Lap Band Diet

The lap band diet is the diet that you will be following for the 8 weeks that follows you having your weight loss surgery. This eating plan is done in four steps starting immediately following your medical procedure. Bariatric eating is design to take you from surgery back to normal eating as you will become to know it. This diet is something that you should become familiar with before surgery. You should also stock your home with the necessary bariatric nutritional products before you have your surgery so it is in home when you return from the hospital.

Step 1
Step 1 is simple. It is clear liquids and broth. This will be served to you while you are in the hospital and you will most likely be required to be at Step 2 of the bariatric food plan before you go home following your medical procedure. Most patients will eat Step 1 for only a day or two at the longest.

Step 2
Step 2 is where the healing will begin. You will be nourishing yourself with about 60 grams of protein each day. You should be consuming at least 32 ounces of liquids. Bariatric vitamins are also necessary at this point. These vitamins will either be liquid or chewable. You should avoid alcohol, caffeine and carbonated beverages. Water is always going to be your best bet. Anything with sugar will also be a problem. Your protein can either be liquid protein, baby food or strained pureed foods. If it needs chewed, it is not Step 2. It is that simple. It will be boring and it will take you a long time to consume the necessary nutrition, but this step is an essential part of the food plan. Take it slow and easy. You do not want to put more into your stomach than it can handle. Overeating can lead to vomiting.

Step 3
This is the step that will allow you to begin adding soft foods back into your diet. This can begin at about 2 weeks, but your bariatric professionals will tell you exactly when to begin eating soft foods again. It is important to limit the amount of fat and sugar that is consumed in your diet. These foods have a large potential to cause discomfort and flu-like symptoms in bariatric patients. It is important to chew foods very thoroughly and to eat slowly. It is easy for a person that used to eat large quantities of food to overeat. You will probably only be eating an ounce or two at each of the 5 to 6 small meals that you should be eating each day.

Step 4
This step of the bariatric food plan will begin at about 8 weeks. At this point you will begin to add other foods to your diet. It is still important to chew everything very well. Healthy foods, such as; lean protein, fruits and vegetables should be the main part of your diet. Foods high in fat and sugar should always be avoided. Some bariatric patients can tolerate these foods, but many will have problems. Truthfully, these are substances that add unwanted pounds. Meats and course foods will be the most difficult foods to eat. You may want to cut meat into small pieces or soften it with broth.

You will be able to eat many of the foods you ate in the past, but in much small quantities. There is nothing wrong with eating what you want as long as you know where to draw the line. Unfortunately, people that have had this surgery have had problems with boundaries in the past. If you follow the advice given to you by your bariatric professions your goals will be attainable.