Lap band surgery may be a good option for people desperate to lose weight to spare their health. This weight-loss procedure places a band around the top part of the stomach, severely restricting how much food a person is physically able to eat. The procedure is effective for weight loss because you simply can't put as much food into your body as is needed to gain or maintain weight -- it just won't fit in the stomach without making you feel very sick. The lap band also makes the stomach empty food more slowly, making the "full" feeling last longer to prevent more eating. But not everyone makes a good candidate for lap band surgery.
Being Overweight Enough
To qualify for lap band surgery, you must be significantly overweight for at least five years. Typically, you need a BMI (body mass index) of 30 or higher to be considered for lap band surgery. A BMI of 30 indicates obesity.
Not Being Able to Lose Weight
Trying unsuccessfully to lose weight is another criteria for lap band surgery. This means that you have truly tried to lose weight several times with no or only temporary weight loss.
No Health Problems Causing Obesity
People who have another health problem that is the root cause of their obesity are not typically appropriate for lap band surgery, and should focus on treating the underlying problem rather than the symptom. Those who are obese because of overeating, lack of exercise and poor dietary habits make better candidates for the procedure.
Willingness to Do the Work
Lap band surgery isn't an easy way out. It takes real commitment to making serious lifestyle changes -- just like losing weight the old-fashioned way. You have to commit to eating healthy foods in only small portions, and start exercising to truly get healthy. Other lifestyle changes include a pre-surgery diet, limiting alcohol consumption and working closely with doctors to manage progress.
Being Generally Healthy
Chances are that anyone considering this surgery probably has some chronic health conditions as a result of obesity. But people who have serious conditions such as advanced lung or heart disease, an infection, chronic pancreatitis, cirrhosis, abnormalities of the digestive tract, and other problems may not be good candidates for lap band surgery. Pregnant women, as well as substance abusers, also typically can't have the procedure.
Weigh the Options
Lap band surgery can be more than helpful -- it can be lifesaving for the right candidates. But it still requires hard work and dedication to truly becoming healthy, and is not for someone who is looking for a quick-fix weight loss opportunity. The only way to know if you're an appropriate candidate is to meet with a physician to talk about your health and the surgery, which is a serious medical procedure with both risks and benefits that need to be considered.
