Observations of a Weight Loss Physician Assistant and Dietitian

By admin on March 23, 2009 at 2:12 pm

I have been fortunate to assist Dr. Kim for the past 8 months and I have been doing lap band fills for a little over a year now. I have also been a nutritionist for the past 9 years. I have noticed some things that I want to share.

1. A really tight band does not equal greater weight loss, it usually means more problems.
2. If you can’t eat solid, hard to digest foods, your band is too tight.
3. If you think how tight the band is, or the “restriction” it gives you will help you make healthy food choices, think again.
4. Soups and salads use to be diet foods, but are not band friendly.
5. Eat meat or other protein, dairy, veggies, fruits and then grains and in that order to plan your meals.
6. Chips, cookies, high calorie liquids and other fun foods always go down.
7. There are four parts to successful “banded” weight loss: 25% exercise, 25% nutrition, 25% behavior medication and 25% proper band tightness. Three of those, or 75%, is all about you and 25% is the band. In other words believe more in yourself, than you believe in the band.
8. The band was invented to reduce appetite and restrict portion sizes of healthful foods. Changing your eating habits and fitness is still your responsibility.
9. Being “banded”, having a bypass or gastric sleeve are all equally effective, with different rates of weight loss. Each of the surgeries depends on you to make them work.
10. That little voice inside your head telling you that you can’t, needs to be strangled.
11. Always fidget and dance, or whatever keeps you moving.
12. Exercise might not be fun or a part of your lifestyle, but…………….
13. If you restrict your calories, your body will lower your metabolism, your only defense is exercise.
14. Losing weight by yourself is like to building your own rocket to fly to the moon, you need more help than you are willing to admit. Make sure you have a support group.
15. Patience is the missing ingredient in any weight loss program. Progressive slow weight loss is how the band works best.
16. Mr. Spock on Star Trek was thin because he had no emotions
17. As you get smaller, you need fewer calories and will depend more on exercise to maintain your weight, which means you still have to figure out how to enjoy number 12 and 13.
18. Appetite and hunger are difficult to understand, have you figured out the difference?
19. Exercise is……ok I’ll stop already, refer to 12, 13 and 17
20. Last, but not least, tell yourself that you are confident, effective and motivated thousands of times per day, because the average number of times a day a person alludes to pending weight loss failure is often much greater.

David Kellenberger, MPAS, RD, PA-C

Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
Nutrition and Dietetics

Posted in Ask the dietitian | 3 Comments