This diet is primarily liquid, and should be adhered to for the first 2 weeks after your lap-band surgery. The following are liquids you may have during the next 1-2 weeks. Some of you will be on the liquid diet longer because of various conditions.
When you are hungry during the day, select from the list below. The limitation is on the consistency of the food, not the quantity, during the day.
Drink slowly; do not guzzle liquids (think of your band as a funnel and you don’t want to spill over the funnel). Use a straw to help drink slowly.
Getting off sugar is a goal during this time. Clean out your pantry of any sugar filled items. Also getting rid of “artificial” sweeteners is a good idea. We want to get rid of that from your mouth and get you into healthier food.
Allowed Food Choices
No chunk soups are great: butternut squash, cream of chicken, tomato. Add some spices or herbs to them to change their flavors.
Green Tea is great! There are many flavors and this helps to increase weight loss. This should become your go-to drink. Try different varieties, go to tea shops. Some green tea tastes delicious without artificial flavors and some green tea tastes like pond water. Find one that you like. Remember – avoid artificial sweeteners. It is pretty inexpensive to make – hot or cold. Other teas are good choices – I like Yorkshire Gold.
Coffee is fine , you can add whole organic half and half or cream to it. No sugar and no sweeteners. If you use whole cream and prepare the coffee well you can get away from the sugars and artificial flavors. Caffeine is not a problem for weight loss. Avoid most juices – they often have a lot of sugar. That includes Naked Juice that is filled with carbohydrates.
Chicken broth is your friend – but NOT low-sodium. You will be using a lot of sodium, as your body burns fat. You think that you are “weak” or fatigued because of a lack of energy; it is often a lack of sodium. You have plenty of energy stored as fat.
Yogurt is a trap – often having too much sugar, more than ice cream. Avoid yogurt.
Cottage cheese. You can add Sriracha or A1 sauce or hot sauce to change flavor
Gelatin can be rough – nickel size bits only. Take your time eating it
Clear broth or bouillon.
Protein Drinks daily:
o UnJury, or other Whey flavored protein with 5 grams of sugar or less per serving
o Prepared protein drinks such as Atkins, IsoPure, Myoplex, EAS
One multivitamin/mineral daily. Chewable. I like Flintstones. Do not use gummy ones- they clog things up. Use Tums for calcium.
Drink water throughout the day.
Only lightly carbonated fluids – not soda.
For proper healing, you must stay on this liquid diet for one to two weeks after surgery. The liquid diet is temporary, easy to digest, and does not leave much residue in the stomach and intestines. It will keep you hydrated and helps your body adjust to food after surgery.