Nine Items to Avoid on Your Lap-Band® Diet

July 9th, 2009

As an Austin bariatric or your local bariatric surgeon can tell you, the key to LAP-BAND® success is sticking to the diet. It might be tempting, but here are 9 foods and drinks to beware of.

1. High-fat Foods:
Foods with a high-fat content will push back any of your weight loss efforts. These threats include bacon, chips, chocolate, cream soups and sauces, fast food, fried foods, pastries, and pies.

2. Sugar and Sugary Foods
You’re not in much luck if you have a huge sweet tooth. Shrink your waistline by avoiding food products like cakes, candy, cookies, hone, jams, and syrups.

3. High-calorie Drinks
Although your diet may consist of a lot of liquids, that doesn’t mean you can have any drink. Milkshakes, soda, beer, fruit juice, and whole milk have more calories than you may think.

4. Starchy and White Flour Foods
Foods like pasta, rice, and doughy breads, which are starchy and made from white flour, can easily throw you off of your diet. As a last resort, opt for whole-wheat or whole-grain alternatives.

5. Fibrous Foods
Foods with high fiber pose a threat to your LAP-BAND®, as they can get stuck in your stomach opening. These foods include asparagus, celery, corn, dried fruit, pineapples, sweet potatoes.

6. Foods with Skins/Seeds
Fruits and vegetables are key to any diet, but those with skins and seeds may be hard to digest. Remove any skin or thin membranes or seeds from foods like apples, oranges, and grapes prior to eating.

7. Carbonated Drinks
Stay away from soda, carbonated water, champagne, beer, and other carbonated beverages. These quickly fill your already-reduced stomach pouch, causing discomfort.

8. Tough Meats
You’ll slowly be able to introduce solid foods into your diet, but tough meats like pork chops, hamburgers, and steaks could cause problems with your LAP-BAND®. Be sure to always chew carefully and slowly before digesting.

9. Alcohol
You may enjoy it, but your stomach sure won’t enjoy any alcohol. High in calories, alcohol will easily thwart your weight loss efforts. Consume any and all alcoholic beverage with caution.

Stay away from these nine products and you’ll be well on your way to weight loss success!

Consult your Austin bariatric or local bariatric surgeon and nutritionist for personalized diet recommendations or to get started on weight loss now.