I am very overweight and I am thinking about the lap band. I wanted to ask this forum do to you guys already having the procedure done. 1-Is it worth it? and 2-What can you no longer eat. I heard that you sometimes can not even eat certain fruits and veggies and then how do you get all of your nutrients and eat healthy? I am 33 with 2 kids and I do not want diabetes, heart issues and everything else that goes along with being so heavy. I have to do something!:smile:

Its very worth it. Im coming up on my year anniversary on October 16th and have lost 82 lbs. I have about 40 pounds to go. I was scared, with no reason to be. Surgery went great, I healed fast and I can eat anything. Some foods you will tolerate better than others. Do it! You will be so glad u did!. Good luck!!!

I am very overweight and I am thinking about the LAP-BAND®. I wanted to ask this forum do to you guys already having the procedure done. 1-Is it worth it? and 2-What can you no longer eat. I heard that you sometimes can not even eat certain fruits and veggies and then how do you get all of your nutrients and eat healthy? I am 33 with 2 kids and I do not want diabetes, heart issues and everything else that goes along with being so heavy. I have to do something!:smile:

You've come to the right place to get answers! I wish I had come here first so I would have been better prepared!

I had lap band surgery on the 26th of August and I would definitely say it is worth it. The first week or so is/was pretty miserable but after that I was pretty well feeling great.

I have lost around 25 lbs now and feel sooooo much better about myself. I still have a long way to go but I do believe it is possible to get rid of this weight where as before I really felt trapped and hopeless.

I've had one fill so far and right now I can pretty much eat anything. I believe I need another fill because I don't feel much restriction and can eat more than I believe I should.

You should take the time to read both the positives and the negatives about lap band and make an informed decision. It is a lifestyle change but for me it has been totally worth it so far. I am so thankful I have the band. It has given me hope!

Honestly I haven't found any negatives for me. I am probably going to have scars on my tummy but I do not care. I desperately need and want to get healthy. Scars may be a negative for some but it isn't a factor for me.

Some people do have trouble with some foods but again that hasn't been a problem for me yet.

Good luck and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask!

Take care and God bless,

T

It is soooo worth it. its by far the best thing that i have ever done in my life and i wouldnt go back for a second. yeah you have to make some changes but i do not have trouble with food. they say like pineapple can get stuck cause itsfiburous like very stringy. and grapes cause of the skin. but those are my 2 favorite fruits soo i eat them. and they dont give me any trouble at all.. they also say things like nuts or dry fruit but i dont eat that stuff anyway so its all good. and of course if your doing this you wanna be smart i havent had bread for 5 months, and i no some ppl eat it i just choose not too. i eat mostly protien fruit and veggies and yogurt. and i occasionally have peanut butter thats it. i dont snack and i dont cheat. no cake chips cookies. ive gone a long time without it i dont crave it at all anymore. and i was a big sweets person b4 now fruit really stops my cravings for anything sweet. and really veggies i have no problem with either. of course everyones different but you will be able to eat most fruit and veggies. and def lots of protien you will also be on lots of vitamins like calcium and a multi so you do get your nutrients. anyway i would do it. i love my life now. good luck!!

So you can not eat any bread....does that mean all starches??? Forever????

For whatever reason, some people are just more band tolerant than others. My band, if going by fill level is very tight, but I don't have a large list of problem foods. I can't eat celery, and I just eat the tops off asparagus. I haven't found any other vegetables that are off limits to me. I love lean med-rare fillet mignon, but I have had to spit out a couple of bites, (very discreetly I hope), when it hasn't chewed up well. I haven't tried eating the membrane on citrus fruit, but I can eat the meat of the fruit just fine. I can eat bread. I wouldn't say I'd take a HUGE bite out of a dinner roll, and I only have a dinner roll very rarely and in very small portions.

You can't control your tolerance level for foods, but you can control the tightness of your band, which also factors into what foods may or may not be off limits to you.

I had my surgery in February of this year. I have lost about 60 pounds. At first I was able to eat pretty much anything, but now, after 4 fills, I have more restriction. Potatoes are off limits unless mashed. Bread is complicated. Toast works, dry toasted breads for sandwiches, dry crumbly biscuits. If the bread is bulky and soft, it will make you puke no matter how much you chew it. Fries are a thing of the past....:smile:. meats are also complicated. In this case, the drier they are, the more difficult it is to eat. I have become the queen of ordering hamburger steaks...LOL. Basically, ordering hamburgers in restaurants with no bun or veggies on it. (Ruby Tuesday is my favorite because their mashed potatoes are easily tolerated). Speaking of Ruby Tuesday, I have not found anything on their salad bar that is difficult to eat.

The key is to take small bites, chew everything to oblivion, and DO NOT DRINK WITH MEALS. In fact, if you come across a food that is not going through the band, your natural instinct is to drink something to help it go down. This is very bad! It will cause more pain and discomfort.

I am glad I got the surgery and it has helped me to put things into perspective. I used to be a mindless eater...now I am a mindful eater. This was worth it and I recommend the surgery for anyone who is at least 100 pounds overweight.

I loved bread but don't miss it. I can eat a little toast though. Once banded and you reach your proper fill, you won't want to eat things like this. For me it's just painful and not worth it (stuck, hurts). Same thing happens if I eat too fast. It's the power of the band. I haven't had soda either in over 6 months. Sometimes I have the urges. Peanut M&M's used to be my weakness. I've had them, but about 6 of them are enough. Basically for me, I can eat almost anything. Just in small quantities. The band is not the magic wand as you do have to do some work, count calories and eat right.

I had the lap band in May of 2008 and I am so glad I did. I was concerned with giving up most of my comfort foods but have found that it was much easier than I thought. It has not always been easy but I have never regreted my decision to have the band. The strange thing is you don't really have a desire for the same foods as before or at least I don't! I make bad choices at least daily but I have successfully lost 70 pounds, I still need to lose 30 and the last 30 is being sooo stubborn but I have set a goal to lose 10 pounds this year. Being 30 pounds overwight is lots eaiser than being 100 pounds overwieght. I am 52 years old and ony wish I could have done this at 33. Good luck with whatever decision you make. Let me know if I can help you in your decision making. God Bless

Purple, there really shouldn't be anything you can't eat. There will be a few limitations.

meat, if cooked too dry, will be a problem. But that's a cooking problem, not a food problem, per se.

Bread, that is SOFT bread, can be a problem for some of us. I don't eat soft bread but toasted is not a problem at all. Think about when you were a kid. Did you ever take a slice of white bread and pull the center out of the crust and sort of squish it into doughy balls? Well, when you chew it, it can form those same sorts of balls and be a little hard to swallow. If you're a bread addict, you're going to have to cut it WAY back because your capacity for food will be dramatically decreased and you will be told to eat at least 20 grams of Protein protein first, veggies second and then only if you are honestly still hungry you can eat a single serving of a whole grain carb.

Vegetables .... most of us were warned about "stringy" vegetables...that would be asparagus and celery. Like pineapple, they are fibrous. I put fresh asparagus in a salad and I cut it up into 1/2" bits and have no problem with asaparagus at all. Celery is not something I pick up and eat but I do cook with it and it has not posed any problems for me that way.

VERY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER: The band is not a method of punishment. You may have to experience with cooking techniques and such but you should be able to eat pretty much anything you want. Having said that, of course you will have to exercise some common sense. For example, yeah, you COULD eat ice cream but you really shouldn't because (1) it's a slider food (easy to swallow) and (2) too high a calorie content in exchange for nutritional value.

Most of us take some sort of a Vitamin every day. I take a performance vitamin because it makes me feel good.

OH YEAH! I completely forgot about Soda! I have not had it since October of 2008. I mean like REALLY had it. A big gulp of it. I have had a sip of it every now n then. But, I do not get any enjoyment out of it anymore. The gas is very painful and makes me want to throw up. I have heard stories of people still drinking it but after they leave it open and the fizz is gone. Why would you do that? What is the point? LOL

Today is my six month anniversary and I LOVE it! There are only a few things that I cant eat. eggs is one of them, I do miss them. But it is so worth the 71 pounds I have lost! 26lbs pre-surgery and then 45lbs with the band. chicken is not a problem with me, but steak is harder to deal with. My point is that we all have different things we can tolerate. I can do toast but not much of it, just a few nibbles. So its not worth it to me to mess with. Bottom line is that I think that giving up a few foods is so worth it in the long run. For me being able to walk into a department store and picking up a size 6 and buying it without trying it on more than makes up for not eating bread, eggs or whatever!

imho,

D

You've gotten some great advice from those of us who are on this journey, and surely you've noticed that we are all different with what we can tolerate. I try anything that I want (in small bites and after chewing the heck out of it), and I find out that way what I can tolerate. So far, I'm good on anything except grape tomatoes, I guess because of the skin. Everything else is a go. Of course, like others have said, I choose NOT to eat those things that could become problems. For example, I won't keep ice cream in the freezer. If my kids want it, I take them to an ice cream shop. I won't eat bread because it takes too long to eat and I'd rather eat Protein and veggies.

I love someone else's line above that the band makes her a mindful--rather than mindless--eater. That is so true. I make choices every day about what I will eat, and those choices have made me much healthier. I have to spend more time packing my lunch for work b/c I no longer want to eat fast food. I cook healthy dinners for my family, and it has paid off with my DH and DD actually dropping a few pounds. My girls and I enjoy experimenting on new recipes in the kitchen, so rather than waste time watching TV, we are spending time together doing something that helps our whole family.

Has everything been rosy with the band? No. Sliming and PBing are rough. Learning how to eat small bites, chew well, and eat without drinking have taken time--and I still forget sometimes. Being tight in the morning and having to wait to eat Breakfast is tough. Getting in the required Water is an effort for some. However, the pay-off is worth it!

Become well informed, then do what is best for you!

If you don't mind me asking; What is "sliming"?

1-Is it worth it?

Definitely! I am 11 months out and only 14 pounds from my goal. I feel and look a million times better than I have in years. I know that I could not have done this without the help of the band.

2-What can you no longer eat

As the people above mentioned, it varies from person to person. I have trouble with steak and doughy bread. I can eat crackers, toast, the crust of hard rolls, etc. I do not ever feel deprived by not being able to eat those things -- I honestly don't care. If I really wanted steak, I'd just eat it at home so that if I got stuck, I could be more comfortable dealing with it than at a restaurant.

How do you get all of your nutrients and eat healthy?

I take Vitamins and generally pick healthy foods when I eat.

The band has been a really wonderful tool for me and for most of us on this site. It has helped me to change the thing that bothered me the most -- being overweight -- and to feel good about myself.

I hope that helps! Welcome to the site -- this is a great source of information and support.

Best wishes,

Catherine

Purple~ you are getting great advice from everybody! I would like to add that you are not only doing yourself a favor by investigating weight loss surgery, but you are doing your children a favor.

When you lead a healthy lifestyle, your children learn to lead a healthy lifestyle. You will not be passing your bad habits on to your children. I only wish that I had my band placed sooner!