The Realize Band: A Method of Surgical Weight Loss
Perhaps you have heard of surgical weight loss methods and want to know more about some of these procedures and if they would work for you. Many people have had good success with different types of gastric surgery. They all work by making your stomach smaller, forcing you to eat less every day at every meal. Some are more invasive than others; some are more permanent. Today I’ll give you the details on the Realize Band: a less-invasive form of surgical intervention that is also reversible.
Here is an illustration of how the Realize Band is placed. After you are put under anesthesia, the band is inserted through a small incision in your skin. It contains a soft balloon that can be inflated or deflated to adjust the tightness around your stomach. It is put around the top part of your stomach, essentially dividing it from the lower portion. The result is a smaller pouch of stomach, which only allows you to ingest four ounces of food or drink at a time. The opening to the second portion of your stomach can be kept quite small, so food empties from the pouched section slowly, and you feel full for a longer period of time. None of your stomach is actually removed, so this procedure is reversible in the future. The band is adjusted periodically by your doctor. It can be made tighter or looser depending on whether you want to be able to eat a bit more, or whether you want to feel full sooner.
The Realize Band comes with a comprehensive lifestyle program to help patients adjust to developing new and healthy habits. Working with physicians and dietitians, patients have access to this online program which helps increase weight loss even further and faster than using the band alone. The program encourages goal-setting, teaches new strategies, and tracks each patient on their weight loss path.
Experts are quick to point out, no weight loss plan is easy. The Realize Band is an aid to help by reducing your appetite and helping you feel full sooner. But it is by no means an easy answer. One physician pointed out that the surgery is just 25% of the solution, and 75% is still accomplished by changing habits, lifestyle, food choices, and activity level.
If you’ve tried many diets and been unsuccessful, you might be someone who would benefit from an aid such as gastric surgery. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that there are true risks to surgical interventions, and that this is no magic bullet. Research a decision such as this thoroughly, and find health professionals you trust to help you make your final choice. You’ll still have to eat less and exercise more in order to lose weight: gastric surgery might just be the tool you use to help you stick to your plan. (For more information you can view details at realize.com)
Written by Laurie Beebe
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About The Author: Laurie Beebe has been a registered dietitian for 25 years and is certified in adult weight management. Laurie currently serves as a Related posts:
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