During the first year after your surgery, you'll become comfortable with your new lifestyle and understand how the LAP-BAND^® Adjustable Gastric Banding System works. You'll have one or more adjustments, as you learn to truly listen to your body in order to maximize your weight-loss results. You will also know where to get the support you need.

Remember, the key to your success with the LAP-BAND^® System is the commitment to a lifelong program that will help you meet and continue your weight loss and maintenance goals. This multifaceted LAP-BAND^® System program will include:

• routine check-ups with your surgeon
• ongoing LAP-BAND^® System adjustments if necessary
• LAP-BAND^® System-friendly nutrition and exercise plan
• regular attendance at LAP-BAND^® System support group meetings.
• talking with your LAP-BAND^® System weight loss management team honestly and following their advice.

• Check-ups and Adjustments
• Dietary Guidelines
• Exercise Guidelines
• Support Group Meetings

Check-Ups and Adjustments

It is recommended that as a LAP-BAND^® System patient, you see your surgeon every four to six weeks during the first year after your surgery. If you need any adjustments, they'll be performed during these visits. Over the first year, LAP-BAND^® System patients average five to eight adjustments. Your stomach needs to adjust with you as your body changes. A few people never need an adjustment, while others need five or more. It's all about making sure you are losing weight steadily and safely. Click here to learn more about adjustments.

Dietary Guidelines

Once you can eat solid foods without problems, you need to carefully follow your new diet:

• Avoid drinking liquids during or immediately after meals as liquids tend to flush food through the stomach pouch. This prevents you from getting that prolonged feeling of satisfaction needed to help you eat less.
• As always, staying hydrated throughout the day is important, however. Drink at least six to eight cups of water per day, and make sure you consume them between meals.
• Chew your food thoroughly and eat small bites so that the food can easily fit through the opening to your stomach pouch. This will help you avoid the problem of food blocking the stomach outlet.
• Only eat when you are hungry and no more than three small meals a day, but you must make sure that these meals contain adequate nutrition. Remember, your stomach can only hold about one-quarter of a cup of food, or two ounces, at a time. Stop eating when your hunger is gone or when you feel comfortable.

For more information on how to live with the LAP-BAND^® System, click here to visit the Continued Well-Being page which contains Ten Important Guidelines.

The general nutrition guide below can help you create good and healthy meals that contain adequate nutrients but low sugar and fat:

• Good Food Choices
  • Fruits and vegetables
  • One to two servings of fresh fruit daily
  • Two to three servings of fresh vegetables daily
  
  
• Breads and cereals
  • One small portion of low-sugar cold or hot cereal
  • Half to one slice of toasted whole wheat or rye bread each day.
  • Note: Some patients have difficulty eating bread
  
  
• Meat, fish, poultry, eggs
  • One to two ounces of meat, fish, or poultry-or one egg each day.
  • Remove all visible fat from the meat.
  • Remove the skin from poultry.
  • Prepare the meat in ways that need very little fat. Grilling, steaming, microwaving, or boiling are all good ways to do this.
  • Note: Some patients have difficulty eating meat.
  
  
• Dairy products
  • Milk and yogurt are calories in liquid form. However, these types of food have calcium, which makes them an important part of a healthy daily diet, so choose a maximum of 2 cups of skimmed milk or low-fat yogurt and 1 ounce of cheese a day.
  
  
• Fats
  • Restrict the use of fat to 3 to 4 teaspoons of margarine, butter, or oil per day. You can have low-fat salad dressings and mayonnaise in moderation.
  
  
• Drinks
  • Drink as many calorie-free liquids per day as you wish (though not with meals).
  • Suitable drinks are tea or coffee (black) with low-calorie sweetener, water, non-carbonated beverages containing few or no calories
  • Some doctors have reported that carbonated beverages may contribute to enlargement of the small pouch and recommend they be avoided.
  Back to Top
  
  
• Foods to Avoid
  Some foods deliver a concentrated supply of calories but little nutritional value. These foods should be avoided whenever possible. They include:
  • syrups
  • cakes
  • jam
  • chips
  • pastries
  • Alcoholic drinks should also be consumed in moderation: for example, one glass of wine per day.
  
  
• Common Problem Foods
  Some foods have difficulty passing through the stomach opening created by the LAP-BAND^® System and may cause blockage. These include:
  • dry meat
  • shrimp
  • untoasted or doughy bread
  • rice
  • peanut butter
  • fibrous vegetables like corn, asparagus, and celery
  • nuts
  • greasy or fried food
  • membrane of citrus fruits

Introduce these foods slowly and individually to see if you can tolerate them. Always be careful, chew well, and follow your surgeon's or dietitian's advice.

Exercise Guidelines

Incorporating regular physical activity into your daily routine is as important as following your nutrition plan. Often overweight patients become inactive because they have very little tolerance for exercise, psychological constraints such as fear of failure or pain, and in some cases, physical disabilities. After LAP-BAND^® System surgery, aerobic activities-particularly walking and swimming-are generally the easiest for you to handle. You will need to consult with your surgeon and weight-management team to find out which activity is right for you.

Support Group Meetings

A strong support network will certainly help you progress and succeed on your weight-loss journey. In addition to the care and concern of your family and friends, local support group meetings are another valuable resource that you can depend on. During these meetings, patients just like you share their experiences and issues, and they offer each other advice. A nurse or surgeon may also there to answer medical questions. Ask your LAP-BAND^® System surgeon about his or her specific support group meetings, or find a support group in your area by using our seminar calendar.