Eating Normally?

[joanne h]

Hi,
I am nearly 4 weeks post op having been banded. I am still on sloppy food and have not tried anything more chunky than flaked fish and mashed potato. When did you other more knowledgeable banders begin to eat normally? What did you start with? Did you have any problems that you could pre-warn me with? Help would be gratefully appreciated
Thanks
Jo

 

[Mazza]

Hi, it was around the four week stage that I started to try 'normal' food. I remember being nervous though and took some reassurance from the dietician at my provider.

I don't eat bread, rice or pasta (I was advised to avoid them) and don't eat meat. In the early days I didn't struggle with anything but I was extra careful.

The sort of things I tried were tuna with no dressing, scrambled eggs or omelette, small tiny bits of cucumber - chewed within an inch of its life, cherry tomatos. Ryvitas with soft / cottage cheese.

Do you have a diet sheet? if so start off with the softer stuff first xx

 

[joanne h]

Thankyou - Tried an omelette this morning with incredibly finely diced mushrooms in it. Seems to have gone down ok. Def feeling more full as a result. Just desperate for some fruit n vege that isn't mushed towards an inch of its life. Due to 5 weeks of not not stuffing my face I have discovered my sense of taste again and am really enjoying all simple foods!

 

[BlueDiamond]

From about week 6 I was advised to eat "normal" foods - I started off with small salads etc as it was summer at the time x

 

[top_kat]

I was advised to move onto all normal foods from the start of the 5th week post op, to move onto drier and crunchier foods to help be fuller for longer. My provider doesn't place a limit on bread, rice or pasta, and you can have lean meat of all kinds and fish.

Instead they gave us ideas of what to be eating and to ensure certain portions of protein, dairy, fruit and veg were eaten but there's certainly no foods to be eating on our guidelines.

But from my 5th week I was eating lots of crunchier veg ~ carrots, brocolli, cauliflower, green beans, peas etc and fruit ~pears, apples, plums, and not having to mash anything. Just chew carefully.

At this point I also introduced drier and crunchier foods such as melba toasts, rice cakes, ryvitas, muesli, special k. It is often trial and error about finding what you can or cannot eat, so when introducing something for the first time, do so at home but check what guidelines your provider gives you because they vary so much.