Hi,

So...I'm getting banded in about 2 weeks and I've started my pre-op diet - started it a bit early - been on it about 5 days. So far so good - shakes are tolerable and lean lunches aren't that bad either.

My problem is with the fact that in order to do the pre-op right the choices and tastes are rather limited. Yes, I have a list of all the wonderful "shakes" you can make - but I'm not really a shake/smoothie kinda person.

I enjoy food, not for emotional or stress reasons, but for the quality and taste (I know - a form of addiction). So my question to those who've been banded for a while is: Will I be able to eat high-end, quality restaurant foods or will a trip to a restaurant be a total waste of time not to mention money?

I don't mind eating in small quantities, but I would still like to enjoy the foie gras, good stinky cheeses (bread I can live without), a nice steak (a small one) or really unique and different foods that I have access to while traveling on the expense account

I don't care about burgers, fast food, cakes and all other junk - that I can totally give up and never care a bit, but when I'm faced with a chocolate soufflé with grand marnier - it's kinda hard to say no - again I'll only have a bite - it's the taste experience that's enticing.

I'm also a sucker for street food - especially in NY.

Have any of you thought about this before the surgery? How has your restaurant experience been affected by the band? Did you have to give up all the delicious things and replace them with shakes or meh chicken just to deal with the band? Have any of the awesome gourmet foods been a problem because of the band?

Any insight would be great. Thanks in advance!!

Ahab

I usually order from the appetizer menu and I've become a big fan of soup. The good thing about restaurants is the portions are usually so big that I take the leftovers home and get another 2 or 3 meals out of it. My BFF (also a bandster) and I go out and share a meal.

I would think that you'll do well with a band if you're used to higher end foods. If you're addicted to the foods that are shoved at us at every turn- full of fat, salt, and sugar- then it's hard to understand that you'll need to limit it. But there's nothing wrong with having a small steak or some delicious seafood!

Protein will be your focus once you're banded, and many of the foods you mentioned are high in protein. Perfect! Street food, well... you'll have to pick your battles with that But if what you crave is gourmet foods, I think you'll be just fine.

You will still be able to enjoy eating out...I certainly do, but I find it easier to share high calorie foods instead of eating the whole dish myself. My latest favorite is going to Tapas restaurants because the portion sizes are perfect and I get to taste a little bit of everything. I also find that I actually enjoy food more now because I am not so focused on the quantity of food and since I eat so much slower I can really savor the flavors. So far, I don't feel like I'm depriving myself at all.

My DH and I are foodies. For the first few months as I was adjusting to being banded and learning the rules of being banded and learning what I could eat vs. what I could not tolerate and learning to make good choices as well as learning to forgive myself when I "fell off the wagon"...I am still learning and changing my behavior towards food and the types of food that I choose to eat.

However, I do go to "foodie" restaraunts and enjoy the foods that I like and want. I choose smaller portions for dessert and if it is a temptation, I let my DH order it, take a bite and then go back to my choosen dessert without feelings of resentment. If I fall and make the wrong choices...I forgive myself and exercise a bit longer the next couple of days and I continue on.

Whether you will be able to tolerate beef has to be seen, some bandster scan and do tolerate beef/different types of meat, some cannot, the same goes for vegetables/salads.

Take your time, be aware of the changes and control that you may be faced with, but know that this is a learning process and as long as you are realistically facing your food challenges, you can participate in having great food without feeling deprived.

I enjoy high-end quality food as well. I'm a year and a half post-op and still can't tolerate any type of beef. I tried (1) very small bite of hubbys steak recently and ended up in the restroom withing minutes. Many people have problems with rice and Pasta but I do fine. Bread - forget it - and to be truthful I don't even miss it.

I have become a big fish now. I haven't had a problem with any. Fresh fish and shellfish = yummy!

I do have a shake every day for Breakfast. It has just become a part of my life and I enjoy them. My band tends to be tighter in the morning so shakes work well.

We do high end restaurants once every two months or so and it's perfect for the band. I love fish, especially at good restaurants (it's always so much better than when I make it at home), which of course is very band-friendly. Serving sizes at nice places are typically perfect for a bandster because they are generally small and focus on quality over quantity. I will have a bite or two of my husband's appetizer (the parmesan mushroom souffle at our favorite place DESERVES a bite), have my Protein from my entree, and then if I have room I'll have a bite of my husband's dessert.

At one of our "regular" places I sometimes order an appetizer as my meal, which is plenty if I'm not super hungry. On those occasions, we save money, which is a bonus though not the point.

I am lucky in that my band doesn't prevent me from eating anything, so steak and lamb and pork are definitely still on the menu for me. I can eat bread but I typically choose not to just because I don't want to fill up on something that is just not that important to me- I feel the same way about starches, like potatoes and I have cut WAY back on Pasta just because it used to be a staple in my diet and it's not good for my carb cravings. I LOVE cheese and eat it regularly, though in small quantities and one of my favorite casual "treat" dinners at home is a cheese plate and a glass of wine.

Once you get past the healing post-surgery stage, you won't have to do Protein shakes. You should be able to get your protein in with "real food". I still keep a shake stocked at home for the occasional quick breakfast or binge-preventing snack, but the shakes won't last forever.

I'm not a "high end" eater. But I go out to eat, I love chicken parasean, but now I can make it into 2, sometimes 3 meals and I ask for salad or other veggies instead of pasta (can eat it, but try to avoid doing so). I got the band so k wouldn't be hungry and to help with portions. I only have a little fill in my band. I do not want the band to ever tell me what I can't eat. I may be able to lose faster if I cut out certain things, but I do not want to deprive myself, after all this is a lifestyle change not a total diet

Thanks everyone - that's encouraging. I guess I'm trying to rationalize the whole process. I keep putting things in my + and - columns...but the fact that I have put such a huge emphasis on the "I'm never going to be able eat/drink <fill in the food of choice>" is indicative of the fact that food does play significant role in my life. I enjoy cooking it and eating it. Onward and upward then!

One fear is that I will have an episode in public when something goes up rather than down - but I'll deal

Good to know that shakes are not the staple - but a convenience food especially when there's no time for breakfast in the long term. No amounts of fruit, yogurts or other flavors can make them palatable.

Thanks!

Ahab...I feel the same as you about the Protein shakes! Nothing is ever going to make me want to drink them!

I love to cook, I love to eat, I love to watch others enjoying the food that I've prepared...I Celebrate with food, I mourn with food, I bond over food...I am totally, irrevocably, addicted to food!! And like you, I have no trouble at all giving up greasy fast food...but God help the person who tells me that I will never again enjoy an evening out with my hubby, eating the food that I love...even when I'm thin, the fat girl inside of me WILL come out and hand them a beating! LOL!!

I'm recently banded and had only one fill...so I do not have the restriction that I need yet...but I'm making good choices and learning to make over some of my favorites. Like tonight...I made eggplant parmesan but instead of breading and frying the eggplant, I roasted it. Instead of adding a layer of ricotta, I added a layer of baby bella mushrooms. Instead of full-fat mozzarella melted over the top...I used half as much as I normally would and changed it to part-skim. It was still yummy!!

Good luck to you as you start this journey!