We hope our website has been helpful to you, whether you're just doing the research or if you've already had your surgery.
We at BayChoice feel strongly that it's your aftercare that makes the biggest difference in the slope of your weight loss curve (how long it takes to lose the excess weight). Although most individuals are able to get into the "groove" pretty readily, it's harder for others to discover what works, what doesn't, and how to do it.
The concept of the "measured meal" is very important in our patient teaching at BayChoice. Traditionally, patients are instructed to eat "small meals" (what's a small meal?) and quit eating when they're "full" (what's full?). This approach will work for most , but is very confusing for many of our patients and can lead to a lot of frustration, even regret, with having had the surgery. No, it's not the job of the band to make you vomit, nor should you be requiring too frequent "fill" and "unfills". When this is happening, it simply means that you are eating inconsistent meal portions, usually way too much, and thereby introducing a variable which makes your job, and ours, just a series of "guesses" rather than an organized, structured, consistent, and predictable process.
Get a food scale (they're cheap!) and start weighing out your food from the get go! Women should weigh out 4 oz of total food to be eaten. That's a plate of food options like chicken, fish, eggs, fresh fruit, salads (WITHOUT DROWNING THEM IN RICH DRESSING!!), and so called "good Veggies", avoiding carbohydrate laden potatoes, corn, carrots, and peas. OUCH!! We know......
For average men, 5 oz is good, and for BIG men (the football player types) 6 oz is ok.
Remember your catch phrase: small bites, chewed thoroughly, take a minute before the next bite, and don't drink fluids with the meal (wait 30 min) to prematurely liquify the food causing it to leave the pouch too soon and causing you to eat more. Your measured meal should allow you to get "full", meaning you're satisfied and not wanting to eat any more. If that's not happening, then it's adjustment time. You could just eat more, but DON'T! If you do, you'll have slower weight loss with plateaus, and even weight gain! If you persist with the measured amount, however (despite not feeling satisfied), then you'll continue to lose your weight and in another week or two, now you'll start getting hungry between meals. If this happens, you're WAY out of adjustment and waited too long. You'll need to LISTEN to the band more closely next time!
If the opposite is happening (that is, you're hungry all the time BUT you do get full with a "small meal", it means you're trying to "eyeball it" and you are filling your pouch beyond it's ideal capacity. If that's the case, you need to go entirely on liquids (including your shakes) for a week, then START OVER with your measured meals. If you're not full, then GET AN ADJUSTMENT!
If you do it this way, your journey to a healthier weight will not only be tolerable, but even pleasant, especially as everything is starting to fit looser and taking a deep breath is getting easier.
Honestly, until you can absolutely determine your measured food weight within a few grams, you need to have that scale with you AT ALL TIMES! Maybe in a few months of success, you can begin leaving it at home when you go to restaurants, but always return to it when the going gets rough. Measured portions will bail you out most of the time. For the rest of the times, you'll need us and your support network to coach you on. So, give us something to talk about: keep your food & exercise diary accurate and up to date. It will always tell the story!
CONSISTENCY ALLOWS FOR PRECISION AND IS THE ENEMY OF GUESSWORK!!
So, just do it..........
Dr H