Lap-band weight loss surgery newsletter - October 2008
Less junk is not better...eating Junk food can defeat Lap-band surgery
Last week a patient came to see me who had not been in for a while. She had done well after surgery losing over 60 per cent of her excess body weight, then had not come in for almost a year.
When I saw her she looked great -- at the goal she had set for herself two years before.
What had changed? She stopped eating junk food.
While the band had allowed her to eat less at meals, and therefore she lost a lot of her excess weight, she still had not lost the weight she wanted, until she stopped eating the junk food she had become accustom to over the years.
This story is repeated in my office fairly often. Someone loses weight with their surgery, then they find that they can lose even more when they eat a better quality food, avoid the fast food restaurants, and discover that not only does the food taste better, but the weight comes off.
Today many grocery stores have deli counters with food that is fresher, and healthier than is typically found in fast food restaurants. In Phoenix we have a store called A.J.'s -- where, if I am not in the mood to cook, always has fresh alternatives with great vegetables to go along with a simple meal. Not to mention a great sushi counter.
Weight loss surgery is the start of a new and healthy lifestyle.
Sometimes patients are caught up in the weight loss that happens after surgery and fall into old habits, old restaurants, and old recipes. It is time for a change.
What to Eat:
When was the last time you tried a new restaurant? Do you have a favorite place to eat -- someplace you can go and enjoy a good meal without it being too much? Remember when you discovered the restaurant you enjoy? What a treat it was, and now you enjoy one or two things off the menu?
One of my patients recently lost a fair bit of weight by changing his restaurant routine. For three months after the lap-band he lost a modest amount of weight, about four pounds a month. He would always state that since he travelled three weeks a month that he would eat out a lot. So, I asked him to bring me the menus of the places he frequented.
He often went to San Francisco, and when he brought me back the restaurant menu, as well as the menu of a couple of franchise restaurants I was shocked.
"You go to the gormet capital of the U.S. and eat at (name withheld) -- a restaurant you can eat at in any city in the country?" I asked with incredulity.
He admitted that he frequented this restaurant, felt the quality of the food was consistent, and felt comfortable going there.
There are other problems he had with eating out -- and these are pretty well documented in many weight loss patients.
Eating with others at a restaurant offers challenges to Lap-band patients:
- A person tends to eat as fast as the pace setter in the group
- A person tends to over eat with colleagues. There is a strong correlation with men here, they feel it is more masculine to eat a lot of food
- Portion sizes are often ample -- but the longer it sits in front of you the more likely you are to consume it
- Given enough time and talk, a person can mindlessly eat a lot
There are some simple changes to make in this repeated script. First, try some place that is new and unique. Second, be the last person to take the first bite of food. Third, take your time with your first bite-- enjoy it, savor it. Fourth, pick an appetizer for your entree -- not an entree and ask them to deliver it at your table with dinner. Do not try to eat fast, instead make a conscious effort to converse. Play with your food. Before picking up a bite -- move one piece of food around on your plate.
Eating out can be a trap for many -- but change the routine. And before going out -- make your goal to eat slowly, eat small, and enjoy the meal
