I look over the various postop eating plans out there and see oatmeal, flax, grits on the menu, but not rice - not even blended. I had oatmeal 2-3 days ago and it actually went down very well. Same thing with grits - made with chicken stock, it was very tasty. Both have the potential for sitting and expanding in your stomach, but things went well. So... why the ban on rice early on?

Rice is my preferred starch over all of the above and even bread and potatoes. It's just what I grew up eating and my preference. The chewy brown rice at P.F. Chang is my favorite. Anyone out there eating rice? When did you re-introduce it?

Adjusting mindset and bad habits of a lifetime so that I can make the most effective use of my tool.

Rice is harder to digest than other starches. At least that is the explanation I was given. I don't think I tried rice until I was around 2.5-3 months out and it hurt like crazy. The same thing happened with Pasta and bread type foods. Stovetop stuffing almost sent me into tears crying because my stomach didn't tolerate it at all, and that was around 3-4 months post op.

Now, that I am further out, pasta, rice, breads, potatoes, are all slider foods. I can eat larger quantities of those foods than I can dense Proteins. Brown rice is still no go for me, but sushi white rice works fabulous and I enjoy sushi a couple times a week. Rice does seem to take up more room than say pasta (angel hair spaghetti noodles, or Thai type noodles like Pad Thai), but I'm not sure why. Although, I can eat more of these types of foods, they also leave the sleeve faster. I still don't get hungry, but I'm very aware of when my sleeve is empty.

I'm from the south, and down here, rice and gravy is a staple food, lol. I eat rice and love it. I don't eat a lot of it, as I can't eat a lot of anything but its satisfying to have those few bites. I know others can't tolerate it, and when I had the lap band, I couldn't, but the great thing about the sleeve is that I can pretty much eat all foods, even ones that were off limits with the band. The sleeve is the BEST!!

I live in Louisiana as well and Red Beans and Rice are one of my favorites. Actually made some Sunday and ate just a couple of tablespoons of rice and maybe 1/3 cup beans. I haven't had any issues with rice. I just figure it is a high carb and don't want very much of it - I'd rather have the Red Beans, ham and sausage, hmmmmm!