Some Questions....

[lovesMaui]

I have read all of the "Ouch" foods to avoid that Dr. Miranda wrote on my paper but I was wondering.......when she says no flour tortilla, does that mean I can never take a bite of a burrito again without consequences? She says no bread, so does that mean never again will I have a piece of toast, a sandwich or my husband's famous french toast for breakfast? (Without pain) What about a baked potato?

Also, I don't fully understand what drinking with a meal does to us. Can someone explain it to me? Why is it so bad and what are the consequences?

Thank you in advance for the help!

[nothereanymore]

You have a lot of questions, I'll hit the drinking one and let others hit the food questions.

There a couple of reasons why we don't drink when we eat, it actually can flush the food through us so we can eat more. Or (and I don't know if this is studied but I have felt it) you can eat and if you drink the liquid it can sit on top of your food and stretch your band.

Here's my take - you just invested thousands of dollars to get your band - you're going to have to make lifelong changes and sacrafices to succeed. And trust me when I say I know many who have failed and they own their own failure by cheating the band. All I can say is I'm glad I didn't, its a tool I use on a daily bases and it works if you use it right. It doesn't if you don't.

Good luck - and there's no way a burrito or french toast can ever taste better than being, thin, healthy, in shape and downright sexy. No way girl!

Best,

Lisa

[ErinRed]

My understanding from my talk with Dr. Miranda is that these foods are not off limits, just be careful and eat them in moderation. Remember to eat slowly and chew, chew, chew. If you find that they cause you pain and upset things then yes they are out for good otherwise just be smart. Moderation is the key.

Of course take my advice with a grain of salt...I am still on my clear liquids. But on the same hand that means I just spoke with the doctor about 5 days ago so it is still clear in my head what she said.

Good luck and take it slow.

Erin

[skinnyagain]

You will find once you have restriction you can't eat bread...It turns to this thick nasty mush and you wll be done eating. So for purposes of common sense one needs to fuel the body before getting gratification from bread. Bread is the last item that I think of when I am hungry because I just can't get it down without hurting or PBing

Kim

[lovesMaui]

Thank you very much Lisa, Erin and Kim. I appreciate you answering. It's so nice to have others to turn to through this process.

[EricaG]

I've found that when I do eat these foods... they ALWAYS come back up. I went through a list of foods that I mourned but I found piece of mind knowing that it's for my own good, and only good things will come from this. I've ate these foods knowing that I shouldn't, but I chewed so well I was able to keep them down...so when I was able to eat them again I realized my restriction was gone. So I pretty much cheated myself.

As far as the drinking with your food... If you're having a nice healthy meal and chewing really well, and you take a sip of water... you will get stuck. Well at least I do... I picture what Dr. So says... "It's like flushing all your food down" but, it hurts, so i stick to the ice cube idea, where you can suck on a ice cube to soothe the thirst.

[lovesMaui]

Thank you Widdlee for your response. I don't want my food to get stuck. I'll be sucking on those ice cubes!!

[jhawkchick75]

If I am really thirsty or eat spicy food I do the ice cube trick as well. I've slipped up a couple times on the drinking rule, but for the most part I try to stick to it all the time.

In terms of food I can still do tortilias most of the time but they do come back up from time to time. If bread is crispy (thin crust pizza, croutons, etc... I can have it so toast might be OK but I just avoid it just in case. You just have to experiment and see what works for you.

Good luck!!

[lovesMaui]

Thank you jhawkchick. I find your pictures very inspiring. You are looking fantastic!

[damalove]

I find that I can eat anything, as long as the bite is not too large and is well chewed. Bread, pancakes, tortillas, pasta, whatever. Maybe I need another fill. Regardless I dont have trouble eating those things. I can also still eat red meat/steak, pork chops, etc. Red meat is cumbersome bc of hte chewing, and if its gristle I spit it out, but if its something like a NY Strip, no gristle, I can eat my 4 oz portion just fine.

Ive heard some people have issues with eggs in the AM - again, I have no problems.

[lovesMaui]

I find that I can eat anything, as long as the bite is not too large and is well chewed. Bread, pancakes, tortillas, pasta, whatever. Maybe I need another fill. Regardless I dont have trouble eating those things. I can also still eat red meat/steak, pork chops, etc. Red meat is cumbersome bc of hte chewing, and if its gristle I spit it out, but if its something like a NY Strip, no gristle, I can eat my 4 oz portion just fine.

Ive heard some people have issues with eggs in the AM - again, I have no problems.

Wow, I didn't know that about the eggs. I was thinking scrambled eggs would go down easy. I hope I am like you and can tolerate things in small bites and chewed well. Thanks for sharing.

[jennyontheblock]

Some good advice I received from a fellow bandster. When you do experiment with new foods, do so in the privacy of you home, in case you do have some trouble

[lovesMaui]

Jenny.....like minds......I was totally thinking the SAME thing!!!!!

[damalove]

Wow, I didn't know that about the eggs. I was thinking scrambled eggs would go down easy. I hope I am like you and can tolerate things in small bites and chewed well. Thanks for sharing.

this is actually unfortunate for me, wish i couldnt eat bread and pasta and rice -- im on a low carb diet, im plateaued, frustrated and this is the point of the "diet" where I would quit. i know that since im banded i cant quit and it would be rediculous, so im keeping with it, but man is it frustrating. im stuck at 191

i wish my band wouldnt allow breads or at least it would be harder to eat. i know my meals arent as small as they should be, and that i probably need a fill..

i think if you want to still be able to eat bread it has a good amount to do with how filled you have your band. if you have it super tight 8.5+ ccs, you are not likely to tolerate bread, but if its less, say 6 or 7ccs you should be fine w eating bread. ultimately how filled you are, how tight you keep your band, is up to you. but you wont know til you try. everyone is different and 6ccs could be overfilled for you. its an interesting process.

[lovesMaui]

damalove, All of the fill info. is so interesting and confusing at the same time. I guess I won't fully understand until after my first fill. I feel for you and the frustrating feeling of being stuck at a certain weight. However, I'm so proud of you for not giving up. I've been where you are at in the past and I would give up too. Now, with the band, I'm determined not to. Hang in there and the pounds will drop! You can do this!

[damalove]

Thanks Maui i certainly appreciate the words of encouragement. Ive lost 47 lbs and told all my girlfriends on the east coast i wouldnt send updated pics of myself til I lost 50. I swear, these three pounds are taunting me! They just wont budge! Grrr.

Im working out hard this week, running 2 mi 3x this week, abs, yoga, pilates, slim in six dvds at night. and really watching what i eat.

thanks for the well-wishing, i hope i break this plateau soon ~

[azband4life]

I haven't tried bread yet, however, I have had soft tacos without an issue. I haven't found any problems with specific foods. However, if I do go for another fill, all bets may be off. The key is to listen to your body. This is the first time that I have had stomach growls meaning it is time to eat. I never really experienced this before. Now, I do. I find myself a little cranky and have to adjust my attitude and consider it a gift. I am now in control where before I wasn't.

Paul

[lovesMaui]

I haven't tried bread yet, however, I have had soft tacos without an issue. I haven't found any problems with specific foods. However, if I do go for another fill, all bets may be off. The key is to listen to your body. This is the first time that I have had stomach growls meaning it is time to eat. I never really experienced this before. Now, I do. I find myself a little cranky and have to adjust my attitude and consider it a gift. I am now in control where before I wasn't.

Paul

Paul, I hope I can have soft tacos! You are extremely lucky that this is the first time your stomach is growling. As I've shared with you, mine has been growling since surgery! Heck, it's growling right now! But you are talking about prior to surgery, how you never let yourself get to the growling hunger stage. It does make one a little cranky! I always get hungry at around 10pm too. You have great will power to just drink water and go to bed. You have been so strong and so determined throughtout this process. I am inspired.

[azband4life]

Thanks for the boast of confidence. The tummy grumbles I referred to were before the surgery. I don't think I allowed myself to feel the hunger pangs. Now, it's sort of a blessing. During the 21 day liquid phase, you betcha I was feeling it.

Paul