First of all, my head hunger is HORRIBLE. Im craving a lot of things. First of all is a Mexi Melt at Taco bell......absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE those.......Second is Meatloaf....my mom is amazing, I love it. What else....Egg salad....Potato salad......CHinese food, but most of all that damn Mexi Melt from taco bell. Have any of you ever been able to eat taco bell again. Grante di could only probably eat half of that taco, But its just so damn good. Another thing is fettuccine alfredo, LOVE that stuff, my favorite Pasta. macaroni and cheese....will i be able to eat any of this ever again....ever again? Just wondering. Im trying not to get my hopes up. For my first meal, on solids, I told my mom I wanted her meatloaf and some mashed potatoes......is that reasonable? Someone please help. The head hunger is killing me........my stomach is saying, nooooooooo you dont want any of that, my head is saying, yes yes yes go get it, eat it, go get it, I WANT IT.......stupid head. Any advice is helpful so please tell me are all those things gone from my life forever....or is there still hope? Thanks all!!!!!

~Hotpink~

You'll be able to eat ANYTHING you tolerate in moderation. Some people have no "bad" foods and others have foods that give them some trouble. In the soft food phase, you can have mashed potatoes and meatloaf.

Hey there;

I have trigger foods galore. Taco bell...is one of them. I have alot of things that I can't tolerate at certain times, other times I seem to have no problems. The things that we crave are generally the things that we shouldn't have been eating in the first place...at least for me anyways. So I say....thats okay....if its a trigger that doesn't make a good food choice to begin with...thats okay. Good luck...it gets better...

POPT

Tracey

I'm not sure what a mexi melt is, but it sounds like ground beef and cheese...if so, that's a perfect bandster food! Just leave off the tortilla or chips of whatever comes with it. Refried Beans are a bandster stand-by....go down easy, high Protein.

Meatloaf is not bad if it's not loaded with breadcrumbs/crackers, etc and not topped with catsup or sweet sauce.....3 ounces with a veggie would be a good meal for a bandster, but not for a couple of months after surgery at least. Make sure the ground beef/turkey is ground very fine.

Egg salad is also a great high protein food (no potato salad, tho....too many bad carbs), also deviled eggs are great to keep in the frig for a snack. Just don't put the egg salad on white bread or crackers (again, empty carbs). Most Chinese has lots of sweet sauces in it.....beware! Egg drop Soup is perfect, tho, and very easy to make at home.

I had meatloaf 10 days post-op with my doctors blessing and it was devine...I also had mashed potatos and gravy. (exactly half of a kids meal from Boston Market) I eat egg, tuna and chicken salad all the time, on wheat crackers. I didn't get this band to have to count carbs but I do watch my calorie intake somewhat. I have had potato salad, a small scoop won't kill you just don't make a meal out of it and don't have it everyday.

I can't have Pasta unless it is angel hair or cut very very small and then only a few bites. My favorite thing at taco bell is that bowl thing they make, it's Beans, (I omit the rice it gives me problems, i usually ask for double beans) meat(chicen or steak), tomotos, cheese and taco sauce. I also omit the lettuce. It is a good meal or 2 Snacks, and it reheats well. Comes in a little bowl with a lid so it's also easy to store. I can eat almost anything I want, but avoid bread as it fills me up with no protien or real nutrition. I can't have rice at all, and pasta also is too filling for it to be a meal. Everyone's band is different, I have a banded friend that lives on gound beef and rice with no problem, I have a bite or two of rice and I am PB'ing for an hour. Everyone has different limitations but you will find a comfortable middle ground and fall in love with your band. ~Mandy

I really couldn't even begin to guess what you will or won't be able to eat, but I can tell you what I can or can't eat. My responses are in blue.

First of all is a Mexi Melt at Taco bell - I don't know what this is. If it's a hard/taco type thing, I can eat them. If it's a soft/tortilla type thing, I personally can do them but I know several people who cannot.

Second is Meatloaf - I opted to quit eating red meat. I have a really hard time chewing red meat to the point of feeling safe swallowing it. I've found that to me, ground beef especially never seems to really chew up. it gets to a certain point where it just won't go to goo. I can't think of any bandsters I personally know who eat ground beef without requiring some sort of constant sauce to go with it and make it go down.

What else....Egg salad. - I eat egg salad (prefer tofu egg salad) and ate it frequently as part of my mushies stage.

Potato salad. - I eat potato salad on occasion. I do watch carbs and fat, so I'm careful about it. I have to chew very well.

CHinese food, - I have eaten both homemade Chinese and restaurant Chinese with no problems. I've even gotten brave and tried the rice. I've never had a problem. I eat chicken based dishes and try to avoid fried foods.

Another thing is fettuccine alfredo - I can eat Pasta, but it just doesn't do much for mye anymore. I figure, if I'm only eating this handful of food each day, I was nutritious stuff, not starchy fat. But I so still eat it on rare occasion and I have no problems, but I know a lot of bandsters who cannot get pasta down.

macaroni and cheese.... - Same as above.

Right now it probably seems impossible to not eat these foods, but a LOT of bandsters find that, once banded, their tastes change. Whether it's a physiological change, or psychological - who knows. But -- how do I explain this. Once you have to chew your food so much, certain flavors and textures just aren't worth it. That's part of why I abandoned red meat. It just took so damn long to chew it up, it wasn't worth it. Same with most carbs. You have to be so careful eating them, it just isn't worth the risk. And maybe by virtue of that, they become less appealing to us.

Long story short, to date there are no foods I *can't* eat. There are many foods I *choose* not to eat. And there are a small handful of foods that hurt, but I could eat them if I wanted to... but there's no way it's worth it.

When you reach the correct restriction in your band. The band will tell you what you can and cannot have. I have a hard time with meat, unless it has gravy or ketchup on it. Right now you can have small portions of foods that you like, however, these are the foods that got us into the trouble we were all in. It is better to stick to the foods that are healthy. I myself find that if I cheat and eat something that I should not triggers something in my brain and the next thing I know there is a hoho in my left hand and pizza in my right. Good Luck :>

Everyone is different, and your list of "go/no-go" food will change as your restriction changes.

Personally, I can't eat bread, pasta, rice, and sometimes meat. Or eggs. I can eat about 1/2 order of nachos (not the huge, meal-size order).

If I ever have to be unfilled again, I dream of one big, wonderful Italian dinner. But in reality, I probably wouldn't do it. I had to be unfilled once (aspiration pneumonia, from being too tight) and I was too paranoid to eat anything from my pre-band life (fried chicken with the skin on, hot bread, fettuccine Alfredo, etc.)

I thought, pre-op, that I would be able to eat anything, just in very small quantities. That may be true for some people; it's not true for me. And, like Wheetsin said, some things just aren't worth the pain/trouble they sometimes cause.

I had a hard time with broc (I know it is on the no-no list), it hurt so bad, I will never do that again. I also have a hard time with chicken. I have to chew-chew-chew. Once I was in conversation and reverted back to my old ways (3-4 chews and swallow) and man did the pain set in and up it came. It was VERY painful!

Beef is ok for me as long as it is not overcooked. I'll have some of my DHs when we go out to dinner.

I don't have any other foods that bother me (that I know of)

First of all, my head hunger is HORRIBLE. Im craving a lot of things. First of all is a Mexi Melt at Taco bell......absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE those.......Second is Meatloaf....my mom is amazing, I love it. What else....Egg salad....Potato salad......CHinese food, but most of all that damn Mexi Melt from taco bell. Have any of you ever been able to eat taco bell again. Grante di could only probably eat half of that taco, But its just so damn good. Another thing is fettuccine alfredo, LOVE that stuff, my favorite Pasta. macaroni and cheese....will i be able to eat any of this ever again....ever again? Just wondering. Im trying not to get my hopes up. For my first meal, on solids, I told my mom I wanted her meatloaf and some mashed potatoes......is that reasonable? Someone please help. The head hunger is killing me........my stomach is saying, nooooooooo you dont want any of that, my head is saying, yes yes yes go get it, eat it, go get it, I WANT IT.......stupid head. Any advice is helpful so please tell me are all those things gone from my life forever....or is there still hope? Thanks all!!!!!

~Hotpink~

I feel the same way about Macaroni & Cheese and Fettucini Alfredo! I buy the Lean Cuisine versions of these foods and I eat a 1/3 of the container as part of my dinner. They definitely satisfy my craving and are low in calorie. Good luck!

I had 1/2 of a slice of wheat toast the other day. I can do red meat if it's very tender, but chicken (except chicken salad) seems to be near impossible for me. I can eat pasta and angel hair spaghetti. I can also eat cereal. It's going to depend on your chewing habits, and exactly what your band will tolerate.

I had 1/2 of a slice of wheat toast the other day. I can do red meat if it's very tender, but chicken (except chicken salad) seems to be near impossible for me. I can eat Pasta and angel hair spaghetti. I can also eat cereal. It's going to depend on your chewing habits, and exactly what your band will tolerate.

Have you tried dark meat chicken? It is much more moist and less stringy. Seems easier to chew and works for some bandsters. ~Mandy