As I'm sure most people do, I have my favorite foods that I eat over and over again, day in and day out. Which do you think I'll have to give up?

cottage cheese w/ raspberries & splenda

Wasa crackers (high Fiber whole grain) with crunchy Jif Peanut Butter

coffee w/ cream

Iced Raspberry tea w/ lemon (decaf)

Caesar salad w/ grilled chicken

steak

chicken breast

(I hate fish)

asparagus

fresh green Beans

broccoli

squash

corn bread

corn tortillas

apples

bananas

oranges

all berries

grapes

cheddar cheese

nuts (almonds, pecans, peanuts)

chinese food w/ veggies and chicken

Your input is much appreciated!

Your list, with my comments in parentheses

Caesar salad w/ grilled chicken (lettuce might be a little difficult)

steak (make sure you get the tenderest cut you can, should be ok)

asparagus (unless it's canned and very mushy, the fiber might be too much)

broccoli (heard this can be a problem for some people)

squash (also depends on fiber content)

corn bread (it's bread which is a real problem for most)

corn tortillas (some can, some can't)

apples (might be ok without skins)

bananas (my doc says NO - they tend to swell, but others say ok)

oranges (might be ok, depends on how fibrous they are)

grapes (might be a problem with the skins)

chinese food w/ veggies and chicken (noodles may be a problem)

Bear in mind, everyone's mileage varies. This has been my experience only...

As I'm sure most people do, I have my favorite foods that I eat over and over again, day in and day out. Which do you think I'll have to give up?

cottage cheese w/ raspberries & splenda

Cottage Cheese good - raspberries, probably not

Wasa crackers (high fiber whole grain) with crunchy Jif Peanut Butter

I can eat these

coffee w/ cream

Absolutely no problem

Iced Raspberry tea w/ lemon (decaf)

I prefer peach tea, but it's all good

Caesar salad w/ grilled chicken

I can't eat salad unless the greens are very, very crisp and then only a tiny bit. Girlled chicken is iffy.

steak

Generally, steak gives me problems. I have to chew it too much to make it worthwhile.

chicken breast

May be too dry. Switch to dark meat.

(I hate fish)

asparagus

No go....too fiberous

fresh green Beans

See asparagus

broccoli

If it's very tender

squash

usually no problem

corn bread

Are you kidding? Too dry!

corn tortillas

Iffy, but sometimes I can eat half of one. No flour tortillas, though.

apples

Peeled only

bananas

Not a chance

oranges

See bananas

all berries

Nothing with skin

grapes

See berries

cheddar cheese

Cheese is great

nuts (almonds, pecans, peanuts)

I can eat nuts....hubby can't.

chinese food w/ veggies and chicken

I can't eat anything breaded, Pasta (noodles), etc.

Your input is much appreciated!

As I'm sure most people do, I have my favorite foods that I eat over and over again, day in and day out. Which do you think I'll have to give up?

cottage cheese w/ raspberries & splenda

Wasa crackers (high fiber whole grain) with crunchy Jif Peanut Butter

coffee w/ cream

Iced Raspberry tea w/ lemon (decaf)

Caesar salad w/ grilled chicken

steak

chicken breast

(I hate fish)

asparagus

fresh green Beans

broccoli

squash

corn bread

corn tortillas

apples

bananas

oranges

all berries

grapes

cheddar cheese

nuts (almonds, pecans, peanuts)

chinese food w/ veggies and chicken

Your input is much appreciated!

Hi TerriDoodle ~

I was banded on 1-12-07 by Dr. Spivak and have had one fill so far. I have found that if I eat very slowly and chew until I don't think I can chew another time, I can eat pretty much anything . . . The only things I have had a real problem with so far have been tortillas and pineapple . . .

Good luck ~

Lynn

Bear in mind, everyone's mileage varies. This has been my experience only...

Gosh! After reading Carlene's reply I am calling for another fill! I am obviously not tight enough!!! :phanvan

Lynn

You're going through the stage we all go through. Here's the thing to understand -- it's 99% in your control whether you can eat these things. Some people choose to stay less tight and take a slower road to goal, others want to maximize the speed of weight loss and may lose 1/3 of the things on your list. You're not likely giving up anything on this list forever, unless YOU choose to because YOU choose that quicker loss is better for you.

I ate a wasa cracker with peanutbutter this morning for Breakfast. I eat cottge cheese and berries or grapes nearly every day. I eat cornbread and tortillas, but not much of them because they fill me up so quickly that I can't get in the things my body needs. I might eat 2 bites of cornbread when I'm eating chili, but I'd never eat more than 1/4 of a piece. If I ate a whole piece, I could do it, but it wouldn't leave room for the chili. I could eat a whole corn tortilla (one of the small ones) but I couldn't eat 6 like I did pre-band.

You'll find the right balance. I remember thinking pre-band that I'd heard you couldn't eat cake ever again. I remember being so sad that I'd not be able to eat one bite of my own wedding cake, if I ever got married. Now I know, that's just not true. I can't eat a lot of cake, but I can totally eat a bite of my own wedding cake if I choose to. It's a balance.

Thanks, girls!

Then how the heck to you get in the fiber that you need if you can't eat anything with fiber???

There is one other thing that is significant in this discussion. That is, after you are banded your food preferences will gradually, naturally change, and thus your list of "favorites" will change. And it is important to remember that this is not a matter of deprivation, it's a matter of true preferences gradually changing.

Some people find that they really miss pizza, or some other specific thing. But for the most part people with the band find that they are not deprived and can enjoy a wide variety of foods. And, as Julie mentioned, you can control a lot of it yourself by controlling your restriction.

The main point to remember, though, is that a banded person does not spend life suffering from endless unfulfilled food cravings.

Thanks, girls!

Then how the heck to you get in the fiber that you need if you can't eat anything with fiber???

It is still possible to eat fiber, and since you are eating less volume in general you need less fiber too. You no longer need to eat a bulldozer full of corn husks to move along the huge piles of beef and carbs you were eating before. Also, as you are able to move more freely and become more active as the weight goes, you need less fiber for that reason as well.

And, if all else fails, there is always milk of magnesia or something like that.

Some people do get constipated on the band, but you can deal with that in the usual ways, and it seems that most feel that the benefits of weight loss are worth the trade off.

cottage cheese w/ raspberries & splenda

Cottage cheese is a regular for me, I can have fruit mixed in it, but eating it alone is a slow process.

Wasa crackers (high fiber whole grain) with crunchy Jif Peanut Butter

crackers are not a problem, peanut butter is not either

coffee w/ cream

not a coffee drinker for the most part, will do an occasional cappucino---no problem

Iced Raspberry tea w/ lemon (decaf)

I drink plain iced tea also decaf, all day every day!!

Caesar salad w/ grilled chicken

I too need my salad to be crisp--and use more dressing than I used too--so it isn't as healthy as one would like it to be! Grilled chicken is often dry, and the dressing would be a MUST!!!

steak

I now buy or order the most tender cut possible, it costs more---but I eat much less! Yes I eat it, and love it!!!

chicken breast

depends on how it is prepared, if it is dry it will stick---not fun. I seldom eat chicken plain now.

(I hate fish)

How many ways and types of fish have you tried?? My DD makes a tilapia breaded in crushed macadamias, and fried---omg it is so good---not exactly healthy diet food, but yummy!!

asparagus

You hate fish---I hate asparagus, so have not even tried it!

fresh green Beans

they have to be cooked either very well, or just to the crispy point--in between, they are hard for me to chew properly, but can be done.

broccoli

I eat it raw with ranch dressing--not a fan of cooked broccoli (man I AM picky!!!)

squash

I eat all kinds of squash fixed all kinds of ways--easy food for me!

corn bread

corn bread does not dough up like regular bread, and I have never had a problem with corn bread---I love it!! I try to use less butter on it than I used too---it helped get me here!!!

corn tortillas

not a problem--I have them only in juevos rancheros in the morning, but afternoon I can eat them anyway---as a tortilla, or as a chip---no problem--flour tortillas, I have to be careful to buy the thin ones, or they get to doughy

apple

I peel them--fear of the unknown!!

banana

I can only manage a couple of bites---then feel totally full

orange

eat them without problems---chew well

all berries

I make berry cobblers---seldom eat them alone

grapes

I eat them, I chew VERY well, and again, feel full after only 4-5 grapes

cheddar cheese

All the time, it is one of the things I eat daily

nuts (almonds, pecans, peanuts)

Almonds are my other daily stand by snack---but I can eat all kinds of nuts

chinese food w/ veggies and chicken

Almond chicken is my favorite!! I go easy on the noodles or the fried rice--just because I fill up so quickly, I'd rather have the nutritious food as opposed to the empty carbs. But yes I eat it.

I cannot eat donutss---they seem to swell as I try to swallow them---but I really don't need donuts anyway!! I try to eat as normally as I wanted to prior to banding. The difference now is in my amounts. I do try to focus on the quality food first, and eat mostly that. For instance for dinner tonight I have a roast in the crock pot, I will make the biggest part of my meal from the meat, but I will also eat the veggies. In the past I would have had a couple of helpings of the potatoes, and now I only eat a few bites of them at a sitting. I try to live by the saying "all things in moderation" and so far it has worked for me. I may have lost more faster if I did diet with the band---but I was sick of diets---I wanted the band as a way of life, I intend to live the rest of my life this way, and I do not want to diet the rest of my life!!

I abide by the no drinking---I do not limit myself prior to a meal, but do not drink with it, or for an hour or so after.

Welcome to LBT!!

Kat

The thought of giving up certain foods and not getting enough fibre and Vitamins really concerned me pre banding. In fact when I got on here and read the most common types of daily menus people were eating, I was horrified and made the decision not to be banded.

I didnt realise that there's a slightly different approach to it in Australia, more in tune with what Australians tend to think of as a healthy diet. So its definitly a cultural thing as well, what you do and dont eat, focus on etc.

But of that list, I could eat anything on that, and I've been banded 14 months.

I have stayed "looser" as I do run a lot and need the energy and have lost well. But at the moment I"m considering another fill which I do think will probably take me to quite tight, just to lose the last little bit of weight, and I'm having the same thoughts as you.

Point being, its well within your control the whole way through, apart from some things that your body just wont tolerate. But when that happens, you dont really miss whatever it is anyway.

My answers based on my experiences/preferences:

cottage cheese w/ raspberries & splenda I have no problems with cottage chesse however I don't add anything to it due to personal preference not because of problems.

Wasa crackers (high Fiber whole grain) with crunchy Jif Peanut Butter Crackers do not give me any trouble. Creamy peanut butter doesn't either but I don't eat it often at all. I was recommended to not eat a lot of nuts from my nutritionist because she said most people don't chew them up well enough to digest them and some people have problems so I haven't tried crunchy.

coffee w/ cream I don't like coffee.

Iced Raspberry tea w/ lemon (decaf) I can't imagine having problems with this but I have chosen to give up all tea. I drink Water 99% of the time.

Caesar salad w/ grilled chicken I haven't had any problems with either of these foods but again I was told that a lot of people have problems with leafy vegetables.

steak As long as it is tender and without fat, I have no problems. I just cut it into tiny bits and eat very slowly.

chicken breast No problems at all. I eat baked boneless, skinless chicken breast quite a bit.

(I hate fish) Ditto!

asparagus Don't like asparagus.

fresh green Beans I LOVE fresh green beans and eat them regularly!

broccoli I have only tried it cooked but I had no problems.

squash Squash is easy for me to eat as well.

corn bread I haven't tried corn bread because I typically try to stay away from bread. Other breads that I have tried haven't bothered me but a lot of people can't eat them.

corn tortillas I have had them a couple times with no problems.

apples As long as it is skinless.

bananas Goes down fine for me.

oranges Haven't tried.

all berries I have only tried eating strawberries and blackberries and haven't had any problems but I didn't eat very many of them.

grapes No problems. I usually peel the skins off.

cheddar cheese Never given me a problem. I eat low fat cheeses regularly. I LOVE cheese!

nuts (almonds, pecans, peanuts) See above under peanut butter.

chinese food w/ veggies and chicken My nutritionist told me to not eat rice so I haven't. I love chinese food but since I can't have rice, I haven't eaten any.

This is just my experiences but everyone is different. Good luck!

Thanks to all of you who answered -- gives me a very good idea of what to expect. TRIAL AND ERROR is the name of the game....just like everyone says!

The only items on your list that are a complete NO GO are corn bread and corn tortillas. The rest have moments of yes and no.

Also...a lot of what is on your list I couldn't eat in the first year post banding but now I can do a bit better with. I've gotten smarter about how to eat.

Like you said, it's all trial and error. That is the life of the bandster..."hmm...will this work...chew chew chew chew...wait and see"

Good luck!

As I'm sure most people do, I have my favorite foods that I eat over and over again, day in and day out. Which do you think I'll have to give up?

So far, I've been able to eat everything on your list without any difficulty. Granted, I've only had one fill so far, but the only time I've felt discomfort was when I ate too fast or too much. I ate too many green Beans one night and paid for it with an awful bout of nausea. I don't intend to give anything up except Coke, which is an addiction for me. I've been Coke-free for 40 days now. I'm like an alcoholic counting my days sober.

My two cents:

cottage cheese w/ raspberries & splenda

Yummy and no problem

Wasa crackers (high fiber whole grain) with crunchy Jif peanut butter

Not a chance: the crackers tend to "ball up" on me.

Coffee w/ cream

Absolutely no problem

Iced Raspberry tea w/ lemon (decaf)

no prob here either

Caesar salad w/ grilled chicken

For some reason, salad is hard on me unless it's the "white" part of romaine. chicken is okay but in very small amounts. chew chew chew.

steak

see chicken: chew chew chew

asparagus

This has been fine for me as long as it's canned; fresh is hard to digest

fresh green beans

no problems at all

broccoli

cooked only for me raw is a bit hard to digest

squash

see broccoli

corn bread

oh my God no. Any bread for me is extremely difficult and headed for a PB

corn tortillas

see cornbread

apples

no problems

bananas

very small amount. i fill fast on this

oranges

See bananas

all berries

no problems,

grapes

See berries

cheddar cheese

Cheese is great

nuts (almonds, pecans, peanuts)

I can eat nuts

chinese food w/ veggies and chicken

nothing breaded or pasta. veggies and chicken okay. chew, etc.