What can happen if you eat solid foods a week after weight loss surgery?

by Sherry
(Texas)

What can happen if you eat solid foods a week after weight loss surgery? The reason for my question is that I cannot hold any liquid protein down.

One week ago yesterday I had lap band surgery and today I ate about 3 ozs. of steak. I chewed it until it was mush and I feel ok.

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What can happen if you eat solid foods a week after weight loss surgery?

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2 weeks post op
by: Caroline

Im on puréed food 1 weeks after op and that is what surgeons diet says it was fluid diet two week before and one week after then puréed food for a week next week I'm on soft food, I've not found it too hard but not wanting anything to go wrong has made me stick to it.

DITTO
by: Mindy

Totally agree w/ Beth ! I missed the 2 weeks post op too !

Related Pages:
- Bariatric Surgery Recovery

To Carla
by: Beth

I just came back to this thread and realized you described in your header that you were eating solids two weeks after surgery. I missed that earlier and couldn't tell what you were asking.

I will tell you what I told Sherry -- you're being VERY dangerous with this activity. It doesn't matter how you feel NOW -- you have just increased your odds for band slippage down the road.

This goes back to What we said before
by: Mindy

You can feel great NOW but the reason for following doctor's orders and not allowing your stomach to "work" post op is to allow scar tissue to form after your surgery so it anchors your band. Just because you feel fine now does not mean it wont cause damage later.

Carla
by: Beth

Carla, you don't give enough description of what you're asking. Do you mean right after surgery? Again, if that's the case, unfortunately it doesn't matter how you feel. If you're eating "soft" foods during the time you should still be on liquids, you are most likely setting yourself up to have a lap band failure.

2wk post op lapband surgery
by: carla

what can happen if i eat regular food thats soft and well chewed? I feel great.

Also agreed
by: Beth

My anger is not directed so much about the action the actor took as it is the others that may be tempted to follow suit. It does a complete disservice to your fellow bandster or potential bandster. I know we all have our food issues -- I GET that. But if you can't do something that NEEDS to be done for six weeks in order to increase your odds of keeping your band, then frankly I believe you never should have gotten one.

I also believe there are those who think this is the be-all end-all answer to all their prayers and that, once it's in, they don't have to do any of the hard work. WRONG! It is NOT a magic bullet, and some things you may want to have you simply can't because your band won't let you. And for everybody, those things are different.

However, it does NOT include whether you should be eating regular food a week out. NOBODY should be doing that.

Agree
by: Mindy

I agree Beth , People want to "Cheat" and I hate to use that word during post op because in my opinion its not cheating its going against medical advice.

I agree people look for validation, they want someone to say "You will be fine for eating that steak" or the "you chewed it and that's the same as mushies" NO IT'S NOT! YOU HAD SURGERY A WEEK AGO!

If you had heart surgery and your surgeon told you to NOT WALK FOR A WEEK or your heart would explode WOULD YOU? Seriously?

I tell you this is one of my biggest blood boilers ! What I almost wrote and stopped myself was "This might seem harsh but I don't care" I do care BUT I'm with you, people need to hear the truth... the truth is you could have very well just screwed up your band! You may not know it for a week a month or a year but YES YOU COULD HAVE SCREWED IT UP!

Mindy
by: Beth

Call me a mean ol' skeptic, but I don't think it's a matter of not being able to keep liquids down. You and I both know from HARSH experience that if you can't keep liquids down, you can't keep ANYTHING down. I think this is yet one more case of wanting to cheat. I could have thought of about two dozen much better choices if it was a matter of getting something down.

I'm sorry because I know I'm really driving this home, but I worry MORE about others who really WANT to do the right thing, new bandsters who read this kind of stuff and feel they can do the same thing. I saw it on LBT for a year, and apparently it's just the mindset of some. They do what they want to do, look for validation, and either get it from people who are also new and think it's great or they get the harsh, in-your-face responses like mine and get mad. This isn't about making anybody mad -- it's about WAKING YOU UP!

My BIGGEST Pet Peeve FOLLOW YOUR DOCS ADVICE !
by: Mindy

I want to apologize ahead of time if this sounds harsh or rude, but it needs to be said. The purpose of the 6 week post op diet is not to see if you have will power, not to see if you can hold out til your post op visit is not for weight loss.

The purpose of the 6 week post op diet is this... it allows your stomach to HEAL , allows your stomach to form scar tissue so your band will not SLIP! Just because you ate it and you are fine NOW does not mean you will be fine later.

I blame this mentality on the weight loss surgery boards! People go on them wanting "Permission" to cheat or go against medical advice and they get it!

You can chew anything and it will be "Fine" you can chew anything and it will turn to mush . The purpose of not eating post op is so your stomach does not WORK, so it stays at rest so you form scar tissue. So DO NOT EAT. I suggest you call your doctor and tell him you ate steak, tell him you cant keep liquids down and get in to see him ASAP!

I have slipped my band twice! I followed the doctors rules to a T also! But no one told me that those last little bites you take that "come back up" is THROWING UP and it WILL SLIP YOUR BAND!!!! I highly advise you to take your doctors advice for what it is MEDICAL ADVICE not a DIET if you want to keep your band!

Julie
by: Beth

Julie, I'm sorry you lost your band. I've known more than my fair share of those who have lost them or have had problems.

The thing is, I'm a skeptic here. I'm a tough-love type, and I don't really pull any punches. The fact is, the band is NOT an easy out. You HAVE to follow the rules, or you will be in for a world of hurt.

For most of us, this was our last stop on the diet train. Surgery is a serious decision. However, I have seen too many people on other sites over the 2 1/2 years I've been banded talk about how they cheat and do things they should NOT be doing. This is one of those things. This isn't even a borderline maybe -- this is a big glaring DO NOT DO THIS type of act.

Personally, I have a hard time believing this is about having a hard time keeping down protein drinks. In my years with a band, I've heard it all. I know how people justify their actions. They choose to do something potentially dangerous to their band health and come on AFTERWARDS to ask if what they did was okay or if they hurt their band. Maybe you didn't and you got away with it. But maybe you did and you won't know for a while.

The thing is, if bandsters are going to be serious enough to get surgery, then please do yourselves and newbies to this site (or potential bandsters) and follow the rules. If you're not ready to do that, then you never should have been cleared to get one. Those are my tough-love two cents' worth.

eating a week after surgery
by: Julie

I'm not trying to get on you or make you feel bad but I do have to agree with Beth. Steak was a really bad choice. If you feel the need to eat somthing solid (and I am not advocating this... you need to follow your surgeons rules) you should stick to something a lot softer... pudding, refried beans etc.

As someone who has lost their band (due to an inexperienced surgeon) I can tell you you really have to appreciate and take care of this wonderful tool you have been given.

Again, please don't think I am trying to be negative towards you. I just don't want to see anyone else lose their band.

I almost forgot...
by: Beth

I just thought of something -- you said you "can't keep down protein drinks." Can you explain? Are you vomiting them? If so, that is another major problem. Eating solids on top of that will almost guarantee that you will have issues with your band.

Also, why steak? Why not something soft? I guess I am just a bit concerned about your choice of steak.

Solids after surgery
by: Beth

Sherry, many things can happen if you eat solids too soon after surgery. This is one of THE biggest mistakes people make, eating too soon after surgery.

One thing I've heard of often from people who ate too soon after surgery is lap band slippage -- either right after surgery, and for some it even came later because the band doesn't "seat" properly.

I've seen my stomach under fluro just swallowing liquid, and it really spasms and churns swallowing something that's not solid. That's not even digestion, so it's that much worse WITH food.

If you can't keep down protein drinks, then I suggest puddings, soups, Unjury, or other things that require the least amount of activity from your stomach. Steak is one of the worst just because of the process that is required to break it down -- no matter how much you eat it to mush. It's the digestion PROCESS that causes all the activity.

If you want to keep your band, I recommend NOT EATING until you're told it's okay to do so. For me, I think it was about a month before I could eat solids.

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