TOP FIVE WORST FOOD FOR BANDSTERS TO EAT

TOP FIVE Worst Foods for
Bandster Patients

Watching what you eat is important for anyone who wants to lose weight, but those with adjustable gastric bands need to be even more careful.

These are five food categories that band patients should steer clear of:

Ice Cream

This tasty frozen dessert is high in fat and calories and should be a rare treat for anyone. However, for a gastric band patient, even an occasional serving of ice cream can have an adverse impact on weight loss. The average patient should consume about 1000-1200 calories per day. A half-cup serving of ice cream typically contains 275 calories and 15 grams of fat, but do you think the band will stop you at a half-cup? Think again. Ice cream passes through the band very easily, allowing you to eat well over half a cup at one sitting, which could mean up to 1000 calories or more. Let’s not forget about the enormous amount of heart-clogging saturated fat, either. So don’t fall victim to the ice cream temptation....
 

White Bread (Flour)

This can encompass a whole spectrum of foods, all of which are weight loss killers. Some of them do not pass through the band easily (doughy bread) and some pass through the band too easily (crackers, cookies). Consuming a highly processed white flour product is a complete waste of valuable “pouch space" for a gastric band patient. White flour is a whole grain stripped of its essential components, the germ and the bran (fiber), leaving only the endosperm. It is then “enriched" with vitamins and minerals because the endosperm is so nutritionally empty. White flour is also often treated with potentially unhealthy chemicals that whiten and mature the flour.

Many patients avoid white breads, pastas and rice because they can be painful when passing through the band. Most bariatric surgeons recommend avoiding white flour completely for at least the first year after surgery.

Creamy (High-Fat) Soups

Soups made with heavy cream should be avoided completely. These are extremely high in fat and calories and go through the band easily, which allows the patient to eat more of them at one time. Broth-based soups, especially chunkier soups full of beans and lentils, are acceptable as long as they provide a feeling of satisfaction for a few hours. So, if you see heavy cream as an ingredient in the soup you are about to eat, put the ladle down and choose a lighter meal.

Tough, Chewy Red Meat

Red meat can be a healthy addition to anyone’s diet. Unfortunately, most red meat is very hard to digest and does not pass easily through the band. The leaner red meats will have the word “round" or “loin" in their names, such as beef tenderloin or ground round. Less expensive red meats require a lot of chewing and still may not pass through the band once they are swallowed. Most patients choose to avoid chewy meat due to this.

A pound of beef tenderloin can cost $18 per pound, but most bariatric patients can only consume two ounces per sitting, which works out to $3 per serving.

High-Calorie Liquids

There are very rare cir****tances when a bariatric patient should consume a high-calorie beverage. Most of the time, these are completely useless and can hurt weight loss. Sports drinks and vitamin-enhanced beverages are usually high in sugar and calories and should only be consumed in extreme cases, such as after intense exercise. Simple, plain water is always the best choice.

Artificially sweetened drinks can increase appetite, resulting in a higher consumption of food, not to mention the questionable effects that artificial sweeteners have on our bodies. High-protein beverages such as skim milk or protein shakes can be counted by themselves as a meal or snack.

So what should you eat? A basic diet high in lean proteins (fish, chicken, low-fat dairy, beans), fruits, vegetables and whole grains should be the emphasis for good weight loss and overall health.

Michael Murphy, RD, is the bariatric dietitian for The Weight Loss Institute of Arizona in Tempe, Arizona.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for posting this. I didn't know a lot of what was in it. As for the calorie count on the ice cream- I don't know which brand he was referring to, but my ice cream runs at 125 calories per half cup. Not an excuse to eat it, but I hate to be conned, even with good intentions.

I am new here and just starting to look around the site some.  I am looking for an opportunity to have a Lap Band....close to home, I live in the Halifax area  of NS.

Any suggestions?  Also, how long is the wait list, if you have any idea.......Thanks..Jane

You can't get a lap band in NS.  We don't have any doctors here that do that surgery.  I'm i Dartmouth and had to go to Moncton to get mine done.  The QEII has a clinic but I think they only do vertical sleeve gastrectomy.  Not a good option for me.  The waiting list in Moncton is 5 years I believe, but changes all the time.  I didn't wait 5 years.  There is also a surgeon in Bathurst but his clinic isn't fully functional yet and peopl are still waiting for their surgery with him but this list is shorter.  that's it for Atlantic Canada for lapband surgeons.

Thank you so much for your reply.  I will contact the QEll and inquire about a VSG.  :)

Hi Jane

I also live in Halifax and hope that you will read my post on the NS Forum about Support Group Meetings.

Your family doctor is your first point of contact - they need to refer you to the Halifax Weight Loss Clinic and also I believe that at that time they send in the paperwork to MSI to get your approval - maybe Patsy can comment - which they do first..

My family doctor first contacted MSI - I eventually got approval for weight loss surgery- however I could not wait the length of time that was in NB or NS. So I ended up self paying and had my RNY surgery in Montreal.

PM me if you have any questions I can help you with.

Welcome aboard there is a wealth of information on the OH site and the group of gals on the NB forum are wonderful and so supportive.

Hugs
Deb

Hi Jane, the approval process for MSI is fairly simple.  You send a letter to MSI requesting support on out of province surgery and they give everyone the same rate.  Any out of province surgery is pre approved for $1983.00.  I think that was the figure.  Then Ihad to pay approx $5700 out of pocket prior to the surgery.  After you make the payment to the hospital you can send your receipt and letter back to MSI and they will arrange payment.  I have received 1200 so far and waiting for the rest which comes from the department of health.  that's how the money works.
Any other questions, let me know.  patsy