Texas Arkansas Lap Band Blog from Texarkana

Community of hundreds of patients from Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma who have had Lap Band surgery in Texarkana.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Lap Band Dietician Notes




At the last support group, Amy Carmeli the registered dietician and nutrition guru offered these points on nutrition. Many of you asked for a copy of her presentation and Amy has been kind enough to share it with us.
By the way, don't forget to show up to the Lap Band support groups. We have them set up for you at our expense so that you can benefit and get the most out of your Lap Band. We believe (and studies have shown) that weight loss surgery patients have better results if they have regular participation in support groups.
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What we have forgotten about basic nutrition
1st in 3 part series


Our bodies need carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamin, minerals, and water to function properly. Each one has a specific and special function in our body.
Protein, water, some lipids, vitamins, minerals help regulate body processes. Carbohydrates, protein, and fat provide energy to fuel the body.

We all know the name carbohydrate. In recent years carbohydrates have become “evil” or “bad” foods. However, carbohydrates are our bodies preferred energy source. The key is to know which carbohydrates we should eat more of versus less.

Two basic types of carbohydrates are simple and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are foods like cakes, sweets, and fruit juices. Complex carbohydrates are foods like whole grain wheat products, fruits, beans, and starch vegetables. From the complex carbohydrates we also get two types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber increase fecal bulk and decrease intestinal transit time. Insoluble fibers are whole grains, all plants, wheat, rye, rice and vegetables. Terms associated with insoluble fiber are cellulose and hemicellulose, and lignins. Soluble fiber delays gastric emptying slows glucose absorption and can lower cholesterol. Examples of soluble fiber are oats, beans, citrus fruits, pectins, gums, and psyllium. An example of a complete fiber (soluble and insoluble) is an apple with the skin being insoluble and the inside being soluble.

Bottom line with carbohydrates – we need complex carbohydrates that contain soluble and insoluble fibers. Good choices are whole grain wheat, oats, vegetables, and beans.

With the lap band we talk a lot about protein. Consuming enough protein is vital for maintaining health. Protein is a key part of the blood, helping to regulate many body functions and can provide energy.

There are two types of proteins – complete or incomplete. Complete proteins contain all nine essential amino acids. Incomplete proteins must be combined together with another incomplete protein to provide benefit. It is basically an “all or nothing” idea. Without making a protein complete, by combining foods together, our body cannot support body growth and maintenance.
Complete proteins are eggs, meat, and milk.
Incomplete protein that can be combined to make complete proteins are: hummus and whole wheat bread, nut butter and whole wheat bread, rice and beans, green beans and sunflower seeds, beans and vegetable soups.

Food sources of protein
Tuna (3 ounces)
21.6 g Protein
Chicken (3 ounces)
21.3 g Protein
Beef chuck (3 ounces)
15.3 g protein
Yogurt
10.6 g protein
Beans and rice (1 cup)
10.2 g protein
Peanut butter and wheat bread
~10 g protein

Bottom line: We need adequate protein to maintain body functions. We can consume either complete protein foods or combine 2 incomplete protein foods to make a complete protein. Good sources of protein: meat, milk, eggs; or beans and rice.


Fat is what makes our food taste good and helps provide satiety (that full, satisfied feeling). Fat does play an important role in our body, but we actually need very little fat to provide these functions.

Fat can be broken into two groups of two: saturated fat and unsaturated fats; and essential fat and nonessential fat. The best fat to use in cooking is monounsaturated fat like canola, olive, or peanut oil. Fats that we want to limit are saturated fats, especially trans fat. Trans fat is found in foods like fried potatoes, bakery goods, and some margarines.

Essential fats that our bodies need are omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. These fats are found in salmon, tuna, sardines, trout, halibut, walnuts, and flax seed oils. We need these foods at least twice per week.

Bottom line: We should consume unsaturated fats in limited quantities and essential fat two times per week. Good choices: cooking with only olive, canola, or peanut oil; and consuming baked or grilled fish (listed above) two times per week.

Stayed tuned: next month we will discuss vitamins, minerals, and the forgotten nutrient water.

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Addendum:
Some Lap Band patients might have restriction for meats and in order to have an adequate protein intake might need to find other sources of protein, including low-fat or non fat dairy products or protein supplements such as those offered on the Estore.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Hit a weight loss plateau with your Lap Band?


In our practice (including myself Dr. Ron Hekier, and my wife Dr. Rachael Keilin) we are learning as we go on. Having performed over 700 Lap Band procedures over the years we can notice trends in our patients. We have both noticed that a number of patients do very well with their weight loss for a year or so and then hit a weight loss plateau.

It seems to occur often in people who have lost two thirds of the weight we are trying to lose. For example, if you are trying to lose 100 pounds, you might hit the plateau after you lose about 65 pounds.

Here are some suggestions.



1) Are you getting enough calories spread out evenly throughout the day?

"What, I need to make sure I eat enough?" Absolutely. You need to eat to lose weight. Your body needs to be supplied with adequate energy otherwise it will store energy from the food you eat. Quick quiz what is the most efficient storage of energy in the body? That's right, fat tissue!So, are you eating at least 1200 calories a day? Are you eating regularly? Make sure you don't skip meals. 3 meals a day with small healthy snacks in between. Don't go more than 3 - 4 hours without eating anything. The



2) Are you exercising adequately?

This is usually the biggest problem. You hear people say they want to "increase their metabolism" and what they mean is that they want to burn more calories throughout the say. The only way to do this is to increase your level of activity. And not just leisurely walking, what Dr. Keilin calls "going out for a stroll." Exercise means getting your heart rate up, it means sweating. Work at it!

3) What is the composition of your food intake?

Out of the calories that you are eating are you getting adequate protein? Are you getting too much fat and carbohydrates? Make sure you are having an appropriate mix. Come to support group to speak with Amy, the dietitian, to help make proper choices. See her earlier post on Protein Power on this blog. Look at the products offerred by Bariatric Advantage to get some possible choices for protein supplements.

4) Have you forgotten the positive changes you have made?

Sometimes people forget that hard work it took to get them to their point of weight loss and they slack off and revert to old habits. Are you eating high calorie snack foods? Are you exercising less than you used to? Have you forgotten Betty's 10 Lap Band rules to stay in the box?

What works for you?
Leave a comment and share your thoughts with everyone!

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