Foods I was wondering about.....

I have not been banded yet but I have been trying to pay closer attention to what I eat so that I can see what I am doing wrong/right and what I may have to change later.  I rarely eat popcorn but sometimes when I have a movie night with the kids or something I will eat some.  Is this something that would potentially give me a stuck episode or an issue when I do get banded?  I'm assuming it will but did not see anything posted about it yet.  Another one I was wondering about was soup.  I love soup, but since we aren't supposed to have liquid for 30+ mins after eating would soup be going against that?  My favorite is a healthy  homemade version of the soup from Olive Garden, Zuppa Toscana and it has kale, onions, and garlic in it, do you think these might cause a problem?  I have been logging down what I eat and I have been trying to tweak it to make it healthier and remove things I know don't belong.  I normally eat 2 whole wheat mini bagels with f/f cream cheese, I have cut back to one and plan to cut them out altogether and replace that with an omelet made with of eggs, spinach, & a lean meat.  I'm working on cutting down on serving sizes, that is where I find trouble and where I'm sure lap band will be a great help.  I'm sure I have asked this before but I wanted to ask again, is coffee a no no once I get banded?  It is a diuretic, and I have seen some websites that say it is ok, or not ok, or acceptable after 1 year so I'm a little confused.  I will be seeing my doctor in a few weeks (orientation meeting) so  I know I can ask then what their stand is on it but was curious what you do. 

Hey Turtle,

I eat popcorn all the time well not all the time but at least once every couple of weeks and I have no problems with it . I love popcorn lol.

To be honest with you I just dont eat soups because I just dont find them filling at all and once you get banded you really need to work on your protein and not liquid meals.  My doc considers soup a liquid meal.

Since I started back to reg foods I dont eat soups at all. Well chilli but I dont consider that soup though lol.

And I still eat bagles with whole wheat. Not everyday but I do still eat them nothing wrong with eating them once inawhile :o)

Coffee I dont drink coffee , but I was not allowed any caffeine for the first six weeks after surgery.  After that you can drink coffee.  I drin**** tea all the time .

Just remember the band isnt to deny you of your favorite foods its there to help you with portion control :o) .

I don't eat popcorn, but many people do.

I just got the idea in my head that it would get stuck --- so I don't go there.  I also suspect that it would be a trigger food for me -- so best that I stay away.

As far as soup goes ---- if it is a 'hearty' soup, I sip up the liquid first, and then 'eat' the solids.
I don't want the liquid to wash the solid part down through my band too quickly --- it would negate the full feeling that the band provides.

The basic principle of the band is that it allows us to eat a small portion of solid food -- and have it sit at the top of our stomach for several minutes --- putting pressure on the nerves/tissue at the top of our stomach that signals our brain to know that we have been fed.

If you drink with meals, you wash the food down and it does not have the time to tell your brain that you have eaten.

When I eat, I measure out my portion and eat it ---- and stop -- even if I could eat more.
I make myself wait 20 minutes --- knowing that if I am still hungry in 20 minutes, I can have more.
Truthfully, I don't get hungry 20 minutes later ---- by that time, the food has 'kicked in' and my brain knows that I have eaten -- it is not the same as feeling 'full' --- it is more like just 'not feeling hungry' anymore.

That has been the biggest change for me -- learning to make a small amount of food be enough without it being too much.

Thats what Im afraid of with soup, it not staying with me long enough.  I will keep that all in mind, but if it has to be cut out then thats what has to happen.  My big problem is with portion sizes but I will do what you suggested, eat what I am supposed to and wait to make see if it my body needs it or not.  Little tricks like that will help me out alot.  I will keep a treat in the fridge for a sudden craving, atleast I know it is there if I need it, but I usually have to toss it and replace it with a new one because it has expired. 

Thats what I was afraid of with soup, that it would not stay with you as long.  I love soup but if it has to go, then it has to go.  I have seen some websites say you have to wait 6 weeks, 6 months or even a year (if at all) to drink coffee so I was really wondering about that.  I also drink tea, I have cut way back on the sugar and want to eventually cut it out altogether.  What I notice is if I cut out all sugar (cold turkey) I crave sweets and if I eat sweets then I risk overeating them.  I have tried splenda & equal & stuff but I still will get the problems with wanting sweets.  My doctor told me to taper down the sugar (1 tablespoon less (edit) per gallon of tea every week or so) while avoiding sweets, if I can do it over a 1-2 month period and then maintain 30 days I will have kicked my body's craving for sweets and completely cut out extra sugar in my tea.  Crossing fingers 

Thank you 

I was very lucky about the sweets. I was never a sweets girl. I can pass up cookies, candies, ice cream all that junk it just never bothred me.

Give me pizza, Italian subs, steak its a whole different story.  Pizza especially its my downfall food lol.

Good luck on kicking the sugar habit :o)

Steeler, have you found the "flat-out" bread?  You can make a sorta pizza with them..  not exactly the same as the stuff from Pizza Inn.. but I actually like them better.  the flat-out gets crispy when baked so it doesn't get stuck (for those of us who do have fluid in our band  :::grin:::)

Even my dd who isn't a candidate for weight loss likes them.

http://www.flatoutbread.com/healthy-lifestyle/keeping-count/

I do much like Kath posted.. eat my measured portions, and wait 20 minutes.  Most of the time I'm no longer hungry after 20 minutes.

Soup.. well, that can both work for and against you. 

I've been almost too tight at times, and those are the times that soup can work for you.  A cup of soup will sometimes loosen your band to where you can eat the rest of your meal.

Eating out, I'll eat/drink the liquidy portion first, then eat the solids.  At home, I make soups very thick and serve my portions with a slotted spoon, so as to not get much liquid at all.

Popcorn I have no issues with.. I try to stick with the 100 calorie portions. Many consider popcorn a "slider" food in that it slides right thru the band.   I'm considering buying an air popper as I recently read that the plastic coating inside of the mw bags might be a carcinogen.  :(  

Coffee is not dehydrating in normal amounts (2-3 cups/day) according to the nutritionist at Mayo Clinic.  I'd trust Mayo clinic before any other site or nut.  My doctor says he won't tell anyone that they can't have their coffee, but to watch what we put in it.  I have a cup or two every morning with 1 tbspn fat free half&half & 2 tbspns s/f chocolate torani syrup.

Cutting back as you wait for your orientation is an excellent strategy.  That's what I did pre-op and it helped quite a bit.  Also get in the habit of drinking 64oz a day and logging your food intake.  You're gonna be a great bandster!!

Thanks, Iam relieved to not have to give up my coffee, but would have if I needed to.  I drink one cup of strong coffee mixed with 1 cp non fat milk & some f/f creamer.  I know that portion will be shrinking too but for now I will keep enjoying it.  Im going to try buying the protein powder that Maria had on her website and add it to my coffee.  I usually drink 64-100 oz of water a day but during the winter I was drinking alot more milk, tea and coffee so that was way down a few weeks ago, Im working my way back up.  I usually eat a ton of fruits and vegetables, fried foods are not hard for me to give up at all, I rarely eat them.  Sweets are my downfall but I have been working on that for awhile.  I have a treat that has been in the fridge for over a month, it is there incase I have a craving but so far I haven't needed it.  I might need to check it though, dont want my kids eating it if it went bad LoL!  I usually use sparkpeople to track my food & exercise, but I have been measuring stuff lately (estimated before) and am finding out that I have been off with estimates.  I know I wont be able to do it all on my own right now.  My hope is if I get into the habit of eating the foods that work best with the band and getting rid of the ones that dont now, the band will help me with the portion sizes (my biggest problem) and I will be off to a great start.

I eat soup every day for lunch, became a real fan of it post op on liquids. My surgeon is aware of this, and has no problem with it, though.

 I would never get a bagel down now. I'm really not good with bread in general, though. Popcorn is no problem at all. Eggs are a no-go, they just come back up for me.

 I would die without my morning mocha! But I waited for the surgeon's OK before I went back to it.

 I would strongly advise that you follow the eating instruction you are given by your NUT/Surgeon, exactly to the letter. When I did that, I never found out what Bandster Hell was, never experienced it. It might seem pointless at times, but there are reasons for every stage and everything they prohibit.

Heidi