My husband had lap band surgery in September.. it is now December and he is only losing 1-2 pounds a month. He has had three adjustments since his surgery, but I see no difference in the size portions he is able to eat. Why hasn’t his portion size decreased and why hasn’t he lost more weight?
Staten Island, NY
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There are several ways to answer that question. First, he may not be at his “sweet spot” yet, meaning that even after 3 adjustments, he may not yet have achieved a fill level that allows him to feel full after eating small portions. Some people are fortunate to reach their sweet spot after one fill, some folks need 5 or 6 or even more. Second, I would say that he needs to change how he thinks about what the band is doing for him. It’s not there to keep him from being able to eat, but rather, to allow him to eat small portions and not be hungry. Try this exercise: ask him to use a salad plate for all of his meals. He should eat from that plate – then get up and walk away from the table. In 15 minutes, if he is still hungry, then he needs an adjustment. But if in 15 minutes, he realizes that he actually feels full (or at least not hungry) then it’s his head needing time to catch up with his stomach and the band is doing its’ job. Remember, the band is not surgical bulemia – it’s not meant to act as a barrier to food intake.
Our program coordinator reminds people that the goal of the LapBand is not to see “How much can I eat?” but rather “How little can I eat?”
I often tell my patients that I don’t care if they come in and say they were able to get down a whole large cheese pizza for dinner last night. Instead I want to hear how small an amount of food it takes to satisfy them. Don’t focus on the LapBand as a device to stop you from eating. If he is waiting for the LapBand to prevent him from eating he may end up too tight. We want the LapBand just tight enough to slow down the food; not to stop it.
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