The Lapband should reduce your hunger and/or the amount that you can comfortably eat which is likely to result in some weight loss.
In order to maximise that loss you may want to read through the information below and adjust your habits to make sure you have implemented as many of the strategies as you can.
Traditional Weight Loss Advice
There seem to be three widely accepted pieces of general advice for weight loss, which although you are probably very aware of, are a good starting point for discussion.
1. Reduce caloric intake and increase energy expenditure
At it's most basic level weight loss is a question of physics - with a little medical intervention to help our bodies along the way. You just have to make sure that your body is using more energy than you put into it so that it has to start using up the fat-stores.
The Lapband, in combination with the strategies listed below, will help reduce caloric intake.
The only way to increase your energy expenditure is through exercise. A lot of people find it difficult to find the time to exercise so the important question becomes "What is the absolute minimum amount that you need to do to maximise weight loss?".
Health Magazine's Beauty and Fitness Guide (Summer 2000 at Page 75) reviews a number of studies on the subject and concludes that, to increase the rate of weight loss, you need to do either:
45 minutes of brisk walking, gardening or running errands on foot 5-7 days per week; OR
20 minutes of intense exercise 3 times a week plus two 20 minute weight training sessions.
Intense exercise is defined as around 75-85 percent of your maximum heart rate - which is 220 minus your age. For example, a 35 year old woman has a maximum heart rate of 185 (220-35) and should work out between within the range of 138 (0.75 x 185) and 157(0.85 x 185) beats per minute.
To make it easier to keep track of your heart rate during a workout you can purchase heart rate monitors, at a cost of around $100, from any sports store.
2. Use lower-fat foods in place of higher-fat options
As the body only needs a small amount of fat to function and remain healthy it is important to minimise the intake of fat to reduce the amount the body doesn't need and will have to store.
If you haven't already, switch to low-fat options for milk, butter and cheese.
Wherever possible, you should also try to:
(a) minimise your intake of the saturated fats (found in animal products, milk and coconut oil) and trans-fatty acids (found in commercial baked goods and fast foods); and
(b) maximise your intake of the polyunsaturated fats (found in safflower, sunflower, corn, cottonseed oils and fish) and monounsaturated fats (mostly present in olive, canola, flaxseed and peanut oils, avocados and in most nuts) which have a beneficial effect on artery linings and do not promote clogging.
Resist the temptation to indulge in lower fat foods. Even low-fat food may contain a large amount of calories - particularly when there is a high sugar content.
3. Drink lots of Water
Water keeps the body hydrated, healthy and satiated. If you are conscious of drinking as much water as you can it should help maximise your weight loss.
Leanne Stackpole in "Kiss Diets Goodbye" argues that water is an important factor in weight loss and suggests you should be aiming for six to eight glasses. She says that water aids in flushing out toxins, decreases fluid retention and has a good filling effect on your body as well as helping to decrease cellulite!
NOTE: Although it remains controversial, some Lapbanders have found a low-carbohydrate diet more effective in shifting weight than the traditional approach. If you are finding that you are not shifting weight with an increase in energy expenditure and decrease in energy intake you may want to consider talking to your surgeon and/or dietitian about the possibility of a reduced carbohydrate diet.
Working with the Lapband
In addition to this traditional advice there are some additional strategies to help maximise weight loss with the Lapband, which your surgeon has probably already told you about but also bear repeating:
* Eat denser foods
Eating more dense, less processed foods (such as meat, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, pulses (beans, peas and lentils),cereals, breads and pasta) make you feel more satisfied than eating softer foods which pass through the band and make you hungry more quickly.
Although they are often harder to digest, the denser foods are often packed with nutrients which not only helps you lose weight but to remain strong and healthy as well.
If you are inflated to the point where you are unable to ingest denser foods you should contact your surgeon about a slight deflation and/or your dietitian about ways of optimising your nutritional intake.
* Watch Portion Size
In order to maximise weight loss, and not risk displacing the Lapband, it is important to be conscious about the amount you are eating at mealtimes.
You should try to eat only as much food as you need to in order to feel satisfied. You should avoid eating until you are feeling full or needing to regurgitate all or part of the meal.
As a general guideline you should not spend more than 20 minutes ingesting a single meal.
If you are finding that you can still ingest larger amounts than you would like at your current level of inflation you could try drinking cold water approximately half an hour before your meal. Some Lapbanders report that this constricts the stoma and seems to reduce the amount they can eat.
* Avoid Snacking!
Try to ingest 3-6 nutritious, healthy meals throughout the day rather than constantly grazing or snacking.
Ingesting foods throughout the day increases your caloric intake without necessarily optimising your nutritional intake.
* Avoid Drinking with Meals
Drinking either with, or immediately after, a meal makes the food slip through the band faster and this will cause you to feel hungry much sooner.
In order to maximise the effectiveness of the Lapband, and weight loss avoid drinking any liquids either during or within an hour of a meal.
* Avoid High Calorie Drinks
High calorie drinks significantly increase your caloric intake with little or no nutritional benefit. Try to eat fruit rather than fruit juice and minimise your intake of soft-drinks and coffee.
* Optimise your level of inflation
You will need to work with your surgeon to find your optimal inflation level. An optimal inflation enables you to eat enough to remain strong and healthy but restricts you enough to reduce your level of hunger and/or the amount that you can eat to help you lose weight.
Other Tips
As well as the traditional advice and the strategies for living with the Lapband, you may want to try some of the following ideas which other Lapbanders have found helpful in maximising their weight loss:
Work with a dietitian
Even though we have all probably a gained a lot of nutritional knowledge over all our years of dieting, it can still be helpful to have the assistance of a qualified dietitian to help keep us on track, maximise our nutritional intake and rate of weight loss over the first year and beyond. You may be surprised that, rather than making you feel as though you are not making the best choices, a dietician can actually help to keep your eating in perspective and help guide you back onto better choices when necessary.
Keep track of your food intake
Many Lapbanders say that they find this helpful in terms of both ensuring they get a balanced diet and raising their consciousness generally. You could either record your meals manually or you could use one of a number of software programme which not only records the information but provides you with a nutritional breakdown of your intake and/or caloric total. One of the programmes that Lapbanders have found helpful are Weight Commander which not only helps you to track your intake but also helps you predict your rate of loss. Another programme is Eatit which is shareware available for download onto your Palm Pilot.
Food & Nutrition Guide
Purchase a copy of Trudy William's Food & Nutrition Guide for the Lap-BAND. This booklet provides a helpful overview of all the great foods you should be filling your body with. The booklet is available for ordering online at Foodtalk. You could also order a copy by telephoning Waverly Nutrition Centre (Telephone: +61 7 3870-8616 or Fascimile: +61 7 3870-8678
