Blog Posts Archives - Page 6 of 8

If you’ve had the Lap-Band® Procedure for a year or longer, by now you know that your life looks drastically different than it did one year ago. However, if you’re still considering the procedure and how your life will change, this blog is for you. Read on to learn more about what you can expect one year after the Lap-Band Surgery.

At about six months after you have the Lap-Band Procedure, your stomach will be healed. Your first adjustments will happen four to six weeks after surgery, and you may have had one or two more adjustments around the six-month period. At the one-year mark, you may have stabilized and will no longer require adjustments to your band to increase or stabilize weight loss. If you have plateaued and aren’t losing weight for more than three weeks, and you aren’t at your goal weight, you may require another adjustment to the band.

You will see results fairly quickly after having the Lap-Band Procedure. So what does weight loss will look like one year after the procedure? With the Lap-Band, patients lose weight slowly and steadily. After just one year, most patients have achieved their weight-loss goals. Studies show that 46% of excess weight is lost after one year passes. If patients had comorbid diseases related to excess weight when they had the surgery, the conditions have typically improved or reversed by this point.

The six months following the procedure may be difficult for some as they adjust to new life patterns, including eating new foods, eating less, chewing slowly and mindfully, and being more active. By one year, patients have typically adjusted to their new, healthier lifestyle. The Lap-Band is a great tool for weight loss, but it requires a commitment to lifelong change. Even after drastic weight loss one year after the procedure, patients will still need to maintain their commitment to a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

Source:

Dixon John, O’Brien Paul. Health Outcomes of Severely Obese Type 2 Diabetic Subjects 1 Year After Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding. Diabetes Care, Volume 25, Number 2. February 2002.

Many people that are about to embark on the Lap-Band® Procedure, or are at least weighing the options, wonder if excess skin removal will be necessary once they’ve lost a majority of their weight. Many patients will lose weight in excess of 100 pounds, which can cause excess skin around the belly. Some individuals may become so frustrated with their excess skin, that they feel as if the way they feel on the inside does not match how they look on the outside.

If you have excess skin following bariatric surgery, you can opt to meet with a plastic surgeon and talk about having loose skin removed. Plastic surgeons can complete a series of surgeries to trim excess skin from different areas of the body called body contouring. While many consider plastic surgery to be a cosmetic procedure, it can actually be considered a practical procedure for individuals with excess skin. The loose skin can become uncomfortable—causing rashes and chafing. Sometimes, it can become a medical necessity to have it removed because of infection. Body contouring can be done on the tummy area, chest, face, thighs, and upper arms. The surgeries are both a time and money commit, and patients need to mentally prepare for the surgeries because they require months of recovery. However, the procedures are highly effective in removing excess skin and helping to reshape the tissue.

It is important to note that loose skin after weight loss is most common when weight is lost very quickly and drastically. Because the Lap-Band helps you lose weight more gradually than other bariatric procedures, you may not experience saggy skin. It also depends largely upon your body; everyone is different, and age and skin quality plays a role. One of the ways in which you can help prevent saggy skin during weight loss is to not only focus on gradual weight loss that will give your skin adequate time to contract and adjust, but to build muscle and take care of your skin. Use sunscreen, don’t smoke, avoid high alcohol consumption, and follow a healthy diet.

It’s important to note that, if you do experience excess skin after major weight loss, it is your decision whether or not you elect to have it removed. You should wait approximately one year after you’ve lost most of your weight to give your skin enough time to adjust and tighten. If you aren’t satisfied after one year, then talk with a doctor.

Source:

https://www.menshealth.com/weight-loss/a26424334/loose-skin-after-weight-loss/

The Lap-Band® is a great tool for weight loss, but it is not a cure. It requires a major commitment and lifestyle change to achieve and maintain success. If you’re thinking about the Lap-Band Procedure or you’ve just had it done, these seven tips will help you stay on a successful path to weight loss.

Eat only when you’re hungry

After the Lap-Band, your stomach can only hold about one cup of food. If you’re mindlessly eating when you aren’t hungry, you will fill up your stomach pouch quickly, instead of filling it with the necessary nutrients you need at meal time.

Eat slowly and chew well

The Lap-Band works best when you’re not in a hurry. The band sends the signal to your brain that you are satisfied and done eating, but you need to give it time to do so. Eating slowly will not only help you eat less, but it will help you enjoy your food more. Your food needs to be mush for it to pass through your band safely. If you don’t chew well, you could feel sick. Eat a small forkful, then set your fork down. Chew slowly. Once you’ve finished chewing, then you can pick your fork back up and take another bite.

Stop eating when you feel satisfied

The Lap-Band will help you feel satisfied sooner. Listen to your band. It will let you know when you are satisfied and don’t need to eat anymore. If you ignore it, you may eat more than the one-cup limit, which could cause band slippage or your food to get stuck in your band.

Stay active

Exercise is a key part of any weight-loss plan. It will help you feel better and can help you achieve your goals sooner. Find out what sort of physical activity you love, and be sure to ease into a new exercise routine slowly.

Don’t eat between meals

The Lap-Band works best when there is no snacking between your three meals per day. Avoid impulse snacking. It is a huge deterrent to weight loss. If you need a snack because you are increasingly physically active, choose a low-carb, low-calorie, high protein snack. If you notice yourself often reaching for a snack, it could mean that your band needs to be adjusted. Talk to your doctor.

Only eat high-quality foods

Because your stomach pouch can hold less with the Lap-Band, you will no longer be able to eat as much as you could previously. It’s crucial to eat nutrient-rich foods, rather than filling up on high-calorie, sugary, or fattening foods. Not only will junk food not give you the nutrients you need like whole foods will, but the empty calories won’t satisfy you.

Drink only low-calorie liquids

Liquids can “trick” the Lap-Band. They slide right through your band, and are not restricted like solid food is. Consuming sugary liquids, like sodas, fruit juices, and high-calorie smoothies, can set you back on your weight-loss goals. Instead, choose water or calorie-free beverages.

With all the diets on the market right now, it can be hard to keep track of what’s what. The truth is, fad diets do not work and it is time for a break up.

When a new diet craze hits the market, everyone is talking about it. There are commercials and advertisements, and special products take over the grocery stores. It seems like there is always a group that falls for the gimmick, hoping that it will be the miracle cure they’ve needed all along to lose weight. As this happens, the dietitians sit back and continue to preach the same advice they’ve preached all along: losing weight and maintaining it is a result of eating less and exercising more. The reason people don’t always listen to dietitians is because they want a quick fix. They want to reach their body goals in a month; they don’t want to put in the required time it takes to lose weight. For some people, no matter what they’ve tried, they can’t lose weight, so they will try any fad diet that pops up in the hopes of finding success. People can be deterred by the strict commitment to a life-long change.

On the other hand, fad diets only require a few weeks of time to provide incredible results (or so “they” say). However, by now we know that fad diets are not the answer. Quick fix diets can leave you malnourished and weighing more than you did when you started. Fad diets also focus more on the size of your body than the health of your body. This means that promoted fad diets may not be all that heart-healthy or easy on your body. More often than not, they are detrimental to your health (for more reasons than one). They can cause nutrient deficiencies, and severely restricting your necessary caloric intake and the combination of exercising more can cause your to pass out. Weight cycling—a result of getting on and off fad diets—is unhealthy for your body. Maybe more than anything, fad diets don’t address the behaviors that you require to lose weight and keep it off. On the contrary, a diet prescribed by a dietitian is a safe, healthy way to lose weight and maintain it. Changing your behavior for the long-term is what works, and exactly what the Lap-Band® helps you do.

It’s time to break up with your fad diet for good and try something that will work for you in the long-run.

Are you hoping to transform your life? Do you feel like you’ve tried everything and just can’t lose the weight or keep it off? The Lap-Band® System is the tool you need to make that important life change. It’ll help you feel better both physically and emotionally, and help you gain confidence, self-esteem, and empowerment.

The Lap-Band is a minimally-invasive, non-anatomy altering procedure which places a band around the upper portion of your stomach. The band creates a smaller stomach above it, and leaves the stomach below intact. The smaller stomach opening leaves you feeling fuller quicker and longer. Unlike other weight-loss procedures, there is no cutting and no rerouting of your intestines. The band reduces the amount of food you can eat in one sitting, allowing you to gradually lose weight and keep it off for the long-term. And because the procedure is completed laparoscopically with just a couple small incisions, you can begin your recovery immediately. Many patients go home the same day as their procedure.

Typically, the band is gradually adjusted, leading to gradual weight loss and ideal hunger control. The first adjustment is recommended at six or more weeks after the procedure. Your surgeon adjusts the band by adding or removing saline through the port under your skin, which is attached to the band. Because the band is adjustable and is reversible, it makes it a standout option in comparison to anatomy-altering weight-loss surgeries. You’ll learn to control your portion sizes and manage your weight with healthy behaviors, as the Lap-Band helps you throughout the journey.

On average, Lap-Band Patients lose between 40% and 50% of their weight after only one year. Weight loss can reduce the occurrence or severity of weight-related diseases, such as asthma, hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, and GERD. On top of that, the procedure is safer than other weight loss surgeries.

Of course, as with any weight loss procedure, there are some cons. The risks are small, but because a foreign device is in the body, there is risk of slippage or band erosion, as well as mechanical issues. If a patient with the Lap-Band significantly overeats time and time again, there is the risk in dilation of the esophagus. All of these risks lead to the potential to re-operate.* While there are slight disadvantages to the Lap-Band, the procedure offers lower risks than other weight-loss procedures, such as Gastric Bypass surgery.

To see if the Lap-Band procedure is right for you, call 1-800-LAPBAND.

*See Lap-Band DFU for full list of complications.

Sources:

https://www.www.lapband.com/
https://asmbs.org/patients/bariatric-surgery-procedures
Dixon John, O’Brien Paul. Health Outcomes of Severly Obese Type 2 Diabetic Subjects 1 Year After Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding. Diabetes Care, Volume 25, Number 2. February 2002.
Dixon John, Schachter Linda, O’Brien Paul. Sleep Disturbance and Obesity: Cahnges Following Surgically Induced Weight Loss. Arch Intern Med/Vol 161. Jan 8 2001.
Dixon John, O’Brien Paul. Gastroesophageal Reflux in Obesity: The Effect of LAP-BAND® Placement. Obesity Surgery 1999.

If you’ve ever followed any specific weight loss plans, it’s most likely you probably never thought to incorporate sleep into the plan. Most likely, you probably thought about getting up earlier and actually sacrificing sleep to get an extra workout in, staying up longer so you could burn more calories, or skipping power naps in the middle of the day because you thought it made you lazy. Contrary to what you might have thought in the past, studies show that sleep plays an important role in weight loss and helping you stick to your health goals.

Far too many adults report that they don’t get enough sleep each night. It’s suggested that as many as one third of American adults receive under six hours of sleep per night. For some, poor sleep may be the missing link when it comes to reaching weight loss goals. Poor sleep has been linked to obesity through the years. While everyone’s sleep patterns and requirements differ, studies show that getting fewer than seven hours of sleep per night is linked to weight changes. One review even concluded that inadequate sleep increased obesity risk by 55% in adults. Weight gain can also aggravate sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea. As a result, sleep quality can decline even further.

Have you ever noticed that after a poor nights’ sleep, you wake up craving all the foods you know you probably shouldn’t be eating? That’s because ghrelin, a hormone that signals to your brain that you are hungry, is higher when you get less sleep. Leptin, the hormone that signals fullness, is lower when you don’t get adequate sleep. This makes you more likely to overeat or feel hungrier. Similarly, being deprived of sleep can dull the activity of the part of your brain that controls decision-making, the frontal lobe. At the same time, the reward centers of your brain are activated by food when you are sleep-deprived. This may cause you to indulge your cravings for foods that are calorie-laden, fattening, and full of sugar. Because your self control is inhibited, your caloric intake may increase.

Some studies show that inadequate sleep may lower your metabolism. One study even suggests that poor sleep can cause muscle loss. You may also feel less motivated to exercise.

All in all, your body performs at a higher level when you’re fully rested. Make quality sleep an important part of your routine, and you may notice fewer cravings, more energy, and a healthy weight change.

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sleep-and-weight-loss#section5

If you’re a smoker and you’re considering bariatric surgery, there are a few things you should know first.

Most smokers already know a slew of reasons why they should quit smoking. However, if you are hoping to get bariatric surgery, it’s one more reason to consider quitting smoking. The bad habit can lead to a slew of diseases and it will have an impact on quality of living, especially the longer you smoke. You may have problems with poor blood supply, high blood pressure, blood clots that can lead to strokes, heart problems, lung problems, and a slew of different cancers, such as lung cancer, throat cancer, mouth cancer, and pancreatic cancer.

Depending on the type of bariatric surgery you opt for, there will be fewer blood vessels going to the stomach. Smoking already causes issues with narrowing blood vessels, and because of this, the blood vessels carry less oxygen. This means that continuing to smoke after bariatric surgery can be extremely dangerous. The risk for ulcers, gastritis, and strictures increase. Less oxygen will reach your surgical wound, meaning it may heal more slowly and is more at-risk of becoming infected. There is also an association between tobacco use and respiratory problems following bariatric surgery. Recovery will be more difficult if you’re a smoker. One study showed that smokers, as compared to their nonsmoking counterparts, were 1.5 times more likely to develop surgery-related problems within one month of surgery.

Doctors recommend that you stop smoking cigarettes and using any tobacco products approximately six to eight weeks before your surgery, if not even sooner. The sooner you quit, the more you lower your risk of problems after surgery. Every smoker that decides to pursue weight-loss surgery will be counseled on the risks of smoking before and after surgery, as well as the health benefits of quitting.

Smoking is considered a surgical risk factor for bariatric surgery, so if weight-loss surgery is in your future, it’s time to make a change.

Sources:

Do you want to learn to love going for bike rides again, or taking a stroll after dinner? Do you want to have the energy to play with your kids in the yard all afternoon, or finally take that yoga class your best friend has been talking about? You may feel like your size is holding you back, and after many failed diets or weight reduction plans, you’re considering your options. If bariatric surgery, like the non-anatomy altering Lap-Band® Procedure, has crossed your mind, you must first understand why it could be right for you. There are certain requirements you must meet before moving forward with the Lap-Band System.

Obesity

In order to qualify for the Lap-Band Procedure, you must have a specific Body Mass Index (BMI) that puts you in the obese or extremely obese category. BMI, which is a simple calculation that uses a person’s height and weight, should be at least 40kg/m2. If you have one or more comorbid obesity-related conditions, you may qualify for the Lap-Band Procedure if you have a BMI of at least 30 kg/m2.

Comorbid diseases

If you have any obesity-related comorbid diseases or conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, you may qualify for the Lap-Band Procedure. Weight loss can often reverse or improve the symptoms of these diseases.

Multiple failed weight-loss attempts

If you have tried and failed multiple consecutive diets or weight reduction alternatives, you may qualify for the Lap-Band Procedure. Diets or weight reduction methods include supervised diets, strict exercise regimens, or behavior modification programs.

Patients who elect to undergo the Lap-Band Procedure must make the commitment to making major lifestyle changes, including significant changes to their diet. If you want to learn more about Lap-Band and if it’s right for you, speak to a specialist by calling 1-800-LAPBAND.

Getting ready to have your Lap-Band® Procedure done? Your specialist has talked to you about what to expect, and the changes you’ll need to implement, but it’s always great to have a refresher.

Before surgery

Before your surgery, you’ll have initial meetings with your specialist and other experts. You’ll talk in detail about the procedure, and they’ll help you understand what happens before and after the operation. Some of the other experts you may meet with could include a dietitian and a psychologist.

After these initial meetings, you’ll have a presurgical meeting with a specialist and anesthetist. You’ll discuss your entire medical history, from your past and current illnesses, to illnesses and injuries, to allergies to medications. During this time, it is crucial that you disclose all your health conditions. You should also ask all the questions you have at this time.

Getting ready for surgery

There are a slew of tests that you’ll need to have completed before your surgery that are designed to ensure you are healthy enough for surgery. Tests include chest X-rays, a blood pressure test, and blood tests.

At this point, you can begin collecting the items you’ll need for the day of your surgery and the days following. That includes loose-fitting clothes, a small pillow to guard your injection site from the seatbelt on your car ride home, a list of your medications and at least a two days’ supply of each, and insurance information. At home, make sure you have broth, ice chips, skim milk, and sugar-free popsicles and fruit juice.

The day prior

The day before your surgery, you’ll have a more specific set of instructions from your specialist. For instance, you may be instructed to refrain from eating or drinking anything the night prior.

At the hospital

You may go to the hospital or surgery center the night prior to your surgery or the morning of your surgery. The important thing is that you arrive well in advance of your procedure. Be sure to bring someone with you that can stay with you and safely bring you home.

You’ll receive general anesthesia for the surgery, which will take around two to three hours (though the procedure itself takes less than an hour). Typically, the procedure is completed laparoscopically, but sometimes the specialist may need to change to an open procedure. If this happens, you’ll need to spend more time in the hospital, and there will be more recovery time. This doesn’t happen often, but your doctor will talk to you about this.

After the surgery

You may feel some pain around the cuts upon waking from the anesthesia. It’s usually described as a dull ache that can be relieved with normal painkillers and fades within a couple days. The staff will get you moving to prevent any issues like blood clots or bedsores. Typically, you will leave the hospital within one day. Your health team may check to make sure your band is in the correct place and that the stomach outlet is open using a fluoroscope.

Once you’re home, you’ll start your weight-loss journey with the prescribed plan from your surgeon or dietitian.

Source:

LAP-BAND System: Surgical Aid in the Treatment of Obesity: A Decision Guide for Adults

Did you know that, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research, after not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight is the best thing you can do to lower your risk of getting cancer? Being overweight or obese increases the risk for at least 12 cancers, including mouth, liver, kidney, stomach, colorectal, prostate, esophageal, breast, pancreatic, ovarian, and endometrial. Approximately 7 in 10 Americans are overweight or obese. The scary thing is, only about 52% of Americans are aware of the link between obesity and cancer.

Studies showing the link between obesity and cancer come from cohort studies, which are a type of observational study. The results from an observational study can be difficult, because there are other ways in which overweight and obese individuals could differ from individuals at a healthy weight. The study doesn’t determine that, which is why only a link can be established, and not causality. However, consistent results show that higher body fat is linked to an increased risk of a slew of different cancers. Risks for obese individuals are usually twice as high for endometrial, esophageal, liver, and kidney cancer versus normal-weight people. The risks for those who are extremely obese are higher.

There are several reasons that obesity may increase the risk for certain cancers. Some believe it has to do with chronic low-level inflammation, which is common among obese individuals. Over time, this can lead to DNA damage, which leads to cancer. High levels of estrogen are linked to increased risk of some cancers, like breast cancer, and fat tissue produces excess estrogen. Fat cells also produce adipokines, which are hormones that can stimulate or inhibit cell growth.

Obese people can also have increased insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1, which may increase the risk of certain cancers.

It’s important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, complete with a balanced diet and exercise, to lower your risk of these cancers. Fewer studies have looked into the association between weight loss and cancer risks. However, studies completed on obese individuals who have undergone bariatric surgery reveal that their risk for obesity-related cancers is lower than their counterparts who did not have bariatric surgery.

Sources: