Is salad a slider food for you?

[2beskinny 4]

Last night I had my first "real" salad (ordered at a restaurant) for dinner. It was a huge & yummy southwest steak salad. I only ate about 1/3 of it and took the rest home. However, it went down VERY easily, although I was extremely careful. Today, I had some more and same thing, soooo easy to get down. Do some of you think of Salad as a slider food? I only used about 2 tsp. of dressing so it was not extremely wet either. Even the steak (very tender) was a breeze.

Another question...what about Pasta? I made homemade chili and and served it over some pasta for my family. Was only planning on eating the chili, however, I ran 8 miles in the last 24 hours so I thought I could use the carbs. I had about 1/2 cup. Wow - it was nothing to get down. Now I'm wondering if my fill has loosened up again and it's time for another one (I have dropped some more weight) or if I just ate some things that are very easy to get down. What is your experience with salads/pastas (hey, I know pastas are a no-no, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who has eaten a little pasta post-band :biggrin:, well maybe not Betsy :crying:, haha!)

[Cocoabean 430]

salad is hit or miss for me, depending on what is in it. Tomatoes give me trouble because of the skin. Iceburg lettuce is no problem. Some of the darker lettuces can be troublesome.

As to Pasta. Lasagna noodles are too doughy. Even if I eat small bites, they tend to reform in my pouch, like play-dough. Spaghetti noodles are usually fine, unless I cram a whole bunch in my mouth. I know, against band rules to not take small bites!

Yeah, Betsy is a good low-carb girlie! I, on the other hand, am not! :biggrin: And I am OK with that, I have found what works for me, and look darn good in my size 10 jeans :crying:.

[2beskinny 4]

salad is hit or miss for me, depending on what is in it. Tomatoes give me trouble because of the skin. Iceburg lettuce is no problem. Some of the darker lettuces can be troublesome.

As to Pasta. Lasagna noodles are too doughy. Even if I eat small bites, they tend to reform in my pouch, like play-dough. Spaghetti noodles are usually fine, unless I cram a whole bunch in my mouth. I know, against band rules to not take small bites!

Yeah, Betsy is a good low-carb girlie! I, on the other hand, am not! :biggrin: And I am OK with that, I have found what works for me, and look darn good in my size 10 jeans :frown:.

Go girl! We are the same age...love to see success stories in our age group. I can't wait to wear size 10 jeans again I actually have ONE pair of 14's that I can wear again...feels awesome! My doc says 60 carbs a day max. It's the thing I struggle with the most...I usually end up around 100, but those are also the days I have 100 grams of Protein to go along with it. He did concede that since I'm exercising so much I might be able to get a away with it. I am losing, so I'm going to try and be happy about it and not feel like I'm "failing" something...that is a dangerous feeling for me :crying:.

[monkeymama 0]

salad definitely a slider for me. I can pretty much eat all the salad I want. Like the previous poster mentioned tomatoes can be troublesome if there is too much skin and I don't chew- but otherwise I can eat a lot of it.

I haven't eaten much pasta- its a bad food for me, triggers my carb binging- but when I had chicken noodle Soup the noodles slid right down. When I had mac n cheese I didn't get stuck but it did not slide either. That's the only Pasta I can remember eating. I imagine if I had it in red sauce it would go down easy. That's kind of where my band is at- dry bad, moist good, wet slide-

[Kmommy 1]

Silly question but how do you know tomatoes don't work for you???? They come back up??? I can't wait to have salad!!!

[LapBandBobbi 8]

I love salads since I've been banded. Before the band, I didn't really like salads much. I preferred the "meat and potatoes". For me, it's a lifestyle change I enjoy. I don't really consider salad a slider food.< /p>

[L12 13]

If I'm not very tight, I can eat quite a bit of salad, but otherwise just a few bites, pretty much like anything else. Most foods that people call "slider" foods don't really "slide" for me though; I guess I'm lucky in that my band helps me with just about everything I eat.

[BetsyB 9]

Ha! No, I haven't had pasta--but I don't think low carb is for everyone, or even necessary for good loss; it just does the trick for me.

salad is not a slider for me---but it is kind of hit and miss. I can have no problem at all, or one darn leaf can lie across my stoma in a way that prevents anything from moving for hours.

Still, I love a good salad, and am stubborn. So I keep trying.

[Cocoabean 430]

Silly question but how do you know tomatoes don't work for you???? They come back up??? I can't wait to have salad!!!

Not a silly question at all!!

The skin is very tough to chew. So it goes down as single piece sometimes. Then it will get caught in or over the stoma (the small hole from the pouch to the bigger part of the stomach created by the band). When this occurs, it causes significant pain that can last quite some time until the offending item is moved away from the stoma.

And yes, sometimes that involves its return from whence it came. It comes up and out, or sometimes it can work itself down. It is a very uncomfortable process, and one that I like to avoid. So, if I eat tomatoes, they are cut into small pieces or the skin is removed.

2beskinny, if your blood work is doing well, your blood pressure is good or improving, and you are losing or getting smaller (or even maintaining for that matter!), then you are NOT failing! You are exercising, which is wonderful! Your doctor said your diet may be acceptable with your level of exercise. Give it a while and see. If needed, you can adjust later. That is the thing about the band, we can easily do moderation and Portion Control.< /p>

My PCP wants me to lose another 10 lbs. I told him I wasn't sure I was ready for the extra work needed, as I am easily maintaining where I am. He said fine, take a break and stay where you are...evaluate again in 6 months. The only thing that is off for me is slightly elevated fasting blood sugar (around 105 rather than below 100). So he is not overly concerned if I don't take off the extra he'd like me to lose.

The bottom line is, this is my body and my life, I follow my bandster rules as given to me by my surgeon as much as possible. Do I fall off? Its coming up on 3 years for me, so of course I do. But each meal is a new chance to get back on the horse. Not each day, not each week, but each meal.

Oh, and back to the original topic...salad as a slider, it may be for some, but it can also contain tons of nutrients, and unless you overload it with croutons, cheese, eggs, and high-fat dressing, it can still be a valuable addition to your diet. As a side dish to a meal with Protein, it can become a non-slider.

[msdv 5]

Now I'm craving salad.:smile:

I have had one chicken caesar salad since being banded and it went down no problem but that was before my first fill. I managed to eat the whole thing.

I may try another one today.

[LoserHeather37 5]

I LOVE salad, but I haven't been able to eat it since I got my first fill. My PCP says to keep trying, maybe something will change and it'll start going down. However, I haven't been able to get anything down the past couple of days. Which is weird, because I had a fill 3 weeks ago this Wednesday and did fine up until Saturday. Right now I feel like I have something stuck in the back of my throat. Any thoughts?

[Rebeccastl615 0]

I have not had a problem with salad, tomoatoes, or Pasta. Sometimes I can eat bread, sometimes it hurts. Sometimes I can eat only a little food and feel stuffed and sometimes I can eat way past the point that I think I should. This past weekend, for example, I was very busy during the day both days and didn't really eat much at all during the day. But then when evening came around, I could eat more than I should and of course did because I was starving. I know that isn't the right thing to do and during the week I usually do very well because I have a set routine at work and at home. It was just the busy, hectic weekend activity with kids, etc. that threw me off. I feel terrible about my food choices this past weekend as well. My son had a sleepover on Saturday night with some of his friends and I got them a 50 piece nugget from McDonalds for them to all share. When they didn't eat them all I dipped in there and ate a few. (this was after I already had my meal) And sunday I had veggie pizza, which isn't too bad but I had 3 pieces! I should not be able to eat 3 pieces of pizza! It was crazy! Like I said before, sometimes I can't eat very much at all and I am super stuffed. But then there are times like this past weekend where I am eating chickent nuggets and pizza and not hitting that wall. SO CONFUSING AND FRUSTRATING! I have only had one fill so far, so possibly once I get more retriction it will be more consistent on not being able to eat more than I should. I sure hope so! (I know I need to be in control of my food choices all the time, with or without restriction, but hey, I am not perfect all the time. If I was, then obviously I wouldn't need WLS to help me with this! ) What are everyone's thoughts on this?

[Cocoabean 430]

Heather, can you get liquids down? If not, call your surgeon ASAP. If you can't get any kind of solids down, you might call now anyway and get a slight unfill. Are you able to get yogurt or protien shakes down? You need some form of nutrition.

Rebecca, I have days where I am hungrier than others. It is just the way of things. I asked my surgeon about it. He said that the stomach moves a little bit within the confines of the band giving more restriction some days than others. Other things can affect it as well, such as your level of hydration or Water retention. For some, altitude plays a role in restriction level. What I have learned is that now I am like my normal weight friends, some days they are hungrier than other days. It is what it is. For me, it's all good. :smile: Except when I get stuck.

[LoserHeather37 5]

Heather, can you get liquids down? If not, call your surgeon ASAP. If you can't get any kind of solids down, you might call now anyway and get a slight unfill. Are you able to get yogurt or protien shakes down? You need some form of nutrition.

I can get liquids down and soft mushies too. I just feel like something is stuck in the back of my throat. I also have that uncomfortable feeling in my chest like I do when I overeat, and a little heartburn. So I am getting nutrition, I'm just slightly uncomfortable.

[Cocoabean 430]

[quote name=LoserHeather37;1531139

I can get liquids down and soft mushies too. I just feel like something is stuck in the back of my throat. I also have that uncomfortable feeling in my chest like I do when I overeat' date=' and a little heartburn. So I am getting nutrition, I'm just slightly uncomfortable.[/quote]

You might be just a hair too tight. Heartburn can be a symptom of that. You might give it a couple more days. It's possible you got something stuck without realizing it and have some swelling. Stick to mushies for a bit. But if it doesn't resolve, don't hesitate to get a slight unfill.

Being overfilled does not lead to quicker weight loss. It just leads to discomfort and possible slippage or erosion. It is not something to mess with. It can be amazing what one or two tenths of a CC can do for you. But if you wait too long, you might need more removed.

Having a band should not be painful :smile: