Life

Life in General

Living with a Band

Living with a band is generally easy. There are no restrictions on physical activity, sports or other regular day to day activities. No-one can tell from the outside that you’ve had gastric banding surgery, and many patients chose to keep it private. (the scars on the abdomen are very small, and are in the same position as for anti-reflux surgery. You cannot see the access-port)

The band is a tool rather than a magic wand- when used properly it can help you to achieve amazing results. It’s very important to maintain regular contact with the clinic, especially during your weight loss phase- we’re here to help, and want to see you every month. Patients who view their relationship with the clinic as a partnership and maintain regular contact consistently achieve the best results.

Even though you will be eating less, you will notice you have more energy as you will be carrying around less weight and getting better sleep. These benefits start almost straight away, as even small amounts of weight loss can give disproportionately large health benefits.

What Will I be Able to Eat?

What foods can I eat?

When your band is properly adjusted, you will be able to eat a wide range of foods comfortably. Your band acts like a speed hump- its designed to slow down your food, not stop it! Everytime food goes past the band, signals are generated that make you feel full. And just like a speed hump it has to be set at just the right height- too low and its not effective, too high and food gets blocked.
Foods such as chicken, fish, pasta, rice, salads, mince, etc are generally no problem. Everyone is different though, and the first few months will be about getting to know your band. Our dietitians will walk with you every step. It is important that you eat slowly and chew well.
Some types of food can get stuck and are best avoided- these are white bread, tough steak, and some stringy vegetables like asparagus.

The three key guidelines for success are:

1. Only eat when you’re hungry. Never eat just because of the time, because others are eating, or to prevent hunger later.
2. Stop when you start to feel full. Generally a cup of food, or an entrée sized meal will be enough to fill you up.
3. Avoid liquid calories. As solid food passes through the band area, you will notice a sense of fullness building up. Liquids do not give the same sense of fullness as solids. Its as if solids rotate a little turnstile as they pass through the band area, whereas liquids simply slide through without paying. You should try and keep alcoholic drinks, juices, cordials, milkshakes, ice cream and chocolate to a minimum for this reason. Calorie-free drinks such as water, tea, and coffee are fine- Its important to keep well hydrated.

Blockages-how to avoid

Blockages and vomiting should not be a regular part of living with a band. From time to time, things may get stuck especially if you forget to chew properly or try something you shouldn’t! In other words, there always is a reason, making blockages both predictable and preventable.

Whilst something is stuck, it is common to notice more saliva being made. Often the piece of food will fall through by itself, sometimes it will come back up. However if you adhere to the guidelines and work with our dietitians, food blockages and vomiting will be rare.

To avoid blockages:

1. chew well and avoid tough meats, white bread, and overly fibrous vegetables
2. chew slowly, its not a rush! It should take around 20 minutes to eat your meal. Allow 30 seconds between each mouthful.
3. Your band is adjusted too tight- return to have some fluid taken out
4. Warm up your oesophagus before each meal (see below)

Whilst mistakes will happen, especially in the first few months as you get used to your band. If a blockage occurs, it is almost always for a predictable reason. The following tips can help overcome it:

1. stand up straight and arch your back with your hands high in the air
2. sip a warm drink- hot tea often works well

Warm up your band before each meal!

When we eat, our food is moved from mouth to stomach by co-ordinated waves of muscle contraction by our oesophagus assisted by lubrication- it doesn’t simply fall through with gravity! We need to wake up this system when its time to eat- one way to do this is to take a very small mouthful of food and chew it well, then wait 3 minutes. This warms up the oesophagus and gets it ready to assist moving food through your band.

If you notice any unexplained or sudden increase in the frequency of food blockages, particularly if you also are experiencing heartburn at night, band slippage needs to be excluded. The position of the band can be checked at any time with an X-ray called a ‘Barium Swallow’. Just call us at any time and we will always fit you in for consultation.

Drinking and meal times

Avoid drinking and eating at the same time- drinking fluids, including water, whilst eating can lead to food being flushed through too quickly and not providing adequate fullness. At other times fluids may combine with your food to create a thick consistency that may cause a blockage.

Exercise and Physical activity

We do not prescribe formal exercise regimens at OClinic. Rather, we recommend that you take the opportunity to be physically active whenever you can- it is good for improving skin elasticity as well as accelerating weightloss. Walking is a great form of exercise.

Most patients find exercise difficult before they lose weight- this is because obesity reduces exercise tolerance and causes fatigue as well as pain in weight-bearing joints. However once you start to lose weight you will be surprised at how much more energy and mobility you have.

How quickly should I lose weight with the band?

Don’t be in a rush to lose your weight! A safe and steady rate of weight loss is 0.5 - 1kg per week. At this rate most patients will reach their target weight between 12 and 18 months. If weight loss is too rapid, problems such as hair loss, dry skin, and low energy levels can emerge, and redundant skin can become more obvious. The adjustability of the band allows the rate of weight loss to be fine tuned- there is no danger of losing weight too rapidly.

Weight loss is the best when your band is in the “green zone”. This is when your desire for food is reduced and hunger is tamed, yet you can still comfortably eat a wide range of food choices.
Contrary to what many patients expect, weight loss actually gets worse rather than better when the band is too tight. Not only this, but symptoms such as abdominal discomfort, nausea, and heartburn start to emerge, and food blockages become more likely when your band is too tight. Over the long term, an overly tight band can increase your risk of band slippage, erosion, and enlargement of your stomach pouch and oesophagus. So enjoy better weight loss and less problems by staying in the green zone.

Pregnancy and the band

One of the major advantages of the band is that the saline can be removed at any time- It is very safe in pregnancy. As your pregnancy progresses we will gradually loosen your band, and then start to refill it once you have given birth.

Obesity reduces fertility- many patients who would like to have a family struggle to fall pregnant, and may even have tried IVF. After gastric banding fertility frequently improves dramatically, allowing many patients to fulfil their wish to have a child.

Furthermore, the risk of the problems that can occur during pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and difficult labour, are substantially reduced when you lose weight.

Flying and altitude

As the band is filled with saline rather than air, it shouldn’t change in size with altitude. However in practice a few little bubbles often get inside the band, and these may expand temporarily. It’s usually not enough to be noticeable, but sometimes the band can feel a bit tighter whilst flying. Either way everything returns to its normal size once the plane descends. Airline travel in general becomes more comfortable however as fitting into seats, overcoming jet-lag, and moving around the airport becomes far easier.

Frequently Asked Questions

We have an extensive list of questions and answers on the FAQs page so please click here to refer to that.

Click here to go back to the homepage and check your Body Mass Index to see if you are suitable for our weight loss program.