Adjustable gastric banding surgery, more commonly known as the lap band, is one of the most commonly performed types of weight loss surgery. If you are considering it, it is likely that one of the questions you are posing is just how much you are allowed to eat afterwards, and what you can eat. If you need a lap band, then you have been eating too much food every day, and this means that you will have to make complex changes to your lifestyle afterwards. While most people who have weight loss surgery understand and are happy with the fact that they will have to eat less and healthier, few understand just what that means. They worry about depriving themselves of the things they like, and they worry that they will never feel full again. They often worry about feeling hungry all the time, something that is common with dieting. The following clinical guide to eating after a lap band, however, may be of benefit to you.
Understanding the Lap Band
The first thing to understand is that you will not feel hungry if you have a lap band. Your stomach will be physically unable to hold as much food, which means you will feel full on tiny little bites. This is, in fact, the singular reason for having a lap band. As an added benefit, it will take food much longer to be properly digested. This means that a small amount of food will let you feel full very quickly, and continue to feel full for many hours as well. Most people who are obese subconsciously fear hunger, or believe that, unless they feel completely full, they haven’t eaten enough. Neither will be of concern after a lap band.
Exactly how much you can eat depends on you as an individual. This is why it is so important to attend all your medical and specialist appointments. This will ensure that you have implemented the advice of your nutritionist and surgeon and are starting to lose weight. Interestingly, you will not just be taught what to eat, you will be taught how to eat as well ! Chewing properly is vital to good digestion.
Before you decide to have lap band surgery, or any other form of gastric surgery for that matter, you have to make sure that you have a good understand of the pros and cons of those procedures. You have to understand every element of the surgery, including how to prepare yourself and what to expect after the surgery. After care is very important as well, and you need to know that you will be supported in your recovery, but also in your nutrition, once you have had the procedure completed.
Lap band surgeries are life saving procedures, but they are not without risk. You must make sure, therefore, that you understand the pros and cons, and what it means in terms of how it will change your life. Similarly, you need to properly research the surgeons and specialists who can offer the procedure to you.
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