If you have Lap-Band surgery, you will feel full much sooner while eating, causing you to eat less and lose weight quickly. Assuming you follow proper guidelines, you will lose up to 55% of your excess weight within 1 to 2 years. For example:
- If you are 5’4″ and weigh 220 lbs, you will lose up to 45 lbs.
- If you are 5’9″ and weigh 300 lbs, you will lose up to 75 lbs.
As a result of your dramatic weight loss, you will also improve or “cure” your major obesity-related health issues, including diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and many others.
However, the procedure has a high likelihood of complications over the long-term if you do not stick closely to your surgeon’s and dietitian’s advice.
Read the sections below for everything you need to know about what to expect after Lap-Band surgery.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Click on any of the topics below to jump directly to that section
- Weight Loss
- Health Improvement
- Possible Downsides
- Vs. Other Procedures
- Find a Weight Loss Surgeon
01.Weight Loss After Lap-Band Surgery
SECTION SUMMARY:
- You will lose up to 55% of excess weight within 1 to 2 years
- For example, if you are 5'4" and weigh 220 lbs, you will lose up to 45 lbs.
- If you are 5'9" and weigh 300 lbs, you will lose up to 75 lbs.
It is possible to lose a significant amount of weight with lap band surgery. This applies to both morbidly obese patients (body mass index from 40 to 49.9) and super obese patients (BMI at or above 50).
While the average long-term percentage of excess weight lost is around 50% (for example, someone who is 100 pounds overweight can expect to lose 50 pounds on average), your lap band surgery results could be as good as 82% or as bad as 25% or lower of
excess weight lost.
Click Here to See How Much Weight You Could Lose02.Health Improvement After Lap-Band Surgery
SECTION SUMMARY:
- You will "cure" or improve your diabetes, sleep apnea, hypertension, and at least 12 other conditions
Regarding the improvement or elimination of obesity health problems (also called “co-morbidities”), LAP-BAND® surgery results in:
- Complete resolution of all co-morbidities in 24% of patients (3).
- For patients with 3 or more co-morbidities, 100% of them reduce their number of co-morbidities to 2 or fewer (4).
- Remission of type 2 diabetes in some patients
- Major improvements in other co-morbidities, including (5):
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Depression
- Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Hyperlipidemia
- Hypertension
- Joint and back pain
- Sleep apnea
- Stress incontinence
- Large reduction in the use of medication (6)
- Significant improvement in Quality of Life score (7)
Despite all of the positives, the next section discusses a couple of big reasons that you might want to consider a different type of bariatric surgery.
03.Possible Downsides of Lap-Band Surgery
SECTION SUMMARY:
- There are moderate risks of non-serious complications
- The removal rate is ~9% when proper protocols are followed (much higher when proper protocols are not followed)
- The side effects may include digestion issues & sagging skin from rapid weight loss
- You may regain some of the weight you lost
First, LAP-BAND® surgery has extremely low mortality rates. Compared to the already low mortality rate of 0.135% for all types of bariatric surgery, the LAP-BAND® mortality rate is even less at around 0.09% (1) (2).
However, there is a risk that you’ll eventually need to have your band removed. Historically, 30+% of gastric band patients eventually required band removal (8). However, recent studies have shown the 5-year removal rate drop to under 9% (less than 1 in 10) for patients who maintain continued interaction with their surgical team and follow established guidelines closely (9).
Problems requiring removal of the band range anywhere from your body simply not tolerating the band (leading to vomiting or an ongoing feeling of discomfort) to band slippage that can require reoperation.
Fortunately, there are several revision surgery options for patients who need to have their band removed. See our LAP-BAND® Revision Surgery page for all of your revision options.
When comparing the good and the bad LAP-BAND® surgery results, it’s important to recognize the impact your actions can have.
For example, LAP-BAND® patients who attend support groups lose noticeably more weight than patients who go it alone (10).
See our Bariatric Surgery Complications page to learn the 10 ways to minimize your risk for any type of bariatric surgery.
04.LAP-BAND® Vs. Other Weight Loss Procedures
SECTION SUMMARY:
- The Lap-Band is one of the best procedures for weight loss & health improvement
- Weight loss from Lap-Band surgery varies more than other procedures from patient to patient
- Lap-Band is one of 4 procedures that is reversible; it has the most weight loss among reversible procedures, by far
- Lap-Band is one of 4 procedures that results in 50%+ average excess weight loss (EWL)
- It has the highest long-term ‘failure’ rate among 50%+ EWL procedures (example: band needs to be removed)
Lap-Band surgery results in fewer serious complications and has a low mortality rate compared to other procedures. It’s also reversible whereas some other procedures (generally) are not.
But lap band surgery is also associated with relatively low to moderate weight loss, a high rate of minor complications and a high rate of reoperation.
The following pages directly compare it to your other surgery options…
05.Find a LAP-BAND® Surgeon
SECTION SUMMARY:
- You can ask a local bariatric practice for a free insurance check or cost quote
- You can attend a free in-person seminar or an online webinar offered by a local weight loss surgeon
- You should schedule a phone or in-person consultation (both often free), if you are interested in learning more about weight loss surgery
Search the Lap-Band surgeon directory below.
