Many of Those Seeking Weight Loss Surgery Say it's Their Last Resort

So many Americans today suffer from obesity and the many medical conditions associated with it. Many of those who decide to lose the weight through diet and exercise are left in similar conditions without much change. Such is the case for recent Los Angeles gastric bypass surgery patient Lisa Arnold, 42, who said that her decision to undergo Los Angeles weight loss surgery despite its rare complications and necessary lifestyle changes was the result of many years of dieting without success. She began seeing a dietician, who told her that despite the sweets and snacks she has regularly, her calorie intake was considered to be normal. For some reason, her body seems to process food into energy or fat very quickly. Arnold tried a new strict calorie-controlled diet suggested by her dietician, but just like Weight-Watchers, Atkins, and all the other diets she tried, it did not help. Arnold kept a journal in the months preceding her gastric banding surgery, and noticed that her weight was affecting much more than her health. Besides the sciatica she was developing, she noticed her self-esteem was at an all time low. Being dominated by food and hating the image staring back at her in the mirror, she began losing the hope of ever being happy with herself. Finally, after researching many different weight loss procedures, and meeting with a top Los Angeles weight loss surgeon, her and her doctor approved the decision of undergoing laparascopic gastric banding surgery. As in other gastric banding procedures, a hollow tube inflated with distilled water is surgically inserted to tighten its grip around the top of the stomach. This reduces the flow of food to the bottom part of the stomach. The Lap Band surgery system has been available in Europe, Australia, and South America and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States in June 2001. The advantages of laparoscopic ASGB compared to laparoscopic gastric bypass include a shorter operative time, relative ease of performance, no stapling or transection of the stomach, the stomach size can be adjusted, and it is reversible. A few months later, Arnold admitted, the change in lifestyle was challenging at first, but the results have been phenomenal. Two years after the surgery, Arnold has no regrets about her decision, and went from a size 24 to 10 and has never felt better. She was most excited about fitting into her favorite pair of slacks for the first time in years. For more information on available Los Angeles weight loss surgery procedures, visit www.surgithin.com.