Having lap band surgery will help get you on the right track to a healthier you. However, it will not make you eat better. Eating the right portions and foods is something you need to learn prior to even having surgery. Preparing a lap band menu, ahead of time, is a great way to start the new you.
Depending where you do your research, you will find many different menus available. Your doctors will make suggestions. Different lap band forums will make suggestions. Pretty much anyone you talk to will try to give you advice as to how to eat.
You should definitely listen to this advice, as you may learn something you did not know. However, do not plan your diet strictly around what you hear other people say. Take the time to do your research. Look at reliable sources; sources that focus on a person’s overall health.
If you have lap band surgery and keep eating the stuff you ate before, even if you cut portion size, your weight loss will not be as successful. Even if you do change what you eat, a bit, you will not be successful. Your body needs a certain amount of particular nutrients and vitamins in order to function properly.
Keeping this in mind, you need to eat foods, throughout the day, that provide you with these minerals and vitamins. Without them, you body hoards certain foods and does not process others properly. This being said, you can imagine what a waste of time it would be to not prepare well.
Immediately after your surgery, you will need to focus on protein intake. There are many foods you will not be able to digest. Soft, blended, nearly liquefied, meals are what you will have to stick with for a while. But, with the right amount of protein, plus a smaller stomach, you will not go hungry.
After a few weeks of this you will be able to make you meals a bit less liquefied and more blended. With this you can find recipes, for blended meals, that provide you with a bit more variety. At this point you still will not be able to consume much at any given point in time. Focus on drinking slowly as to not over stuff your stomach.
Once you have passed these few stages you can move on to more solid foods and lessen your protein intake. One thing to keep constant; however, is the smaller portions more often throughout the day. With lap band surgery your stomach can no longer handle big meals. Therefore, eating more often helps you stay full, throughout the day, without putting yourself in physical pain.
Finding the right lap band menu will take time. Certain foods may settle well with others that do not settle well with you. The key points to keep in mind are smaller portions, proper nutrients, frequent meals (every couple of hours), and it takes time. Just because you had surgery does not mean you can attain your ideal weight right away, give it time.
