Gastric band surgery
Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding often referred to as ‘gastric band’, is one of the most popular forms of weight loss surgery. The surgery is the safest weight loss procedure to have and patients can expect to see a 50-60% excess weight loss with the band.
What happens in gastric band surgery?
Like the majority of our weight loss surgeries such as the sleeve the band is performed through laparoscopic keyhole surgery, which means it’s minimally invasive. One to five small surgical cuts will be made in your abdomen through which they will place the camera and instruments needed to perform the surgery.
The band will be placed around the upper part of your stomach creating a small pouch with a narrow opening into the larger, lower part of your stomach.
Attached to the band is the port which sits below the skin on your abdominal wall. Through this port, a specialist bariatric nurse will be able to make adjustments to your gastric band, based on your weight loss, by filling or filling the band to make it tighter or looser.
How does having gastric band surgery help with weight loss?
Gastric band surgery works by making your feel fuller quicker. The band fits around the top of the stomach creating a “small stomach pouch”. The food in the small pouch stimulates the nerve fibres (sensors) which send a signal of feeling ‘full’ to the brain.
Weight loss will vary according to how well you are able to follow the rules for band success. Most patients can expect to lose 50-60% of their excess weight over the first 2 years although many patients will do much better than this (see before and after photos and stories from successful gastric band patients here).
What diet to follow after gastric band surgery?
At first, patients must follow a diet plan to ease into the new way their stomach works.
- First 2 weeks – Liquid Diet
- Next 2 weeks – Pureed Diet
- After the first month the patient can start to eat normal food
Is the gastric band safe?
Does it actually work?
We think it’s best to let our amazing gastric band patients take it from here. Take a look at our success stories to see how the gastric band changed lives.
It’s more than just a gastric band it’s the chance to get your life back.
Last review: 09/11/2021. All content on this page is reviewed by a multi-disciplinary team lead by Mr Rishi Singhal.