For the first month after gastric lap band surgery, you'll be limited to liquids and soft mushy foods (baby food consistency) as your stomach heals.
Once you're back to eating regular solid foods, you'll need to make permanent changes in the way you eat in order to enjoy long term weight loss success. This includes changes in:
- The Amount You Eat
- What you eat
- How You Eat
Following a few basic gastric lap band diet "rules" will help assure you get the maximum benefit from your stomach band.
(Lifelong) Diet After Lap Band: The Rules
1. Avoid soft, liquidy, or slushy foods.
The stomach band is designed to help you restrict solid foods...not liquids!
Frappuccinos, ice cream, and cream soup will slide down just as easily after the gastric banding procedure as they did before. Soft and liquidy foods pass quickly through the "new stomach" (also called the "pouch") quickly and won't fill you up.
For the same reason...
2. Avoid eating and drinking at the same time.
Having a beverage during or immediately after a meal will push food through the pouch, allowing you to eat bigger portions before feeling full. Eating larger portions means consuming a higher number of calories and this can slow or stall your weight loss.
3. Avoid foods that may get stuck in the band.
There will be some trial and error involved on your part in determining exactly which foods you can and can't eat. However, these are the foods most likely to cause a problem:
- dry meat
- untoasted or doughy bread
- rice and pasta
- peanut butter
- fibrous or "stringy" fruits and vegetables (celery, asparagus, corn, pineapple, dried fruits)
- nuts
- greasy or fried, crispy foods
- the white, pithy membranes of citrus fruits
4. Take Small Bites, Chew Thoroughly, and Eat Slowly and Mindfully
Eating quickly and not chewing thoroughly results in big CHUNKS of food (yuck) trying to get through the narrow passage created by the stomach band.
If the chunks can't pass, you'll be very uncomfortable and/or vomit.
Persistent vomiting isn't good and can result in complications such as band slippage or stretching of the pouch.
5. Eat Small, Nutrient Rich Meals that Each Include a Good Protein Source
What you eat matters even more when you can only eat a small amount. You have to pack a whole day's nutrition into a tiny amount of food after having lap band surgery. There's not a lot of room for junk food in the diet after lap band!
Your new stomach can only hold ~ 4-8 ounce portions, so use dishes that are about the same size. Be sure to include a protein source at every meal to help you feel full and prevent hunger between meals.
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