If you are overweight or obese, weight loss and dieting might seem impossible. So many people experience the problem known as yo-yo dieting, where every attempt to lose weight is followed by a period of weight gain.

One possible solution is a gastric bypass, also known as stomach stapling. But the procedure has some problems:

Gastric Bypass Surgery:

People who undergo gastric bypass surgery are at risk for:

* Pouch stretching (stomach gets bigger overtime, stretching back to its original size).
* Band erosion (the band closing off part of the stomach disintegrates).
* Breakdown of staple lines (band and staples fall apart, reversing the procedure).
* Leakage of stomach contents into the abdomen (this is dangerous because the acid can eat away other organs).
* Nutritional deficiencies causing health problems.

An alternative to gastric bypass is an implanted medical device known as the LAP-BAND. It is becoming more popular because of a big ad campaign, along with high-profile success stories like this one:

Rex Ryan Drops 40 Pounds in 3 Weeks

Three weeks ago, Ryan underwent lap-band surgery, the same procedure that helped John Daly drop a c-note in about a year. And now the Jets head coach, who weighed 340 during the 2009 season, has dropped 40 pounds

The way the LAP-BAND works is straightforward. The device is a band made of silicone rubber (see a picture of it on this page) that wraps around the stomach. Inside the band are small silicone balloons. There is a tube connecting the balloons to a adjustment port that is located under the skin. To “tighten” the band, saline solution is injected into the port and fills the balloons, applying pressure to the stomach. The pressure shrinks the stomach’s capacity, meaning the LAP-BAND wearer cannot eat as much. Since there are no cuts or staples in the stomach, the effects of the system are reversible if necessary.

There are risks with LAP-BAND (see this page for a detailed list), but the fact that it is reversible has benefits. The site claims: “Surgeons report that after the band is removed, the stomach returns to essentially a normal state.”

The price for the procedure seems to be on the order of $20,000.

The following video shows a complete LAP-BAND installation using laparoscopic techniques. The first three minutes or so show the process of cutting the stomach’s connective tissue so the band can slip around the stomach. Then at 3:50 the actual installation of the LAP-BAND starts. At 5:45, sutures (three) are added to hold the band in place. Around 7:40 the narrator talks about checking the balloons for leaks using a blue dye:

According to the video, the whole installation procedure takes about 30 minutes.

Once the band is installed, it needs to be filled with saline. This video shows you the filling process:

Keep in mind that the LAP-BAND can have problems. This video talks about one patient’s experiences through a pregnancy and the removal process:

Given the general surgical risks and the procedure-specific risks of both gastric bypass and LAP-BAND, it would clearly be better to solve a weight problem with will power and dieting. But if that completely fails, there is an alternative.

More info:
- How the Dukan Diet works
- How Gastric Bypass Surgery Works
- Stomach
- How dieting works