant meals (not including the bread, dessert, drinks etc...) have about 1000 calories....

For me, I was on liquids for 7 days, pureed food (like chili, oatmeal) for 10 days, soft foods for 10 days (eggs, crackers, basically things that are easy to digest) then day 28 real food. Your nutritionist or doctor should of given you guidelines? 15-20 is fine. I try to do 15 before, 30 after. Honestly, just don't drink with your meal and you are probably fine.