Living with Lap-band

I am having lap band surgery in November and the biggest question I have for people who have gotten it is what's the typical diet like? What/how much did you eat right after the surgery? What is a typical day like food-wise months/years after surgery? Any input would be much appreciated. Thanks!

It varies. Have you posted on the lap band forum? Or read other posts there? Immediately post op I was lucky if I got in 400 - 600 calories. Nothing sounded good, tasted good, was good, etc. My husband would just wake me up and tell me to drink whatever he handed me. Usually it was a broth of some sort for the first week or so. Then, when I got on to full liquids, I was allowed pudding, jello, yougurt and protein drinks to supplement my foods. Again, I probably got up to 1,000 calories but I wasn't too hungry. After three weeks of liquids, though, I started feeling pretty hungry and I couldn't wait for mushies! My typical diet is about the same as it was before. I just eat my proteins first then fruits/veggies and lastly carbs. I just eat a lot less. I typically get in about 1,500 to 1,800 calories a day. I'm eating about 1/3 of what I was eating before I was banded. I've been told to use a "cup" as an adequate measurement. It doesn't always work, though. A cup of protein dense foods fills me up quicker than, say, a cup of salad. My food intake continues to fluctuate with each fill. I doubt I eat more than 2.5 cups of food at a time (and that's "good quality" food vs. fast foods, snack foods...). And that's three times a day. How much food do you eat now? Measure it now. Good way to see what you're taking in and how much it might change. Lori

wow this is shocking to me actually. My surgeon has told me that I will only be able to eat 1 tablespoon of food at a time- every couple hours.

I've heard that your doctor is pretty strict. Are you sure you didn't misunderstand him, though? Its commonly accepted that we will be able to eat about a cup of food, not tablespoon. Right after surgery it would be closer to only a tablespoon but further out, one cup is about right.

well I'm definitly going to double and triple check this. But he told us in orientation that the pouch will be tablespoon size. Thanks again!

Hi Morgen, Your Dr. should explain everything in detail on your after care diet and expectations. This site is awesome for support and tips, but your base information should be from your Drs. office. Typical day as far as years after surgery would be an interesting question though. Congrats on your surgery date! I'm hoping to schedule mine very soon. Dee

Hi Morgen, I was banded in April. I was on full liquids for a week, that meant anything that could be drank through a straw. My Dr. recommended pureed soups (with a little liquid added), so that I got good protien, liquid jello for something sweet, I made breakfast smoothies with protein powder in them (Bu****ch for the calories in smoothies!!). I also used Unjury protein drink and the clear protein drinks (I am drawing a blank on their names) that GNC sells. You are supposed to drink between 80 and 100 OZ of water a day, but you are not supposed to drink within an hour after eating. But I get ahead of myself. After the liquids came the mushys, and again you want to be really strict on getting the protein in. I learned to love refried beans with a little cheese and low fat sour cream. What you need to be careful of is eating too big of bite of anything once you start your solids, and then chew chew chew. The bites should be about the size of a pea. Believe me, your band will tell you if the bite is too big. You will also have a "soft stop sign" once you learn to listen to it, it is your body telling you when to stop... you will have no problems. From what I understand the band works by keeping you feeling full for much longer, on much less food. If you are eating all day long you are never going to get that full feeling, and will probably eat more food. Once you have a good fill level you should be able to eat your cup of food (or a little more) and be full for 2-3 hours on that. If you have a PB (productive burp-- barf) you run the risk of tearing the sutures that hold the band in place, so these are to be avoided (by not eating too much, by taking small bites and chewing well, by not drinking while eating). PBs also give your esophagus a hard time, so then you need to go back to liquids for a while to give it a rest. There are other band rules that are very important-- like not eating 3 hours before bedtime-- this can cause reflux, and should you aspirate your reflux you can develop a pretty nasty pneumonia. Just remember until you get your first fill it is really all up to you, you'll have a little restriction but not much, so you are still using your will power to control your eating. Good luck. Sorry this message was so long. There are so many tips and so much information that is important to being successful. I hope that the DRs. here in the US do as good a job as Dr. Kuri in advising their patients!! Kelly DOB 3 APR 06, Dr. Kuri 246/190/140

wow- thanks so much for the great advice! There's a lot to think about. I have my EGD test in a few hours and am starving! Hopefully it will be fast so I can go eat!