Guide To Eating After LapBand

Is there a general guide of do's and don'ts and can and can't haves after Lap Band? Just from what I have read many people have problems with leafy items but then others don't. Chicken seems to be a problem also. Is the problem with food passing into the pouch getting backd up? I had my first meeting with my surgeon last week and am waiting for my first dietary appointment so I am kinda lost. Any help you can offer would be great.

The best advice I could give would be to follow your doctor's advice; especially when you're starting out. You should view the first 6 weeks post surgery as healing time. You need to give your body time to recover from the surgery and to adjust to your new friend. Don't concern yourself with losing weight and getting into an exercise regime. Heal. Heal. Heal.

Everyone here has had the same procedure, but everyone's experience has been slightly different. A lot of the time you just have to try things out for yourself to see if it works. But as I said, give yourself that 6 weeks first. You wouldn't want to damage anything.

Chicken for me is hit and miss. It took me a LONG time to figure out that I had more chance of getting the dark meat (boneless, skinless thighs) down rather than the white meat (boneless, skinless breasts). The meat is a different texture and it seems to go through my band a little easier. Most times, not every time.

Bread is a big NONO. I can't eat bread no matter how well I chew it or how small the bite is that I take. It just turns into a bowling ball in my stomach.

For me, hot/warm fluids will go down a lot easier than cold ones will on the days that I feel more restricted than others. Like today for instance. It's frustrating when you want a cold glass of water or ice tea and you can't have one because it just sits in your pouch making you feel uncomfortable. Yet a hot cup of coffee or soup will go down no problem at all.

You need to learn how to read the messages your body sends you. It takes a lot of practise to get it right. And sometimes when you think you've figured something out, it can change on you again, so you have to re-adjust.

Now I know to take into consideration my menstrual cycle, my mood, the time of day when I'm most vulnerable to cravings, my stress/eating triggers, the amount of exercise I have or haven't done, the amount of water I've drunk, whether I've had enough protein, too much protein, too many sweets, too much salt.... it sounds like a lot, and it is. It was so much easier being fat and not having to worry about everything like that. But not worrying is what got me to the point where I was in need of the surgery.

It's a lifestyle change for sure. One that I'm thrilled to be part of no matter how frustrating and tough it can be. :biggrin2:

I think you will find that there are as many different experiences on this topic as there are people who post here

I can personally eat anything as long as I don't take really big bites and I chew well. Some of the so called danger foods are regular staples in my diet (asparagus, salad, chicken, pork, popcorn, bread (although I eat the weight watchers whole wheat bread which is very light and airy), eggs, etc).

I have been "stuck" a couple of times (for no apparent reason) - for example for a couple of days last month I had trouble with chicken - but I am really stubborn and kept going back to it, and I again have no problems. I have had an episode with bananas and with eggs, but only once each.

For me being stuck feels like a golf ball is stuck at the back of my throat and it usually happens almost immediately after swallowing (although I sometimes am eating too fast and have another mouthful in my mouth before I realize the problem). It is quite painful and for me, I immediately go to the bathroom and basically "hoark" it out with a bunch of saliva. It is not a true vomit, because the food hasn't passed beyond the small pouch. I have read here that some people walk around in pain for hours, until it passes, but I don't think I could keep the stuck stuff in me even if I wanted to. I don't have any trouble getting rid of the offending food.

Like I said, I bet there are hundreds of different experiences out there and you just have to wait and see how you will react. My WLC doesn't say not to have foods, but does say to try them with caution because some people have problems. Unfortunately, until you actually get banded, there is no way to predict what or if some foods will bother you.