With the rise of obesity in the United States, weight loss surgeries have become a popular alternative to help people lose and maintain their new weight and a healthier lifestyle. “The lap band, unlike the more invasive gastric bypass, has shown up in bariatric clinics and has become a better choice for people of a more active lifestyle,” said Dr. Stephen Boyce, head surgeon of New Life Center in Knoxville.

Boyce said the surgery is performed laparoscopically through six small incisions in the abdomen. In the surgery the band is placed over the top of the stomach which restricts the amount of food that is consumed by the patient. He said that this surgery is an alternative to gastric bypass, which is also performed laparoscopically. The gastric bypass is an invasive surgery that slightly alters the patient’s anatomy to help with weight control.

The surgery has helped with recovery time for patients. Unlike gastric bypass surgery which has a three-day recovery in the hospital.

“After having my lap band surgery I only had to stay one night in the hospital and went home, and I was able to go back to work the following week after my surgery,” said Lauren Blake, 34, of Johnson City .

The surgery has other benefits. “The lap band surgery will last for about an hour compared to the three-hour gastric bypass,” said Jamie Allbritten Reid, program coordinator at Vanderbilt Center for Surgical Weight Loss in Nashville. “Also, the lap band can be adjusted if the patient chooses to loosen the band. The procedure is completely reversible if the patients decides to remove the band.

The lap band is not just a milder form of bariatric surgery, it is also less expensive. “Some insurance companies will cover bariatric surgeries, but sometimes they will not,” said Judy Henegar, practice manager at Surgical Group of Johnson City. “Gastric bypass a patient will pay around $23,000 whereas lap band patients will pay about $6,000 less.”

People commonly think that after receiving a type of bariatric surgery patients just lose weight. “Patients must alter their lifestyle from how they used to live and eat,” said Krystal Cameron, dietitian at New Life Center in Knoxville. “This is not just a quick fix. Patients must follow a very specific diet of liquids for a few weeks. Then slowly work their way back to solid foods in smaller portions.”

“The toughest thing after my surgery is the change of going from being able to eat whatever I chose to only liquid,” said Adriana Orta, 23, Miami. “I am now three weeks post surgery, and I am only allowed to have protein shakes and other liquids. My soreness from the surgery is gone down and I am slowly able to work my way back to lifting light objects.”

“Not only is it important for patients to changing their eating habits, but it is also important for them to change their habits of being more active and workout more often,” said Rebecca Johnson, exercise physiologist at New Life Center in Knoxville.

With every surgery you will have pros and cons. “Even though the lap band is an alternative bariatric surgery the procedure does not work as drastically as the gastric bypass, and the weight loss is a slower process and patients normally do not lose as much weight,” said Dr. K. Robert Williams, surgeon at New Life Center in Knoxville. “With the help of this new surgery no matter how fast people will lose their weight, the most important thing is they start living a healthy life.

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