Pizza

[BigDaddy16]

How many people have eaten pizza post surgery and how soon after the band did you have it. Pizza and wings are my biggest vices and need to plan ahead mentally for surgery. Please help

[BandDiva]

From what I have heard, you can have it before your fill, after that you can kiss pizza goodbye. (forawhile) But, let some of these experienced Bandsters tell ya!

[Kittycat]

Hi BigDaddy, if you are banded at the OCC, you are on liquids for 21 days post op...pizza will come after that. I find wings hard to eat, can't manage the skin and pulling the meat out, is too much work. Pizza and wings may become a thing of your past, it has for me!

Good luck with whatever you decide!!

[julieburns]

After your 21 days on liquids you can have anything your band will tolerate( of course within moderation and following the "rules"). I have no problems with pizza, just take very small bites and chew the heck out of it. It's a rare treat I let myself have. I only eat about 1/2 to 1 small slice though since I have great restriction right now. Before you get to the right restriction level you may be able to eat more than you should so be careful.

[BigDaddy16]

Hi BigDaddy, if you are banded at the OCC, you are on liquids for 21 days post op...pizza will come after that. I find wings hard to eat, can't manage the skin and pulling the meat out, is too much work. Pizza and wings may become a thing of your past, it has for me!

Good luck with whatever you decide!!

What exactly is the OCC? I am new to the board and see OCC everywhere and am just too lazy to search and see what it means myself.

[Kittycat]

Top left hand corner "Obesity Control Center". It is the facility in Tijuana Mexico where Dr. Ortiz performed the lapband procedures on most of the members on this forum.

This forum is monitored by the OCC.

[Jann]

Maybe it's just me but how does pizza and wings qualify as early bandster healthy living? I'm so not trying to be judgmental please don't misunderstand. I just don't get it. That type of food just strikes me as being everything the band is against. It's temptation food and it's so easy to overeat with it. It's self defeating. Fried wings on average have 90 calories per wing. 12 wings and voila, there's your daily allowance. For those on a higher allowance do the math. I can see when you reach goal weight or close to how that could be a treat but now???

If you are asking opinions, I would suggest to you that you wipe pizza and wings out of your vocabulary. They call it junk food for a reason. They are heavy in fat and laden in unnecessary calories. If all else fails hope to God that you are one of the people that all that grease reacts badly with the band and forces you to quit. Having said that, your band, your health, your money, your choice.

Jann

[Iluvmyboyz]

Hi BigDaddy,

Just wanted to quickly give you my thoughts on pizza. I can only eat the toppings off the top of the pizza and then I am done. It is great!!! I don't eat it very often, but once in awhile I do. Can't eat a half a pizza like I used to, but certainly can still enjoy the yumminess of pizza. The toppings are the best part anyways. As far as wings go...I have not tolerated any kind of chicken very good at all with the band. So, not sure what to tell you on that. Good luck!!! Getting the band is actually very exciting, you think of new ways to eat food and you enjoy food instead of inhale food. It is a truly amazing tool!!! I love mine!!!

Natalie

[denisem]

Like Jann said, pizza is junk food and should be kept to a minimum. I've had 3 fills, and tried to eat a piece of pizza last weekend when my husband and 5-yr old were having some for dinner. I could only manage about 1/2 a piece and the crust was just too chewy to chew up well enough. It really wasn't worth the trouble, even though it smelled great! So, in other words...just eat the healthy stuff and you probably won't miss pizza at all!

Denise

[Allcdngirl]

Hey Big Daddy... you will definitely change your lifestyle with your food choices, but so I don't feel deprived of anything, I do allow myself to eat pizza only once in a while. Like Natalie, I try to eat the toppings only. Veggie's and cheese only. Chew the heck out of it. It's good protein and that's what you're supposed to eat first to fill you up. I have had a couple of wings, but I think you will find, that after a while, you won't want to eat them. Your choices of food will be limited so you will want to eat smart and all will be by trial and error. Stick with the forum and you'll learn lots!

[BigDaddy16]

Thanx everyone for your input. I was just asking because I was being asked similar questions from my wife and really didn't know how to properly respond. I am definitely not looking to "beat the band" and eat everything that I shouldn't, I was just asking for the best advice which is what it seems happens here. Thank you also for the "OCC" clarification. I found the board thru Google and never even looked at the name.

I am looking at the surgery like a stage in life. I was explaining to somebody about how getting the band was like a single person getting married. You spend your early years partying and "living free" while searching for that significant other to spend the rest of your life with. Although you may not have any regrets of the path that brought you to where your current state is,you surely can't continue that behavior. You finally find the person you were looking for and decide to give up many of the activities that you were accustomed to and begin the new life and family together. I'm not saying that I want to regress to some of the bad behaviors,I was just asking how an occasional dabble into them would feel.

Trust me, I know I will not live another 36 years by living the way I lived the first 36,but I need to understand my limits and my perks. Thanx again for the "strong" response. I do appreciate the passion on this board

[Trav]

Thanx everyone for your input. I was just asking because I was being asked similar questions from my wife and really didn't know how to properly respond. I am definitely not looking to "beat the band" and eat everything that I shouldn't, I was just asking for the best advice which is what it seems happens here. Thank you also for the "OCC" clarification. I found the board thru Google and never even looked at the name.

I am looking at the surgery like a stage in life. I was explaining to somebody about how getting the band was like a single person getting married. You spend your early years partying and "living free" while searching for that significant other to spend the rest of your life with. Although you may not have any regrets of the path that brought you to where your current state is,you surely can't continue that behavior. You finally find the person you were looking for and decide to give up many of the activities that you were accustomed to and begin the new life and family together. I'm not saying that I want to regress to some of the bad behaviors,I was just asking how an occasional dabble into them would feel.

Trust me, I know I will not live another 36 years by living the way I lived the first 36,but I need to understand my limits and my perks. Thanx again for the "strong" response. I do appreciate the passion on this board

Yeah, as I was waking up, I had to thank everyone in the room for helping give me my life back. I didn't want to have a heart attack by the time I was 40.

[JazzyJude]

Yes, what Jann says, pizza is totally a junk food and if you are going to spend good money on your band, why would you want to risk the health of eating greasy, fatty, doughy glob that would hurt you and your band? When you decide to have the band, it means total committment to liefstyle changes with healthy foods and do substitutions.

I've a few 'mock pizza' recipes that might entice you and you would be surprised at the taste and wonder why you would eat the other 'junky, greasy' kind. Look for the recipes in a few days.

[Trav]

There are some soy products that resemble cheese as well.

before my surgery, I made all my own pizza..(unless I was just pressed for time)

The things I've learned about pizza...if you make your own dough, you can get it REALLY thin...(so that when it's baked, it's not quite cracker-like, but not doughy like deep dish)

if you gotta have meat, make a good choice here, and get yourself some ultra-lean hamburger, or some roast-beef and make a Philly pizza.

a good combo is onions, green peppers, and black olives, (or green olives)

The crux of pizza..(here's some science for you guys)....pizza is a "devil food"...why? You've got a LOT of carbs, but because it's also high in fat, it elevates your blood sugar longer than normal, so you're going to crank out extra insulin because your body isn't seeing the blood sugar levels go down, so it cranks out extra, and gives you a low, which makes you hungry again. (something about the high fat combined with the high carbs makes it exceptionally bad)

So, pizza...yeah bad idea. i'd reserve that for a special occasion food if you absolutely miss it. (like a birthday or christmas or something). I can't say I'll cut it out completely, but I'll at least try to make it as healthy as can be had....(which isn't saying much, because it's bad for you by its very nature.)

[BrandNewDawn]

BigDaddy,

I can manage about 1 small slice of pizza if it is thin crust. Before banding, I could eat 3 or 4 slices of thick crust no problem. I cannot eat chicken wings, I have trouble with most chicken now.

I try not to label foods as good and bad but I have to agree there are healthier choices out there than pizza and chicken wings.

Probably best kept for special occasions. I loved pizza before, but honestly, now I can take it or leave it.

[Sandy]

Hi Big Daddy, congratulations on the decision to change your life. I wanted to add my 2 cents about pizza. It is my all time favorite food and I could eat it every single day of my life (but I obviously don't). I have no intention of giving it up. The band is my tool to eat normal food in normal portions. If I have to eat "diet" food to lose the weight and keep it off then I really have wasted my money. I do eat a great deal of diet food but I can't live like that without encountering a situation where I need to eat normal food. That's what the band is for. I want to be one of those people that "serving sizes" were made for. Pre band I thought they were made for toddlers.

Good luck!

[mona-camille]

Hi Big Daddy, congratulations on the decision to change your life. I wanted to add my 2 cents about pizza. It is my all time favorite food and I could eat it every single day of my life (but I obviously don't). I have no intention of giving it up. The band is my tool to eat normal food in normal portions. If I have to eat "diet" food to lose the weight and keep it off then I really have wasted my money. I do eat a great deal of diet food but I can't live like that without encountering a situation where I need to eat normal food. That's what the band is for. I want to be one of those people that "serving sizes" were made for. Pre band I thought they were made for toddlers.

Good luck!

I agree with you 100%. There is nothing wrong with the occasional piece of pizza if your band can tolerate it. Any diet expert will tell you that refusing your favorite foods forever is a prescription for failure. The band was meant to control portions not deny you your favorite foods for the rest of your life. Thats is exactly why most people fail on restrictive diets like that.

No-one is saying that eating pizza should be done on a regular basis, but once in great while, one small slice isn't going to hurt you.

That being said, with good restriction, I can imagine a big fluffy crust would be nearly impossible to get down as any type of mushy bread is not tolerated by most bandsters.

[Jann]

Thanx everyone for your input. I was just asking because I was being asked similar questions from my wife and really didn't know how to properly respond. I am definitely not looking to "beat the band" and eat everything that I shouldn't, I was just asking for the best advice which is what it seems happens here. Thank you also for the "OCC" clarification. I found the board thru Google and never even looked at the name.

I am looking at the surgery like a stage in life. I was explaining to somebody about how getting the band was like a single person getting married. You spend your early years partying and "living free" while searching for that significant other to spend the rest of your life with. Although you may not have any regrets of the path that brought you to where your current state is,you surely can't continue that behavior. You finally find the person you were looking for and decide to give up many of the activities that you were accustomed to and begin the new life and family together. I'm not saying that I want to regress to some of the bad behaviors,I was just asking how an occasional dabble into them would feel.

Trust me, I know I will not live another 36 years by living the way I lived the first 36,but I need to understand my limits and my perks. Thanx again for the "strong" response. I do appreciate the passion on this board

You, my friend, have your head on straight and will be one who succeeds by your own reasoning! Please do not think for one moment I was posting against the person. I wasn't. I was actually posting against the food! (print is a harsh medium and intent is often misinterpreted)

I'm not anti-pizza as a reintroduction food down the line in small amounts in healthier versions like Trav's (although I haven't graduated to soy as a food group yet). I'm anti-pizza as part of the WL journey. It's not logical to think you can still eat junk food when you've gone to the extreme measure of having a surgical implant. (that's the global universal you -- not the you, you ) That thinking just really flies in the face of the point of the surgery. I know for a fact based on his book, his videos and his in person pater that Dr. O. would not disagree nor would any of the other doctors providing this surgery.

I have read in many forums across the inet complaints from people that aren't losing weight or are stalled in their WL journey and they just can't figure it out. Then you start to go back through threads and they are still eating junk based foods and/or eating around their bands and blaming their fills or perceived lack thereof. Exercise is also key to your success and part of the program. The band really is a commitment to lifestyle change not a tool to have your cake and eat it too.

Jann

[Jann]

There are some soy products that resemble cheese as well.

before my surgery, I made all my own pizza..(unless I was just pressed for time)

The things I've learned about pizza...if you make your own dough, you can get it REALLY thin...(so that when it's baked, it's not quite cracker-like, but not doughy like deep dish)

if you gotta have meat, make a good choice here, and get yourself some ultra-lean hamburger, or some roast-beef and make a Philly pizza.

a good combo is onions, green peppers, and black olives, (or green olives)

The crux of pizza..(here's some science for you guys)....pizza is a "devil food"...why? You've got a LOT of carbs, but because it's also high in fat, it elevates your blood sugar longer than normal, so you're going to crank out extra insulin because your body isn't seeing the blood sugar levels go down, so it cranks out extra, and gives you a low, which makes you hungry again. (something about the high fat combined with the high carbs makes it exceptionally bad)

So, pizza...yeah bad idea. i'd reserve that for a special occasion food if you absolutely miss it. (like a birthday or christmas or something). I can't say I'll cut it out completely, but I'll at least try to make it as healthy as can be had....(which isn't saying much, because it's bad for you by its very nature.)

Excellent point and good advice!

Jann

[Guest CaraMBA09]

How many people have eaten pizza post surgery and how soon after the band did you have it. Pizza and wings are my biggest vices and need to plan ahead mentally for surgery. Please help

I will personally warn you about pizza. I am currently in the stage we call Bandster Hell. It is the point between the 3rd/4th week post op and the first fill. There is virtually NO restriction.

I had three pieces of Pizza Hut pan pizza...(I have had a BAD week and waiting for my first fill is killing me) last night.

It LITERALLY sat in my stomach from 6 pm last night until about an hour ago!!! 9:00 AM

I will not do that again, I have been VERY uncomfortable.

I would recommend eating only the toppings...as far as wings?...WHY? They are loaded with fat and from what I hear, the skin of the chicken clogs the band.

My weakness is pasta! I can honestly say that I have not had any pasta for 7 weeks now, it may be hard to give up the things you love...but the band is a tool and has to be your partner.

Best of luck to you!

C