What happens if I eat too much food too soon after surgery? I had lapband 2 weeks ago and have advanced my diet to eating what ever my family eats because I have been SO HUNGRY!! Why am I supposed to eat pureed meat when everything is fine? I have had NO problems but also feel little restriction in my eating.

This should be a time for healing.............for your stomach to lay low, not be actively processing food, and just healing. This is a time where patience is of particular importance..............following your doctors guidelines are the best things to do right now........

I suspect you know that or you wouldn't be asking for support to do otherwise............

I do not feel like my stomach needs to heal from anything. I could understand if I had the bypass or sleeve. Maybe I do not understand what I am healing from.

This is absurd. You just had surgery two weeks ago and you don't know what you should be healing from? So you're already not listening to your doctor and doing whatever you want. I'm guessing you weren't completely ready for the lapband.

I am not very patient. I guess I am just asking what to do if the recommended foods leave me very hungry.

Thanks for the replies. I really do not know what I am doing.

Eat the recommended food, and if you get hungry in between then you should drink a protein shake. I don't know how much protein the average premade shake has. I recommend buying a two pound tub of it and going from there. It will help with the hunger.

I'm a little worried for you. If you don't know what you're doing, do you like to read? I'd suggest the book Bandwagon. It's a big book and it's worth every penny.

You have to let your stomach heal because 1) you probably have stitched around your band that encase it with your stomach- sort of like making a sleeve in your stomach for the band to sit in. This helps the band stay in place. 2) The band is new to your stomach and needs to settle in to where it's supposed to be. If you're eating normal good again, you could "knock" the band out of place (for lack of a better term).

You need to control your eating now because this is the hardest part of being banded, but it's not going to get easier for you any time soon. Most people don't feel the band working (which means you're not hungry for 4-5 hours after a small meal) until they've had 3 or 4 fills, which will probably be at least a couple of months away for you. THIS IS THE HARD PART. We all have to go through it. If you eat normally now, you're going to have it much, much harder once you start getting fills.

Did your surgeon give you any aftercare directions beyond what you should eat? Do you have a post-op appointment?

Thanks for explaining things to me. I am sorry that I sounded a little like a brat. I will go back to my shakes. I was just interpreting what the dietician told me. I thought if I am able to eat pureed meat then why not regular meat that I chew until pureed. I am just so sick of the shakes! They taste really good and I have learned ways to vary the flavor but I am sick of drinking food. I will stick in there a while longer until I go back to the nutritionist this week. Thanks for the replies.

Yes, you may not feel any bad effects from eating but causing your stomach to churn and digest and break up food will mean that it doesnt get the chance for form scar tissue around the band and the stitches, which is ultimately what holds your band in place. If you're eating solid food, the churning will break up that scar tissue as it forms. You may feel fine, but suffer a slipped band further on down the track. The more thoroughy its healed into place, the more likely you wont have any complications.

When in doubt go to YouTube and watch the surgery videos. See what was actually done. That will give you perspective on why your body needs four to six weeks to heal from this major abdominal surgery.

What happens if I eat too much food too soon after surgery? I had lapband 2 weeks ago and have advanced my diet to eating what ever my family eats because I have been SO HUNGRY!! Why am I supposed to eat pureed meat when everything is fine? I have had NO problems but also feel little restriction in my eating.

I guess every Dr. is different. I just had my 2 week check up on June 2nd and they told me to increase my diet to to regular food with a little more texture and chew well. I have lost 13lbs but noticed since I have increased my diet, I have not lost any weight. Its very discouraging so I have incorporated some solids but eating more soft foods. I get hungry before 4 hrs. but I push through it. I keep focusing on the fact that I will get to the green zone after a couple of fills but I got a couple of months to go. Good Luck and don't give up!

I was on regular food 2 weeks out too. BUT, that is my surgeon's plan. Double check what your surgeon requires and go from there. Until you have some restriction, you're going to be hungry unfortunately. It took me about 3 months to have any type of restriction....gotta have a little patience (like you though, I have zero, lol). Just brush up with your surgeon's orders and get back on track. Good luck!

I went to regular food faster than I should have. It happens and complications are the risk. Listen to whatever the doc says. In my novice opinion, going to normal food 2 weeks out is not nearly the risk that doing it within the first week would be.

Thanks for explaining things to me. I am sorry that I sounded a little like a brat. I will go back to my shakes. I was just interpreting what the dietician told me. I thought if I am able to eat pureed meat then why not regular meat that I chew until pureed. I am just so sick of the shakes! They taste really good and I have learned ways to vary the flavor but I am sick of drinking food. I will stick in there a while longer until I go back to the nutritionist this week. Thanks for the replies.

When the band is inserted, they anchor it down by pulling your stomach over it and placing a few stitches to create a tunnel. When you eat solid foods you are causing your newly created pouch to grind putting pressure on these stitches before scar tissue has had a chance to form and truly anchor the band in place.

Chewing meat....Well, have you every been chewing something, come across a hunk of gristle and swallowed it? Or perhaps gotten distracted while chewing, by wanting to say something, and swallowing before you were ready? If that happens with a band you are at risk for getting stuck (the good gets caught over the hole between the pouch and the big stomach below). This also causes the stomach to grind, putting pressure on the stitches. It is also very painful and can cause vomiting--not something you want to happen immediately post-op. Consuming liquids and already pureed foods means you eliminate that risk. If those stitches pop, you'll need more surgery to put them back in place.

To me, that risk wasn't worth it.

Hope you are feeling less hungry soon! They post-op phase sucks..but it IS worth it!