We're going out for a co-worker's birthday today, and he picked Mexican food. This particular restaurant has a chicken tamale that contains shredded boiled chicken (the kind they simmer in spices for a long time), and has the typical soft masa outside layer, covered in cheese sauce. By the time you mix it all together, it gets quite mushy. I am already able to do chicken and dumplings without a problem, because I chew until the chicken is nearly liquid in my mouth. If I chew really well, do you think this could work? I'm 2.5 weeks post-op and currently on the pureed/soft food phase.

At two and half weeks, I'd probably go for Beans, especially while out to eat with co-workers. First off and most importantly, you really want to baby your band during the healing phase and you never know how tough a bird might be cooked up in a restaurant. Secondly, beans are easier to eat, so you won't have to concentrate so hard on chewing through a piece of meat while socializing with your friends. You definitely don't want to end up in the bathroom retching up a piece of chicken that doesn't agree with you.

I'll admit to being very cautious, especially when it comes to my band.

I agree...I wouldn't take a chance on that. Go with a refried bean dish. Even if it was borderline tolerable..it wouldn't be worth it. My nutritionist said any sort of meat other than fish (chicken, etc) does not qualify on the mushy phase. A quick call to your doctor's office might be your best option if their guidelines are more lenient

>> tamales are very bad.. they are made with lard that's how they prepare that masa. Believe me you dont want to make tamales a part of your diet. Im Mexican I grew up those...& they are bad.... have caldo ..( soup, they have many kinds...)

Thanks for the suggestions, folks! I didn't see most of them before heading out to lunch, but they are still helpful for the future.

I ended up getting a tamale and some refried black Beans. I ate half of the tamale (it was small) and half the beans, and boxed the rest for another meal. The total amount of food was about 1/2 cup. The chicken was fall-apart tender and easy to chew, and the masa broke down very well. So far I have had no stomach or band discomfort, but I didn't take into account that the fat content of the meal might cause some intestinal distress. Luckily I'm on good terms with the other ladies who share a bathroom with me. This will definitely have to be a special occasion type meal from now on.

I would like to encourage you NOT to eat things that aren't good for you. Be careful about the fat content in foods. My nut says to watch the carbs & fat gms. No more than 5 fat gms and 15 carbs per serving. Way too much fat in what you are eating....especially the chicken/dumplings.

I know you want to eat some of the things that you were eating pre-op but you are on a new journey now and will have to give up your old eating habits. We all know to stay away from candy, Cookies, cakes, etc but we also have to watch other foods that are normally considered "good foods" to us.

Please don't do yourself in by the wrong type of eating. It isn't worth it and you deserve better for yourself.

while I think its too soon to eat a tamale I dont agree with the above posts. If we could do a diet we wouldnt need the lapband.If you want a tamole once in a great while have one.Skinny people eat tamoles and chicken wings and pizza ,butter and mayo but they dont everyday and they dont eat way too much(although I do know skinny people that do eat junk all the time LOL) you just have to make the right choices most of the time.

Thanks for the reality check, Lolly. I've been so good with following my diets, both pre- and post-op. It's just really hard to come up with mushies you can eat at a restaurant that aren't packed with fat in some way. You are absolutely right that in the future, I need to come up with an alternative. What's great about that particular restaurant is that they have a lunch portion of fajitas that I can just eat the meat and veggies from. When I get to that stage, of course.

Oh, and don't worry about the dumplings. They are homemade, not the canned crap. I know what went into them, and they are most definitely not high in fat. In fact, there's about a teaspoon of fat in the entire pot (and I made a bunch 'cause the hubby loves them). I understand now that the white carbs are just empty calories, so I probably won't make them again.

Before I started this whole LAP-BAND® process I went out to lunch with the guys at least three times a week. While on the six-month diet, I cut it down to once a week, if at all. It has been nearly two months since I went out with them. I have been gradually making those adjustments to my life, even though I miss hanging out with my boys! There have been many opportunities for me to eff this up big-time, and I pride myself on knowing that I had the willpower to say "no thanks" when the guys wanted to go out for pizza, wings, or something else blatantly unhealthy. Believe me, this is not a pattern of sudden unhealthy eating. I've been working at this too long and hard to screw it up now.

I am planning on making "tamale a la quasela". cuban food, or kinda a tamale pie but not really. Its like making some cream of wheat but corn masa and adding some white boiled chicken, seasoning and chicken broth and cooking it well on stove. then 1/2 cup max if that much im working on 1/3 cup for a dinner-- you can make it mushy, hard and thick or add veggies or bacon, ham what ever- it is just a base meal... the question is- does the corn swell up like white flour?