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Adjustable gastric banding (also called lap banding) is an effective surgical technique to help massively or morbidly obese people lose weight. Getting a band placed is a smart move if you are massively obese and prepared to put in the effort to get results. Getting a gastric band is certainly not an easy way out to lose weight. As one of our clients told us " it is a great aid and friend. Everyday, there will be a new challenge. The band will constantly remind you not only how to eat but how much to eat". Anyone with a band still needs to be smart with his or her food and drink choices to get the best results.
For more than ten years, Wesley Nutrition Centre's dietitians have maintained a special interest in lapbanding, adjustable gastric bands and other obesity (bariatric) surgery. We provide personalised advice for the patients of more than nine surgeons in Brisbane and surrounds.
We are well recognised the field of obesity surgery. In November 2007, Trudy Williams presented at the 21st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Obesity Surgery Society of Australia and New Zealand held in Western Australia. In September 2006, our dietitians (Trudy and Diana Barr) presented at the prestigious congress, the International Federation for The Surgery of Obesity. The topic: Volumetric energy content of foods and adjustable gastric banding. Essentially this addressed two key issues - food compaction and so how much food and fuel really fits into a baby stomach pouch, and the illusion of serve size.
Surgeons use a range of different adjustable bands. The surgeon aims to use laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery to place the band. The main bands are supplied or manufactured by Johnson & Johnson Medical and Allergan Health. These bands have different features and your surgeon may have a preferred band or choose one from a range to suit you. In general terms though, adjustable gastric bands work in very similar ways.
In a nutshell...how does the adjustable gastric band work?
The surgeon wraps the band around the top part of the stomach, very close to the food pipe. This creates a 'baby' stomach or pouch that is separated from the major stomach by a narrow path. The band can be adjusted (filled or emptied, inflated or deflated) to control hunger. The band is not a magical device to speed up metabolism or change your genetic makeup. It will not make you an exercise lover or force you to choose healthy foods. The band will, however, help you to achieve your vision for your life - as long as you put in a little effort! Think of the band as an 'onboard pilot', alerting you when you eat too much, when you gulp your food down or if you forget to chew.
While the band helps you feel satisfied for longer with smaller volumes, it is not always smart. Unfortunately, the band will let you down if you drink kilojoules and calories (like alcohol, juice, sweet drinks and excess milk), eat mushy sloppy meals (loads of sauce allows food to slip past the band), indulge in melt-in-the-mouth foods (such as chocolate and ice cream) or eat crispy snacks (biscuits, nuts, potato chips and other crispy snacks). If you do any of these things you won't lose weight easily. These foods slip past the band - and you'll never feel full.
You need to maintain control and understand when the band is working; and if it's not, why not. Tightening a band to achieve further or faster weight loss is not always the answer. If the band is too tight, it often won't let you eat healthy food, which seems crazy! Quite often the answer to further weight loss lies in your own hands (and mouth)! Look down further for some video action that shows how a gastric band works.
According to the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, "surgery is the most effective treatment for morbid obesity: for most procedures and most patients, good weight maintenance has been observed three to eight years after surgery". Obesity surgery is often called bariatric surgery.
Visit our on-line Shop to find our popular 'The food and nutrition guide for gastric banding' which addresses some of the common food and nutrition questions linked to gastric banding. Discover our advanced guide called The Pocket Gastric Band Guide. Use "this=that: a life-size photo guide to food serves" to improve the energy balance on your plate and in your new small tummy.
For more information about adjustable gastric bands, to find a surgeon or work out your body mass index (BMI or weight for height), visit:
www.gastricbandingsurgery.com.au (Australia)
www.weightlosssurgery.com.au (Australia)
www.lapband.com (USA)
