Health Issues Lap bands and veganism?

[Blobbenstein]

I was wondering about whether I should get a lap band(If I'm eligible) as I'm about twice my healthy weight, and I have type 2 diabetes, and I was wondering if it was possible on a mainly vegan diet. Anyone know?

Part of the problem, I think, is getting enough protein.

 

[Moll Flanders]

I don't know about a lap band with regards to veganism but a man at my husband's work had a band fitted for the same reasons as you would and he feels hungry all the time and he hates having it.

 

[Blobbenstein]

yea, it's something I think about, and then have doubt about and forget it again, until next time. Partly I thought about it because of the Olympics. It would be nice to be able to run six miles again.

I wondered about the hunger thing. I was thinking that hunger probably isn't always about having an empty stomach.

 

[Forster]

I don't know about a lap band with regards to veganism but a man at my husband's work had a band fitted for the same reasons as you would and he feels hungry all the time and he hates having it.

Has he lost weight though? My wife's uncle was going to get the surgery. He was in the middle of the operation when they discovered they couldn't get the band around his stomach so it never got completed. He's in horrible physical shape due to being severely overweight. I really don't expect him to last too many more years and he isn't even 60 yet.

He spent many years on the road for work and all the eating out at restaurants took their toll. He's 5'6" and is 400+ pounds... can hardly move around and is pretty much home bound now.

To me surgery would be an absolutely last option I would consider to lose weight but sometimes for some people it might be the only option left and as long as the benefits outweigh the risks it probably should be done.

 

[Envy]

Blobbenstein, I used to weigh more than twice my healthy weight, and I was probably diabetic, though I didn't get an official diagnosis, since I had no insurance and couldn't afford to see a doctor. I got one of those blood sugar testing gadgets and my fasting blood sugar was consistently three times higher than normal.

I have lost over 100 pounds, by simply making sure I maintained a calorie deficit. Exercise is important for increasing your metabolism, but the reality is that it is much easier to eat less than to burn more. Especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. You will be hungry, there is no getting around that. It's hard work; the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I did stick to a very low fat diet. You will get plenty of fat in whole foods, so there is no need to add them. With people who have type 2 diabetic blood sugar problems, insulin that is floating around in your bloodstream will deposit everything you eat into your fat cells, since your blood sugar receptors won't allow it to do its real job.

I couldn't lose weight until I understood this and implemented it. I know there are plenty of people who say the composition of your diet doesn't matter as long as you eat fewer calories than you burn, but they do not understand the role of dietary fat in clogging your insulin receptor sites, and the role of insulin in storing the food you eat as fat when it can't get it into your cells to be burned as energy. Try to keep the percentage of calories from fat in your diet to between 10 and 20, closer to ten is better. And make sure you are not eating more than you are burning. You can use sites like Fitday to calculate how many calories you burn based on your weight and activity level, and of course you can log the food you eat and see the composition of your diet.

As long as I kept my dietary fat intake low and maintained a deficit of 500 calories a day, meaning I was consuming 500 calories less per day than I was burning, I managed to lose fat, even without exercising in the beginning. As you lose fat your calories burned per day will also decrease, so you will find over time that you will have to make adjustments in your food intake, but you won't have to starve. There are times when you will feel like you are starving, yes. It's not easy, but it is worth it, more than anything else, just because it may reverse your diabetes.

This post brought a tear to my eye.

Ketogenic diets may prove useful for Diabetes though.

 

[Freesia]

I think that there has got to be a better way than getting a lap band, I know how hard it is though, I am trying to sort my own diet out. (((((((hugs))))))))))

 

[Blobbenstein]

I'm not sure how much I'm burning off; I'm not very active, but I usually walk 1 to 2miles a day, which must burn off quite a lot considering the weight I'm lugging around.

I've stopped ordering crisps(potato chips), and switched to wholemeal bread recently.

Most of my the fat I eat comes from margarine, and the oil I fry things in, plus nuts.

I lost about 8 stone when I cut out most of my eggs and dairy around 6years ago, but my weight seems to have plateaued, I suppose as I have learn to sub with other foods.

Yea, I'm not keen on the surgery and having that stuff in my body, but I sometimes find the idea of an easy fix attractive...I'm not good with hunger, especially as I'm often bored, and near my kitchen.

I suppose that I should switch to wholemeal rice and pasta....those things are better for blood sugars anyway, I think.

 

[Wolfie]

I've known several people who had gastric bypass and there are some major side effects/complications that can go along with that. I don't think Lap-Band is supposed to be quite as drastic, but I'd still save any surgery as a last resort. Getting enough protein afterwards is important and that might be difficult as a vegan. It was even difficult for the omnis I know that had it done.

 

[Moll Flanders]

Has he lost weight though? My wife's uncle was going to get the surgery. He was in the middle of the operation when they discovered they couldn't get the band around his stomach so it never got completed. He's in horrible physical shape due to being severely overweight. I really don't expect him to last too many more years and he isn't even 60 yet.
He spent many years on the road for work and all the eating out at restaurants took their toll. He's 5'6" and is 400+ pounds... can hardly move around and is pretty much home bound now.
To me surgery would be an absolutely last option I would consider to lose weight but sometimes for some people it might be the only option left and as long as the benefits outweigh the risks it probably should be done.

Yes, he lost loads of weight and his diabetes was reversed but it is still an extreme measure IMO. He wasn't anywhere near that weight beforehand, I think he was more like 20 stone which is about 280 pounds.

Can you have the band taken out once you lose weight?

 

[mlp]

Lap bands can be removed, and a significant portion of them are - because of complications, or because the lap bands have deteriorated, or because the patient didn't lose weight.

 

[Scorpius]

I've known several people who had gastric bypass and there are some major side effects/complications that can go along with that. I don't think Lap-Band is supposed to be quite as drastic, but I'd still save any surgery as a last resort. Getting enough protein afterwards is important and that might be difficult as a vegan. It was even difficult for the omnis I know that had it done.

^ This.

My sister (an omni, 24 years old) just had gastric bypass surgery a few months ago. It was a HUGE ordeal and now she has to mega-supplement on vitamins, minerals and protein powders (she does whey, but I'm sure you could do hemp or pea protein if you were vegan, it would just be wicked expensive) because her body doesn't absorb those nutrients as readily as it did before the bypass. She also had to go off her BC pill because of the same reason. Obviously the OP wouldn't have to deal with that, but any other medication that is ingested orally is basically rendered less effective. Oh yeah, and you really can't eat anything for two months after the procedure (and absolutely no carbs or simple sugars for a few months after that, or you can develop something called dumping syndrome).

I know people who have had lab band surgery and had that gone poorly too (as others have mentioned: side effects, complications, doesn't work all the time).

TLDR; I think lap bands cause more pain that they're worth. Gastric bypass is a viable option if it is deemed a medical necessity. Aftercare is a giant pain the the *** but you could probably manage being vegan.

 

[Ansciess]

Yea, I'm not keen on the surgery and having that stuff in my body, but I sometimes find the idea of an easy fix attractive...I'm not good with hunger, especially as I'm often bored, and near my kitchen.

What kinds of programs and things have you already tried to get the weight off? Is there anything else you have an inclination to try before doing surgery? Do you need more ideas? To me taking a functional body and doing a surgery like that is a terrible idea, unless there is absolutely no other option.

 

[RascalsMom]

Am I the only one that keeps reading the title as "Lap dances and veganism?"

 

[mlp]

Am I the only one that keeps reading the title as "Lap dances and veganism?"

Yes, you are. What kind of places do you hang out in?

 

[Ansciess]

If it would help to have a place to chart your progress towards better habits, maybe you could do it here. People would cheer you on

Also, I just heard Dr. McDougall on the radio talking about his book The Starch Solution
http://www.amazon.com/The-Starch-Solution-Regain-Health/dp/1609613937
It sounds pretty good, and might offer you a plan for losing weight healthily, if you're someone who needs structure. Maybe see if it appeals to you. Perhaps your library has it.

 

[Blobbenstein]

I just need to stop eating so much, stop grazing.

I have lost weight in the past by just sticking to meal times..

I'm a bit wary of special types of diet. I think for the long term it is just better to just eat healthily, and reduce calorie intake.

I want to see what cutting out crisps does to my weight. Crisps seem so light and harmless; even a multi-pack doesn't weigh much, but it is all some dastardly illusion.

 

[Freesia]

Right now I am trying to cut down on my usual junk food bingeing. It has being going ok, I am on day 2 of my junk food reduction but I am finding that my moods are terrible, if I dont eat the junk food it is like my brain is screaming WHERE IS THE JUNK FOOD?

and I feel really depressed without it. This morning I was feeling real withdrawals and felt so down for about 3 hours, feeling better now as have had busy day, but probably will feel bad again tomorrow.

I have realised it is possible to clean my diet up but I have to remember that my brain is going to kick me up the butt during the first month or two while it adjusts to not relying on bingeing to reduce boredom or stress or sadness. The key is to get through these times.

 

[led.boots]

Freesia, it is probably the sugar withdrawal that you're feeling. Did you give up caffeine, too?
::backs away slowly::

 

[SquarePeg]

I was wondering about whether I should get a lap band(If I'm eligible) as I'm about twice my healthy weight, and I have type 2 diabetes, and I was wondering if it was possible on a mainly vegan diet. Anyone know?

Part of the problem, I think, is getting enough protein.

It can be done. However, I would strongly urge you to really go on a low-fat vegan diet (like that promoted in Forks Over Knives and the PCRM's 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart.

I have had my Lap-Band for 6 years and I am incredibly sorry that I ever did this. It can work. For most people it does. But not everyone manages to hit the "sweet spot" where the balance between the band being "too loose" (can overeat) and "too tight" (can't eat without pain or vomiting).

Also, the Lap-Band is very dependent on good long-term follow up care. If you move to a new city/state you may have a very hard time finding a Lap-Band surgeon who is willing to take on a patient for whom they did not perform the surgery. I moved from Florida to Alabama and I have been unable to find a doc to do my aftercare. It has been horrible.

At my heaviest I weighed about 320. I lost about 50 pounds directly related to the Lap-Band. Today I weighed in at 237. But the pounds between 270 and 237 were lost the "old fashioned" way. By watching my food intake, by paying attention to what kind of foods I am eating, by limiting high-fat, high-calorie, nutrient-deficient foods.

Even with the Lap-Band in optimal working order you will still need to do the work. You still need to pay attention to what you're eating, when you're eating it, and how you eat it. A lifetime of "tiny bites" and having to chew your food excessively in order to avoid things getting stuck in the stoma, the pain when you mess it up and get something stuck, the vomiting ... For me I really don't think that it was worth it.

I heard someone call the Lap-Band, "Surgically Induced Bulemia." While there may be some hyperbole in that statement, it isn't really all that far off the mark.

My honest opinion from the BTDT side of the fence - If you can't follow the diets outlined by Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Ornish, or Dr. McDougall on your own and make those healthier food choices without the Lap-Band you're unlikely to do it with the Lap-Band. The truth of the matter is that you can (and many people do) eat around the band. When you're tight (or too tight) you can eat mashed potatoes with butter and sour cream, creamy soups, milkshakes, ice cream ... all high-fat, low nutrition density foods.

Perhaps my Lap-Band has been instrumental in keeping off the first 50 pounds that I lost. But it hasn't been instrumental in losing any additional weight since that initial loss, which included my week long liquid diet and the 6 weeks of post-op diet. The 6 weeks of post-op dieting included 2 weeks of clear liquids only, then 2 weeks of thicker liquids (think protein shakes), then 2 weeks of blended soups and such, before moving to soft foods and then finally on to solid foods. I think anyone eating like that would have lost the same amount of weight, with or without the Lap-Band.

If you would like more information about my personal experiences, please feel free to send me a PM.

 

[Freesia]

Freesia, it is probably the sugar withdrawal that you're feeling. Did you give up caffeine, too?
::backs away slowly::

Lol, no but I probably should cut down on it. I drink a fair bit of tea and I think that is the max amount of caffeine I should have. I always get a caffeine overload from coffee.