Hi guy,s

I,m soon to be banded and a question i have is ,say 6 months down the track, after i " sort " out what i can and can,t eat,

I will be able to go to a resteraunt and order BUT just eat a small portion of it.??

No one will be the wiser ??? eating should look thesame as now BUT smaller portions.??

Mark.:confused:

6 months uh well uhhhhh just order the Soup, mashed potatoes, refried Beans, chili and just say you weren't real hungry and take the rest home.

It will look the same if you gurgle, hiccup, burp, breath, sigh, get the distant stare (because you are watching the food go down your esphogus into your pouch and not sure if it is stuck), don't drink while your are eating, take a bite wait forever....sure no one will be the wiser.

6 months I would not call it a portion, more like bites.

i was fine 6 months on and yes u can order smaller portions, i plan ahead and get a menu b4 i go out, i see what i can order from it, but u must choose care fully. i usually go for the mashed potaoes option with chicken or shephards pie, mushy stuff usually is fine, u should be ok if u dont order any thing silly.

So will i ever be able to grab a chop of the BBQ and munch away,or a hamburger from Mc Donalds ( occassionally ), chicken snitzle

Mark

I eat pretty much whatever I want 3 years out. Early on, with restriction, you have to slow down and be more cautious. Hamburgers are few and far between and I usually do away with at least one side of the bun, if not both. Bread tends to get stuck in your band and it's simply not worth it. Not to mention, that's what got us here in the first place. lol

I ordergrilled chicken or shrimp and mashed potatos no gravy. I have only had one problem when the chicken was dry. I will also order meatloaf or sliced beef and gravy, pot roast or chicken tenders with extra lowfat ranch or blue cheese dressing. As long as I have "food lube" and take small bites I am fine. I also ask for a box as soon as my food comes, usually with the excuse that the portions are HUGE and I am just not that hungry. I am pretty open about being banded but there are a few that don't know about it. I also order off the kids menu if they offer something healthy. (Olive garden has grilled chicken with broccoli, cracker barrel has grilled chicken also. Or I order a burger with no bun, and have then add blue cheese to it, then I dip it in steak sauce and have it like a steak. I can do steak as long as it is a tender cut and cooked no more that med. The more you cook meat the more tough the protein gets. I don't care for bbq but have been able to eat bbq chicken and bbq beef ribs. (I never eat pork, it's a personal thing) I can eat about 3 bbq ribs and just make sure to have extra sauce when that is all that is available. My first "soft food meal" was meatloaf from Boton Market, it went down fine. I hope this helps. I am 14 months post-op as of yesterday and down 75 pounds. ~Mandy

macdonalds are a big no no for me they just get stuck and cause pain, there too high in fat any way so its defeating the object of the band all a bit point less that isnt it !

a year on and i can eat any meats as long as they are not overcooked med rare is good for me and chew chew chew i find with us all chatting no one notice's how slow i am , i am ok with cheeseburger at macca's but that's about it

When I go out to eat, I order from the appetizer menu, or if I order a regular entree, or a salad, I ask for a to-go container right off the bat, put over half of it in there, and eat what I can of the rest. I've saved a lot of money on food, that's for sure! I am open about my banding, but I don't think I need to explain to every waiter...I am sure they just believe I am watching my portions. As you go down the weight loss/banded path, you will slowly start to realize just how huge of portions you were eating...and wonder why you worry about explaining small portions, when you didn't give a second thought to explaining the super-sized ones...very interesting.

It's all going to be okay...you'll see!

Cindy

Nobody would know I had a lapband. I can eat anything, I just dont eat an awful lot. But not so little that it would occasion comment. They'd just think I had a small appetite.

I'm just past the 6 month mark and eat ALMOST anything without a problem - just a lot less of it.

It's not a big deal at all. At least it hasn't been for me.

Best wishes.

I know a lot of what the others have said really doesn't apply since your in Australia and we can't take the food we don't eat with us since it's against health regulations and those foods really aren't normal on our menus unless your at taco bill.

I don't think you'll ever be able to grab a fatty chop off the BBQ again, not because physically you couldn't eat it, but the amount of chewing you have to do you'd notice all the gristle and how really festy it does taste - you probably just wouldn't want to eat it!

Australian McDonalds with their new recipes and menu it's just too dry and awful to eat unless you ask for extra sauce which is where all the calories are. Thai Mc Donalds goes down easy! I just had a double cheeseburger there last week and it went down just great, no pain or sliming, the whole thing, and I was satisfied. You an grab a zinger or filet burger from KFC and eat half of it without an issue, you wouldn't eat the whole thing though and not chips etc. as well. Most take away food there is something you can eat without worry.

Most resteraunts I can find something on the menu I know i'll be okay with and isn't a totally fattening choice. I can eat anything at home - stress closes your band up (as fluids rise in your body) - if anything stressful happens (children screaming, a squable with your partner etc.) when your out that's what your preparing for when you choose something that will be okay in any situation. I was up at the gold coast a few weeks ago so we ate at seafood resteraunts almost every night... I was able to eat avocado prawn coctail, bugs, chicken breast stuffed with prawn meat etc. just fine. I wouldn't try an oyster or a scallop since i can't imagine chewing one up like you'd need to with the band.

If your family or company are overweight a small portion of a full sized resteraunt meal will look like you didn't eat at all in thier opinion most likely. You'll never be 'normal' again until your a skinny thing, then people will think you hardly eating anything is totally normal

Yeah, I'm in Australia, you cant often take doggy bags, its actually against health regulations.

I just look at the cost of a meal not as the cost of food but the cost of catching up with friends or having a nice night out with my family. I really dont look at not eating a whole lot as "wasting" that money. That's way too food focussed and the wrong way to look at it.

Hiya,

I was banded on June 20 this year so it's not six months yet. However, I often order entree size meals for the main meal. Soup is always a good standby and seafood chowder is often nice too. I was worried at first about people knowing but now I don't care who does! I had an invitation to my 30th High School Reunion the other week.. $45 a ticket for an 'all you can eat buffet'.. great I thought.. thats an expensive meal lol. So I emailed the person back and said due to medical reasons (nothing like being mysterious) I wont be able to eat that night. "No problem just buy your drinks then" came the reply. I've never had any trouble getting doggy bags and I'm in Australia.. obviously I dont frequent posh enough restaurants LOL. I used to love steak and chops etc.... now I don't. You get a sore jaw from all the chewing you have to do and the greasey taste is awful. Makkers? Not interested in them anymore either. Just see how you go. It's amazing how your tastes change.

Thanks for the replies guy,s

Mark.:grouphug:

I think you will have to choose very wisely on what it is you eat, Some people have no problems at all with food whislt others do.. I had my lapband done a little over 2 months ago and I can not eat ANY meat unless it is minced up (Pasta sauce) regardless of how much I chew it,It will not go down my doc told me I should be fine with sausages and hamburgers but as it happens I'm not.. I think by your 6 month stage you will know exactly what will work for you and what wont..

Good Luck matey