If you’re seriously overweight or obese despite trying diets, exercise and medication, there is another approach that can help.If your excess weight is stopping you living life to its greatest potential, you are not alone.
More than a third of New Zealanders are overweight or obese, with many feeling trapped by their weight.
RISKS OF OBESITYExcessive weight and fat accumulation can impair your health. People who are obese are more at risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, respiratory disease, sleep apnoea and depression. Obesity can also affect your skin, joints and your fertility.
The good news is, with effective weight loss, you can reduce your risk of obesity-related diseases while restoring your confidence and sense of control.
BUT NOTHING HAS WORKED?The most common weight loss approach is to eat less, eat sensibly and exercise more, however this only tends to result in short-term minor weight loss. Many who lose weight this way quickly regain it when the diet ends, which leads to more dieting, ups and downs in weight, and the tendency to simply give up.
If you are obese and non-surgical options haven’t worked, there is an effective long-term solution that could turn your life around.
LAP-BAND SURGICAL TREATMENTLap-Band surgery is an advanced treatment for obesity, done through minimally invasive keyhole surgery. That means there is no major opening of the abdomen required, and no cutting or potentially permanent alteration to the stomach or intestines. In most cases, the procedure only involves an overnight stay in hospital. It is also reversible.
WHAT'S INVOLVED?Surgery involves placing a band (the Lap-Band) around the top of the stomach, which effectively creates a sense of fullness and limits the amount of food the stomach can hold before signalling it is full. In essence it helps you manage your appetite and avoid over-eating.
Otherwise known as ‘laparoscopic gastric banding’, this procedure has helped tens of thousands of people shed excess weight and is now the most common form of weight control surgery in Australasia.
FAST FACTS ABOUT LAP-BAND (GASTRIC BANDING)- The Lap-Band, like a belt, is fastened around the top of the stomach to create a sensation of fullness and help control appetite
- Gastric banding can be significantly more effective than non-surgical treatments
- The band can be customised to your individual needs and it’s fully reversible unlike most other weight loss surgeries
- Patients lose up to an average of 27kg of their excess weight in 12 months
- Patients have shown weight loss maintenance 3 to 8 years after their surgery.
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