If you are considering having lap-band surgery for weight loss, you should be familiar with the diet changes that await you. The gastric lap-band does not free you from dieting for the rest of your life. You will need to make adjustments and concessions not only in the amount of food you eat, but also in the types of foods you choose and the manner in which you eat them. Life after lap-band placement holds many challenges. Candidates fare better with weight loss if they know what to expect, according to the International Laparoscopic Obesity Surgery Team.
Precautions
Your "stoma;" the opening through which food passes out of the stomach, will now measure about the diameter of a dime. Thorough chewing of food will help you to avoid vomiting. Each bite needs up to 30 chews, to avoid clogging the stoma. Vomiting can widen the stoma and defeat the surgery's purpose. Instead of waiting until you feel full to stop eating, stop when your hunger has stopped and you still feel comfortable. Liquids will pass through the stomach quickly; robbing you of the satisfied feeling. Because of this, you should not drink immediately before, during or after meals. Your newly configured stomach will only accommodate 1/4 c of food at one time so choose highly nutritious foods for your meals.
Post-surgical Diet
In the first few days, your surgeon will instruct you to drink only fluids at a determined amount. This will continue for the next two weeks. You'll choose from, water, clear broth, skim milk, fruit juice and no-sugar-added popsicles. For weeks three and four following surgery, you will increase to a heavier texture of food, such as proteins, such as chicken or fish. Puree the food until it has the consistency of baby food. Gradually add vegetables like mashed potatoes and mashed peas. You can add low-fat puddings and yogurt to your diet during these two weeks.
Five Weeks Post-Op
Solid foods must still have a soft consistency so that no chunks become caught in the stoma. Choose tender foods such as fish and ground turkey and soft-cook your vegetables. Eat well-ripened, pulpy fruit rather than crunchy varieties. Carefully remove eat seeds from fruits and vegetables and avoid "stringy" foods such as celery and asparagus. The University of California, San Diego Medical Center advises that if at any point vomiting occurs, you should go back to the liquid diet and re-introduce the solids gradually; using first pureed and then moving to tender foods as tolerated.
Lifetime Diet
At this point you will begin to eat a diet that will last the rest of your life. UCSD advises that you choose nutritious, low-fat, low-sugar and low-sodium foods. Eat three meals a day, without between-meal snacks and sip on low calorie drinks. Keep portion sizes to two ounces and eat very slowly with lots of chewing. Avoid fibrous foods such as dried fruits, asparagus, pineapple, corn and popcorn, grapes, nuts and seeds. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day and avoid all junk food. Your new eating habits are the key to the success of your lap-band surgery.
Member Comments