OMG you guys are not going to believe it! I have to vent. First off our support meetings are once a month with our nutritionist. Let me begin with, she's very young and straight out of college, no biggie right? Well, after what was discussed tonight I'm confused more than ever!!! It was the nutritionist, myself, 2 one week post op ladies (one had her hubby with her) and 2 other new ladies that were just inquiring about surgery at this point. One of the 1 week post op ladies asked if she could eat chips and dip, I was like NO, hello, why did you have surgery. The nutritionist said, well, I don't want you to instead of saying no. The newbies to the group said I drink Coke everyday, I piped up and said well you better stop while you are ahead and get off of them now because you can't have carbonation after the band and the nutritionist interrupted and said yes you can, you can have pop, I was like WHAT, I was told no, it can cause band slippage, she then tells this woman that it causes severe gas pains in the shoulder and that is all and its empty calories well yes that is true, so yes I'm confused, and no I'm not gona start drinking my Sprites again not that I was addicted to them but I do miss the occassional one. Then she said to everyone, you can eat whatever you ate before band, I want you eating at least 1200-1400 calories a day, now on to protein, she said to eat only one serving of meat a day, I was like What again. I'm more confused than ever. It's nothing for me to eat an egg for breakfast (protein), chicken salad for lunch with ff mayo and then bake me a chicken breast for dinner, is that wrong? I don't eat like that everyday or I might have a chicken breast at my lunch and then cottage cheese for dinner, double protein. She was stressing that the one serving of meat meets the protein grams for the day. OMG. I go for a fill day after tomorrow, should I tell my surgeon this since she is new and so young and has never worked with bariatric patients before? I feel he needs to know but then again I don't want his nurse going back to her spilling the beans saying I said something, is it rude for me to ask his nurse to step out that I'd like to speak to him in private? Oh and another thing, 1 week post op lady asked can we eat spaghetti (a plate of) and the nutritionist said yes of course) I was told no pasta, no rice, and no bread so I've not eaten those things since being banded 8 mos ago. OMG what do I do. I'm so confused on how to eat after this.

So in general Australians have been told they can drink carbonation. Is there a higher incidence of band slippages in Aussieland?

Just wondering if there is any data on this

Don't know about Oz, but in the UK, we appear to have a very low slip rate and we are generally allowed carbonated drinks. Our guidelines are the same as the Oz ones. European studies over 15 years show a slip rate of 2.5% ( Stroh snd Manger 2013).

ok, so I just got home from my dr's appt with my surgeon and thank goodness I got a fill, I needed it! I did speak to him about several issues that were of concern, he's so sweet and about the food/drink issue I approached it like this: I just told him that here after 8 mos out I wasn't sure and I needed clarification on what I could and could not eat and drink i.e. soda, pasta, rice and his remarks were that there were no scientific proof out there soda is bad for the band, however, he would rather me not drink it cause of the caloric intake and I told him I don't drink it all I drink is water anyway but what about when you get sick and you want ginger ale for example, I just threw that in and he was like oh yes absolutely, I was like ok. As far as rice and pasta, he said they were ok to eat but they were carbs and they do tend to clump and sometimes wouldn't pass thru the stoma and get stuck but if I could tolerate it go ahead. With that said, I did however eat a little bit of rice yesterday with baked tilapia from Capt D's and did just fine but I barely ate much of it cause I was scared but it did taste good and I had no problems. I am glad I got all this cleared up with him. I understand all dr's are different and I will limit my intake of carbs and will definately not drink soda as all I drink is water anyway but it's nice to know if you get sick and want that sprite or ginger ale its ok according to my surgeon. That's what I found out today and I thought it went very well with him today.

ok, so I just got home from my dr's appt with my surgeon and thank goodness I got a fill, I needed it! I did speak to him about several issues that were of concern, he's so sweet and about the food/drink issue I approached it like this: I just told him that here after 8 mos out I wasn't sure and I needed clarification on what I could and could not eat and drink i.e. soda, pasta, rice and his remarks were that there were no scientific proof out there soda is bad for the band, however, he would rather me not drink it cause of the caloric intake and I told him I don't drink it all I drink is water anyway but what about when you get sick and you want ginger ale for example, I just threw that in and he was like oh yes absolutely, I was like ok. As far as rice and pasta, he said they were ok to eat but they were carbs and they do tend to clump and sometimes wouldn't pass thru the stoma and get stuck but if I could tolerate it go ahead. With that said, I did however eat a little bit of rice yesterday with baked tilapia from Capt D's and did just fine but I barely ate much of it cause I was scared but it did taste good and I had no problems. I am glad I got all this cleared up with him. I understand all dr's are different and I will limit my intake of carbs and will definately not drink soda as all I drink is water anyway but it's nice to know if you get sick and want that sprite or ginger ale its ok according to my surgeon. That's what I found out today and I thought it went very well with him today.

Well good deal, glad you got that cleared up. Im also glad to hear that what I was told was correct, that weather or not you drink soda is more of a personal choice and not about "damaging your band"

take care

ok, so I just got home from my dr's appt with my surgeon and thank goodness I got a fill, I needed it! I did speak to him about several issues that were of concern, he's so sweet and about the food/drink issue I approached it like this: I just told him that here after 8 mos out I wasn't sure and I needed clarification on what I could and could not eat and drink i.e. soda, pasta, rice and his remarks were that there were no scientific proof out there soda is bad for the band, however, he would rather me not drink it cause of the caloric intake and I told him I don't drink it all I drink is water anyway but what about when you get sick and you want ginger ale for example, I just threw that in and he was like oh yes absolutely, I was like ok. As far as rice and pasta, he said they were ok to eat but they were carbs and they do tend to clump and sometimes wouldn't pass thru the stoma and get stuck but if I could tolerate it go ahead. With that said, I did however eat a little bit of rice yesterday with baked tilapia from Capt D's and did just fine but I barely ate much of it cause I was scared but it did taste good and I had no problems. I am glad I got all this cleared up with him. I understand all dr's are different and I will limit my intake of carbs and will definately not drink soda as all I drink is water anyway but it's nice to know if you get sick and want that sprite or ginger ale its ok according to my surgeon. That's what I found out today and I thought it went very well with him today.

Very glad to hear that your doc and mine have similar views on soda drinking. I was beginning to feel lonely being the only one allowed to drink carbonation!

My doc says diet carbonated drinks are fine. Everyone who works in their office is also a patient. Some people have issues with it (tightness/reflux feeling) but most don't. He also says there are no food restrictions except what each person individually finds are their problem foods. And he says DO eat bread at each meal, somewhere between a few bites and a whole slice bc it'll help with satiety.

You see this is where there is an issue. The fact that there is such varying info out there. Most of what she said actually agrees with what I have been told and is the way that most banded patients in Australia eat.

There is no rule that say's you can't eat bread' date='pasta,rice. I eat most of these things regularly but in small quantities. Some of these may cause discomfort but everyone is different.

There are as many Dr's that say that carbonation is fine so long as you can tolerate it. I regularly use my sodastream to make soda water and add a dash of lime to that.

I have never been told to only eat meat/protein once a day but also here we do not focus on low carb the way that Dr's in the USA do.

Yes I do eat the same way as I did before being banded but not as much. Maybe that is because my meals have always been fairly healthy. I don't eat much fast food, rarely eat pizza, have never been into fried foods etc etc.

So have a chat with your Dr but you may be surprised by his answer.[/quote']

I agree with Elcee,

My Nut has told me to stay away from full sugar carbonated drinks and doesn't like the idea of me having diet ones but this is holy and soley due to the calories and that we are unaware of the long term effects of artificial sweeteners in diet drinks and nothing to do with it being an issue with band slippage, my mushy stage recipe book that they gave me had a recipe in it for spaghetti inc pasta. And we are also aloud to eat bread (they of course want us on multigrain and toasted they say to avoid discomfort)

I am now 7 weeks post and while I have lost 17kg all up I have now come to a holt and I am struggling with food again, I have my first fill this week hopefully that helps

Just remember, they didn't band your brain everyone, so you can still make informed decisions about your food, drink and occasional indulgences.

question, not sure if it was addressed here and I did forget to ask my dr when I was in Thurs, my nutritionist said to eat meat only once a day, do you all do that? She said that was plenty of protein in that one piece of meat that we don't need anything else. Well sometimes I may have chicken salad at lunch or tuna salad then I may bake me a small chicken breast or pork chop at dinner, is that wrong? Oh by the way, I had lost 3 lbs in the month since I had last seen him. It is coming off slow for me and that's ok, weather is getting nice here in Western Kentucky so hopefully with my toe healing and being able to wear a shoe again now I will be able to get outside and walk and get some exercise and activity. I do know activity is the key.

Just remember, they didn't band your brain everyone, so you can still make informed decisions about your food, drink and occasional indulgences.

Oh my gosh, you are so funny. With all of the conflicting information, sometimes I feel like I did get my brain banded!

Has anyone ever considered 80/20? For example, if I eat 1,000 calories, 800 of them have to be high nutrient value foods like protein/veggie/fruit and 200 can be junk like english muffin/tortilla chips/sugar free pudding/diet soda. This is a very popular approach in some non-banded Paleo/Primal circles.

Oh my gosh, you are so funny. With all of the conflicting information, sometimes I feel like I did get my brain banded!

Has anyone ever considered 80/20? For example, if I eat 1,000 calories, 800 of them have to be high nutrient value foods like protein/veggie/fruit and 200 can be junk like english muffin/tortilla chips/sugar free pudding/diet soda. This is a very popular approach in some non-banded Paleo/Primal circles.

Thanks, I have my moments!

I think we get too wrapped up in "the rules" and in a sense, become overly concerned with following them. Once you understand the reasons behind the "important" rules* and eating that way becomes habit, it's ok to go off track occasionally. I personally think 80/20 is great and keeps you from feeling deprived.

Another way to look at it is 30/30/30/10. Say your eating 1200 calories and follow this plan, your calorie goals each day would be as follows:

30% Protein = 360 calories or 90 grams

30% carbs. = 360 calories or 90 grams

30% healthy fats: 360 calories or 40 grams

10% whatever you want = 120 calories

You can see that this offers a balanced approach with a lot of wiggle room to cur calories if you are trying to lose. There are more than enough nutrients here, if you eat fresh, unprocessed foods to allow for adjustments for individual needs.

We all need to remember that we got fat by deprivation, eliminating entire food groups from our diet and GUILT when we went off track.

Right now, I'm on a low fiber/low residue diet for a motility disorder. It's so foreign since I'm eating things like white bread, Pasta, potatoes, etc. It has helped a lot, so it's the right thing to do, but I cannot wait until I can have salads again!

*important rules for me are:

64-80 oz Water per day

60 gr protein per day, eat protein first at every meal

Veggies are important, choose low glycemic load veggies, when possible

Avoid liquid calories (avoid, not abstain )

Thanks, I have my moments!

I think we get too wrapped up in "the rules" and in a sense, become overly concerned with following them. Once you understand the reasons behind the "important" rules* and eating that way becomes habit, it's ok to go off track occasionally. I personally think 80/20 is great and keeps you from feeling deprived.

Another way to look at it is 30/30/30/10. Say your eating 1200 calories and follow this plan, your calorie goals each day would be as follows:

30% Protein = 360 calories or 90 grams

30% carbs. = 360 calories or 90 grams

30% healthy fats: 360 calories or 40 grams

10% whatever you want = 120 calories

You can see that this offers a balanced approach with a lot of wiggle room to cur calories if you are trying to lose. There are more than enough nutrients here, if you eat fresh, unprocessed foods to allow for adjustments for individual needs.

We all need to remember that we got fat by deprivation, eliminating entire food groups from our diet and GUILT when we went off track.

Right now, I'm on a low fiber/low residue diet for a motility disorder. It's so foreign since I'm eating things like white bread, Pasta, potatoes, etc. It has helped a lot, so it's the right thing to do, but I cannot wait until I can have salads again!

*important rules for me are:

64-80 oz Water per day

60 gr protein per day, eat protein first at every meal

Veggies are important, choose low glycemic load veggies, when possible

Avoid liquid calories (avoid, not abstain )

You have some great ideas here. I absolutely agree with you about deprivation being bad. For me, feeling deprived leads me to binging on sugar/carbs/high fat foods. The 30/30/30/10 plan seems actually like a modified Zone diet. Apparently I've done too many diets if I can recognize that!!!

So, here is a tangent. Your 30% fat part reminds me that I have gone through phases where I've completely shunned fats and also completely embraced them. On a recent diet I was eating a majority of calories from fat (like over 50%) and the rest pretty much from protein and a tiny bit of veggies. It was a low carb kind of thing. Anyway, I didn't lose any weight, but my blood sugar was so stable and I never felt hungry. My meals were satisfying. I guess fat does that. Now, I'm trying to find a happy medium with fat. Some things I do fat free and some things I do low fat or even full fat. The truth for me is that fat is filling and satiating. Okay, tangent is over.

Another thing I want to point out is that in the past week I've lost almost 2.5 lbs. That is totally unheard of for me!!!! I was working my weight watchers as usual and I decided to try following on of the band rules (for a change, I'm sooo bad - insert smack on wrist). I focused on protein and set a goal of eating at least 80 grams a day. Well, the weight fell off! I think it is just that protein is so filling for me that it keeps me fuller longer than carbs. Right now shrimp is my go-to food. But, I do that with go-to foods. I find a food that I really like and then eat is a lot and then burn out on it. I guess I never really was any good at moderation.

Yes tell on her, she is telling them the opposite of what I have been told . Everything u were told before this crazy women is what I was told and I've been thinking about and researching this over a year before I had surgery.