I was wondering how long people waited before eating lettuce salads? I know that lettuce can be hard to digest for some people and I am afraid that it will get stuck. I would like to have a salad with grilled chicken for lunch, but am a little leary.

I was wondering how long people waited before eating lettuce salads? I know that lettuce can be hard to digest for some people and I am afraid that it will get stuck. I would like to have a salad with grilled chicken for lunch, but am a little leary.

Lettuce was something that scared the hell out of me after being banded. I did not eat it for many many months. Finally i asked someone and they said " NO NO issues, just chew it well like anything else.

I personally make sure its crispy . This is something that I would have THOUGHT would give you issues but it does not . Unless im really tight ( which does not happen often ) or having issues already .

So if your doc allows it ( meaning your far enough post op ) I say go for it .

Mindy

ditto to coltonwades's experience....there comes a point where normal caution vs obsessive/compulsive avoidance stand in the balance....

Crisp works well for me. I feared celery too. Still not crazy about it, but tiny diced well pieces work fine for me. Nearly 4 years postOp I still discover things delightful to eat.

Celery , something else I have not tried yet over a yr later LOL

Something else that scares the hell out of me

lol...I had been putting this off based on what others experienced.

I had a salad last night and had no problems...just had to slooooow down and chew good. :thumbup:

Yep that's all ya gotta do .

Ladybug I LOVE your name it cracks me up . Super cute !

OH and GIG EM !!

I agree with ColtonWade 100% I was terrified to try salad too, and waited about 5 months. When I finally got the courage to try, I was pleasantly surprised. I have discovered though, that the type of lettuce eaten has a lot to do with how well I can eat it. I used to love green leaf or Boston Bib lettuce. It's not crispy enough. ColtonWade is correct. I now only buy Romaine. It does the best for me since it is crisp. Regular lettuce is yucky. It has no flavor, but it chews up well. I like crisp, bubbly spinach leaves as well. Just chew it really well. I add toasted almonds to mine instead of croutons. makes a nice crunch.

i started eating salads as soon as i was cleared to solids. i've yet to have any issue with veggies/lettuce of any kind - but dry chicken will halt me in my tracks!!!

No fills yet, so take this into consideration, but I do lots of salads, especially at work, at lunch. I drink a lot before the meal, then make sure I have some canned chicken or tuna or something like that in the salad, or maybe some other meat. The meat slows the transit time into the stomach. I've even tried first the meat separately, then the other stuff- that works too. The lettuce "flows" throught the stoma, esp iceberg, and if you aren't careful, you can eat a ton of salad, tomatoes, onions, etc, and really not feel too full, until you are too full and feel crampy and uncomfortable. With the meat, I feel like I've had a meal and stay satisfied. Cottage cheese tastes great, but is rather high cals and isn't really fillilng, but I eat it. I have to use a measuring cup or I take too much! I do the bacon bits, or turkey bacon, or Salad Fixins. With salad, I also like the Egg Beaters, (Costco brand is fine), microwave 1/2 cup, with onions, top with tomatoes, etc. You can put the omelet on a 30 cal slice of sourdough crisp bread, (buy at store with rye crackers, etc). That way I feel llike I've had a "sandwich". The crackers go through good, bread is little sticky and I've sworn off bread anyway. Top with a tsp or two of hummus, or a taste of garlic pesto, and is delightful. for me, I have to keep nothing but fat free Italian, (or similar) and the 15 cals/per 2 TBL is fine. The Kraft Zesty Italian is my favorite or the Free Caesar Italian (25 cals) is great, or the Vinegriatte etc. Pickles are always great, but watch the sodium. I've had to stop the olives- too many calories for routine use. Fresh sliced tomatoes are good, with a bit of salt and pepper, and with fig balsalmic vinegar is heavenly, absolutely wonderful. I've peeled my tomatoes, but if i'm careful, I do OK, too much work peeeling. A nice snack is tomatoes with a dab of Italian salad dressing. I also like to keep some cucumbers and onions in a jar of vinegar. I've tried different vinegars, but the cheap stuff is just as good, though the exotic stuff like champagne vinegar or pinot grigio is fun. Happy salads!

brian, i probably eat 3 or 4 cucumbers a wk with hummus (i make my own). it's my go to meal when i don't feel like making something or cutting up a salad :thumbup:. i think your meal choice w/salad is great with little to no restriction!

I dont eat a lot of salads becuase they are sort of empty calories to me.

Unless you load them up with a lot of crap , that contain Protein they are a waste as my nut calls them .

They do not contain protien so they are not going to keep me full.

So i generally do not eat many , unless its w/ a meal maybe.

HTH

MIndy

I was eating salads within a few weeks once given the 'go' for regular foods. I really enjoy a nice chicken caesar salad. Like Luluc, veggies and fruit haven't presented any challenges...actually, no food has. I still eat all the regular foods - lucky me!

I had 1/2 of an Orchard Harvest Salad and some black bean soup for lunch yesterday. Panera Bread is delicious and their salads are scrumptious.

Thanks for the replies. I am cleared for solids, I won't have my first fill for a couple weeks so I don't think I will have a problem. Hopefully I won't after the fill either.

I buy the bagged shredded lettuce for salad, goes down easier..

I was banded 21 days ago, My Dr. Recomended waiting 45 days before eating salad. He said to cut it up really small, and have it sit in a vingar based salad dressing to wilt for 5 mins before eating it. This will help us dissolve the salad.