The most common approach to lose those extra pounds is to eat less and exercise more. But if you are severely or morbidly obese, this approach may not be enough. Undergoing weight loss surgery to shed excess body fat may be the most trusted way to end your struggle with obesity forever.

Rates of obesity are rising alarmingly around the world, and in several countries it has even reached epidemic proportions. This obesity rate explosion has led to a parallel popularity of bariatric surgery as a treatment for severely obese individuals.



The surgical options for morbid obesity are classified as restrictive, malabsorptive or both, each containing various procedures and variations. All weight loss methods work in two ways - by limiting food intake and restricting calorie uptake from the intestine.



As a growing number of people are getting fatter in many parts of the world, the number of weight reduction surgery procedures including gastric bypass, gastric banding, vertical sleeve gastrectomy, and roux-en-y gastric bypass, has also jumped. The most commonly used weight reduction procedures for patients with weight issues are Laparoscopic Lap Band Surgery or Adjustable Gastric Banding (AGB), and Roux-en-Y (RNY) Gastric Bypass.



Lap Band Surgery - an Overview

Adjustable gastric banding is a restrictive weight loss method that works by decreasing the amount of food intake and making you feel full sooner.



In lap band surgery, three to five small incisions of a few centimeters long are made in the abdomen and a small pouch is created in the upper part of the stomach with a controlled and adjustable stoma.



This pouch or altered stomach dramatically reduces the functional capacity of the stomach, which results in the slowing down of digestion that reduces the appetite and prolongs the period of fullness.



The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the lap band surgery in 2001 for use in severely obese patients who are having a body mass index (BMI) of more than 40 and those of age group 35 to 40 with one or more weight-related diseases.



Today, AGB is the most chosen bariatric procedure in the United States, with more and more people with weight issues preferring to undergo lap band surgery for quicker weight loss.



Why Have Adjustable Gastric Banding?

There are several advantages of lap band surgery over any other weight reduction surgery. The first and the foremost reason why many people prefer this surgical method for losing excess fat is that it is an easy, safe and minimal invasive procedure.



This form of surgery requires no large incisions in the abdomen and no cutting or stapling of the stomach as well. This means no risk of deterioration of the staples and leakage in gastrointestinal system.



The operation is performed under general anesthesia in a hospital operating room, and can last between 30 minutes and 1 hour.



A lap band beneficiary usually experiences less pain and scarring and does not experience dumping syndrome including symptoms like nausea, vomiting, cramping, dizziness, weakness and diarrhea.



In addition, gastric banding surgery patients have a shorter hospital stay and quicker recovery than patients of other types of obesity treatment.



Another big advantage of getting lap band surgery is that the surgery is reversible and lap band can be removed by performing a small laparoscopic surgery.



The highest success rate and lowest complication/mortality rate of adjustable lap band surgery are the other advantages enticing many obese patients to go for this form of obesity treatment.



If you are suffering from severe obesity and considering going under the surgeon's knife to say goodbye to that stubborn body fat, undergoing adjustable gastric banding can be a worthwhile step for you to take in order to reach your weight loss goals.

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Well we've all been there, the holidays are over and you have put on a few pounds. At this point your weight could continue to go up because you've decided it is too hard to diet or you needed to lose weight already and now you have extra, or you could decide to make this year the year you finally get the weight off. It is your choice and yours alone.

The thought of starting a diet makes everyones stomach turn. You think I don't want to eat salad for the next eight or so weeks. I just want it gone. Well losing weight is not just something you need to do for the next eight weeks it is something that you need to do for the benefit of having a better life. You need a diet that you can stick with and not feel like your missing out. This needs to be about a lifestyle change not just "oh I'll do the diet till I lose 20 lbs" because what is going to happen is your going to gain it back. Why do all that hard work just to be back at square one!



Some of the things you may need to address as I did are: emotional eating, over-eating, or gorging. I have done all of the above. When I get upset or mad, I want something to make me feel better. Usually it is some type of food that I know is not good for me, but I don't care. The weird thing is, is that it makes me feel way worse when I am done. Over eating is another big one for me. I was taught to eat everything on my plate or there are starving kids in China. Some of you younger folk may not have gotten this tirade at dinner, but I'm sure some of you can relate. That mentality is ingrained in me. I feel so guilty leaving food on my plate or sometimes it is just so good I can't stop. Cravings are another diet saboteur. I have found that taking Candida yeast cleanse totally killed my cravings. You can usually find the Candida pills at a health food store or a vitamin shop or body building store.



A couple of tricks I have learned are:



When I feel like just eating to eat, I ask myself if I am that hungry a cucumber or apple would be good enough. If I don't want either then I'm not really that hungry.

When I crave something I shouldn't eat, I eat something good for me a cup of broth, a glass of water, a protein bar etc. and tell myself if I still want it when I am done with the healthy choice I can have whatever it was I was craving. I usually don't feel like eating the craved food

Water is very powerful. When we are dehydrated our bodies interpret thirst as hunger. If you drink water consistently throughout the day it keep fake hunger at bay. Water also helps rid your body of that bloated feel and not the other way around.

Always keep something to snack on with you. That way if you stuck somewhere longer that anticipated then you can eat your snack and not go to that fast food restaurant that is calling your name because your starving.



Another component to staying healthy is exercise. If you don't like going to the gym you can get DVDs to workout to at home (I love pilates), or you can DVR (digital video recorder) a workout from the television. I have a cable station called FitTV and they always have something good to record. The former workout is actually shorter than the 30 minutes long because you can fast forward through the commercials. They are great to do before work. A super quick workout to do anytime (in between commercials, when you get up etc) is do three sets of the following:



10 squats

10 sit-ups

10 push ups



These three exercises cover the whole body. If you have a bad back you can do the squats with a ball behind your back and lean against the wall. If you not good at push ups (like me) you can do them against the wall using your body weight.



Finally, don't judge your weight loss by the scale alone. Judge your weight loss by the feel of your clothes and how you feel. One time I was feeling really heavy and was afraid to get on the scale, to my surprise I lost weight. I was feeling bad about myself that day and it reflected in the way I felt about how I looked and my weight loss progress. Try to weigh yourself at the same time everyday and naked if you can. Stay positive! My weight loss journey has been a life long one with ups and downs. I am determined to stay on the down side, meaning the numbers on the scale!

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