What Happens in a Gastric Banding Surgery?

Gastric banding surgery and other medical surgeries can help very overweight people to lose weight. Both gastric bands and gastric balloons usually take under an hour to fit, whereas a gastric bypass takes a couple of hours to complete.

The Department of Health* has said that obesity is one of the biggest health problems in the UK with one in four adults affected. It is not a simple concern to fix as many people have trouble losing weight through both diet and exercise.

Gastric banding is also known as lap banding; this procedure aims to make you feel full after eating a small portion of food. It works by restricting the capacity of your stomach, which leads to eating less and losing weight.

A band is placed around your stomach during the procedure to create two compartments, keeping a narrow opening between the top and bottom so that food can pass through it slowly. As there is a limited space for food, it quickly creates the sensation of fullness. The food makes its way through the rest of the digestive system once the food passes through the opening into the lower part of the stomach.

The procedure for the gastric band is done by keyhole surgery; this requires a general anaesthetic. The entire surgery lasts between 30 minutes to an hour, but requires the patient to stay overnight to recuperate and recover. Adjustments can be made to the gastric band during follow up appointments depending on how much weight you are losing, and how quickly you are losing it.

Gastric banding is designed for patients with a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 40 or more, and also for patients with a BMI of 35-40 who suffer from other weight related diseases such as diabetes.

As with all surgical procedures, there are risks as well as benefits, and it is important to weigh these up before proceeding. Your doctor will illustrate the risks associated with the surgery, such as slippage of the gastric band, which can lead to blockages and needs urgent correction.

*Department of Health (2009). Obesity. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/publichealth/healthimprovement/obesity/index.htm

Philip Youngwood is a freelance writer who writes on a number of health issues, including weight loss treatments such as gastric banding surgery.

What do lap band patients eat?

People who chose to undergo lap band surgery are opting for more than a medical procedure; they are also adopting a lifestyle change. The change has two primary goals. The first is a gradual increase in exercise. Once slowly introduced, a regular exercise routine has to be observed on a daily basis. This means that a person who decides to go the lap band route will have to make a commitment to alter sedentary behaviors post surgery.

The other aspect of change that lap band patients must commit to is to follow a balanced meal plan. This new diet will also need to be incorporated into the patient’s daily routine.

Pre surgery diet A few months prior to lap band surgery, patients need to eat an extremely nutritional diet cutting meals into smaller portions to get used to the idea of eating lighter. The doctor will devise a diet program for you to follow that will be essential to the operations success. Following the diet is crucial in that it will shrink the liver which in turn will minimize blood loss and prevent muscle degeneration. This sensible meal plan usually reduces caloric intake to 800 to 1200 while cutting high fat content foods. There will most likely be a concentration on proteins rich edibles as well.

A liquid diet is then prescribed for the remaining two weeks before the operation. Other pre operative changes will include increasing exercise getting rid of cigarettes and reducing carbonated drinks.

Post surgery diet It takes roughly 4-6 weeks to stabilize and eat normally after lap band surgery. During the process, the patient will have to gradually get to the point of eating solids via a four step process. The first step directly follows surgery when patients will be given ice shavings and chips to suck on. They also won’t be able to drink fluids or caloric beverages until the next day to prevent nausea and vomiting.

A liquid diet is then observed for approximately two weeks. Many of the liquids have to be thin and clear like a broth and cannot include chunks of any kind. Dairy, sugar and extremely cold foods should also be avoided. When the doctor gives the go ahead, a patient often graduates to pureed foods that are prepared in a blender. The types of food one can pure can be discussed with your doctor. In terms of consistency, one can say the foods are akin to baby foods.

Directly following this is the introduction of foods like chicken or turkey. Portions have to be small and the patient has to thoroughly chew their meals or risk complications with their lap band due to sudden regurgitation. Vomiting can create major problems that could threaten the success of your surgery.

Should everything go as planned the doctor will allow you to start on solid foods once again but you will have to chew your food to a fine consistency before swallowing. You should also refrain from drinking anything with or after meals as the food will pass through your system too quickly for you to feel full. This will defeat the entire purpose of the lap band installation.

If you follow the basic instructions to the letter, you’ll soon be on your way to lifestyle make over that will provoke positive change and promote weight loss.

Long term diet Once you begin to eat solid foods, just remember to chew thoroughly and refrain from drinking anything with your meals. You will never be able to eat the way you once did prior to surgery, high calorie foods, sugary or carbonated drinks and even things like popcorn, asparagus and certain types of nuts will be off limits. Getting lap band surgery is not only a physical adjustment but a mental one as well, but once you begin eating healthy well balanced diets, you probably won’t even desire to partake in high caloric eating again. This makes lap band surgery rewarding on many levels.