Chelley Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 Lately, I think I've been struggling with food choice and I'm rather confused about what is considered a "solid" and what portion of food is normal for a patient post band who is loosing weight as they should. I'm stuck at 210 lbs. Since I'm single and don't have to cook for a family, I'm thinking that maybe I'm making poor choices and perhaps the majority of my choices have been soft foods that are easy on the band. As a result, the soft food slips through the banded area and I'm hungry again in a few hours. The guidelines 1/3 of what you could eat before are so vague to me - tell me some portions sizes that are normal post band and what are some of the food choices being made out there. Is anyone exercising and if so, what kind of exercise routine do you have? Chelley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyrkr Posted September 13, 2006 Report Share Posted September 13, 2006 This is a great question. I am very unsure of what 1/3 of what I ate before might look like. I was always either completely overdoing it, getting last meals in before a diet, or on a diet. I can't remember a time when I just ate normally, so 1/3 is very vague to me. I also wonder what constitutes solid food. It also seems to be a little unclear. Thanks for the question, I look forward to some ideas. Becki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoriBecky Posted September 14, 2006 Report Share Posted September 14, 2006 Hi, I had posted something earlier from Dr. Miranda, but she wants to modify it, so i've deleted it for now, but will replace it with guidelines from her. Sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ladybug Posted September 14, 2006 Report Share Posted September 14, 2006 Chelley, I am new at this, but have done some thinking about that same thing. What exactly is 1/3? I now eat no more than what would fit comfortable in the palm of my hand. I follow Dr. Miranda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rid Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 Chelley, Pre-band, I would never get full from a Healthy Choice or Smart Ones microwave dinner. I could easily eat several of them. I finally just went and bought a bunch of them. I found that with my restriction, I can actually eat just one and be full. I can even eat beef, which I can't do outside of a microwave meal. The band allows me to eat a "normal" diet. It works pretty well. One at lunch, one at dinner, and a low carb protein bar for breakfast. It's working pretty well! Take care, Rid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janet2 Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 I find I can only eat 3 bites of something before I have severe heartburn. Yesterday evening it was so bad I felt I would die. I could hardly breathe. If I walk around it seems to eventually go away. Last night I finally threw up some clear liquid and then it went away. I can drink coffee and liquids but eating is always giving me heartache. My doctor prescribed Pariet 20 mg. once a morning but it seems to do nothing. Does anyone have suggestions for this? I had my surgery on the 14th of August and had no problems until I had my first fill on the 19th of Sept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaireinCO Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 I find I can only eat 3 bites of something before I have severe heartburn. Yesterday evening it was so bad I felt I would die. I could hardly breathe. If I walk around it seems to eventually go away. Last night I finally threw up some clear liquid and then it went away. I can drink coffee and liquids but eating is always giving me heartache. My doctor prescribed Pariet 20 mg. once a morning but it seems to do nothing. Does anyone have suggestions for this? I had my surgery on the 14th of August and had no problems until I had my first fill on the 19th of Sept. It sounds like maybe the heartburn is actually food stuck in the narrow path to the stomach...maybe? Because if you threw up a bit and then it passed, that sounds like the classic stuck/golfball in chest feeling followed by the PB (Productive Burp)/barfing. Anyone else wanna chime in here? I haven't had the PB yet but it sounds lke what you're describing could be that. Maybe you are too tight and perhaps a very slight unfill would help? That would explain why the heartburn meds aren't helping the pain. I would consider satying on liquids until you can get a little unfill. Even small increments, like .5cc can relieve that pain but keep your restriction. If I'm way off base here and you're saying "no dummy, it's heartburn!", then I apologize. But what you're describing sounds like too much restriction causing pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ladybug Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 Before being banded, I read about some surgeons who performed lap-banding in CA. They were suggesting a 30 day round of Prilosec OTC immediately post-op. I hadn't thought of this until about 10 days after being banded. At that time I had taken in so much broth I thought I would croak, some with garlic flavoring which later gave that "ugh" feeling. It was never a full-blown bout of heartburn, just a feeling of it being on the edge of heartburn...you know, just "there." The Prilosec did the trick by reducing the stomach acid. You might contact your doctor again and see what he/she thinks of taking some Prilosec OTC. ladybug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rid Posted September 24, 2006 Report Share Posted September 24, 2006 My so cal doc did prescribe prilosec for 30 days. I never had heartburn. What she's describing does sound like pre-PB. So my advice is take smaller bites and chew it better. If I take three big bites of something, I'll have the same thing. Take bites a little larger than the eraser on a pencil and see if that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biggin Posted September 25, 2006 Report Share Posted September 25, 2006 I have a question, not about the diet, but a specific food. This might sound kind of dumb, but since you're not supposed to drink before,during, and immeadiatly after meals, would that mean you shouldn't eat cereal? I've been wondering that for a while now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friend Posted September 25, 2006 Report Share Posted September 25, 2006 Hi, my doc. prescribed Protonic for my heartburn and acid reflex. I sure has made a differnce for me. Ask him for trial samples. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaireinCO Posted September 29, 2006 Report Share Posted September 29, 2006 I have a question, not about the diet, but a specific food. This might sound kind of dumb, but since you're not supposed to drink before,during, and immeadiatly after meals, would that mean you shouldn't eat cereal? I've been wondering that for a while now. I have the same question about cereal. Since it is only half cup of milk, I go ahead and drink it. It doesn't seem to matter how long the cereal keeps me full and I've tried not drinking the milk, too. I just don't think drinking the milk and washing some cereal down is really what got me fat in the first place! But I know the liquids with meals is a prettyy strict rule...so... Can anyone advise us on the cereal question? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelley Posted September 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2006 Hi, I had posted something earlier from Dr. Miranda, but she wants to modify it, so i've deleted it for now, but will replace it with guidelines from her. Sorry Lori - I'm really sorry you had to revoke those guidelines Dr. Miranda gave you. 1/3 of what you could eat pre-band is so vauge to many of us. I know I certainly can't eat the volumes of food recommended on the food pyramid. Since I'm a single gal on a budget and it is difficult to prepare a well rounded meal for one, I'm incorporating frozen meals into my diet along with fresh fruits, whole grains, and green leafy veggies. The frozen meal portions are so small I can usually eat most of a whole one, but rarely have room left over for fruit or fresh veggie so I try to get these in as snacks. I don't know about the rest of you, but it seems like I get hungry (stomach rumbling real hunger) about every 3 hours. Chelley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoriBecky Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 I am still working on some dietary guidelines for band patients! I haven't given up, and hope to be able to post something soon. I'm also trying to get the packet of information you get from her at surgery to include that information. I promise, I'll post it as soon as I get it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyrkr Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 Lori, I could fax or email you what she gave me, but it really was not very much, considering it was supposed to include directions for several different stages of the post-op diet, and a completely new way of eating. I actually found it pretty unhelpful. It left me with more questions than answers. I love to read and research, so I knew everything it said, but still had so many questions. I wish I had been given more. As Chelley said, 1/3 is so vague for me. I have never really admitted how much I ate, when I was just letting go, or I was on a diet. I don't know what the right amount is. But I know I could gain with what I could eat now, if I don't watch it pretty carefully. Any help you can come with is really appreciated by all of us. Thanks for all you do. Becki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelley Posted October 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2006 Have you guys noticed how most of our questions regarding diet just go unanswered? Dr. Miranda is busy, I realize but perhaps she needs an assistant to answer e-mails or help coordinate with patients on the forum. Diet is a key point to success post band. I do thank Lori for her efforts, but I realize she is limitted in her resources and can only provide the information she is given. Thanks Lori for trying! In the meantime, I've been doing some research on the net and found a neat website from UCLA. The website is: http://bariatrics.ucla.edu/recovery/recovery_ldiet_intro.htm If you will click on the links to the left of this openning page it will give you some better guidelines for eating post band. I even read on one website that of this sample meal: 1 egg omelet, dry toast you should only be able to consume 1/8 a cup of this meal. I can certainly eat more than that. Most websites on post band diet are adamant about not drinking 15min before a meal or 1 hour after a meal. And this particular website that recommends 1/8 a cup of any given meal stated that it should take you 30-35 minutes to consume this 1/8 a cup ... if so, I'm eating way to fast .. still. Throw search words, "lap band diet" into your search engine and see what you all find. It seems that we are on our own with diet specifics. Chelley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyrkr Posted October 11, 2006 Report Share Posted October 11, 2006 Thanks, it seems that the UCLA clinic wants you to eat a lot less food than Dr. Ortiz hopes for. His goal is to eat 1/3 of what you did before. 3/8 of a cup is far less that 1/3 of what I ate before. This is very interesting though. I wonder if I will end up eating much less than I had been thinking. Thanks for the website, and the idea. Becki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rid Posted October 13, 2006 Report Share Posted October 13, 2006 I've noticed a lot of concerns that go unanswered. However, it seems like even with Lori's help, this is not a forum populated by doctors who are the ones with the answers. Lori is doing a great job, but she only has so much time on her hands. I think that lapbandtalk.com has more doctors trolling the forums. Perhaps that's a better place. I've dealt with portion control. After my most recent fill, my restriction is what it should be, and it really limits the amount of food I can eat without discomfort. My doc also advised that eating DRY food that would go through the band slowly. Food with sauces goes through easier, and allows you to eat more. Which is bad. Just some info from my doc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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