It amazes me to open the current copy of Glamour magazine and see the “the latest research” on weight loss tools and find that it is simply yet another one of The Lessons of Successful Lap Band Patients. This one was eat slowly. Lots of talk about how someone with a Ph.D. studied how eating speed affects satiety and health overall at the University of Rhode Island, and concluded that “Most of the mechanisms involved in satiety, the feeling of fullness and satisfaction, take time and certain fullness hormones aren’t even released until food starts to empty from your stomach, which can take a half hour or more”.
The article goes on to state not only should you slow down when you are eating, but count your chews (15 is their number - 30 is mine) and visualize the food traveling down your esophagus before digging in again. EWWWE….I would rather not visualize a mouthful of food traveling down a body part before I take another bite. That could certainly disenfranchise me from the entire process of eating….wait!!! Is that the intent? Seriously though we are told to not try to keep up with the guys, since guys require more calories to maintain their weight, and to avoid finger food…use a knife and fork.
Next we are told to avoid highly processed food not because of the “usual reasons” (their words), but because the roughage in whole grain carbs require more chewing. Finally we are told we can consume up to 133 calories less per meal by creating a little soft lighting, mood music and a relaxing atmosphere. Hmmm, so eating at a fine restaurant on a white tablecloth, with candlelight has you eating more slowly than going through the drive thru? Who would have thought that possible? (...wink, wink…)
Amazing data and great tips? Yes, for anyone who has not listened to the professionals in their bariatric surgery practice, read books, participated in support groups and generally worked on following the rules.
This is a summary of everything the Glamour magazine reader was told to do in their Health spotlight of the month:
- Eat slowly
- Chew each bite 15 times
- Swallow that well chewed bite and pause a moment before digging in again
- Don’t try to keep up with the guys when eating- they need more calories than we do
- Avoid finger foods- using a knife and fork slows you down
- Don’t eat processed foods
- Have your meal in a relaxed atmosphere
Do you recognize any of these as part of everything you need to know to be successful with your lap band? I do. Perhaps some of us could start writing articles for Glamour magazine as a second source of income?