Alternative Weight Loss
Approved as recently as 2001 by the FDA, laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery is fast becoming accepted as the safest and least invasive form of weight loss surgery.
Lap band surgery is a form of purely restrictive weight loss surgery and uses a small inflatable band around the upper portion of the patient's stomach to restrict the quantity of food that the patient can consume and also to slow the emptying of food from the stomach so that the patient has a constant feeling of being full. Like many surgeries today, lap band surgery is often performed laparoscopically and operations typically take about one hour, with patients being required to remain in hospital for no more than one night following surgery.
A normal stomach will have a capacity in excess of 1000 ccs but laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery typically reduces this to as little as 15 to 30 ccs. This very much reduced stomach size limits the intake of foods severely and forces the body to begin burning off its fat reserves, thus creating weight loss.
One beauty of this particular form of weight loss surgery is that the surgeon is able to adjust the restriction on the stomach post-operatively through a port which is embedded in the wall of the abdomen just under the skin. This allows the surgeon to monitor the patient's progress and to either increase or restrict further the amount of food that an individual can consume. This feature of lap band surgery not only leads to a safer recovery, but also results in a healthier long term weight loss.
Patients must of course adhere to a strict diet following surgery and for some 18 months will be restricted to consuming less than 800 calories per day. Between 18 and 36 months patients will normally increase their intake gradually until they are consuming about 1200 calories each day. Patients will also need to learn to drink fluids in small quantities throughout the day, avoiding fluids with meals, and will need to take nutritional supplements for the remainder of their lives.
Most patients undergoing laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery will experience a weight loss of approximately 60% of their excess weight, which is slightly less than would typically be seen in other forms of gastric bypass surgery.
Although there are many advantages to lap band surgery it is not without its problems, including such things as a malfunction or slippage of the band, problems with the adjustment port, erosion of the band into the wall of the stomach and infection. Perhaps its biggest problem for many patients though is the fact that weight loss tends to be fairly slow and, of all the procedures performed today, lap band surgery requires the greatest effort on the part of the patient in order to lose weight and to maintain that weight loss.
Although lap band surgery is certainly a very popular option, it is not for everybody and patients undergoing laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery need to be disciplined when it comes to following a strict diet and, ideally, should be prepared to undergo and enjoy an exercise program.
For more information on the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band procedure, and on gastric bypass surgery in general, please visit http://www.gastricbypassfacts.info/
Friday, March 09, 2007
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Lap Band - Seven Crucial Facts You Need to Know
Myth 1: Lap Band Surgery is an easy way to lose weight
People tend to view Lap Band as an easy solution for a lifetime weight problem. Instead it should be viewed as a commitment one makes to change their life for the better. It is for people who have tried diets and exercise yet nothing seems to help. It might be a difficult life change, but it is worth it because it is the safe way for overweight individuals to successfully lose the pounds.
Myth 2: The surgery prevents proper nutrition
Not true. Many doctors will prescribe vitamins and supplements to take after the surgery in order to help the recovery process. Individuals can still get proper nutrition, but since the stomach is restricted, you must change the way your body was accustomed to getting daily vitamins and minerals.
Myth 3: Even if you lose the weight, you will gain it back
The secret is making a lifelong commitment. If you make the commitment to lose the weight and change old eating habits, you will of course lose the weight. If you continue to eat like you used to, then your chances of losing a large amount of weight decreases.
Myth 4: The surgery results in unhealthy rapid weight loss
Weight loss does not occur overnight, that just would not be healthy. You will lose about 2-3 pounds a week, if you follow a doctor's eating and exercise plan. And of course it will depend on your starting weight and your weight loss goals.
Myth 5: You will have to eat only a liquid diet
You won't be on a liquid diet forever that is only during the recovery process after surgery. Of course you shouldn't continue to eat the supersized fast food meals like before, but you can eat solid foods. The idea is to eat smaller portioned meals, three times a day because the smaller amount will still give you a full feeling.
Myth 6: The follow-up care is not important
The follow-up care is the most important part because changing your eating habits and old lifestyle is what leads to healthy weight loss. If you really care about losing weight, then the follow-up care will be a breeze.
Myth 7: You can lose the weight without a drastic lifestyle change
If you are drastically overweight, then your lifestyle probably wasn’t so healthy before. Of course you have to change your lifestyle if you want to change your body. Losing a large amount of weight is no easy task, but with a positive attitude and a commitment to change your life for the better, weight loss is an attainable goal.
Dr. Wade Barker, the premier Dallas Lap Band surgeon, has performed over 1100 Gastric Bypass surgeries and Lap Band surgeries in Dallas. He hopes to educate the greater public about the Lap Band procedure as well as healthy lifestyle techniques. For more information, check out http://www.wbarkermd.com.
People tend to view Lap Band as an easy solution for a lifetime weight problem. Instead it should be viewed as a commitment one makes to change their life for the better. It is for people who have tried diets and exercise yet nothing seems to help. It might be a difficult life change, but it is worth it because it is the safe way for overweight individuals to successfully lose the pounds.
Myth 2: The surgery prevents proper nutrition
Not true. Many doctors will prescribe vitamins and supplements to take after the surgery in order to help the recovery process. Individuals can still get proper nutrition, but since the stomach is restricted, you must change the way your body was accustomed to getting daily vitamins and minerals.
Myth 3: Even if you lose the weight, you will gain it back
The secret is making a lifelong commitment. If you make the commitment to lose the weight and change old eating habits, you will of course lose the weight. If you continue to eat like you used to, then your chances of losing a large amount of weight decreases.
Myth 4: The surgery results in unhealthy rapid weight loss
Weight loss does not occur overnight, that just would not be healthy. You will lose about 2-3 pounds a week, if you follow a doctor's eating and exercise plan. And of course it will depend on your starting weight and your weight loss goals.
Myth 5: You will have to eat only a liquid diet
You won't be on a liquid diet forever that is only during the recovery process after surgery. Of course you shouldn't continue to eat the supersized fast food meals like before, but you can eat solid foods. The idea is to eat smaller portioned meals, three times a day because the smaller amount will still give you a full feeling.
Myth 6: The follow-up care is not important
The follow-up care is the most important part because changing your eating habits and old lifestyle is what leads to healthy weight loss. If you really care about losing weight, then the follow-up care will be a breeze.
Myth 7: You can lose the weight without a drastic lifestyle change
If you are drastically overweight, then your lifestyle probably wasn’t so healthy before. Of course you have to change your lifestyle if you want to change your body. Losing a large amount of weight is no easy task, but with a positive attitude and a commitment to change your life for the better, weight loss is an attainable goal.
Dr. Wade Barker, the premier Dallas Lap Band surgeon, has performed over 1100 Gastric Bypass surgeries and Lap Band surgeries in Dallas. He hopes to educate the greater public about the Lap Band procedure as well as healthy lifestyle techniques. For more information, check out http://www.wbarkermd.com.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Personal Space: Life After Lap-Band Surgery
Have I become invisible or are people just aiming right at me? It seems to me that in a crowd these days, whether at the grocery store or 5th Avenue in New York City, people will walk right into me if I don’t step out of the way. Or they stand so close to me I have to step backward in order to breathe.
Now, I have never felt that I have such a small area of personal space. A busy street or mall never bothered me. I could walk through the crowd at a museum or a concert without being trampled. Only since losing 110 pounds have I begun to notice how the shrinking personal space has begun to bother me.
When I weighed 277 pounds I always felt emotionally invisible; that no one truly saw me or knew I was there. But while I felt emotionally invisible, I knew I was always physically there. I didn’t get bumped into, people didn’t stand so close to me that I felt the need to step away in order to maintain personal space. In the mall or on a San Francisco street, people gave me a wide berth. Bus passengers would hesitate before sitting down next to me judging just how much space they would have for their ride home.
When a thin person sees a fat person, regardless if the fat person is attractive or not, a bit of uneasiness runs through the thin person; “If I wasn’t working out everyday that could be me.” “Thank goodness I don’t look like that.” “Ok, salad again for lunch.”
According to ABC News, the American public spends $33 billion on the ever elusive quest for non-fatness. The billions are spent on fat-free products, exercise equipment, gym memberships, and weight loss programs. Spent on anything and everything not to become that fat person they see on the bus. So it is no surprise that when the one thing they work so hard to avoid is right in front of them they steer clear of it.
As a newly thin person I see the overweight person. I wish I could stop them and tell them how I did it-- that I was once overweight and have broken free.
But I can’t. So instead I make eye contact. I smile. I sit next to them on the bus without hesitation.
But it is a different life I am in now. Today I feel like I am physically invisible when walking those crowded streets, and that people are going to literally walk right into me if I don’t step out of the way. I feel like they no longer see me; or maybe they are just no longer ill at ease. Maybe I am now like everyone else and I need to get the hell out of the way if I don’t want to get run over.
Robin McCoy was banded on February 3, 2004. She has reached her weight loss goal of 110 pounds. Robin is Vice-President and Senior Writer for Lapband Lifestyle, a resource and support group for LapBand patients.
http://www.lapbandlifestyle.com/robin@lapbandlifestyle.com
Now, I have never felt that I have such a small area of personal space. A busy street or mall never bothered me. I could walk through the crowd at a museum or a concert without being trampled. Only since losing 110 pounds have I begun to notice how the shrinking personal space has begun to bother me.
When I weighed 277 pounds I always felt emotionally invisible; that no one truly saw me or knew I was there. But while I felt emotionally invisible, I knew I was always physically there. I didn’t get bumped into, people didn’t stand so close to me that I felt the need to step away in order to maintain personal space. In the mall or on a San Francisco street, people gave me a wide berth. Bus passengers would hesitate before sitting down next to me judging just how much space they would have for their ride home.
When a thin person sees a fat person, regardless if the fat person is attractive or not, a bit of uneasiness runs through the thin person; “If I wasn’t working out everyday that could be me.” “Thank goodness I don’t look like that.” “Ok, salad again for lunch.”
According to ABC News, the American public spends $33 billion on the ever elusive quest for non-fatness. The billions are spent on fat-free products, exercise equipment, gym memberships, and weight loss programs. Spent on anything and everything not to become that fat person they see on the bus. So it is no surprise that when the one thing they work so hard to avoid is right in front of them they steer clear of it.
As a newly thin person I see the overweight person. I wish I could stop them and tell them how I did it-- that I was once overweight and have broken free.
But I can’t. So instead I make eye contact. I smile. I sit next to them on the bus without hesitation.
But it is a different life I am in now. Today I feel like I am physically invisible when walking those crowded streets, and that people are going to literally walk right into me if I don’t step out of the way. I feel like they no longer see me; or maybe they are just no longer ill at ease. Maybe I am now like everyone else and I need to get the hell out of the way if I don’t want to get run over.
Robin McCoy was banded on February 3, 2004. She has reached her weight loss goal of 110 pounds. Robin is Vice-President and Senior Writer for Lapband Lifestyle, a resource and support group for LapBand patients.
http://www.lapbandlifestyle.com/robin@lapbandlifestyle.com
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Gastric Bypass and Lap-Band: Two Solutions to Morbid Obesity
Donna Lambert is a 31 year old school teacher living in Columbus, OH. All her life she had struggled with weight, and her life for the past ten years had revolved around the daily struggle. “I would try some new program or diet, lose 5 or 10 pounds during a month, then watch them come back with maybe an extra 2 or 3 as a bonus.” Donna was one of the approximately 9 million adult Americans who are morbidly obese (bmi of 40 or higher). If all of these were placed in one state, it would be the 12th most populous in the country. It affected every area of her life, and like many others she spent a fortune giving to the thriving (and for the most part useless) weight-loss industry.
It has only been in the last couple of decades that surgical solutions have been created for the treatment of morbid obesity which are safe enough to make it common practice. The two most common procedures are laparoscopic gastric bypass and the lap-band procedure. Both procedures have pros and cons, and Donna weighed her options carefully before deciding to have the gastric bypass surgery. “I knew the risks were a lot higher and that it would take longer for me to get back to work, but the success rate is a lot higher and I didn’t want to have to keep going back under the knife for readjustments.” Indeed, the average weight lost in the two years after gastric bypass is 75% to 80% of excess weight, versus 50% in the lap-band procedure. After consulting with her doctor over her best options, Donna had the gastric bypass surgery in June of 2005. She spent two day in the hospital following surgery for observation and by the beginning of the next school year was back in front of her elementary class.
There will probably be more than 150,000 gastric bypass surgeries and nearly as many lap-band procedures done in the U.S. this year. It is a last resort, and can only be done when the patient’s bmi (body/mass index) is about 40, which qualifies as morbidly obese. For people like Donna, it is a solution she is thankful for when all else has failed. “Weight is no longer a consuming issue in my life. It is no longer the first thing someone notices about me, and is no longer a wall between me and a life. I have never regretted having the surgery, and will always be thankful it was there.”
For many weighing their options between the two procedures, the deciding factor is insurance coverage. Most health insurance plans will now cover gastric bypass when it is a factor in other health problems. This is usually the case with morbid obesity, which is a known cause of such problems as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. The lap-band procedure, however, is rarely covered by health insurance companies. It is a reversible procedure, and its success rate is a little lower.
A year or two down the road of weight-loss another concern often pops up after having gastric bypass surgery. Due to the rapid weight-loss, the recipient of surgery is often left with excessive loose skin and often desires cosmetic surgery in order to correct this. This is the case with Donna Lambert, who has nearly arrived at her target weight of 129. “ I am looking at $14,000 to $25,000 worth of cosmetic surgery. It will be well worth the money, though.” Donna has had no major complications since her surgery, and is living a healthy, happy life in Columbus.
More information and a support forum can be found at http://www.weightloss-surgerysupport.com/.
Mike and Crystal Watson live in Arlington, TX. Among their websites is http://www.weightloss-surgerysupport.com/, a support forum for those who have had or are considering weight-loss surgery.
It has only been in the last couple of decades that surgical solutions have been created for the treatment of morbid obesity which are safe enough to make it common practice. The two most common procedures are laparoscopic gastric bypass and the lap-band procedure. Both procedures have pros and cons, and Donna weighed her options carefully before deciding to have the gastric bypass surgery. “I knew the risks were a lot higher and that it would take longer for me to get back to work, but the success rate is a lot higher and I didn’t want to have to keep going back under the knife for readjustments.” Indeed, the average weight lost in the two years after gastric bypass is 75% to 80% of excess weight, versus 50% in the lap-band procedure. After consulting with her doctor over her best options, Donna had the gastric bypass surgery in June of 2005. She spent two day in the hospital following surgery for observation and by the beginning of the next school year was back in front of her elementary class.
There will probably be more than 150,000 gastric bypass surgeries and nearly as many lap-band procedures done in the U.S. this year. It is a last resort, and can only be done when the patient’s bmi (body/mass index) is about 40, which qualifies as morbidly obese. For people like Donna, it is a solution she is thankful for when all else has failed. “Weight is no longer a consuming issue in my life. It is no longer the first thing someone notices about me, and is no longer a wall between me and a life. I have never regretted having the surgery, and will always be thankful it was there.”
For many weighing their options between the two procedures, the deciding factor is insurance coverage. Most health insurance plans will now cover gastric bypass when it is a factor in other health problems. This is usually the case with morbid obesity, which is a known cause of such problems as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. The lap-band procedure, however, is rarely covered by health insurance companies. It is a reversible procedure, and its success rate is a little lower.
A year or two down the road of weight-loss another concern often pops up after having gastric bypass surgery. Due to the rapid weight-loss, the recipient of surgery is often left with excessive loose skin and often desires cosmetic surgery in order to correct this. This is the case with Donna Lambert, who has nearly arrived at her target weight of 129. “ I am looking at $14,000 to $25,000 worth of cosmetic surgery. It will be well worth the money, though.” Donna has had no major complications since her surgery, and is living a healthy, happy life in Columbus.
More information and a support forum can be found at http://www.weightloss-surgerysupport.com/.
Mike and Crystal Watson live in Arlington, TX. Among their websites is http://www.weightloss-surgerysupport.com/, a support forum for those who have had or are considering weight-loss surgery.
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