CEREAL

Lynn,

Fiber one Plus with antioxidants have two wonderful cereals out . One is cinnamon oats and then other is like raisin bran but with yogurt instead :o)

these two cereals are excellent in fiber . Now cereal dont keep me as full but because it has great fiber in it I can eat a bowl and go at least 3 hrs without being hungry.  Time I eat it and start to get hungry again its lunch time so it works out perfect time wise.

I eat cereal a couple times a week and it helps with bathroom situations to lol

Now this is what Im looking for (for me of course when Im 6wks post-op). I need fiber and it can keep u full for a couple of hours. My hubby and I don't eat cereal alot, but we do like to eat it sometimes. My husband has in his mind that eating real food it over, but he is coming around. He told me, you are really going to have help me with this and thats what Im here for. He can help me make sure I chew, chew, chew and nt to drink while Im eating. I just have to make sure he eats right and healthy.
Thank you, I appreciate it...

lynn

Your husband needs to follow his doctors plan and it's likely cereal is not listed so soon since surgery.. in order to stay full we need to make sure each meal includes a good amount of protein..aside from Kashi Go Lean most cereal don't have much protein.

I can eat ceral now but very little 3/4 of a cup and I'm 2 years out (let me note that I'm speaking of eating cereal in the morning 3/4 cup is all that will go down but come 6pm I can eat a very decent amount of cereal so I dont have ANY at home)..

When I was a newbie I couldn't eat cereal in the morning because of the milk and carb combo just didn't go down well so it's really does depend on the person.

Believe me is following the dr. orders. He just wanted to know if after he is on regular food, he could have cereal sometimes. We both are still tryin to understand how to eat. Be both started eating healthy before we even started the liquid & etc. Having the band everyone eats different. So I know we will have to do trial and error, to see what we can eat and tolerate and what we can't eat. But thank you for your input , it is truly appreciated.

lynn

Veenie,

I agree with everyone, food is all trial and error. I thought at the start there would be people here who would have a magic list of the greatest foods to eat ever and the no no list. Sadly it doesn't exist.

For me the NoNo's:
Most pork products like pork chops and breakfast sausage get stuck- I can eat italian sausage and Jimmy Deans sausage if it has sauce or gravy and I chew for 5 hours. Try turkey and/or all beef as it seems to have a better consistency for digesting.

Rice from any restaurant (I can eat rice-a-roni but only if I make it. I put in 1/4 cup extra water and double the simmer time to make it very soft. It also explands the rice to its biggest size therefore the acids in your esphagus and stomach won't cause anymore expansion which could cause it to get stuck).

Pasta- I can't eat any of the long pasta ever it retains its shape despite how long you chew. I find Rotini and shells break down the easiest. I am italian so I can't leave out tradtional family cooking but I normally make mine with the whole wheat pasta and everyone else normal unless I make Chicken Alfredo where no one seems to notice the whole wheat.

Cereal- anything with sugar. And its not even the diet part of it its the fact that the sugary cereals tend to be more "hollow" allowing for expansion where fiber cereals are more solid.

Pastries and breads are hit or miss. I find whole grain/nut breads have a heavier density and don't expand much same with the "sourcream donuts" when toasted and eaten carefully. All other breads and things like bagels I avoid. I once tried a mini blueberry muffin and was stuck for 2 days and that was given to me by a lady with the band who had no issues with it. But I can eat cake and she could not so that made up for it (LOL)...

Generally meats are tricky for some people too, for me when all else fails and/or I am not sure when I am cooking for the family I'll pop in a fish fillet for me as I can never go wrong.  I keep 1-3 bags of the family size bags of 30 for like $11 bucks at walmart. The "breading" is like a crunchy crumb which is fattening but the protein from fish makes me feel full for HOURS and they digest with ease even if I accidently swallow too fast.

You will start to be able to feel the food going down and you can even tell when food goes through the band. The rule of putting your fork down for 30 seconds between bites which I am sure many of us has done is no longer a "recommendation" its a must. Mainly so you know that last bite has gone all the way down before taking another.

Hiccups usually indicate a small amount of food is stuck so have your hubby gently rub your back and it will make its way up as you hiccup- DONT SWALLOW bring it up. Feeling like a golf ball is in your lungs means you swallowed too much food. I know we are not supposed to drink but if you take a small sip of water or even suck on an icecube it will bring it right back up.  DO NOT TRY TO PUSH IT DOWN.

I hope this helps :)

Thank so much Tiffani. I have been wrecking my brain trying to figure out about how to cook and what to cook. I have two girls (11&7) at home and they are growing and love to eat. They are eating healthy now to the point where my 7 yr old has lost 2 lbs. But now the food has to be cooked a certain way and the food that I will be cooking. They might go a lil insane, lol. They will be alright. I thought pasta was gone forever. I always cook with wheat pasta. Now I know I can probably still cook it, just diff pasta. We love fish, but I thought it had to not be breaded. We don't do any pork. I have gave up rice (love rice) because I was told couldn't digest it. I know about that fork down for 30 seconds. You have really helped me alot. We want to do soo well with this band. But when you have been eating a certain way for soo long, it is a big adjustment.
Thanky you again for your input...

Lynn

I know all about the kids thing. I have a 17 year old son who will eat close to anything and a very finicky 15 year old daughter who would rather eat junkfood than a real meal. She is a sides person in regards to 90% of the time she only eats the sides because she says she does not like the "texture" of meat which is almost anything besides hamburger and chicken. LOL. I find that getting them their junkfood is a great way to not have to listen to grief about them having to eat like me. So I get them things I know they like but I don't and/or can't eat anyway then I am never tempted and they get to cure their tastebuds. I also found cooking with seasoning can occasionally "hide" the healthiness.

The nice thing about Lapband is for the most part you can eat anything. It's about quantity and eating the right things first. Example: Meatloaf and mashed potatoes night. I normally make the kids their normal hamburger meatloaf and make a small one for me with turkey. I put mine in when theirs is half done, I make mashed potatoes for all of us all the way up to the seasonings when I normally take out a spoonful for me and season it less as they love their salt and butter, same thing for veggie.

I use the "dessert size" plates for me and the regular plates for them so I feel like my food is covering my plate like theirs is. This sounds silly I know but when you get a huge plate and it has these itty bitty portions on it they look even smaller, the dessert size plates are half (if not 2/3 smaller) and makes it look like you are eating so much more than you really are. For me I eat the meat first always with small bites in between of the sides like 2 bites meatloaf, 1 tators, 1 meatloaf, 1 veggie and I make the goal of always leaving some tators on my plate.

Also I LOVE to bake. My kids know Sundays mean they get a new goodie for the week. The half sugar baking mixes are actually very good my kids prefer them and use the sugar free pudding mixes in cakes so they get very moist. My kids are voltures so it's normally gone before I have a chance to really dig in as I tend to get my sweet tooth later in the evening.