I'll be banded at the end of this month. I come from an Italian family who loves pasta. How have you pasta loving bandsters been able to handle it when your family is each having a huge plate of pasta and you're eating 3 bites of cottage cheese? Do you still miss it or does your brain just think differently down the road after you're banded?

As far as things I am missing now, I think about all the EXCESS I pigged out on to get me here and I dont feel so bad. Besides, everyone is different and you might be able to eat some later and be o.k. The BIG change will be how much you can take in will be way different.

talking with the nut she said I don't have to give up anything .. .. Just moderation and portion control is the KEY to a successful lap band surgery (well and exercise).

Just remember, Protein first, veggies second, THEN your carbs ...

other than when you are on your pre/post op diet, i see no reason not to have Pasta once in awhile. im at a pretty good restriction level and just had a frozen pasta dish (shrimp marinara from WW). it was quite good.

now granted, i couldnt eat the entire thing, but that's ok ... :Dancing_wub:

try edimame (I don't think i spelled that correctly) it's a bean kind of veggie very high in protein and has a pasta (kind of a gnochi or cavatele kind of taste)

I am sitting here eating fettuccine as I type, no problems. It does fill me up very quickly though.

pasta is on my soft foods list. I had a cold pasta salad with chicken yesterday. Chewed it really good. You should be able to enjoy small portions of it.

The one thing you will notice when you sit around that big family table and everyone is eating, you will notice how MUCH everyone else is eating. Then you will understand how you got to be here in the first place. You will look at portion control differently. My first family dinner I was amazed at the quanity that everyone had on their plate I was really a little shocked.

Colleen

Nobody is going to die if you have a little pasta. I wouldn't recommend it every night, but when there is an occasion and you are with your family, it certainly won't hurt you. The less simple carbs you eat the more weight you are going to lose, but life is to be enjoyed and if pasta is that big a part of your life I think 1/4 of a cup is fine. Remember, you aren't going to be able to eat large quantities of food so even when you do indulge in pasta, it isn't going to be a huge plate. You don't have to sit and eat a plate of cottage cheese while your whole family enjoys their meal. You can enjoy a lot of really good food. When I have pasta I make sure I have some sort of protein, too, and make sure the protein portion is larger than the pasta portion. You can have salad.Have some chicken or whatever (a meatball, veal, whatever you like with pasta). This 'not having any fun eating at family get-togethers' was not the big issue I expected it to be. Because I eat so slowly now and take small bites it doesn't really seem that different. As someone above said, they are all shoveling food into their mouths and not even enjoying it and taking huge bites and you will be there daintily eating your little portion and you will all finish at the same time and all feel just as satisfied when you are finished eating. And you can get on the scale the next morning and the number will not have gone up and may even have gone down! I used to hate the day after a big family get together because the scale would always reflect it. Now that doesn't happen because of the small quantities. This is the very best part of being banded - I can share meals with loved ones and not have to bring my separate, special, food. I eat what everyone else eats. And the band doesn't allow me to go overboard. It really is freeing!

try edimame (I don't think i spelled that correctly) it's a bean kind of veggie very high in Protein and has a Pasta (kind of a gnochi or cavatele kind of taste)

Edamame is fresh soybeans! Lot's of protein there. :tongue::thumbup: