Banded Girl

I promised one of my Twitter friends that I would blog about what I can and can’t eat, since it varies so much from person to person. She also asked me how many ccs I have in my band–I’m not really sure, but I think it’s sitting at around 6.25.

But the food!

I cannot eat in the morning. I used to do a pre-workout banana, but I can’t get them down now. Greek yogurt is too thick. I usually do a protein drink of some kind. I’ve been experimenting with smoothies using various combinations of fruit, juice, and protein powder I have left from my pre-op days or CLICK on days when I want something warm or I’m running behind or I just NEED CAFFEINE PLEASE! I have yet to concoct a smoothie I’m truly in love with, but I still promise that I’ll post a video demonstrating it when I come up with something.

(As an aside, some doctors forbid liquid meals for their patients and say to have something solid in the morning. My doc says protein shakes are okay first thing because of the swelling many of us experience. Check with your doctor, blah, blah, blah.)

I have few restrictions the rest of the time. While I’ve never had a problem with it, I avoid rice because of horror stories I’ve heard from bandsters who have consumed it post-op. I have an occasional grain here and there (like when I forget to ask for a burrito sans rice and I can’t pick all of the grains off) but I’ve never been a big rice eater anyway. It’s been pretty easy for me to stay away from the grain.

Bread can be hit or miss. I eat thin bread pretty easily (tortillas, Sandwich Thins, and flatbread/pitas/naan if I’m careful), but doughy bread is something I’ve mostly avoided for quite a while now. If I pay a lot of attention I can have a dinner roll from time to time, but I usually don’t think it’s worth the effort. If I go to a sandwich shop like Subway or Quizno’s, I get flatbread sandwiches or just pick the toppings off.

Hamburger patties are right out. I stopped eating their buns some time ago and ordered burgers with a lettuce wrap instead. Then, I started ordering them cooked medium-well or medium instead of well done. Now, however, I just can’t chew them well enough no matter how they’re cooked.

Dry meat in general is hard to chew well enough for me to eat nowadays. Moist meat (aka “not overdone”) is perfectly fine. Unless it’s shredded. I only eat shredded meat if I’m feeling brave, which is pretty much never.

Eggs are difficult for me, which sucks because I LOVE THEM. On days when I really want an egg, I have to make sure that I have both time and patience because the meal doesn’t end well otherwise.

I haven’t tried raw veggies in quite some time, but steamed vegetables are still awesome. As far as I know, raw fruit is still okay as long as it doesn’t have membranes (so no citrus). I really don’t ingest a lot of fruit in non-smoothie form, though.

What about the rest of you? Are there any foods you have to avoid at all costs? Have you found an food product you’d like to recommend? Do you have a favorite smoothie recipe for your favorite Banded Girl? Leave a comment! If you blog about your food restrictions, I’d love it if you provided a link for everyone, as well!