Your diet is one of the key ways to reach your weight loss goals after a lap band procedure. However, you can still get creative with your meals and make delicious food even though you must restrict certain items and limit your serving sizes. Let’s explore the basics for building a post-op lap band diet menu followed by must-try mouthwatering recipes.

The Basics for Building a Lap Band Diet Menu

Lap band surgery is an option for people seeking significant weight loss results. A lap band is a silicone band placed near the top of the stomach to create a small pouch. When you eat, food first enters this smaller pouch before making its way to the rest of your stomach. Thus, your stomach can only handle small portions at one time.

Because you must severely restrict your food intake, the food you do eat must be full of vital nutrients. Therefore, you not only need to limit your meal sizes, but you need to make sure meals meet the nutritional requirements for bariatric surgery patients and avoid vitamin deficiencies. To ensure you get the most out of each bite, you must plan out your meals.

The Post Lap Band Diet Menu

You will need to make some significant changes to your diet after surgery, especially in the first weeks after your procedure. What you can and cannot eat depends on how many weeks it has been since surgery.

Before you have surgery, you will already have a good idea of what your immediate post-surgery diet will entail. Most doctors require their patients to follow a pre lap band diet menu of only liquids. By taking in only liquids on your lap band pre-op diet menu, you can start to lose weight and shrink your liver.

Here is a brief overview of how your diet may advance in the post-op period:

What to Eat:

First 2 weeks after surgery - Immediately after surgery, you will only be allowed liquids for the first few weeks. Your doctor will let you know what liquids are safe during this phase. Generally, most doctors will allow you to have clear broths, non-fat powdered milk, skim milk, soy and whey protein powders, and sugar-free gelatin (Jell-O).

3-4 weeks after surgery - Unless you had complications, your doctor will likely advance you to a pureed foods diet. You can puree various foods, including chicken, fish, vegetables, yogurt, and even mashed potatoes. You will want to avoid any high-fat items or additives like milk and butter.

5-6 weeks after surgery - During this time, you should be able to advance to soft foods. You don’t have to puree your meals at this point anymore, but be sure you are chewing your food thoroughly. Foods you can incorporate now include eggs, fruit, cereals, cooked veggies, and soft proteins like fish.

6 weeks and beyond - If you have not had any complications and you feel like you are adjusting well to your lap band, your doctor will likely allow you to resume a regular diet. However, you will want to make sure to continue to chew your food very carefully. Additionally, you will want to avoid high-fat, high-sugar foods because they can speed up your digestive system, causing unpleasant symptoms.

If you have made it successfully to 6 weeks and beyond after lap band surgery and you are ready to get creative in the kitchen, try these 5 sumptuous recipes.

5 recipes you must include in your post op lap band diet menu

Crustless Quiche

Try making this is a muffin pan to render appropriate portions for your post lap band stomach.

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• Vegetable-based cooking spray
• 6 eggs
• 6 mushrooms, chopped
• ½ red pepper, diced
• 3 slices of deli ham, diced
• ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and spray cooking oil in the muffin pan (or pie dish, if you want to make a whole quiche).

2. Crack all of the eggs in a large bowl and mix well. Add in all of the ingredients and mix them together.

3. Pour the mixture in each muffin well (or pie dish). Bake for 20 minutes, or until browned.

Calories: 131

Protein: 10.9g

Baked Avocado Eggs

Combining eggs and avocados is a great way to jumpstart your day with protein and healthy fats.

Servings: 2

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 avocado, halved and pitted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 strip of bacon, diced and cooked until crispy (this is optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Place halved avocados in an oven-safe dish. Remove about 1-2 Tbsp(s) of extra avocado to make room for filling. Position the avocados next to each other or the side of the dish, so they do not tip over easily.

2. Crack the eggs into each avocado. Do not let the egg spillover. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.

3. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the egg whites are firm. The longer you leave the avocados to bake, the firmer the egg yolk. Thus, if you like hard-boiled egg yolks, you may want to bake for about 17-18 minutes.

4. Top with diced bacon and chives after removing from the oven and enjoy!

Calories with bacon: 328

Protein with bacon: 11.7g

Calories without bacon: 277

Protein without bacon: 8.2g

Apple Cranberry Turkey Burger

If Thanksgiving were a burger, it would taste like this: delicious, flavorful, and comforting (without the added calories). Skip the bun and wrap with a lettuce leaf, if desired.

Servings: 2

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 25

Ingredients:

For the burgers-

• ½ lb. 99% lean ground turkey
• ½ green apple, shredded with a cheese grater
• ½ tsp sage, minced
• ½ tsp thyme
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

For cranberry topping:

1 cup fresh cranberries

• ¼ green apple
• ½ cup of water
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp nutmeg

Optional: Lettuce leaf as a bun replacement

Directions:

1. Preheat grill. Mix all of the burger ingredients. Form into patties and grill for about 6 minutes on each side, or until the meat thermometer reads 165 F. Remove burgers from the grill.

2. While grilling, place all cranberry topping ingredients in a small saucepan and cook on medium-high heat until apples soften and berries begin to pop (about 10 minutes).

3. Pour sauce over turkey burger and serve wrapped in a lettuce leaf or solo.

Calories: 183

Protein: 28.7g

Parchment Salmon and Veggies

This easy-clean-up dinner is full of protein, omega-3’s, and flavor.

Servings: 1

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 20

Ingredients:

For salmon-

• Olive oil
• 6 oz skin salmon filet
• 1 tsp fresh dill
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Lemon slices

For veggies-

• ¼ cup Zucchini squash, diced
• ¼ cup Butternut squash, diced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Special equipment-

Parchment paper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Tear off a large piece of parchment paper and fold in half.

2. Center the salmon on one half of the parchment paper and rub olive oil over the top. Sprinkle garlic, salt, and pepper on for seasoning. Then, place lemon slices on top.

3. In a bowl, mix chopped veggies in about 1 Tbsp of olive oil, salt, and pepper. After it is mixed, arrange the veggies around the salmon filet on parchment paper. Sprinkle dill all over the salmon and veggies.

4. Fold the parchment paper into a pocket or envelope and bake for 20 minutes, or until salmon reaches an internal temperature of 145 F.

Calories: 236

Protein: 36.2g

Simple Protein Bites

Perfect for a protein-packed snack or an after-dinner treat, these protein bites are easy-to-make and store well in a refrigerated container for several days.

Servings: 1 ball (recipe makes about 12)

Prep time: 5

Ingredients:

• ½ cup peanut butter
• ½ cup ground flaxseed
• Small handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds
• ⅔ cups toasted unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients into a large bowl and mix.

2. Form small balls with your hands and place them in an air-tight container.

3. Refrigerate for up to one week.

Calories: 136

Protein 4g