Remember the story of “The Tortoise and the Hare” in Aesop’s Fables? I remember my Mom recounting the story as an example of why I should never underestimate a challenge, and how I can employ “slow and steady” as a winning strategy. This moral has held true for many of my LAP-BAND® patients. Patients who have elected to undergo the LAP-BAND® procedure to help them achieve a healthy weight tend to lose weight more slowly than others who undergo the sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass procedure, however, this slower rate is beneficial because it allows patients to make smaller and more sustainable changes in their health and lifestyle. Moreover, the LAP-BAND® allows patients to personalize the rate of weight loss through regular check-ups and necessary band adjustments. The LAP-BAND® procedure is an outpatient procedure, during which the LAP-BAND® device is implanted to reduce the stomach volume. The device can be removed when no longer needed thus making the procedure fully reversible.
Meet Kim. She is a LAP-BAND® patient, who lost 90 lbs. in the past four years. In addition to undergoing the LAP-BAND® procedure, Kim changed her diet and exercised more frequently. The LAP-BAND® procedure enabled Kim to jumpstart changes that helped her to improve her quality of life. Though follow-up visits to our office and band adjustments as well as changes to daily habits and diet, Kim achieved her healthy goals successfully. See Kim’s Before and After photographs below:
The health benefits of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight are well published. Controlled studies on weight loss have shown that diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and joint pains in the back and knees can greatly be improved or resolved. Better yet, achieving a healthy weight enabled our patients to incorporate more activities and to improve the quality of their lives. Call our office at (310) 208-0474 for more information about the LAP-BAND® and other weight loss surgery options.
