Lap Band Diet - What Do Lap Band Patients Eat? - Nurse's Guide

What Do Lap Band Patients Eat?

If you're thinking about having lap band surgery you may be wondering what do lap band patients eat or is there a special lap band diet.    You'll want to thoroughly understand what the lap band diet is all about if you decide to go ahead with the lap band procedure. It's absolutely important that you follow the diet in order to experience the weight loss you want. Diets will vary somewhat depending on the lap band surgeon.

So what do lap band patients eat?

Right after the adjustable gastric banding surgery you'll need to be careful not to stretch the stomach pouch above the gastric band that was formed during surgery.  Immediately after the surgery you'll only be allowed to sip a little water or suck on ice cubes.  You will be allowed to have a little more water or other beverage with calories the next day following surgery.    The restriction is to help prevent vomiting which can cause the stomach tissue to slip through the gastric band.

The next two weeks only thin liquids will be allowed. These include clear broths or clear soup with no added veggies, pasta or meat, low fat milk, fruit juice and no-sugar type Popsicles.

In the next phase lap band diet patients can eat pureed food. This is usually in the three to four weeks following surgery if everything has gone well.

Lap band diet patients can eat pureed skinless fish or chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, low fat yogurt or low-fat pudding for example.

The next phase going into about five weeks is soft foods.  These can include foods such as fish and ground turkey. During this time you'll want to make sure you chew your foods very well. Otherwise you may vomit and irritate your stomach or get some swelling.  It's very important not to vomit anytime in the weeks after surgery.

If the soft foods are not tolerated very well then you can go back to the liquid diet.  That way you can transition slowly back to pureed food again.

Finally you'll start on solid foods. Here is where you'll need to be careful because the lap band system is designed to restrict solid foods, but not liquids.  Liquids will pass though the stomach pouch fast. You'll not be able to feel like you're full.  Foods can be flushed through the pouch too easily if you drink liquids with your meals or right after. This won't make you feel full and eat less or help you lose weight.

Eating solid foods in the morning has presented a problem for many lap band patients. Too much food can block the outlet of the stomach pouch. Do chew food carefully and a little bit at a time. The opening of the pouch is very small.

You should eat three nutritious meals every day. There is room for about two ounces of food at a time.

The foods to avoid include: dried fruits, asparagus, pineapple, rhubarb, corn. popcorn, grapes, walnuts, peanuts, almonds, soda pop and other carbonated beverages, all high calorie drinks and foods.

These are the most important points to remember about the lap band diet. It's a restrictive diet and you won't be able to eat a lot of the foods you're eating now. So be aware of this. Plus the doctor will want you to go on an exercise program as well.

This should answer some of your questions about what do lap band patients eat. There are other considerations if you're thinking about undergoing lap band weight loss surgery, such as the risks and complications. Make sure to get fully informed before you undertake this adjustable gastric band surgery. Although it's considered temporary, it has its risks and there can be surgical complications that can be permanent. Get fully informed. Medifast Specials

Copyright©2008 Helen Hecker All rights reserved. No permission is given to copy or reproduce this article in any way or in any form.