What are the rules?

To having a Lapband….

Well there are Dr. O’Brien’s eight golden rules.

1, Eat three or less small meals per day

2. Do not eat anything between meals

3. Eat slowly and stop when no longer hungry

4. Focus on nutritious foods

5. Avoid calorie-containing liquids

6. Exercise for at least 30 minutes every day

7. Be active throughout the day

8. Always keep in contact with your aftercare specialist

And there are the basic band eating rules.

1. Small bites

2. Chew until mushy

3. Eat slow (wait about 1 minute between bites)

After this it starts to get foggy, many doctors with many different opinions and advise.

There is:

1. Don’t drink while eating

2. No carbonated drinks

3. No straws

4. No NSAIDS

5. No alcohol

So what do you do? Who is right?? Every doctor is different. An example is let’s compare my doctor and my good friend CalorinaGirl’s doctor:

Drinking while eating:

My doctor says it’s fine as long as you wait the minute between bites & sips. CG doctor says NO drinking while eating and wait 30 minutes after you eat.

Carbonated drinks:

My doctor says if you want that’s fine but he sees most patients prefer not to because of the discomfort in drinking the carbonation. CG doctor says NO.

Straws

My doctor says if you want and it doesn’t bother you, fine. (I use a straw on occasion). CG doctor says NO.

NSAIDS

My doctor says Yes. CG doctor says NO.

Alcohol

My doctor says count the calories. CG doctor says prefer not, but if so use sparingly.

I would say that both CG & I have been successful with our banded journeys, we both follow our band rules (doctor’s orders) and have seen the results.

So who is right????? YOUR DOCTOR IS RIGHT! That is the person you put your money and life into so why not trust them?

My point is this journey is not cut and dry, black and white. This journey is what you make of it. Trust in your doctor and listen to them. Make your choices based on that.