Ok, so when I got my instructions for my diet guidelines for this process it included a list of foods to avoid or what they called "common problem foods". Here's the list: red meat (including pork), dry meat (ie jerky), shrimp, untoasted bread, pasta, rice, peanut butter, seeds, veggie/fruit skins, dried fruit, fibrous veggies like corn, asparagus & celery, nuts, coconut, popcorn, and fried/greasy foods. They said fibrous stuff may not digest as well, dried things are liable to swell and get stuck, and sticky doughy stuff can obstruct the band. So I guess my ? is how much of this is true and how much should I really avoid??? What experiences have you had?? Thanks!

I would try everything yourself and find out what works for you specifically. Not everyone has the same problem foods and not everyone has problems at all.

Personally, there's nothing I can't eat. I just take small, slow bites and I can eat anything.

Best wishes.

I would try everything yourself and find out what works for you specifically. Not everyone has the same problem foods and not everyone has problems at all.

Personally, there's nothing I can't eat. I just take small, slow bites and I can eat anything.

Best wishes.

Thanks Missy. I figured it was a trial and error thing, but thought too maybe some of them might be universally not good to try and best to just avoid.

My, this is another classic example of how different surgeons advise their patients...some of the foods on your list were actually on my recommended foods list, though not for the initial months following my band being placed.

My surgeon has actually given me permission to have a teaspoon of natural Peanut Butter to get me through hunger until my next meal. I've eaten just about everything on your list...without incident...with the exception of soft bread.

The process of learning what foods to avoid should be driven by not only discovering what your individual tolerances are, but also by the nutritional value of the foods. With our meals limited in size, everything we eat needs to deliver big on nutritional value.

It's basically trial and error...just remember to control your portion sizes, take small bites, and chew everything thoroughly.

I have put the peanut butter into an Unjury chocolate sake with a frozen banana.... Yum.

The foods that I got stuck on we're: corned beef.... It was nice and soft and smelled soooooo good! I took a big piece and swallowed too quickly without chewing..... That landed me almost 5 hours of sliming, went through a full box of tissues and finally vomited the offensive little reddish shreds.... Lesson 1 learned.(I am a slow learner)

Second was BBQ pork in a great restaurant. Again took too budpg a piece, too little wonderful BBQ sauce and swallowed without chewing enough..... Ended up in the bathroom.

I am careful about soft bread and in general, try to focus on protein first.

I can eat well-cooked asparagas and carrots.

Beef stew continues to elude me, though.

But, through all this, I have learned to be very careful and THIINK with my brain and remember the new stomach I now have.

I'm 3 years post op and there's almost nothing I can't eat. I have problems with pizza crust (no problem with bread, so I wonder why?), pancakes, and pineapple (my fav fruit!). If I take tiny bites and eat really slowly, I can eat everything on that list. Popcorn is a slider for me, but ice cream and pudding are not??? I can only eat 1 scoop of ice cream, but I can eat a whole tub of popcorn...I don't really understand that logic...

I agree with Missy. You should try everything and see if it works for you. I eat bread, Pasta, rice, popcorn, corn, and Jerky all the time. Before my band, I could eat 2 grilled cheese sandwiches, easy. Now I can only eat 1/2 of one. Luv my grilled cheese sandwiches.

Good luck!

Marci

It is trail and error. But, personally, if I eat asparagus, broccoli, etc...I eat the spears and no stalks. I stay away from iceberg lettuce and celery. I don't eat steak or pork..I eat chicken with sauce of some sort, otherwise it is too dry. I eat a lot of fish!

I can eat toast or hard bread sticks. Best wishes for you, Karen

As the previous responders said trial and error works best. All the things on the list I've eaten and not had a problem with.

My advice is the chew, chew and chew. If you can get it into a smooth paste consistency, best not to swallow it.

Fresh pineapple chunks and mandarins have been a problem for me, despite chewing, I just can't get it down to a soft enough consistency, it just balls up in my mouth and i find its best to discreetly spit it out. Fortunately chopping the pineapple in tiny little cubes for a salsa and peeling the mandarin segments worked fine.

Ok, so when I got my instructions for my diet guidelines for this process it included a list of foods to avoid or what they called "common problem foods". Here's the list: red meat (including pork), dry meat (ie jerky), shrimp, untoasted bread, pasta, rice, peanut butter, seeds, veggie/fruit skins, dried fruit, fibrous veggies like corn, asparagus & celery, nuts, coconut, popcorn, and fried/greasy foods. They said fibrous stuff may not digest as well, dried things are liable to swell and get stuck, and sticky doughy stuff can obstruct the band. So I guess my ? is how much of this is true and how much should I really avoid??? What experiences have you had?? Thanks!

Honestly every one is different. I eat little red meat, pork I do fine with, chicken can sometimes be dry, especially if reheated in microwave, shrimp I can eat, bread--it depends and it has to be toasted and ususally it is just not worth it. Rice is a no for me, pasta yes but such a small amount I rarely eat it, seeds, nuts, popcorn... I have no problem with. Pizza only if it is cracker thin and only a very small piece again not worth it. Peanut butter yes some days, I love natural peanut butter. Eggs yes neve had a problem with them. Fried and greasy foods, that would be a no for me everytime I eat them they make me sick and bread foods do not go down well or they fill me up to fast so I can't get enough protein. I can eat aspargus but brocolli which I love I struggle with, corn is a little hard. Lettuce, especially the leafy kind and spinach and greens cause me problems I have PBed more over greens than anything I have eaten in two years, I think it is because they are harder to chew in small pieces and they slide down and cover my opening (well at least that is my thought process) I can eat most anything if I want it, but some foods make me feel fuller faster than others and do not allow me to eat all of my protein, so I chose not to eat them. Also on fruits I stick to berries and bananas. Apples and oranges are hard for me.

Thanks for the input everyone. I go to a puréed diet in a couple of days and wanted a good idea of what I could try in the blender plus for in a few weeks when I go back to solid food.

Sent from my iPod touch using LapBandTalk

The only thing I found that I can't eat is a grilled Turkey leg. Tried several times and couldn't eat it, even by chewing it up good.

AS everyone else has said, you need to try what works for YOU

Your doctor is giving you a list of common ptoblem foods but many people find no problems eating them, so it's different for everyone

-when eating meat make sure it's cooked well and tender. Also make sure it's not too dry. Gravy rules! Meat can be tough and problematic but it doesn't have to be

-Try the foods on the list by eating tiny bites and chewing well. See how you fare and then make your own rulebook

Good luck