Newbie food question

I'm new to this forum and have been considerng a lap band for a while.  My wife and I will both be getting surgery sometime this summer.  The thing that intimidates me most is eating after the operation.  With all the research I've done (and I've done a lot) about what to expect and what eating will be like post lap band, eating is still a little confusing.  This is partly because I've read conflicting thngs about it.  One question that somewhat baffles me is about soup, which is recommended in a number of things I've read.  The question is:  If you can't drink while you eat, nor for an hour afterward, how is it possible to eat soup, which has both liquid and solid food?  One of the reasons I have heard for not drinking with a meal is that the food will be washed out of the pouch and you'll eat more.  Am I missing something here?  Thanks for any enlightenment anyone can give me.

Hi there! I'm one of the few bandsters on the WA board and suggest you also hop over to the lap band board for tons of info and support. I believe you only use soups when you are on your full liquids after surgery and then you strain out any solids. Soup isn't really useful after the healing period because you need solid foods (always start with protein) to fill your pouch and engage the vagus nerve which is what sends the "full" message to our brains. The only other time soups would be used is after a fill when you do liquids for a day or so, different surgeons have different protocols. Also please be aware that until you have anywhere from 3-5 fills, sometimes more depends on how much gets put in, you will still be hungry. However I swear to you that once you get good restriction you really don't feel hungry that often. If you have any other questions I'd be glad to try to answer them, feel free to PM me or even ask here. Best of luck to both of you.

I'm RNY - but the concept is the same... liquid and solids together can hurt and flush food & nutritients. I eat soups all the time because they are easy to prepare in bulk and freeze for later. What I do is to drink the broth of chunkier soups first, and then eat the chunky stuff. Most creamy-style soups (like split pea, etc) aren't liquid enough to cause these problems. After the first couple of weeks it is much more important to wait 30-60 minutes AFTER eating to drink, rather than to worry about waiting 30 minutes after drinking to eat.

I won't say I'm the voice of reason but I've also been banded for almost three (wow, when did THAT happen, lol) years.  I do soups all the time. I'm sorry you find the eating issue confusing.  I think that's because (a) it varies from doctor to doctor and (b) it varies from person to person about what they're able to tolerate. Soup, as a liquid, would technically be considered a no-no BUT I actually asked this question of the amazing Dr. Curry (he has a thread on the lap band forum) years ago.  He said exactly what I thought -- as long as soups aren't the staple of your diet and you're still losing weight or maintaining (since so many soups are fairly high in sodium) -- then you can go on and have them.  I DO try to make my choices higher in proteins, though.  I have found that I really enjoy a lot of asian soups like miso, hot and sour, pho, and others. Soup *can* fill me up.  Ironically this also speaks to the liquid protein drink argument.  Some people say they have no problem having a protein drink (especially if they're at restriction and their band seems to be tight in the morning) and still losing or maintaining their weight.  For some reason protein drinks don't fill me up and I'm hungry in mere minutes after "eating" them but that's not the case with soup for me. One tip would be to eat a thicker type of soup -- like a stew or chili -- that'll stick to your bones. I actually relied on soup quite a bit post op, too.  For clear liquids, I drank the broths off of won ton, hot and sour, miso, etc.  As I advanced to purees I'd blend up the "bits" (except wonton) and, as my diet would advance, I'd just blend less and less.  By the time I was on solids this allowed me to recognize when something was too dry to actually be able to swallow (dry chicken, for example, is a no no for most bandsters with any degree of restriction so I try to have some type of low calorie glaze or gravy or count it in with my foods). Its all about moderation and what you're comfortable with.  Bottom line is that, as long as you're losing and happy with the loss, any food you can eat with the band is acceptable.  That being said I also found that if I didn't reintroduce a food I really liked (Coke, for example) post op I no longer craved it.  I was really thrilled with that, too.  I've tried Coke a couple of times since (no, you're not supposed to drink carbonated beverages, either) and I find its too sweet for me now and I don't really like the taste.  Go figure! I hope I have enlightened you a bit. Lori