My doctor told me I had to be on a clear liquid diet for a week after surgery then I could eat anything I wanted. No mushy stage, just regular food. He said I may gain weight during this period while waiting for a fill. I will get my first fill after 6 weeks. I sure as heck don't wanna gain weight and the thought of just eating solid food after a week kinda scares me. Have ya'll every heard of such a thing? Any thoughts? ~Laurinda~

I have never heard that!! I was on liquid for 2 weeks and I am in mushy stage. The main reason they want people to go easy is so the band can settle and get used to stuff going through it. And trust me you'll have restriction even before your first feel I can't even eat a whole slice of pizza and I had my done 12/21/07 over 2 weeks ago. I definately can't eat whatever I want to cause my stomach doesn't agree. you need to get your mindset to I can't eat whatever I want. I did this for a reason and I am gonna stick to health food that are easy to chew and get through the band otherwise you'll go back to old eating habits and completely have the lap band done for no reason. I know because I have had to tell myself the same thing. You've got to get your head and stomach on the same page. Hope this helps ya!

Yes, thoughts are - put yourself on a mushie stage.

Mushies for a week or two CAN'T hurt you at all.

A great mushie that I made for us(trying to see what I will tolerate post op) is the Unjury jello recipe.

The directions read that it will separate but I just kept mixing every half hour.

The jello turned out great!

The Unjury so far has been the best tasting. I have tried all flavors except the chicken soup flavor. Can't bring myself to "eat" luke warm "soup".

lol its hard I got tired of the same ole same ole! but its worth it...I have done really good!

Laurinda, I realize all doctors have thier own recovery diet, but that one seems like you are going to go to solids way too quick. Your stomach may not have proper time to heal. It still amazes me that there are so many different diet plans these doctors are having people follow.

I agree with all ya'll. I told my husband I would just do the liquid, mushy etc. I know 6 months ago when I saw him for the first time he told me there were different stages but when I saw him last week and he said nope eat what ya want after one week, no stages, I was shocked!

I'll jump in and say that my surgeon did not give me "stages" either.

I was on liquids for 2 days, and then when I spoke to him every day that week (I was running a fever) he told me that I could eat anything I could tolerate.

He did say to keep it to small amounts of "meat" and "fiber" - but if I could tolerate it, I could have it.

I went for my first fill last week, and when he saw my band on the screen, he said it was fine.

Not all doctors follow the same philosophy - not all of our bodies are the same - not all of the bands we have are the same .. I say follow *YOUR* surgeon's instructions.

He knows YOU. He knows what kind of band you have. He knows how he 'placed' it.

Your surgeon isn't going to set you up to fail.

If you move to solids I would choose food that was gentle on your band like mushies for a couple weeks. Tuna/chicken salad, chili, cottage cheese, soups. Those kinds of food. Good luck and yes, you may gain a few lbs.

The reason most surgeons recommend all the stages is so your sutures (the ones holding the stomach over the band) have a chance to heal without having to churn solid food. Most surgeons believe that not allowing your stomach time to heal without churning could lead to a slipped band down the road. You will be able to "tolerate" solid foods now, but could end up with a slipped band in a year or two. Maybe there is new data that shows this isn't the case and that's why your surgeon said you could eat real food, but that's what I've heard from my doc and from other lap band people. I'd stick to mushies at the very least. And you might gain weight at that point, or just not lose any. You might have some restriction without a fill, you might not. I certainly didn't until my 2nd fill, about 3 months after surgery.

Good luck!

Wow! My Dr. gave me 4 "stages" that I had to follow, liquids, then mushies, then soft food, then slowly introducing other foods and always remember to chew, chew, chew your food. I am still in the mushies, now going to the soft foods, so far so good. They told me it was so I could heal properly not to lose weight. And it wasn't Clear Liquids, I could put stuff in the blender too, like soups, etc. I am still taking it easy and I love to have mashed potatoes with gravy, soups with finely crushed crackers and pastas with lots of sauce. I've been banded for 3 weeks now and have lost 15 pounds, first fill is next week.

Weight Loss Tickers