The Stomach Band Approach to Weight Loss

In the past few years the FDA has approved the use of several stomach band solutions for the severely obese.

These surgically implanted devices are designed to restrict the size of the stomach and consequently help people achieve their weight loss goals.

There are about eight stomach banding solutions on the market including the Lap-Band manufactured by BioEnterics Corporation.

The Lap-Band is an inflatable band that is put on the upper stomach using microscopic surgery. The band is inflated with saline and can be adjusted to suit individual patient needs.

Recommended for use on patients who are at least 100 lbs overweight, the Lap-Band is not your every day solution to weight loss. Rather it is intended for those who are suffering from, or at risk for, life threatening conditions related to their obesity.

How it Works

The upper stomach is banded to restrict the amount of food that it can hold. Once the uppers stomach reaches its capacity, a signal is sent from the stomach to the brain indicating fullness. The theory is when you feel full, you stop eating.

There is a little port in the stomach band which is accessible from under the skin. Saline is injected through the port with a special needle to control the amount of inflation in the band, thus making the stomach pouch smaller or larger. Adjusting the band is a fine art that is carefully controlled for each individual patient. The physician seeks to find a good balance between the amount of weight loss the patient can achieve and the amount of fluid needed to control the band.

Once patients lose weight the band can remain in place, but in order to maintain weight loss once it has been achieved, patients must continue to diet and exercise like the rest of us or they will gain weight back, again, just like the rest of us.

There are also side effects from stomach banding. Nausea and vomiting are fairly common. It is not unusual to experience a certain amount of heartburn and abdominal pain due the use of the stomach band. There can also be complications, such as the band slipping, or the stomach pouch created by the band becoming enlarged. About one quarter of patients choose to have the band removed due to adverse side effects and lack of results.

Results Get Mixed Reviews

Does stomach banding work? Studies show that not all patients lose weight with the stomach band, some lose large amounts of weight while others only lose small amounts. A small percentage don’t lose any weight at all. However, comparisons with other bariatric surgical methods, such as gastric bypass surgery, suggest that banding is the best solution so far regarding surgical intervention to regulate obesity.

Like all other dieting methods, even a surgically implanted stomach band requires the patient to commit to weight loss, and follow through with diet and exercise. There are no easy solutions out there for us. No magic pill, no revolutionary surgical technique, that will help us if we can’t find willpower, motivation and determination to succeed.

Philip Kustner

Even Stomach Band weight loss requires new habits

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The information found in and throughout The 7 Habits of Weight loss (www.7habitsofweightloss.com) is not intended as a substitute for the advice or treatment that may have been prescribed by your physician.

Information found here should NOT be construed as definitive or binding medical advice and is NOT intended to diagnose, prescribe, nor endorse any brand of products or services. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new weight loss or exercise regimen or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.