Be prepared for your first meals after your gastric band surgery. If you’re looking forward to your favorite foods a day or two after surgery, then you can forget about that unless your favorite foods come in liquid form. This will not be your diet for the rest of your life, but for a few weeks, then your meals will change over time until you finally reach the solid food stage.
Liquid dinners aren’t very appetizing, but there is a reason for them. Your gastric band has to adjust to your body right after the surgery. If you eat solid food, then your stomach would have to work to break it down, and this would disrupt the band positioning and possibly the stitches that help it stay in place.
The gastric band is used to restrict the amount of food that is held by the stomach. Overeating and eating the wrong types of foods can result in gastrointestinal issues and the malfunctioning of the band. This means that if you want to meet your weight loss goals, then you have to stick to your diet, no “ifs”, “ands”, or “buts”.
What to Expect after your Gastric Band Surgery
As mentioned earlier, you will be on a clear liquid diet. When your doctor feels that you are ready, you will move on to a semi-liquid diet. A semi-liquid diet consists of food that is no thicker than a very thin layer of mashed potatoes. Because the gastric band reduces the amount of food that can be held by your stomach, all the portions in your new diet will be extremely small and you will be eating four to six, tiny meals a day.
After the semi-liquid diet, you advance on to semi-solid meals. Since your stomach is basically relearning how to function, you should eat ever so slowly and chew your food exceptionally well. You must also remember to continue to get in your low calorie beverages throughout the day.
Finally, you will hit the final phase of your “new” lifestyle diet. This is the low fat, high protein phase. Your meals will still be restricted (there will always be foods and beverages you should avoid – generally the same ones you should have been avoiding even before the band procedure), but you will be able to eat solid foods now. This is the time for you to discover nutritious yet tasty meals that will help you succeed in obtaining your weight reduction goals.