Successful lap band surgeries are proof that the procedure works. According to CNN, Patty Hill, a recent lap band patient from Massachusetts, lost 135 pounds. The lap band restricts the amount of food that can be put in the stomach. The average weight loss for a lap band patient is one to two pounds a week. While the results do not come as quickly as with gastric bypass surgery, lap band surgery results in steady and permanent weight loss.

On the Other: Risks and Personal Responsibility are Factors

There is a small risk of band slippage, as well as complications from embedding in the stomach. While neither issue is common, each has been known to occur. The lap band can only reduce the size of the stomach, making it uncomfortable or even painful to overeat. Lap band surgery cannot make a person eat healthy, and it cannot keep a person from "forcing" food and stretching the stomach.

Bottom Line

When considering lap band surgery, all risks, benefits and psychological issues should be thoroughly examined. Lap band surgery may not be as invasive as gastric bypass, but it is surgery all the same, and the decision to go under the knife should never be lightly made.

Source:

Surgery Helps Woman Drop 135 Pounds, 10 Dress Sizes -- CNN

Is the Lap Band Right for You?