Lap-Band Surgery Aftercare Program
iVital utilizes the Lap-Band, the most widely-chosen gastric band on the market, in all of its Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band (LAGB) surgeries. The gastric band is not, however, a "fit it and forget it" procedure. In conjunction with any Lap-Band surgery, your commitment to an aftercare program consisting of a lower calorie, healthy diet is critical. Effective aftercare is necessary for sustained weight loss and the long-term health benefits that are the goal of any bariatric surgery. Along with committing to a lower calorie diet, you will need to become more educated about nutrition so that you can plan your meals and ensure that you are practicing healthy eating habits. Fortunately, the Lap-Band surgery experts at iVital will assist you in developing a personalized Lap-Band surgery aftercare program.
iVital is an industry leader in providing comprehensive Lap-Band surgery aftercare. Your official MyVital Plan designed by the experts at iVital will be tailored to your goals and lifestyle. Your MyVital Plan will include consultations with nutritionists, physiologists, and even psychologists to provide you with the information and support you require to ensure your long-term weight loss success. Our team will be here for you every step of the way after your gastric band surgery, even after you have reached your ideal weight.
Post-Surgery Nutrition
A personalized nutrition plan will be a primary component of your Lap-Band surgery aftercare program and one of the keys to your success. As part of your bariatric surgery aftercare, an iVital nutritionist will educate you on suggested changes to your eating habits. Many patients are worried initially that making the changes will be difficult. However, what they find is that the Lap-Band is designed to assist you in developing these healthy enhancements to your eating habits.
In the first few weeks after the gastric band is placed, you will be on a primarily liquid diet as your stomach adjusts to having the Lap-Band. However, after three to four weeks, you will graduate into pureed foods, followed by soft foods after five weeks. Finally, you will be able to eat solid foods again by week six. The Lap-Band is designed to restrict food, not liquids, so you will not reach a sense of satiety with liquids.
The Lap-Band makes it easier to maximize weight loss and keep the weight off. You will also experience the health benefits of better eating habits by helping you to eat several small nutritionally balanced meals each day. Remember: it will still be important to eat foods that are low in calories, fat, cholesterol, and sugar. However, the proper application of the Lap-Band including adjustments ensures that overeating, and the spikes in blood sugar and excessive weight gain that result, are a thing of the past.
Your iVital nutritionist will give you advice regarding the large variety of foods that are appropriate to maintain healthy and balanced nutrition. This is a key component in your MyVital Plan, which will facilitate long-term weight loss success.
Exercise Plan
Many of us have sedentary lifestyles, so it is very important to be intentional about your exercise as a component of healthy living and sustained weight loss. After the gastric band procedure, you will be able to participate in low-impact activities such as aerobics, walking and swimming. The experts at iVital will be able to advise you on the best activities to get you started. Over the long-term, incorporating regular physical activity into your daily routine is equally as important as your diet for sustained weight loss and long-term health. As part of your comprehensive Lap-Band surgery aftercare program, our physiologists will provide advice that fits your lifestyle and is easy and fun to maintain.
Gastric Band Adjustments
Adjustments are an important part of life with the Lap-Band. They will be incorporated into your MyVital Plan to ensure sustained weight loss and the long-term health benefits possible through bariatric surgery. Adjustments to the tightness of the Lap-Band are made based on your individual weight loss goals and desired rate of weight loss. The Lap-Band adjustments take as little as five minutes time to complete and do not require additional surgery. It is a very simple non-surgical procedure in which the physician injects or withdraws saline from your gastric band through the port located in your abdomen. Lap-Band adjustments, as part of the gastric banding surgery aftercare program designed by iVital, usually occur four to six weeks after surgery. The number of adjustments can vary depending on the individual. Some individuals are fine with only one adjustment, while others require several based on how they are progressing toward their ideal weight.
iVital, based in Dallas, specializes in weight loss surgery programs that combine Laparoscopic Gastric Banding Surgery (LAGB), utilizing the Lap-Band, with comprehensive Lap-Band surgery aftercare. iVital is an expert in Lap-Band surgery and an industry leader in developing a personalized MyVital Plan for each patient that provides focused bariatric guidance to ensure long-term weight loss success.
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