What's the best way to get fiber?

[sleepyjean 0]

Other than fruits and veggies, I mean. I'm working on increasing my intake of those things, but it's going to take a while to get up to five a day. In the meantime, where do I get Fiber?

The colon blow discussion got me thinking about this whole thing. I looked into psyllium and flax seed, but psyllium has tons of warnings about choking hazards because it expands in your belly. That seems doubly dangerous for a bandster. Flax seed seems less dangerous, but at 100 calories per tablespoon, I'll pass. (the reccomendation is 2 tbs a day)

I'm having a hard time with this. I've tried benefiber, but I don't really eat the kinds of foods it can be mixed into. (cereal, cottage cheese, chicken, fruit, lean cuisines mostly). I guess I could *try* mixing it into my Water, but when I was on liquids, I mixed it into a Protein Shake and YUCK. Tasteless? I think not. 1 spoonful in an 8oz shake and the texture alone grossed me out.

I bought some chewable fiber tablets at a health food store, but they are enormous, chalky, and I'd have to eat 5 or 6 of them a day to get my 25 grams in. I'm out of ideas and this is getting expensive! Help!

[gadgetlady 4]

I eat the chewable fiber tablets (yeah, the big chalky ones, 2-3 of them per day) and put a spoonful of bran into my morning Protein Shake. I have a salad with each dinner (for some reason, I can get lettuce down easily) and that seems to do it for me.

[gonnabethin 10]

Urology biofeedback clinic uses a natural mixture over any of the "medications":

Stool Solvers Recipe from Tammy Wilson

1 cup Apple Sauce

1 cup coarse unprocessed oat or wheat bran

3/4 cup juice ( apple, cranberry, grape or prune)

mixture will be pasty. keep covered in refrig and will last 2 weeks

take 2 tbsp follow with 8 oz Water in am for evening bm or pm for am bm.

Max 4 tbsp per day.

Since Im preband I dont know if this is allowable Im taking it with me tomorrow at my last pre-op to ask. This is at least easy to mix, doesnt taste bad and cheaper than benefiber. So ask you surgeon if its ok prior to use.

[*susan* 1,709]

I am very interested in this thread too. I have been having issues with "going" ever since getting my band. I saw these chewable things at the store the other day, I think they are viactin or viactive or something like that. They are supposed to take like chocolate? Has anyone tried them?

[Leila 0]

I eat loads of fruit and veggies, they always pass my band fine. I called my surgeon to chat with him about psyllium use, which he feels is fine in very small doses. I often eat a high fiber Cereal and then add a little sprinkle of psyllium. Rather than taking one or two larger doses, I just tend to sprinkle a little here and there. I also use ground flax seed in small amounts sprinkled on things. I just max out at about 1tpbs a day on the flax to keep the calories in check - the thing with flax is the calories come from Omega 3 oils which are SO good for you. You do need healthy fats and flax oils are the healthiest. Besides the added fiber and the healthy fat helps you to fee l more satiated so I think it balances out. For me I personally believe psyllium is a good fibre option if used cautiously. It does expand about 100 times it's size in total in Water. A tiny bit added to a big glass of Water or even sprinkled on foods on an empty stomach so it passes the pouch is fine for me, I use about 1/4 teaspoon at a time - A hundred times that is not enough to worry my band. I never take a larger dose than that, and never with any food that I suspect may not pass my band quickly - so usually a little Cereal with a lot of skim milk, or just with liquids. It's a personal call. I wouldn't blow my own colon - LOL, but I don't abstain completely from bulk forming fibres either - I take a middle of the road approach.

Oh, I also had a problem with Calcium supplements constipating me, and switched to a supplement that was not Calcium carbonate based - calcium citrate or ascorbate, or any of the other types is non-constipating. Also a calcium supplement that is mixed with magnesium will help with that too. Calcium carbonate will slow anyone's system down, not something I needed!

XO

[Devana 0]

Good information, Leila. Preband I had taken psyllium for many years and I do miss it now. I'll try it with caution.

[Jachut 487]

fruit, veges and I usually eat muesli for Breakfast. I've not needed to take anything else to assist.

[gadgetlady 4]

I miss my fruits and veges. I used to eat them all the time. Summer fruits were my all-time favorite. I used to live for the season because I would just eat peaches and apricots all summer long. Now I can't get them down. :-(

I think if someone had told me before the band that I couldn't eat summer fruit I would have thought again about getting it.

Now I have to depend on bran and pills to keep me regular :-(

[Leila 0]

Jack I think we eat very similarly. Now I'm hungry... I'm a berry addict.