After Lap-Band
Surgery
When you are ready to
leave the hospital,
you may receive a
visit from the
hospital dietitian who
will go over the
required diet for
Lap-Band patients.
It’s important to
fully understand the
Lap-Band diet before
you decide on this
type of weight loss
surgery. The first 3
to 4 days following
Adjustable Gastric
Lap-Band surgery
patients must follow a
clear liquid diet.
Failure to follow the
prescribed diet can
cause complications
such as band erosion
or slippage that
require additional
surgery.

If you are a regular
coffee, tea, or soda
drinker you should be
aware that no caffeine
is permitted for the
first three months
after surgery.
Carbonated beverages;
both diet and regular
may cause gas,
bloating, and an
increase in stomach
size due to the
carbonation and are
not recommended at any
time for Lap-Band
patients.
The
second
phase of
the
Lap-Band
diet
consists
of 5 to
6 weeks
of a
modified
full
liquid
diet;
the key
component
of this
phase is
consuming
two
ounces
of a
protein
shake
every
hour for
ten to
twelve
hours a
day with
two
ounces
of other
liquids
such as
soup,
baby
food, or
sugar-free
gelatin
three
times a
day.
During
the
second
six
weeks
following
Lap-Band
surgery
patients
may eat
food
that is
shredded
in a
food
processor
prior to
eating.
The
basic
foods on
the
Lap-Band
diet
include
meats or
other
forms of
protein,
vegetables,
and
salads.
The
Lap-Band
diet
does not
include
most
bread,
potatoes
and
other
starchy
vegetables.
The
length
of these
phases
may be
altered
according
a
patient’s
personal
weight
and
weight
loss
goals –
my first
phase is
five
weeks,
followed
by a two
week
second
phase.
Protein
is
especially
important
following
Lap-Band
surgery.
After
Lap-Band
surgery
the
stomach
will
never
hold
more
than 4
to 6
ounces
per
meal, so
making
every
bite
count is
essential
for
healthy
and
nutritionally
rounded
weight
loss
success.
Lap-Band
patients
are
advised
to
consume
fifty to
sixty
grams of
protein
daily to
avoid
protein
deficiency.
Protein
deficiency
causes
hair
loss,
fatigue,
edema,
muscle
weakness,
and a
delay in
wound
healing.
A lack
of
adequate
protein
may also
lead to
depression,
anxiety,
irritability,
apathy,
and
other
mental
health
conditions,
as well
as cause
a number
of
physical
health
issues
from
gallstones
to
colds,
headaches,
low
blood
pressure,
anemia,
irregular
hear
rates,
and, in
extreme
cases,
death. A
lab can
measure
the
amount
of
protein
in your
blood by
performing
a serum
albumin
blood
test.
Eating
after
Adjustable
Gastric
Lap-Band
surgery
means
taking
tiny
bites,
and
eating
very
slowly.
You
should
think of
your new
stomach
as a
“baby”
stomach.
You’ll
be
drinking
protein
shakes
and
relearning
eating
skills
much the
same way
as a new
baby
eats
formula
(or
breast
milk),
and
slowly
adds new
foods
from
blended
baby
foods to
chunkier
baby
foods.
Certain
foods
may
never be
well
tolerated
by
Lap-Band
patients.
These
foods
include:
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.
For me
this has
meant
breaking
a blood
pressure
pill in
half,
changing
my
tri-estrogen
capsules
to a
cream
form,
and
taking
liquid
antibiotics
and
painkillers
for an
unrelated
infection.