Lap-Band surgery is a bariatric procedure intended to help severely obese people -- 100 lbs. or more overweight -- lose weight and reclaim their health. Its success hinges the band around your stomach, which helps control your appetite, and also on your ability to follow the dietary guidelines your surgeon gives you. Following this eating plan helps expedite your weight loss while ensuring optimal health.
Function
The Lap-Band diet consists of foods high in protein and nutritional value, yet low in calories. This ensures your body gets the nutrients it requires to function properly every day. The primary foods include lean protein such as eggs, soy products, skinless poultry and fish; whole-grain breads and cereals; nonfat or low-fat dairy; skinless and nonfibrous fruits and vegetables; and heart-healthy fats from nuts and seeds. You gradually introduce these foods over a period of four to eight weeks, or until your body can tolerate them. This gives your "new" stomach time to heal, prevents the pouch from stretching and allows your body time to adapt to the diet.
Full Liquids
Your diet begins in the hospital with clear liquids for the first one or two days following your surgery. During this stage, you'll only have diluted apple juice, water, chicken or beef broth and sugar-free gelatin. These keep you hydrated and prevent nausea and vomiting. Vomiting can stretch your pouch above the Lap-Band, a complication requiring further surgery.
Once home, you continue the liquid diet for one or two weeks -- this allows the pouch time to heal. You can add thicker liquids, such as protein shakes, cream soups, yogurt, milk and sugar-free pudding to your list.
Pureed Food
You move on to pureed foods when you can tolerate the heavier liquids. This usually occurs three weeks after your surgery. The University of California, San Diego states the consistency should be that of baby food, and stresses the importance of beginning with high-protein foods, such as pureed fish or skinless chicken. Protein increases the rate at which your body heals. Once you've finished with the high-protein foods, you can eat pureed fruits and vegetables, like mashed potatoes and peas. Include foods from your liquid diet like sugar-free pudding or gelatin. Continue eating pureed foods for approximately two weeks, or until your doctor feels you can tolerate a soft food diet.
Soft Food and Beyond
Weeks four to eight are the end of your journey, but you should proceed with caution. In addition to the previous weeks' Lap-Band eating plan, you can now eat fish and ground turkey. Add one new food at a time to see how your body responds. Chew your food slowly and thoroughly; any large piece of food can cause an obstruction. Each meal should take between 30 and 60 minutes for you to finish and you should not drink any fluids immediately before or after your meals. Fluids pass through your pouch, taking your food with it. This prevents the feeling of fullness the pouch is meant to create.
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