Gastric Band Diet

Life with a Gastric Band

Your eating habits and lifestyle will change with a gastric band.

These top 10 rules will help you to get the best results:

1. Only eat 3 small meals a day along with 2 small snacks (e.g. fruit)
2. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly (approx 15-20 times per mouthful)
3. Stop eating as soon as you feel full
4. Do not drink while eating
5. Do not snack high calorie food between meals
6. Eat only good quality food
7. Avoid fibrous food
8. Drink plenty of fluid during the day (water is best)
9. Drink only low-calorie liquids
10. Exercise at least 30 minutes per day

Gastric Band Diet

You will receive individual advice from an expert dietitian who will go over the required diet for Lap-Band patients. In general terms, this will follow this pattern:

• 0-2 weeks Post-Surgery: Liquids Only
  • Suitable drinks include soup, milk, squash and lots of water
  • Carbonated beverages; may cause bloating, and an increase in stomach size and are not recommended at any time for Lap-Band patients.
• 2-4 weeks Post Surgery: Soft Food
  • Aim for foods easily broken with a fork like mash potato, mince, well cooked veg, yoghurt, rice pudding etc - you can use a blender if you wish
  • Avoid all crunchy foods/potato skins and salads at this stage
• 4 weeks and onwards: "Normal Eating"

Further tips

1. Ensure you eat/drink plenty of protein, which helps the body to heal and is an essential food group. If you are unable to tolerate milk, it's important to add other calcium and protein rich foods such as cottage cheese
2. Take tiny bites and eat slowly
   • Your stomach is reduced so will be unable to take the previous volumes of food
3. Certain foods may never be well tolerated by Lap-Band patients. These foods include
   • Meats that are especially tough e.g. steak/pork chops
   • Oranges and grapefruits (unless the membrane is removed before eating)
   • The seeds and/or skins of all fruits and vegetables
   • High fibre vegetables such as celery and sweet potatoes
   • Spicy foods
   • Fried foods
   • Certain spices including cinnamon, pepper, or onion or garlic salt
4. Any medicine you take may need to be adjusted following Lap-Band surgery since you will not be able to swallow pills that are aspirin-size or larger, or capsules or irregular-shaped pills

You will receive support and advice for making the most of your gastric band.

It is important to follow the prescribed diet - failure to adhere to the advice can cause complications such as band erosion or slippage that require additional surgery.

Useful Links

Click here for a gastric band forum, where recipes are shared among gastric band patients

Click here for recipes on Lapband surgery site