April 2022 - Lap-band

You’ve probably heard adaptive fitness discussed in the context of individuals who have suffered accidents or have disabilities that impact the way they move. However, adaptive fitness can also be an important part of your weight-loss journey after the Lap-Band® procedure.

Adaptive fitness includes exercises that are modified to accommodate people with temporary or permanent disabilities. When it comes to exercising after the Lap-Band procedure, trainers use adaptive fitness to develop plans for individuals who may have trouble doing certain exercises due to their weight.

The importance of exercise after Lap-Band

Individuals who undergo bariatric surgery, like the Lap-Band Program, are overweight or obese. During the aftercare process, exercise will be an important part of encouraging healthy weight loss, along with a balanced diet, portion control, hydration, and healthy sleep habits. For overweight and obese individuals who have just started their weight-loss journey, completing certain exercises may be difficult or impossible

For instance, you may not be able to squat deep enough to benefit from the move. Some poses may be uncomfortable because of the pressure they put on your joints, or you may have trouble getting up off the floor repeatedly for certain exercises.

How adaptive fitness can help you exercise after Lap-Band surgery

Adaptive fitness is all about doing moves that are comfortable. This means focusing on low-impact exercises that take your range of movement into consideration. After your Lap-Band surgery, you should start slow and work up to more difficult exercises once you are more comfortable. If you have limited mobility in certain areas due to excess weight, work on building strength in other areas.

Many of our patients find exercising in water to be easier on their joints. It’s a great way to work on cardiovascular fitness in a supported, low-impact environment. Other examples of adaptive fitness exercises include doing push-ups against the wall instead of the ground and staying seated while performing exercises. After Lap-Band, you should start your fitness journey by working on increasing your stability and flexibility.

Exercise will not only help you lose weight after Lap-Band—it will also help relieve stress and anxiety and improve your self-esteem and mood. Just remember, there’s a difference between pain and muscle soreness. If you feel stabbing or sharp pain during exercise, stop immediately and contact your doctor.

Learn more about the Lap-Band Program with our free online seminar, or check out the Lap-Band blog for more tips on diet and fitness after bariatric surgery.

Refreshing your workout routine doesn’t have to be complicated. A previous article recently touched on four ways to rejuvenate your exercise regimen. For those looking for more specific changes, this second part of the original article can give you more interesting workout ideas to help you keep things exciting.

Interesting workout ideas for cardio

Cardiovascular exercise is essential for burning calories, but hitting the treadmill isn’t the answer for everyone. Luckily, there are many types of cardio from which you can choose. If the traditional treadmill isn’t for you, you can try the elliptical or cycling. Those who take to the water may instead try their hand at rowing or swimming, which are great for breaking a sweat. If you’re hoping to stick with your machinery of choice but still need a change of pace, you can instead incorporate high-intensity interval training (HIIT) into your routine.

All these exercises serve the same purpose: burning calories, reducing fat, and improving cardiovascular health. After considering the options and trying something new, a fun workout is easy to find. You might even find a passion for an alternative form of exercise and begin practicing it regularly. If you’re having trouble, Lap-Band® patients can consult with their team to find fun ways to exercise safely and effectively.

Fun strength exercise ideas

When people think of strength exercises, they often picture barbells or rows of dumbbells at their gym. But people cultivate strength in multiple ways, and these ways may provide some fun types of exercise to keep things stimulating. Traditional lifting isn’t the only way to build muscles and enhance your metabolism; instead, there are many interesting strength training exercises for you to try.

Jazzercise is just one example of exercises you can use to cultivate strength. People who try it often compliment this form of exercise for its combination of dance, strength, and resistance training. Some people may be hoping to shed the weights altogether. For these people, bodyweight exercises can offer a similar level of strength, remove monotony, and be done almost anywhere. If you want something far out of the ordinary, there are always interesting exercises like calisthenics, isometrics, and plyometrics.

Incorporating fun workout ideas

Cardiovascular exercise and strength training are critical for weight loss. But the same routines can quickly become tedious. Lap-Band Patients can use the expertise of their support team to adopt new exercises and keep their routine interesting. When you feel your current practice is waning, you can talk with your physician about incorporating new activities into your routine.

When you want to know more about the Lap-Band and the Lap-Band Program, you can register for our free online seminar.

When considering bariatric surgery, one of the most common concerns people have is their ability to get pregnant after the procedure. Is pregnancy possible after weight-loss surgery? The short answer is yes—bariatric surgery can even help ease some obesity-related pregnancy risks. However, for those planning for both bariatric surgery and pregnancy in the future, the Lap-Band® Program may offer some distinct advantages over other forms of bariatric surgery.

Pregnancy after weight-loss surgery

With any type of bariatric surgery, people who are or may soon become pregnant should not undergo the procedure. After procedures like the gastric sleeve and gastric bypass, pregnancy is possible, but it’s recommended you wait at least 12–24 months for your weight to stabilize. You will need to take precautions to safeguard the health of you and your future child, and the pregnancy will need to be closely managed by your health care provider.

Unlike the Lap-Band Procedure, the gastric sleeve and gastric band surgeries are malabsorptive—they alter your body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food. As such, they often require extensive supplement routines to prevent nutritional deficiencies. To ensure your child is getting the nutrients they need, your weight-loss team will need to monitor your nutrition throughout your pregnancy, which may require more supplements.

Pregnancy after the Lap-Band procedure

For those who plan to get pregnant, the Lap-Band Program may be the right choice. As with other surgeries, it’s recommended you wait 12–24 months before getting pregnant. You will lose the majority of your weight in the first year after surgery, so getting pregnant can be counterproductive to your weight-loss goals.

Because the Lap-Band is fully adjustable to your unique and changing needs, it can remain in place during pregnancy. Depending on your specific situation, your doctor may recommend loosening it to allow of larger portions or emptying it entirely before giving birth. If, for any reason, the Lap-Band needed to be removed during your pregnancy, the procedure is completely reversible.

One of the greatest benefits for people considering the Lap-Band is that the surgery doesn’t involve a partial amputation of the stomach or digestive tract, unlike the gastric sleeve or bypass. This means the Lap-Band is not a malabsorptive procedure, making it easier for your body to continue getting the nutrients it needs. Lap-Band patients typically only take a daily multivitamin post-surgery—you may need additional vitamins and minerals during pregnancy, but you won’t need to worry about the expensive, extensive supplement routines associated with other types of weight-loss surgery.

The benefits of pregnancy after losing weight with the Lap-Band

Losing weight with the Lap-Band can result in a safer overall pregnancy. There are several obesity-related pregnancy complications, the risk of which may be reduced by losing weight pre-pregnancy. These complications include:

Gestational diabetes
Hypertension
Longer labor
Increased risk for C-section
High birth weight
Postpartum hemorrhage

In addition, obesity can negatively affect fertility—losing weight may mean faster and more successful conception. The Lap-Band can also help you maintain healthy portion control during your pregnancy, helping you stay on track with your overall weight-loss goals.

To learn more about the advantages of the Lap-Band Program, watch our online seminar. Ready to get started on your weight-loss journey? Find a Lap-Band surgeon near you.

Readers may have caught the seven tips for success with the Lap-Band® from an earlier article. For those who want more guidelines for success, this article will cover four more recommendations for those embarking on their weight-loss journey with the Lap-Band Program.

Vary your exercise routine

Exercise will help you manage your weight over time, but certain routines can grow stale. Luckily, you can vary your exercise routine to find novelty. If you’re becoming tired of traditional cardio and weightlifting, you can accomplish the same goals with different exercises. Those who usually stick to the treadmill can instead take up swimming, while those who grow bored of weights can switch to calisthenics or plyometrics.

Some alternative forms of exercise can keep you active and allow you to develop new skills. Practices like yoga, tai chi, or dancing can keep you on the path to weight loss and give you an exciting activity in which you can find novelty and community.

Focus on your mental health

Your mental health is critical while undertaking your weight-loss journey. If you ever feel that your mental health is trending downward, you may resort to old habits, even using food as a comfort in stressful times. During your journey with the Lap-Band, it’s essential to closely monitor your mental health and take steps to support it.

When patients opt for the Lap-Band, their team will incorporate a few practices that enhance mental health. These practices might include things like journaling, meditation, or finding additional sources of support. Of course, the changes to your diet and exercise habits will also improve your mental health–further supporting your weight-loss journey.

Follow your team’s advice

Patients who undergo bariatric surgery with the Lap-Band Program benefit from having a team of experts at their side. One of the best things bariatric patients can do is heed the advice of their team and work with them to experience the maximum results.

After receiving the Lap-Band, your support team will work with you to establish healthy habits like diet, exercise, and self-care. Staff within the Lap-Band Program are experts; they know the steps you need to take to achieve your goals. Additionally, these staff members understand the most successful methods for achieving your goals and making them last as long as you continue your journey.

Stick with the Lap-Band Program

One of the most significant predictors of success is adherence. If you stick to the Lap-Band Program after receiving the Lap-Band surgery, you’ll continue to see results if you are diligent. Effective weight loss is a marathon; it may take months or even longer to achieve your goal weight. However, if you can adhere to the program, you’ll almost certainly see results over time.

Are you interested in starting your weight-loss journey with the Lap-Band? Get started by learning more about this bariatric procedure by viewing the free online seminar.

Last year we published an article on the concept of food cues—what they are and how to recognize them. In case you missed it, food cues are triggers that cause the desire to eat, whether you’re hungry or not. They come in almost every form, including visual, olfactory, auditory, and emotional. This includes everything from boredom to the smell of a cooking burger, to neon signs advertising fast food.

Food cues are everywhere. Unrecognized and unmanaged, they can lead to mindless eating, which, in turn, can lead to weight gain. In this article, we turn out attention to strategies to help you manage your food cues and keep them from sabotaging your healthy weight loss.

Your personal food cues

The first step to developing strategies to combat your food cues is understanding your personal triggers. Not everyone responds to food cues in the same way. Wherever you are in your weight-loss journey, spend a few weeks analyzing your desires to eat and identifying what triggers those urges.

Maybe driving past your favorite café cues you to stop for a sugary coffee and pastry. Maybe watching a movie automatically cues you to pop some popcorn, even if you just ate dinner. Or maybe, your emotions play a role in your desire to eat, with negative feelings triggering you to reach for a snack. Whatever your personal food cues are, identifying them and understanding their causes will make it much easier to develop strategies for managing them.

How to overcome food cues

Eliminate the food cue

For some food cues, it may be possible to avoid, replace, or even entirely eliminate the cue. If seeing that café on your way to work is a trigger, take a different route to eliminate the cue. If having an unhealthy treat around the house cues you to eat, stop buying the food. It’s also shown that people tend to eat more when they use larger dishes—adapt that food cue by using smaller plates and bowls for your meals.

Wait, water, walk

The 3 Ws are a fantastic strategy for managing food cues:

Wait: set a timer for ten minutes. Sometimes waiting out the urge to eat will allow the trigger to fade on its own.
Water: pour a glass of water. Thirst can feel very similar to hunger, so some extra hydration may quell the food cue.
Walk: go for a short walk. Physical activity is a great distractor from hunger and can help clear the urge from your mind.

Hunger cues, not food cues

If you’re still unsure whether you’ve been triggered by a food cue or if you’re actually hungry, turn to the physical signs of hunger. Food cues trigger “emotional hunger,” as opposed to “physical hunger.” As the name implies, physical hunger has physical signs you can recognize, not just psychological urges. These signs include:

Empty-feeling or “growling” stomach
Headache or light-headedness
Irritability
Inability to focus
Fatigue or low energy
Shakiness or weakness

Healthy weight loss with the Lap-Band® Program

Along with diet and exercise, understanding and managing your personal food cues are vital parts of your weight-loss journey. However, for some people, healthy eating habits and exercise may not be enough to reach their desired weight. If you have a BMI of 40—or 30 with at least one obesity-related comorbidity—and have a history of unsuccessful weight-loss via diet and exercise, the Lap-Band® Program may be your next step to a healthier lifestyle.

The Lap-Band is an adjustable gastric band that is placed around the upper portion of the stomach. This sections off a smaller stomach “pouch,” which helps control your feelings of hunger, as well as the amount of food you can consume. The Lap-Band Program features a faster recovery than other bariatric procedures, as well as sustainable, long-lasting weight loss. Learn more about how the Lap-Band Program works, or find more tips for weight-loss success on our blog.