There are 3 ways I see patients unknowingly sabotage their gastric band surgery and cause a plateau in their weight lost. I see this often enough that I have written a handout to serve as a guide which can help remind patients how they can stay on track. Sometimes patients are unaware they are doing these things and seeing it written down helps the light bulb go on. I’ll post these tips over the next three days. Please comment if any of these have worked for you!
Snacking or eating in between the three scheduled meals
The band keeps you from eating large portions of food at each meal, but we can’t adjust the band so tight that you can’t eat small meals. Snacking or small meals between breakfast, lunch, and dinner defeats the goal of the band, which is to reduce your daily caloric intake. If you’re snacking because you’re hungry, maybe an adjustment may help and you should come in to see someone from our adjustment team. If you’re snacking because you’re bored or stressed, YOU must take a minute to reassess why you’re having the urges and help yourself avoid them, unfortunately, the band doesn’t help with that.
More tips to come tomorrow and Friday!
–Dr. Darren Soong
Tags: Bariatric Surgeons, Gastric Band, las vegas, Weight Loss Surgeons, Weight Loss Surgery
