I have a tentative surgical date of September 29th. Endoscopy scheduled for August 26 and final insurance approval is my last step. I'm excited and confident. I was reviewing my info pack from my doctor and the lists of foods I will eat, should eat and foods I should avoid. It's confusing because on one page they recommend a food like rice or shrimp and on the next page those foods are listed as common problem foods after lap band surgery.

What foods have you totally removed from your diet?

It is confusing. Everyone is different and you go through different phases so it's hard to predict. I could probably eat absolutely anything, but some things take sooo much chewing and so tiny a bite that it's just not worth it. I usually avoid flour based breads-corn tortillas are fine. I avoid canned spinach because the stringyness is hard for me. Sometimes shrimp is a problem and sometimes not. Most everything else works. What's harder for me than what I CAN'T eat is what I CAN eat. I have to be so careful with anything ice cream. It goes down so easily and tastes so good. I'm at about goal weight now, but I have to say that practically every plateau I had was due to eating too much ice cream.

The thing about foods you can't eat is that it's all a learning process and you won't really know until you experience eating something that doesn't work for you. It's uncomfortable enough that it doesn't take long to learn from it!

I can usually eat anything I make for my family. I can't eat breakfast because I'm to tight. So I still have protein shakes. The food I have had the most problems with has been chicken. Sometimes I can eat dark meat chicken alittle better than white. Eggs are also a hit or miss food.

Actually, I'd say almost anything could be a candidate....BUT it really will begin to tell once you've had a fill and the band starts to tighten up. I know at the beginning I could still eat tiny bits of bread, but now...I really have to be careful. I do stay clear of stringy...although spinach works for me most of the time, I just have to make sure I chew well. I have had the PBs sometimes that makes you "toss your socks" but it has come from either eating too fast/too much. I would just focus on eating WELL. Looking for things that are healthy and will help you be better. I just had my annual physical and my Dr. is REALLY pleased with the results of the band. I still have some things that might not be on the "band" diet, but those are minimal, I focus on eating healthy. I get Proteins first because otherwise your body won't be as healthy as it needs to be. I get my good carbs next....after that...there's little room for anything else. I do snack on occasion, but not anywhere near to what I would do pre-band.

I hope this helps, it really depends on what YOU'RE willing to put in to the effort of having this tool. Diet won't do it all, but the band helps with using good dietary practices.

Best of luck,

Annette

Edited August 6, 200818 yr by slikchik10

I totally agree with the mass confusion on what you can / can't / should / shouldn't eat. Everybody is definitely different. It also depends on how much is in your band and what sized band you have. I really can eat about anything - CHEW CHEW CHEW! The few times I have had trouble it has been with something doughy, or pork. Most of my problems have been with drinking too soon after I have eaten - with my first couple of fills I did not have a problem with drinking so I think I had a false sense of security when it came to it - now that I have 7.5 cc's (14cc band) i do have a problem usually more so the first week or so after a fill.

Thanks to all who replied. It helps. I figured it would be a trial and error proposition. I wanted to have some foods in the house ready for after the surgery. I think I'll stick with tuna, eggs for egg salad and dark chicken for chicken salad to start. None skinned veggies and fruit. No breads. Soups. Any other starter foods??

kcmagu, what happens to you if you drink too soon after eating? Too full? Or does it push your food through too quick and it get's stuck? Something else? Drinking is my biggest fear. I can easily drink a quart of milk with my meal and to be limited to NOTHING stresses me out to the max.

It pushes the food through too quick and gets stuck sometimes is usually the problem. A lot of times it is the air trying to escape - picture a large vase full of big stones in which you immediately dump a whole pitcher of water into - that is what it feels like - it usually doesn't take much to remind me. Again the worst time is the first week or so after a fill and during that time sometimes i even have trouble drinking water first thing in the am even though food goes down just fine - my theory is that with the bad tighter - water goes down so fast - it hits the band and wants to come right back up whereas food goes down a little slower.

good luck!

My pa said that rice is the most common food that she hears people cannot tolerate with the band. It was the first food I had trouble with and as much as I loved it, I have gotten used to not eating it anymore. There is nothing like being miserably stuck to make you not want that food again! I find as long as I keep my meats moist, i.e., applesauce with pork, low-fat gravy with chicken or beef, things go down well. With each fill you may lose foods - this last fill made crackers and chips difficult to eat (it's a good thing - isn't this why I got the band??). I have however, willed myself to be able to eat pasta. I would die if I had to give that up - and I always eat at least the cheese and sauce on pizza. everyone is different and you won't know until you try with each fill. It is all worth it - you will feel and look so much better that it's worth giving up some of the foods you thought you loved, but maybe just liked alot : )

I am not able to eat soft breads, rice can be a problem as can pasta. I can eat both if I am careful, but it is usually not worth the bother; I love them both and eating just a little is not easy, so I just avoid them. I can not eat anything doughy like a pierogie, which is sometimes a great quick meal. I still can not eat breakfast so a protein shake is my breakfast and I am cool with that.

At 3 and a half years post op, with nothing in my band, I eat whatever I like. I never maintained a tight fill, because while I liked the idea of losing weight, being ill due to lack of proper nutrition didn't appeal to me.

It is true that it is trial and error, but I think by far and away the single most common mistake that is being made is overfilling. By being overfilled you limit the foods that you consume to a very small feild. And by doing so, you make yourself unhappy, frustrated, and likely to rely on soft foods. The result is little weight loss, or weight gain.

I know you asked what foods are troublesome for banded folk. But the truth is, nothing should be a problem. You should be able to eat solid foods without discomfort and PB'ing.

Thank you kc. The visual makes a lot of sense. I'm probably stressing over something I can control and will be a non issue. The more info the better. Thanks for the answer.

Thanks mmsmom. I guess there is no one answer huh. It will all be trial and error... with much more trial than error I'm hoping. You're right once I get stuck I won't get stuck again. Who wants that. I want to eat healthy, be healthy and active.

You said something interesting to me that I hadn't thought of. You eat pork with applesauce. So a dry food will be more tolerable when you add a moist food item? That makes sense to me. But gee. You'd think you could put anything done there. The stomach is now smaller by being banded. You eat less obviously. The food sits there, breaks down, passes through the band and digests. Batta bing. Over eating I can understand the complications but you'd think any food would be tolerable. We'll see as I go along I guess.

Thanks Abby. Looks like I'll have to develop my own lists as well. I think that many of my favorites could end up on my no list. We'll see. Thanks for your input.

Thank you chickie. I hadn't thought of overfilling leading to poor outcomes. It makes sense. I wanted to be banded so that I was still in control of eating properly, to train myself to eat the right foods and still be accountable and having the band to help me with my portions was the was my main goal. Having good, nutritious foods on my cannot eat list didn't make a lot of sense.

Chickie you met your goal in just 16 months and lost 190lbs thats amazing and an inspiration to me. Thanks

Apparently, lima beans are not my friend. Since I didn't learn last night at dinner, I decided to try again for lunch today. And no, they are still not my friend. I think it was the tough skin and too big of bite...

Chickie, thank you so much for your response, I checked out your blog, you look great and certainly must know of what you speak. I hope you don't mind if I ask you a few questios, when you were unfilled about six months after you reached goal, did you gain weight? I was just banded on Monday August 4 . Reading the forums i noticed a few people who have reach goal with just one or two fills i was wondering if this is something you made up your mind to try before banding or after fills realized it wasn't the way to go for yourself. These are a few of the questions i was wondering about before being banded and after reading your post thought i could get some answers.

Thank You.

LindaGail