what to eat ?

hi i am 6 weeks out still havent had my first fill but ive been eating all sorts of stuff but trying to keep it small portions and healthy food what doyou eat before you had your first fill !

The main thing is keeping it to small portions, healthy food and good chewing. You won't feel any restriction because you don't have any yet.  It has taken me 3 fills to finally get restriction.

Jeane

Hi Paul,

I agree with Jean.  Your band is wide open when they place it at surgery.  No fill at all.  Therefore, most people can still eat just about whatever and how much ever they want to eat (but really shouldn't test that theory).  You are doing the right thing by making healthy choices and keeping the portions small.  Until you get restriction, you are going to feel like this is no different than any other diet you've been on.  But have patience... because restriction will come.  I received my first fill at 6 wks.  No change... could still eat anything, without regard to quantity.  But I kept my portions small (forced myself to stop even though I still felt hungry).  And tried to make good choices.  My 2nd fill was 5 wks later (would've been at 4 but Thanksgiving holiday got in the way).  I definitely felt some restriction after my 2nd fill.  But I wasn't so tight that I PB'd or got anything stuck.  I have another fill appt this week Friday.  I still feel some restriction and am losing weight, so I'm not sure if he'll give me something small or tell me to wait. 

Hang in there Paul.  And continue to make healthy changes to your lifestyle... because the band isn't a "diet" it is a lifestyle change.

Good luck with yours!
Vicky

Vicky:

I didn't have any restriction to speak of with either of the first two fills.  I got my third one last week and now when I eat a meal I can only eat a few ounces and almost every meal have a "productive burp".  I don't want to get the fill reduced, so I am just going to try to live with it.

Chicken, Bagels, fish, and cottage cheese so far have caused this.  Should I go back to soups for a while????

Jeane  

My surgeon is pretty strict with his requirements after a fill.  I go on 2 days of full liquids, then 2 days of purees, then 2 days of mushies/soft foods before transitioning back into a full diet.  My third fill is this week Friday.  I am fully expecting to start having problems with certain foods (as you mention) at that point.  I haven't "not" been able to eat certrain foods so far.  Everything goes down just smaller portions.  So, if you are PBing and can only eat a couple bites at a time, I'd ask how long has it been since this fill?  Does your doctor require a modified diet after a fill?  Do liquids go down easily?  And stay down?  PBing is not good for your band, so if you are PBing after every meal... if it was me... I think I'd go back to basics.  Protein shakes for a couple days, move onto purees/mushies and then try a normal diet again. 

Don't let this go on too long though.  If you continue to PB you really should contact your doctor.

Hope all is well.

VIcky

I had 2 days of liquids and 2 days of pureed and then back to regular diet.

I think I may go back to liquids again tomorrow and Friday and pureed/mushies over the weekend.

It's not a nice feeling and I thought it probably wasn't good for the band.  Liquids are no problem.  If I go back on solids and this happens next week I will call the Dr.

I was just so proud to finally have some restriction, I really don't want the band loosened.

Hello...Im sorry but Im new.. Can you please tell me what PB is??? I appreciate it.. thank you

Hi Melanie -

I've never experienced it first hand *thank goodness*!  But from the way others describe it, it is not pleasant.  PB = Productive Burp  The way I understand it, is if you don't chew well enough or you eat too fast, or too big of a bite you will get "stuck".  The PB comes after the "stuck" episode.  Your mouth begins to salivate to help the bite of "stuck" food go down but it has no place to go since you are "stuck" resulting in saliva that can't be swallowed, and thus starts accumulating in your mouth (this is called sliming).  Sometimes if you are not stuck really badly you might just "slime", but if your are truly stuck you might end up PB'ing... a polite way to say "vomit" but not really vomit.  The stuck food comes back up out of your stoma, basically in the same manner that you swallowed it... whole or only partially chewed.  I understand that once this issue is relieved you feel better almost immediately, but being stuck can last for hours for some and result in a truly exhausting experience.  When this happens, your stoma has had to overwork to either pass that piece of food down, or to bring it back up.  You should go on liquids for a couple of days after that to let your stoma rest and the swelling go down.

So........ having said all of that...... I have never, nor do I want to ever experience this!!  I go in for my 3rd fill tomorrow, and am hoping beyond HOPE that it doesn't put me into the too tight region!  I feel some restriction, some of the time now... and really, really don't want to go into that "too tight" zone.

Hope this lengthy description helps explain it.

Thank you Vicky... I didnt know any of that I appreciate it...