You wouldn’t catch me contemplating gastric banding or any other surgical procedure simply to lose weight unless there were very exceptional circumstances. The reasons for this are as follows.

1. I would could consider weight control to be my responsibility and no-one else’s. Why on earth would I want a surgeon controlling the size of my stomach?

2. There are risks associated with all surgical procedures.

3. Patients undergoing the procedure must also be willing to make the lifestyle and dietary changes necessary to maintain weight loss. Why not make the changes anyway and do it all yourself?

4. It sounds like a cash cow for the private sector.

However, the Food and Drug Administration in the USA have given what is probably an amber light to one manufacturer. They have conceded to a degree but have not allowed the full set of indications as sought by the company.

GASTRIC BANDING
COUNTRY : USA

“FDA expands use of banding system for weight loss

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expanded the use of Allergan’s LAP-BAND Adjustable Gastric Banding System, a device implanted around the upper part of the stomach to limit the amount of food that can be eaten at one time.

The Feb. 16, 2011, approval expands the use of the LAP-BAND to include obese individuals with a BMI of 30 to 34 who also have an existing condition related to their obesity.

The FDA approved the LAP-BAND in 2001 for use in severely obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 40, those with a BMI of at least 35 and who also have an existing severe condition related to their obesity, such as heart disease or diabetes, or those who are at least 100 pounds overweight. BMI is a general measure of body fat based on an individual’s weight and height.

The LAP-BAND is intended to be used for weight loss in adults who have not lost weight using non-surgical weight loss methods. The newly-approved indication is limited to patients with a BMI of 30 to 34 and at the highest risk of obesity-related complications. This represents a narrower indication than originally sought by Allergan. The company had also proposed to expand the indication to include people with a BMI of 35 to 39 and no obesity related condition. Patients using the LAP-BAND must be willing to make major changes to their lifestyle and eating habits.

“Obesity is a major public health concern in the United States,” said William Maisel, M.D., M.P.H., deputy director for science at the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “A healthy lifestyle and weight loss are keys to improvements in health and a person’s overall quality of life.”

Use of the LAP-BAND in patients with BMIs between 30 and 40 was examined in a U.S. study. Results showed that 80 percent of patients lost at least 30 percent of their excess weight and kept it off for one year. Some patients in the study lost no weight, while others lost more than 80 percent of their extra weight.

In the same study, more than 70 percent of patients experienced an adverse event related to LAP-BAND, most often vomiting and difficulty swallowing. The events ranged from mild to severe but most were mild and resolved quickly.

Seven out of 149 patients needed other procedures after implantation: four to remove the LAP-BAND, two for port revisions, and one to reposition the LAP-BAND.

The LAP-BAND works by limiting the amount of food that can be eaten at one time and increasing the time it takes for food to be digested, to help people eat less. It is placed around the upper part of the stomach during a surgical procedure. The band creates a small stomach pouch that holds a small amount of food.

The LAP-BAND should not be used in certain people, for example, those who are poor candidates for surgery, have certain stomach or intestinal disorders or an infection, take aspirin frequently, or are addicted to alcohol and/or drugs. It should also not be used in those not able or willing to follow dietary and other recommendations.

The LAP-BAND is marketed by Allergan Inc., based in Goleta, Calif.”

You can read more about what the procedure involves here:

LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Banding (LAGB®) System – P000008

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The previous post linked to an educational website designed to help children learn how to eat healthily. Much of this information will be useful for adults too.

It has set me thinking a bit about the weight loss / diet industry.  And industry it is. It must be worth billions of pounds.

Recently too, there has been a new “movement”….surgery for weight loss. Celebrities talk on TV and to the press about their experiences with gastric banding and other procedures.

Private hospitals in the UK advertise their bariatric surgery. Named surgeons are given space on their websites. Their photos appear there. These are not cowboy surgeons although I suppose some may be. The ones I’m thinking about are good competent surgeons some of whom also hold consultant posts in the NHS. Just do a Google search for “bariatric surgery” or “obesity surgery.” You’ll find them.  Smooth, well designed websites made credible by photos of the surgeons themselves. I won’t be linking to them directly.

I hate this. Partly because I hate the idea of doctors advertising their wares. By appearing on these websites that is what they are doing. Old fashioned? Maybe. However the Hippocratic Oath taken by me all these years ago forbade advertising and what we are seeing nowadays is more than simple advertising. It is advertising for personal gain .. profit ….money in the bank for that individual doctor. The individual doctor is now using marketing strategies. He / she is piggy-backing on the now fashionable UK health jargon of “Patient Choice.” One has to wonder if “Patient Choice” is  jargon that is being deliberateley introduced for the purpose of creating a market in UK healthcare. Time will tell.

I hate this marketing, and although am fully aware it is common practice in other parts of the world, it never was so in the UK.

In fact, surgical procedures were always available for the treatment of obesity within the NHS. In the past, it was restricted to patients who were morbidly obese often with some deep rooted psychological problems too. Surgery was the last resort. Nowadays the hurdle is lower.

Another thing that bothers me about the “Surgery for Fatties” movement is that it assumes an individual will not have the willpower to adopt a healthy eating pattern on their own.  It assumes dependency on the medical profession and the huge diet industry.

All of this sticks in my throat.

As it happens, I have been unable to exercise properly for some time now (severe back problem) and so find it necessary to shed a couple of stones in weight without adequate exercise to burn off calories. I don’t know how I am going to do this, but am damned sure it won’t be by gastric banding or any other surgical procedure, buying specific dietary products, or following some quick fix diet. I also know it will be done slowly but surely over the next year or 18 months.

After giving some thought to this, I will post intermittently about what I intend to do. It might help somebody else too.

I’ll file all these posts under “The Webwhispering Diet.” so they can all be accessed by clicking on that category at the side.

And yes, by putting this in writing, it gives me an incentive. I’ll feel a fool if it doesn’t work for me.

I hope what will become  ”The Webwhispering Diet” will be a good one, will be easy, will be enjoyable and will last a life time.

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