Liquid calories
The band is effective at controlling solid food intake but not very effective at controlling liquid calories. Patients who are trying to lose weight should avoid all liquid calories until they reach their goal weight. This goes for not only Starbuck’s drinks but also milk, orange juice, apple juice and other fruit drinks. A small glass of apple juice has about 100 calories. You could easily drink 10 glasses of apple juice and get 1000 calories and your band would do nothing to help you. Also liquid calories go right through the band and do nothing to control your hunger. If your band is adjusted properly, it would be impossible to eat 10 solid apples without getting sick. So given the choice, always eat your calories and DON’T drink your calories. The band helps you with solid calories only. Remember, if you are taking your daily multivitamin, you will get all the calcium, Vitamin C, etc, with 0 calories and so there really is no health reason to drink milk or fruit juices if you are trying to lose weight. Protein shakes and soups are considered liquid calories and should be avoided. If you don’t have time for a meal, a protein bar would be better to fill you up than a protein shake, and would be better than skipping a meal so you’re not super hungry before your next meal.
Come back for the final tip tomorrow!
–Dr. Darren Soong
Tags: Bariatric Surgeons, Gastric Band, Weight Loss Surgeons, Weight Loss Surgery
