Lap Band VS ByPass Post Op Diet

Hello Everyone,

This is the most active TN Group I can find.  I know most of you have had ByPass surgery but you are all so friendly with each other;  I thought I would see if it's okay to join you.   My name is Becky...I am not only new to the site but pretty new to the Nashville area of TN.    I am scheduled for Lap-Band surgery on March 18th.  I see that you all speak about your eating habits post-op (after liquid & mushy stages) and was wondering if the eating pattern is pretty much the same with both wls options.   I am trying to get a handle on how I will be eating after surgery.   Any insight would be greatly appreciated.  

You are all an inspiration to me.  As my date gets closer...I am getting more nervous.  It really helps to read all your posts.  

Thanks,  Becky PS Posted this on the national board by accident...I really am a newbie...to WLS and to forums/message boards. 

Hi Becky welcome hon,  you are welcome here anytime. they are friendly and very knowledgeable about where your journey is headed and what to expect. You've come to the rite spot. Good luck hon. Hugs Barb Graphics & Comments

Welcome Becky! The post op diets are very similar.  Depending on your surgeon, there may be shorter times on the first stages for the band, but not with every surgeon.

Hi Becky! Congrats on your upcoming surgery. I think the stages are very similar except the amount of time spent on each stage. I know that lap-banders are able to move to soft foods within a few days to a week afterwards but RNY'ers are on pureed and move to soft foods closer to 3 weeks later. Other than that, the concept is the same. High protein, low fat meals. I am not 100% sure about the lap band restrictions but I don't think they have the same problems with dumping as an RNY'er but I am sure they are still asked to restrict sugar and high fatty foods just for obvious weight loss reasons.  You will do just fine. I wish you much success on your journey to weight loss and better health. Let us know if there is anything you need and we are here for support. You are close to Rivergate and we are all meeting for lunch on the 8th if you are interested in joining us. We try to meet once a month for lunch and once a month for dinner. Everyone is invited and lots of us usully show up (sometimes 20-30 people).

Hey Becky. Welcome to Nashville and to the TN forum. I'm in Madison, so not far from you and my surgeon is Dr. Spaw too. We do have some lap-banders in our group. I'm sure they will be along later in the day and will be able to give you some good info. They way I understand the lapband food plan is that you do move from liquids to mushy to regular food sooner. But, you have to go back to a short period of liquid and mushy after each fill. You do have to watch your calories, fat and sugar for the normal weight loss reasons but bandsters don't dump on sugar & fat like RNY are prone to. I do know there are some foods that are forbidden. I'll leave that up to Laura to address in your nutrition classes. Please feel free to join us at our get togethers if you are able. We are very informal and I know everyone will make you feel right at home very quickly. We love meeting new people! For March, we will be meeting at Logan's at Rivergate at 1pm. I always give the group name to the restaurant hostess so you would just let them know you are there for the Lunch Bunch and we would either meet you then as we wait to be seated or they will bring you to us. I do like to have a rough headcount prior to the day so I can prepare the restaurant and make sure they have a large enough space for us. Everyone either orders on their own or goes in with someone else and shares an entree/appetizer. Again, welcome to the group!

Thank you for all your well wishes and great big welcome.   I am going to skip the Lunch Bunch on the 8th because I will be doing the liquid thing.     I have started doing the liquid thing on my own so I could make sure that I will be okay starting on  the 4th when I really have to do it. But now I really know what "head hunger"  is...lol.   Right now I am doing liquids all day and eating a sensible dinner with my husband in the evening.  I am anxious to meet you all at some point.    Becky

Hiya Becky,,welcome to the board !! Everyone's great here and very helpful ! :)

Welcome, Becky! Congratulations on your surgeon choice. I love Dr. Spaw. I sure you will find plenty of support around here. I am having the DS and I will be on mushy food for about 3-5 weeks. I am ok with that since I do not want to hurt my new tummy. 

Hey Becky, welcome to the wonderful TN board. We are glad to have you and hope you enjoy. I had Lap-Band surgery on 08/07/07 and I am doing fine and you will too. Will you be attending the next support meeting @ Baptist? As far as how you will be eating, well your new little tummy will give you all the warning signs. You will learn real quick what, when and how much to eat. If you haven't allready, give up the cokes, and start trying to not drink about 30 mins before your meals, don't drink during your meals and try to wait 1 hour after you eat before you drink. You will find ways to get all your water in, don't worry about that. I didn't think I would ever be able to get it all in, but most days now I am drinking a gallon or more. Feel free to PM me and ask me anything, I will try to help you anyway I can. Think about coming to one of our get togethers we have on here, we have a awesome time. We are a great bunch of loser's......lol Best of luck Cheryl

Dr. Spaw's schedule is 2 days liquid after surgery and then soft foods until you are at 2 weeks post op. I had pimento cheese, chicken salad, bush's baked beans, hormel turkey chili, ect. They say if you can easily ma**** with a fork it is soft. Also protein water helps alot!