When you have lapband, do you have to eat weird stuff? I understand the liquids, mushies, etc. around your surgery.

Eating hard-to-find stuff, hunting down the "perfect fat free cracker" etc. etc. drove me CRAZY and was a major factor in giving up the normal dieting process out of sheer frustration.

My hopes for lapband is that (after the healing process) I can eat NORMAL stuff, just much, much less.

Is this unrealistic?

Thank you for any and all input!

Eating weird... is all realative... LOL.. I love Tuna, but my dbf's goes running in the other direction if I cook it... to him that is weird.. but I get your intent... I would say the answer is NO.. I do not eat fat free anything because it is my belief that to make a prouduct fat free they add a bunch of sugar to make up for taste.....

Everyone is different and that is the best way to describe it... I know that to acheive my goal faster I would need to cut empty carbs and sugar, but in real life I eat smaller portions of what I want and go on.

I just started with fills.. so I'm still really new, but I can already tell that being a slave to food is a thing of my past.......

I have not tried bread, but I have had a soft tortilla with no problem.. the good thing is........ I had ONE and not SIX like I would of had prior to the band.

The only thing 'wierd' you may need to add into your life is protein supplements. You really will not be able to eat enough food to get all the protein you need (80-100 gr/day), so supplements are a reality from now on. There are some really tasty and wonderful ones on the market.....you may have to hunt, but they are there. Sample until you find a few you love....there are hot drinks made with coffee, tea, water, milk; cold ones made with water, tea, Chrystal Light, coffee; chewy ones in bars, cookies, etc. You'll learn to love them.

The general idea of the band is that you can still eat normally, just in much smaller portions. Everyone is different, but most people can't eat bread. Toast is okay, but soft bread is usually a no-go for most people. Some people have trouble with rice and pasta, some with meat. It's really just a trial and error process. I can eat almost anything(except bread), but I choose to eat lean protein, salads, vegies and fruit, and whole grain carbs. I also choose to exercise at least 6 times a week. This speeds the losing process for me. But, for the most part, if you are filled properly, not too tight, then you should be able to eat "normally".

I've been banded 2 years this coming August, at first with a tight fill I could only eat a few things 'easily' and everything else was just too much of a hassle. I could eat chicken, shrimp, most soups, meal replacement shakes - and a few other things. After about 6 months, I'd lost about 40 pounds (goal was 60) I had an unfill because I was having trouble swallowing anything- the doctore thinks I had some virus that caused some swelling. AFter that I've had a series of fills, unfills and refills - I'm at goal and had some fill removed so I am in maintenance mode, and can eat most anything I want now in smaller quantities. I never 'had' to eat anything weird, just selective indeed. Cheetos have always been difficult for me bacause when all else fails, I can eat Cheetos - but gratefully - only a few.