I am considering getting a lap band. Everything seemed great about it until I read a bunch of stories of people having trouble with various foods. I have read that you cannot eat fried food or carbonated beverages(beer included). I have also read that people have trouble eating various forms of meat.

Is this a permanent thing? I know that you are supposed to avoid carbonated beverages, but what about a beer that you let sit for a couple minutes first and if you have just one. With fried food and meats, is it something that gets better with time? I have no problem with adjusting for the first year or so, but I'm hesitant to do something that will make it so I cant eat a french fry several years down the line.

Finally after I take off the weight, I will be wanting to add some muscle mass, adding muscle means taking in a lot of Protein, will Protein shakes make it past my pouch relatively quickly so I can take in a decent amount?

Thank you for any insights you can give me.

I am 9 months out and carbonated beverages give me a problem sometimes. I find that if I let it sit for a while it is better. I am not a big meat eater so I get my protein in by drinking shakes and eating egg whites. However, I do eat chicken a lot. It all depends on the person. Some foods agree with some people and not others. Hopefully, this little bit helps. Let me know if you have other questions and good luck on your journey.

DRY meats can be a problem. It's an avoidable one but it will require a little adjustment on your part. Steak...if you like it well done, that's over. It's just too darned dry. If I cook it myself, I take it to medium rare. If I order it out, I order it rare which usually gets me medium rare.

chicken....please don't buy boneless skinless chicken breasts! LOL. They have no taste, they're expensive and they cook up dry...really dry. Buy split breasts that still have the bones. Cook them with the skin on but don't eat the skin. That protects the chicken and helps keep it moist. Baste it with chicken broth while you cook it.

meat marinades are good too...and there are a heck of a lot of them to choose from.

Fried food? Yeah, you can eat it but it's bad for you...greasy, carb laden....there are better choices out there. Yeah, have some as a treat occassionally but don't make a habit of any fried stuff!

I was told no carbonated beverages, so I gave up my Diet Coke addiction and I'm better off for it. Beer? Yeah, I've had a few. Just let them get a little flat and don't drink them fast. You'll know if it's a problem because you'll feel pressure from the gas.

The simple truth is that the band doesn't MAKE you make good food choices. It restricts how much you can eat -- and that is permanent. French fries? yeah, I can eat them and I do sometimes. They go down really easy, LOL. But you and I both know french fries are not healthy so they shouldn't be a weekly part of your food plans. Consider them a treat. I had some fried shrimp a couple of weeks ago. They were sooooo good, and I think I enjoyed them more because I hadn't had anything like that in quite a while.

I sometimes have problems with soft bread. Toasted is not a problem. But if you take some bread in your fingers and kind of mush it up, it makes a tight little dough ball and that's why I have a problem with soft bread...it creates a lump that gets stuck. I was never, ever a sandwich person anyway, so that's never been an issue for me. Not everybody has a problem with soft bread, though.

Any and all liquids pass through your pouch quite fast. That's why you are not supposed to drink anything with your meal or for about 30 minutes after....the liquids pass through so quickly that they would wash your food out of the pouch and into the lower part of your stomach and remove any chance of you feeling full.

This post has been so helpful for me. I am going to have the surgery however, do not have a date yet. Waiting for the insurance approval. I was wondering about what I would be able to eat after the weight is lost, like a year or so downthe road. My surgical office has been more than helpful whenever I hve a question but this site seems to be able to answer alot of my questions quicker. I just wish my insurance company would hurry and say yes, so I can get on with it! The holidays are going to be tough enough just dieting let alone If I have to decline family dinners because I am on liquids or mushies! UGH!

I highly recommend this book for help on the eating issues.

There are guides for what you should eat and when after surgery as well as recipes.

Very helpful in understanding things as well.

Amazon.com: Before & After, Revised Edition: Living and Eating Well After Weight-Loss Surgery (9780061242854): Susan Maria Leach: books

I was banded on 9-4-09 and still can not eat more than 3 oz at any time. I am to get my first fill on 10-21, but not sure I want one!

chicken....please don't buy boneless skinless chicken breasts! LOL. They have no taste, they're expensive and they cook up dry...really dry. .

Not exactly true!...you just have to know how to cook it. This is all I use. Fresh is best, but sometimes the IQF (instantly quick frozen) is good and on sale!

The key is marinade, use a fork to pierce the chicken breast thoroughly all over, place in an airtight container or ziploc bag and I use a McCormicks marinade. I omit the oil and just use Water and lemon juice to help the chicken absorb the seasonings. Then you must slow cook...350 for about 45 minutes ( I cook 4 of them for an hour)..or grill it. I even use the FOreman grill with great success...and the rotisierre.

NO dry chicken here!:thumbup:

Thank you all so much for your responses. This is good to hear, I absolutely hate dry well done meat, so I would have no problem saying goodbye to that forever, as long as I can enjoy the occasional medium rare high quality cut of steak. And I don't mind cutting certain foods down to an occasional treat, I just don't like the idea of never being able to eat them again. And it seems the only thing that I hear that almost nobody can tolerate well is soda, and I don't drink much soda anyway.

The only thing that I will miss having regularly is beer, but I've been looking for a reason to start appreciating wine.

Thanks again!

I highly recommend this book for help on the eating issues.

There are guides for what you should eat and when after surgery as well as recipes.Very helpful in understanding things as well.Amazon.com: Before & After, Revised Edition: Living and Eating Well After Weight-Loss Surgery (9780061242854): Susan Maria Leach: Books

I was banded on 9-4-09 and still can not eat more than 3 oz at any time. I am to get my first fill on 10-21, but not sure I want one!

Any other books anyone would recommend. I love to read and would love to learn as much as I can about LBs.

Thank you all so much for your responses. This is good to hear, I absolutely hate dry well done meat, so I would have no problem saying goodbye to that forever, as long as I can enjoy the occasional medium rare high quality cut of steak. And I don't mind cutting certain foods down to an occasional treat, I just don't like the idea of never being able to eat them again. And it seems the only thing that I hear that almost nobody can tolerate well is soda, and I don't drink much soda anyway.

The only thing that I will miss having regularly is beer, but I've been looking for a reason to start appreciating wine.

Thanks again!

I heard the whole thing about beer. It also makes me second guess getting lap band. I don't drink much but knowing that I wont be able to have one sucks. I guess I am just scared of restrictions.

Wow, hoe have you lost so much weight. My surgery was on Aug 13 and I am only at 20 pounds.

Thing is....there are foods you will have to give up and that can be hard. Saying goodbye to old "friends" is never easy.

But...when I gave up rice and pasta, I gained self-esteem. When I gave up french fries, I gained my health. There are trade-offs.

I think most people with the band would say that the trades have been good ones.

Your restriction varies from day to day. Now that I am FINALLY at restriction (took me 6 months to get here) I can't even gulp a slim fast in the morning. . . but I'm happy sipping and I don't miss what I used to have.

For dinner and stuff I can eat small portions of pork chops, chicken, the more moist the better. But I can't even take a single bite of a banana. . go figure. I don't eat bread anymore but I still eat rice as a staple. I gave up cokes when I started my liquid diet and I haven't had one since then. That was a big deal for me. I was a coke'aholic. I drank 5 to 6 a day. Now I drink water and tea (unsweetened) It wasn't easy at first but I don't even crave them anymore.

You'll have to feel your way along. What works for me, might not work for you! Eating out is something I don't enjoy anymore. When you can only take a bit or two of something it gets pretty boring. So my husband and my son get to go by themselves which means they eat cici's buffet a lot! I can't even eat a little pizza. . . Crispy foods are easy to eat. .chips. . crackers,(not saltines. . .) cheezits! lol. You'll have something you can eat I promise!!