Following gastric banding surgery, you will no longer be able to eat large amounts of food as you did before the surgery. You will, however, be able to eat a healthy amount of food and smaller portion sizes. Although this sounds restrictive and awful, you have to remember that you wont actually want to eat larger portions any more, as you will in fact feel full. You wont be feeling hunger pains or lusting after food you cant eat, as eating it all would make you feel sick.

Gastric banding surgery is reversible, so you wont be forced to keep it forever, although it would probably be a good idea to, as a person who is prone to overeating is likely always going to be prone to overeating.

Several famous people have had a gastric band fitted with great success, such as Vanessa Feltz and Fern Brittan. Most people who have a gastric band fitted lose up to 6 stone in the first 2 years.

The lap band is a life saving piece of equipment and a valuable resource in the war against obesity. If you've struggled with your weight all your life and are stuck in a cycle of yo-yo dieting, it may well be worth consideration for you.
Gastric Band Surgery or gastric banding surgery is a popular form of bariatric surgery performed on thousands of obese patients each year.

Commonly known as a lap band (short for laparoscopic adjustable gastric band), the surgery is one the of most popular and widely used bariatric surgeries performed on obese patients in the UK and the USA.

The lap band has become so popular due to the fact that it is a far less drastic and less invasive surgery than many of the other bariatric surgeries available to patients.

It can be removed should there be a problem, and there is no bypassing of the stomach as in gastric bypass surgery, making it much more appealing (and a safer) option for most patients.

Gastric band surgery

How does Gastric Banding surgery work?

The lap band itself is an inflatable silicone device which is placed around the top portion of the stomach. This restricts the amount of food which the patient can both eat and digest, leading to weight loss.

The amount of food which can be eaten at any one time is greatly reduced once a gastric band is fitted, as the stomach is basically squeezed close to the top, narrowing the passage that food is able to get through and giving the patient the feeling that they are full to bursting point very soon after beginning to eat. The food then gently slips through the smaller opening into the stomach much more slowly than before the lap band was placed there, and is then digested as normal by the stomach. There is no loss of ability to absorb vitamins or nutrients following lap band surgery, just a loss of ability to gorge on large amounts of food, leading to steady, sustainable weight loss.

Gastric banding is the least invasive of the types of bariatric surgery currently available, due to the fact that no part of the digestive system needs to be cut, moved or re-routed. However, it is also not the most effective surgery available, and extremely obese patients may need something more severe such as gastric bypass surgery.

After a gastric band has been fitted using laparoscopic surgery, the patient is restricted in the amount of food they can take in at any one time, although the stomach is still able to absorb all the nutrients from the food which it does digest, meaning a slower but healthier weight loss usually.

The gastric band can be left inside the body for life, so it is a permanent solution to a patients obesity. There will, however, be a need for the patient to have the lap band adjusted several times before the optimum fit is found. This is a relatively simple procedure once the lap band is in place.
The gastric band is inserted into the stomach during a procedure called laparoscopic surgery, during which a small incision is made just next to the naval through which a laparoscopic camera is inserted into the abdominal cavity.

During the surgery the surgeon clamps the band around the top portion of the stomach, leaving enough space between the bottom of the band and the top of the stomach for just half a cup of food to be stored there. This will lead to you consuming less food overall and a slow but steady weight loss which can be sustained.

After eating just a small amount following gastric band surgery, you will feel uncomfortably full. This will not only lead to weight loss, but will also discourage overeating in the long term as you begin to associate eating larger portions of food with feeling uncomfortable rather than the joy you once felt just at the sight of a huge place of food.

Am I eligible for gastric band surgery?

In order to be eligible for gastric banding surgery, you will either need to have a BMI (body mass index) of over 40 or 35-40 if you have a condition which doctors feel will be improved with weight loss surgery.

Examples include type 2 diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, fatty liver disease, obstructive sleep apnea etc.

You will usually have to also be an adult of between 18 and 55 years of age.

You must have tried to loose weight under medical supervision before you will be considered for any kind of bariatric surgery.

What will life be like after gastric banding surgery?

Once your gastric band has been fitted and you have begun to eat again, you will probably have to have the lap band adjusted a few times in order to get to the optimum size which will allow food to flow through effectively but slowly and will ensure you do not over-eat. You can expect quite a few visits to the hospital before this is right.
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