Gastric Lap Band
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(Get ALL the nitty gritty details on gastric lap band diet here.)
The gastric lap band diet involves avoiding problematic foods and those that slow weight loss. Read on to find out which foods and beverages you'll need to avoid and/or limit on the diet after lap band.
Lap Band Surgery Diet Restrictions
Ever had a clogged sink? If so, you know how messy the "back-up" can be.
After getting the stomach band, you should think of your new stomach as a sink...
...with a very small "sink hole."
The "sink hole" is the new narrow passage in the stomach created by the gastric band. (It's also called the "stoma.")
Everything you eat will have to get down that "sink hole" or stoma. If it gets stopped up, you're going to be very uncomfortable and the messy "back-up" could be you, throwing up. Yuck!
Just as onion skins and egg shells can stop up a sink, there are certain foods that can potentially stop up the stoma and may need to be limited/avoided when eating after lap band.
Lap Band Surgery Diet Restrictions
- dry meat
- untoasted or doughy bread
- rice
- 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
Important Note:
There is a chance you'll tolerate some or all of these foods. The diet for lap band involves a lot of trial and error until you determine exactly what you can and can't eat.
Try these named foods individually, in small amounts, and chewed very well in order to determine whether you can tolerate them or not.
Of course, when you eat too quickly, take large bites and/or inadequately chew your food, you heighten the possibility of food "sticking" or "obstructing" the stoma.
That's why how you eat has to change as much as what you eat on your lap band post op diet.
Carbonated Beverages
Soda and carbonated water may cause you discomfort. Think about all those air bubbles getting trapped in your tiny little pouch. They can cause the pouch to stretch too!
It's ok to drink FLAT (diet) soda if you can't live without the taste! You can even use FLAT diet orange soda as the base for a protein shake.
Gastric Lap Band Diet: Avoid Foods That Will Slow Your Weight Loss
The diet after lap band surgery requires you to avoid foods that supply a concentrated source of calories with little nutritional value:
- High Sugar Foods
- Candy
- Cake
- Cookies
- Ice Cream
- Chocolate
- Pastries, Sweet Rolls, Donuts
- Jam, Jelly, Honey, Sugar
- Foods that list sugar within the first 3 ingredients on the label
- High Fat Foods
- Fried Foods
- Fast Food
- Potato chips
- Full Fat Dairy Products (full fat cheese, whole milk, cream)
- Fatty Meats (e.g., bacon, sausage, pepperoni, ribs)
- Excess Butter, Mayonnaise or Gravy
- Cream Soups and Sauces
- Drinks/Beverages With Calories**
- Regular Soda Pop
- Juice
- Coffee Drinks
- Milkshakes
- Sweetened Beverages
- White Flour Products (read more)
- White pasta
- White bread
- White rice
**Note: Liquids pass through the "sink hole" or stoma, fairly quickly without giving you a feeling of fullness. You can therefore take in a lot of calories without ever feeling full when you drink sweetened beverages.
A surgically placed stomach band can't protect you from the effects of too many liquid calories!
Read more about why "solid" calories are a better choice than liquid or "soft" calories here.
Alcohol and the Gastric Lap Band Diet
An occasional, small amount of alcohol is ok, but keep in mind that it's high in calories, slips past the gastric band quickly, and a few drinks may lead you to believe you're at your goal weight...
...which then leads to eating with abandon...
...for some people. ;)
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