Carbonation when irritated reacts by expanding.
I love it when patients ask “why” good for you Debra. Debra asks about why drinking soda (carbonated beverages) is a no no for banded patients. Check it out!
Gena, thank you so much for the information. It was very helpful. I still need a couple of questions answered. What does diet soda do to the band? Do I need to go get my band checked? It is hard to eat healthy foods like chicken or veggies but junk foods are easy to get down. I feel tight in the morning and usually don’t eat until lunch which I know is not good.
Debra
Hi Debra, No problem, I am happy to answer your questions.
About carbonated beverages
Carbonated beverages are a direct threat to your band.
Debra have you ever shook up a can of soda and then opened it (or been a unsuspecting victim )
If you have, you know that carbonation when irritated reacts by expanding.
Now imagine your lap band and how it is placed. Now if you drink a carbonated beverage, the contents are disturbed and it expands (have you ever needed to belch after taking a sip?)
Carbonated beverages expand in the stomach up to five times the original volume consumed. Now what do you think the chances of a band slip are if you continue to put that kind of internal pressure on your band on a regular basis? Is it worth the risk of losing your band due to complications that could have been avoided.
But I bet you are thinking “nothing happened”. You don’t notice much damage with that first cigarette either. But with time does take it’s toll.
Also ask yourself this question; What real benefit do you gain from drinking diet soda? Isn’t one of your goals to work towards healthier habits? Were does diet soda fit into that process?
Do you see were I am coming from?
Check out these resources from Livestrong.com about the dangers of Carbonated drinks
Your second question is both easy to answer and would take me a long time to lay it all out for you.
But in a nutshell, when you are actively practicing the 10 Lap-Band Rules many of these problems you are experiencing will go away.
Hears how I see it. After the “honeymoon phase” is were it seems to start. That is when real change needs to begin. But because the weight has come off so far with very little effort thus far (during post op diet) it can give you a false sense of how fast the band should work. When in fact it actually has not started to do it’s job yet. Most patients can hardly wait to get that first fill and wait for the magic to begin. Rather then work on practicing following ALL ten of the Lap-Band Rules. What I have found is that the patient is waiting for something to change or stop them from over eating. The fact is without eating the right kind of healthy food you may not notice the change. So what happens next is you get your band fill and then tightened a couple of more times hoping that will change something. But now you are too tight to even eat the healthy food. So rather then take some fluid out so that you can now chew up your healthy food. You switch to easy slider food so you can eat something.
This is were I get a ton of phone calls when you have reached this place. See Hit the Reset Button
If you continue with a too tight band you will “never” solve this problem. You will keep fighting with it and rationalizing why you think it should be working. trust me I deal with this one all the time.
When your band is too tight…
You will have a hard time eating healthy food and may not be able to at all. This is because most healthy food is more bulky and has to be chewed down much more thoroughly. Most healthy proteins contain less fat and the tissue has tough fibers. The cooking method has much to due with how those fibers react. Sometime changing to a “wet” method of cooking can make all the difference in the world. The fiber and water contained in healthier food also add to the bulk.
Junk food goes down because it is highly refined (no fiber or water) higher in fat content. Anything crunchy does not get stuck as easily, crunchy pieces move through easily.
So it is an easy mistake to move towards eating slider foods for ease of eating. The mistake is thinking a tight band will force weight loss. All it does it slow the process down and completely frustrate you.
You are too tight in the morning because…
1.You are eating too late at night
2.Eating too much at night
3.Trying to force food down at every meal and causing swelling
( you can tell if this is an issue if you can eat later in the day, but not in the early part of the day easily)
You actually are creating this problem by having your band too tight.
Think about it…. because the band is too tight you can’t eat in the morning. So you naturally eat heavier later in the day when you should be slowing down. You are not hungry in the morning because you are still full and swollen from the night before. So you don’t eat until later…. and around and around you go.
Are you with me? Making sense now?
Do you see why I keep saying to go back to the foundation of success THE TEN LAP BAND RULES
You are having these issues because you may not be diligent with forming your foundation.
You might want to have your band checked because you have been drinking carbonated beverages. At least make sure it is still in the right position.
