--- title: "Lap Band Surgery: How Many Calories a Day? | Sutter Health" description: "I had lap band surgery and I have lost 65 pounds, but I am getting discouraged because my weight seems to have stopped there. How many calories should I have a day? I am limited to about a cup of food three times a day." url: "/ask-an-expert/answers/lap-band-surgery-how-many-calories-a-day-1051061017" --- 1. Home / 2. Lap Band Surgery: How Many Calories a Day? # Lap Band Surgery: How Many Calories a Day? * * * Medically reviewed by - Karen Handy, M.P.H. ## Question I had lap band surgery and I have lost 65 pounds, but I am getting discouraged because my weight seems to have stopped there. How many calories should I have a day? I am limited to about a cup of food three times a day. ## Answer First of all, congratulations on your weight loss so far! Unfortunately, weight loss plateaus are a frustrating and all-too-common occurrence, even with weight loss surgeries. If you hit a plateau in the first year or two after lap band surgery, your surgeon would be the best person to evaluate what might be contributing to the slow-down and whether or not the volume of food you are consuming per day is appropriate. The plateau could be an indication that your surgeon may need to increase the restriction in your band and thus reduce the volume of how much you are eating per day. Plateaus can also occasionally be caused by the band being too tight, which can encourage a greater intake of liquid calories, or softer foods, which tend to slip through more easily and fail to leave you feeling full and satisfied (and make you more likely to increase your calorie intake). If the amount of restriction in your lap band is not the issue, your surgeon will likely want to review your food and exercise records to see if the amounts and types of food you are eating (and beverages you are consuming) could be contributing to a halt in your weight loss. B Because the amount of food that can be eaten is so small, it is very important to make sure that every calorie "counts" - i.e., that everything you consume is something your body needs. You may also want to take a look at how much physical activity you are doing and see where and how that might be increased so that you are not only restricting your calorie intake but increasing the number of calories you burn each day. Reports in the medical literature suggest that those who have had lap band surgery can expect to lose about 40-50 percent of their excess body weight. To achieve the best results, for weight loss and good health, it's important to adhere to the following guidelines: - Eat three small meals per day; no snacking between meals. - Focus on eating protein first each meal to insure adequate intake (and protein helps us feel more full or satiated). - Avoid high-sugar, high-fat, high-calorie foods. - Eat slowly and chew food until it is of "baby food" consistency. - Avoid fibrous foods such as nuts and seeds, corn, popcorn and grapes. - Stop eating as soon as you feel full. - Avoid drinking while eating (or your solid food will slip through more easily). - Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day outside of meal times (and drink only low-calorie, non-carbonated beverages. - Exercise regularly. . ## Explore related topics Weight managementNutrition ## Related questions View all questions - Health Q&A ### Weight Loss Plan to Lose 100 Lbs Can you recommend a weight loss program for someone who is 100 lbs overweight and has been unsuccessful many times? - Health Q&A ### Metabolism and Weight Loss I have successfully lost weight this year (almost 60 pounds), but now the scale won't move anymore. 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View all questions ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza Drive","addressLocality":"Sacramento","addressRegion":"CA","postalCode":"95833","addressCountry":"US"},"areaServed":{"@type":"AdministrativeArea","name":"California"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/SutterHealth","https://www.instagram.com/sutterhealth/","https://x.com/SutterHealth","https://www.youtube.com/sutterhealth","https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutter-health","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter_Health"]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/lap-band-surgery-how-many-calories-a-day-1051061017#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Lap Band Surgery: How Many Calories a Day?"}]} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalWebPage","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/lap-band-surgery-how-many-calories-a-day-1051061017#medicalwebpage","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/lap-band-surgery-how-many-calories-a-day-1051061017","name":"Lap Band Surgery: How Many Calories a Day?","description":"First of all, congratulations on your weight loss so far! Unfortunately, weight loss plateaus are a frustrating and all-too-common occurrence, even with weight loss surgeries.","inLanguage":"en-US","medicalAudience":{"@type":"MedicalAudience","audienceType":"Patient"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/lap-band-surgery-how-many-calories-a-day-1051061017#breadcrumblist"},"mainEntity":{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/lap-band-surgery-how-many-calories-a-day-1051061017#question","name":"Lap Band Surgery: How Many Calories a Day?","text":"I had lap band surgery and I have lost 65 pounds, but I am getting discouraged because my weight seems to have stopped there. How many calories should I have a day? I am limited to about a cup of food three times a day.","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/lap-band-surgery-how-many-calories-a-day-1051061017#answer","text":"First of all, congratulations on your weight loss so far! Unfortunately, weight loss plateaus are a frustrating and all-too-common occurrence, even with weight loss surgeries. If you hit a plateau in the first year or two after lap band surgery, your surgeon would be the best person to evaluate what might be contributing to the slow-down and whether or not the volume of food you are consuming per day is appropriate. The plateau could be an indication that your surgeon may need to increase the restriction in your band and thus reduce the volume of how much you are eating per day. Plateaus can also occasionally be caused by the band being too tight, which can encourage a greater intake of liquid calories, or softer foods, which tend to slip through more easily and fail to leave you feeling full and satisfied (and make you more likely to increase your calorie intake). If the amount of restriction in your lap band is not the issue, your surgeon will likely want to review your food and exercise records to see if the amounts and types of food you are eating (and beverages you are consuming) could be contributing to a halt in your weight loss. B Because the amount of food that can be eaten is so small, it is very important to make sure that every calorie \"counts\" - i.e., that everything you consume is something your body needs. You may also want to take a look at how much physical activity you are doing and see where and how that might be increased so that you are not only restricting your calorie intake but increasing the number of calories you burn each day. Reports in the medical literature suggest that those who have had lap band surgery can expect to lose about 40-50 percent of their excess body weight. To achieve the best results, for weight loss and good health, it's important to adhere to the following guidelines: Eat three small meals per day; no snacking between meals. Focus on eating protein first each meal to insure adequate intake (and protein helps us feel more full or satiated). Avoid high-sugar, high-fat, high-calorie foods. Eat slowly and chew food until it is of \"baby food\" consistency. Avoid fibrous foods such as nuts and seeds, corn, popcorn and grapes. Stop eating as soon as you feel full. Avoid drinking while eating (or your solid food will slip through more easily). Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day outside of meal times (and drink only low-calorie, non-carbonated beverages. Exercise regularly. .","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/lap-band-surgery-how-many-calories-a-day-1051061017","author":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/lap-band-surgery-how-many-calories-a-day-1051061017#expert"}}},"publisher":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization"},"reviewedBy":{"@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/lap-band-surgery-how-many-calories-a-day-1051061017#expert"}} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Person","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/ask-an-expert/answers/lap-band-surgery-how-many-calories-a-day-1051061017#expert","name":"Karen Handy","honorificSuffix":"M.P.H."} ```