“If I could control what I put in my mouth, I wouldn’t need to have weight loss surgery!” Ever said this to yourself- or even out loud? You’re not alone. The majority of weight loss surgery candidates have gained their excess weight by not controlling their portion sizes or making the proper food choices. Everyone dreams of a magic pill, or drink, or surgery that will allow them to effortlessly lose weight and look amazing. Many people in society today think that weight loss surgery is just that- an easy way out. But living with a Lap-Band takes determination, persistence, and self-control.
Lap-Bands work by allowing you to feel satisfied after a small well balanced meal, and by keeping you satisfied for 4-5 hours afterwards. However, they don’t do this immediately- most patients don’t notice any sort of change in their satisfaction level until they’ve had three or more fills. When you are banded, you’ll have to follow your surgeon’s post-op diet in order to ensure that you heal well and do not stress your fragile stomach as it gets used to the band. The time in between surgery and hitting good restriction is often known as “Lap-Band hell”. You will need to be diligent about what you eat. Fast forwarding to solid foods too soon could cause long-term or even permanent damage. No matter how hungry you feel, you will need to control your eating and drinking. Yes, plenty of people “cheat”- but as the saying goes, the only person you’re cheating is yourself! Think of how proud you’ll be to look back and say “I went through x weeks of only having liquids, and I did it.”
Once you’ve moved past the healing stage and into everyday life with the Lap-Band, you should be feeling the benefits that the band provides you. While you’re able to feel satisfied on smaller meals, you’ll still be 100% in charge of what you put in your mouth. A hamburger with a bun or without a bun might fill you up in the same way, but you will need to make sure you’re eating the types of food your doctor told you to. Many bandsters find that a high protein, lower carb diet helps them to stay satisfied throughout the day and keeps them from craving sweets.
There’s an ugly little truth that most pre-op patients don’t realize: the Lap-band doesn’t STOP you from eating something that you shouldn’t. Often the foods that are the worst for us are those that go down the easiest. Chips, ice cream, donuts, high calorie coffee drinks… they all slide right through the band. Even more dense foods like pizza might not be a problem for you. Some bandsters are able to eat just as much as they could pre-surgery- they just choose not to. And that choice can be just as hard to make post-surgery as it was before you were banded! This is why so many Lap-Band patients don’t end up losing all of their excess weight. Once the newness of surgery wears off and you realize that your band will allow it, you will still need to practice self-control.
Many pre-op patients are told that they will no longer be “able” to eat certain foods (breads, dry meats, popcorn, etc.) and for some patients this proves true. Other patients can still eat any of these “problem foods” with no ill effects. Once you realize you can still eat a piece of bread when out to dinner, the floodgates might open for you. Often patients like the prospect of not being able to eat their trigger foods, and can feel devastated when they learn that these foods still go down just fine. What a challenge for a person who has gone under the knife, and possibly spent thousands of dollars, hoping that they’ll no longer be tempted by baked goods!
Lap-band patients need to boil their eating habits down to this: Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Being banded is a huge life change, and our behaviors need to change along with our anatomy. It’s important that we stick to our prescribed diets (while allowing ourselves an occasional treat) if we truly want to see that skinnier, happier face looking back in the mirror. Always check with yourself to see if you’re making a good food choice. Measure out your foods and use a small plate, as the eye usually under-estimates portion sizes. Make good use of to-go bags at restaurants. Have a bite of a treat food instead of a whole bowl. Choose healthier cooking options. Every little change for the better you make in a day will account for a change in your weight- for good.