Lap-Band ® Surgery Dietary Guide
After undergoing your gastric banding weight loss surgery, you will need to make changes to both your diet and eating habits. Your dietary changes are the key to successful weight loss with the Lap-Band(R). The most significant change will be the portion size of your meals. Since the Lap-Band(R) works by creating a smaller pouch at the top of your stomach, you will notice that you will feel satisfied after eating portions that are smaller than what you're used to. Your band may need adjusting to get it to the right amount of restriction. Adjustments will take place during your post-op visits. The first adjustment will be scheduled for approximately 6 weeks after your surgery.
This guide is a brief summary of the Post-Op Diet section in your Patient Manual. You should refer to it for further details track your progress and have access to all sorts of tips, tools, and information to help you make the changes necessary to achieve your weight-loss goals. You sign up at www.lapband.com. You receive a card for registration on the site at your Pre-Op visit.
Post-Op Lap Band Dietary Guide
There are a few milestones in terms of recovery when it comes to being able to eat solid foods again. The following is a general guide. You should refer to your Patient Manual for full details and expanded guidelines.
- Weeks 1 & 2: For the first two weeks after your surgery, your diet should be strictly a liquid diet. This may include skim milk, Mootopia milk, broths and protein drinks. You should also be consuming at least 64 oz of water daily.
- Weeks 3: During weeks three and four you may start on a modified liquid diet program. Since results vary from person to person, it may take until your fourth week until you can start this phase of your diet. As a general rule of thumb, if you’re experiencing nausea or vomiting from what you’re eating you probably aren’t ready for it. Make sure your stomach has acclimated to the significant changes it has undergone before proceeding with this phase. You may want to start with protein shakes to keep things simple at first. If you are consistently vomiting with most food or with liquids, however, you should call us immediately. The band may need to be loosened slightly and we'll need to rule out other complications. When selecting foods, choose only foods that are very high in protein. At this stage, you want to prepare them so that they are roughly the consistency of baby food. Examples are pureed beans, chicken, fish, or poultry. Low calorie yogurt and protein shakes are also good choices. Soups are acceptable, but you should add some flavorless protein powder to them to increase the amount of protein in them. Some patients at this point can tolerate soft solids like scrambled eggs, cottage cheese or low fat string cheese, or very thinly-sliced lunch meat. You should avoid carbohydrates completely.
- 4 Weeks and Beyond
: At this point, you should be able to tolerate soft solid foods. Many patients will be tolerating full solids by this point. Protein remains the focus of what you should be eating. Examples of good high protein foods include: eggs, fish, chicken, turkey, cottage cheese, yogurt, low fat string cheese, extra lean ground beef, bean soups (lentil, split pea, or black bean), tofu or soy products, low fat refried beans, miso or egg drop soup. Remember to chew well. You may also add some soft, cooked vegetables and some soft unsweetened fruits. You may progress to raw vegetables, but remember that dressings are high in fat and calories. Read your labels and choose only low fat, low calorie dressings.
Your New Lap Band Diet
Once you successfully transition to solid foods you are ready to begin your long-term Lap Band diet. You will be able to eat a lot of the foods you love, just in smaller portions, as you won’t feel the need to eat more. However you will need to make changes in your eating habits. These habits can apply to the post-op diet as well but your doctor will go over very specific instructions when it comes to your post-op diet. In addition there are some foods you can’t eat or shouldn’t eat, and you should be aware of these. There are habits that will counteract the effects of the Lap Band and foods that will not do you any good, and may actually cause harm. Remember that eating the right foods the right way is going to be the key to success with the Lap Band.
Foods & Drinks You Should Avoid
- Asparagus
- Corn (and Popcorn)
- Dried fruits
- Rhubarb
- Grapes
- Nuts and seeds (walnuts, whole peanuts, almonds)
- Sugary foods*
- High-fat foods*
- Foods high in fiber*
- Tough meats
- Caffeine*
- Carbonated beverages*
- Alcohol*
* Please see eating habits to understand why you shouldn’t eat these foods, and if you can eat them.
Eating Tips & More Information
- Eat three meals a day. You should not drink while you are eating as liquids can flush the food through the stoma (the opening between the pouch and stomach) causing the lap band to be ineffective. Wait 30 minutes before and after your meals to have drinks.
- You should avoid foods high in fiber because they may block the stoma. You should avoid sugary foods because they increase your consumption but do not provide any nutrition, fatty foods as well.
- You can drink carbonated beverages, after about 3 months, but generally it is advised to avoid them. They can stretch the pouch which may cause discomfort or even complications to arise. They will also fill you up too fast.
- Caffeine cannot be consumed for at least three months after the surgery.
- Do not eat snacks or in-between meals for best results. If you’re hungry for snacks in-between meals your Lap Band may not be adjusted properly. If you eat snacks you may not lose weight.
- Alcohol contains a high amount of calories, breaks down nutrients, and provides no nutritional value so it should be avoided.
- Exercising 30 minutes a day is highly recommended and can expedite your weight loss a great deal.
Following your Lap Band surgery the doctor will go into much more detail and explain what specifically you can and can not eat. Make sure you discuss any dietary plan with your doctor or nutritionist. This page is meant to give you a general idea of what to expect but should not be your definitive guide once you have the surgery. If you have any questions make sure you direct them to your doctor or healthcare professional. If you aren’t sure, you ashould ask us. We are here to help you lose weight and keep it off, and we’ll be here for you after your surgery to help you continue to lose weight. You may also want to attend some of our information seminars and support groups. Many of our patients find that they learn a lot from these services in addition to getting great ideas for what to eat.
