I would like to hear from any banded patients about their experiences with the introduction of solid foods back into your diet. Size of portions and size of pieces of food. How long does the "full" feeling last between meals? Can you eat salads, brocolli, and other greens if they are cut into tiny pieces? Can you drink meal replacement shakes that are made from milk? Thanks

My doc doesn't recommend eating lettuce or raw veggies until 6 months post-op. I have only had one fill and have had some, but not a lot, of restriction.

Honestly, I do feel full faster and longer. It takes forever for me to really get hungry. The feeling of hunger isn't near as overwhelming as it used to be. It is subtle, and I can easily overlook it if it is too soon for me to eat. Hunger used to be almost painful and mind consuming to me before.

As far as Protein drinks, I wouldn't see a problem with drinking ones mixed with milk. It is adding extra calories though. I would just do whatever your doctor recommends.

I could eat pretty much anything after going on solids. I don't do a lot of liquid calories though and milk does fall into liquid calories. I drink milk once in a while but not daily. It is a trial and error process, some people can eat anything and others can't. Sometimes you will find you can eat something one week and a few weeks later you can't, but then wait a while and you can eat it again. Everyone is different, so you just need to try it and see what happens. Just make sure to chew very well and take your time.

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but I have been thinking a lot lately about what's going to happen when I can eat solids again.

Since I have no restriction until my first fill, can't I eat any solid I want?

The problem is, I'm craving all those bad things that I used to eat that I can't now! I want to eat them all again before I get a fill and maybe won't be able to eat them anymore (like pizza, bread etc).

I'm afraid I'm going to undo the hard work I've done so far by eating every last thing on this mental craving list that I've been working on....

Hi Lily,

I typically start my day with a meal replacement and milk. It is about 200 calories with 25 grams of protein. I then move onto foods like tuna salad 1/3 to 1/2 cup. I can't eat more than 1/2c to 1 c of food at a time. I snack on yogurts and almonds (just a small hand full). I then proceed to eat a little protein and maybe some vegies at dinner. I can eat salad better than most foods but eating stuff like raw broccoli for example really fills me up fast. Hope this information is helpful.