Where serious dieting and exercising fail, surgical weight loss procedures often succeed. One popular surgical weight loss procedures is laparoscopic gastric banding, better known as Lap Band. Lap Band has become an increasingly popular, less invasive alternative to Gastric Bypass surgery. Lap Band surgery can provide fast weight loss with very few risks associated with the surgery.
In order to be eligible for a surgical weight loss procedure, you must meet one of two criteria. You must have a BMI (body mass index) of 40 or have an illness attributed to your obesity. With a BMI of 40 or more a person is considered morbidly obese and the health of the patient is at serious risk. Morbidly obese candidates have more than 100 pounds of excessive weight who have seriously attempted to lose weight with diet and exercise without success.
The Lap Band procedure uses a laparoscope, inserted through small incisions in the abdomen to direct the surgeon where to place the gastric band. By putting a gastric band at the top of the stomach, surgeons are able to reduce the size of the stomach, causing the patient to take in less food than they are used to. As a result, weight loss can be achieved. Where the band is placed, and the tightness of the band both determine the amount of weight the patient will lose and how fast they will lose it. The whole procedure takes roughly forty-five minutes. In most cases patients only stay overnight one night and are released the day after the procedure. Continue reading »
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