That’s where gastric bands come in.

Advice website Gastric Band Info has started to see change in perception, but says that more people still need to understand the truth about gastric bands.

“Gastric bands – or Lapbands – aren’t just slimming aids to help A-listers and TV stars look better on screen,” said a spokesman.

“Of course the procedures can help patients lose weight, which in turn can help the way they look, but we want to emphasize their health benefits.

“Research in the US has shown those who are obese in their 20s are at greater threat of a stroke or heart attack when they reach their 40s. A gastric band helps you lose weight, tackle obesity and so cuts the risk of these serious illnesses.”

Is a gastric band right for you?

Gastric Band Info is an advice site to help you discover the right treatment for you, whether this is a gastric band, gastric balloon or a gastric bypass.

In short, a gastric balloon is for those who are overweight or mildly obese, a gastric band is for those who are obese and a gastric bypass is for those who are morbidly obese.

Check out your body mass index on-line to see which procedure could be right for you and visit Gastric Band Info for further information.

The first key point is that a gastric balloon may be preferable to people who would prefer to avoid surgery.

The procedure sees a balloon inserted into the stomach and then inflated, to reduce the stomach capacity. This is generally a less invasive procedure than having a gastric band fitted and requires only a local anaesthetic.

The second point of difference is that a gastric balloon works best for those who are overweight or mildly obese, to help them kickstart a healthy lifestyle. A balloon – or BIB SYSTEM – is not the right procedure for those who are obese or morbidly obese, where a gastric band might be more appropriate.

What are the effects of a gastric balloon?

A gastric balloon is totally harmless once in place and simply makes you feel full sooner, so you eat less food. Digestion is not affected in any way and when used in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise, it is a tried and tested method of losing weight.

Your progress is monitored and, over time, the effect of the gastric balloon is to help you re-educate your body about good eating habits.

After six months, the BIB SYSTEM is usually removed though your aftercare and access to a 24-hour emergency helpline continues after this period.

Although it is a non-surgical procedure, a gastric balloon is very effective at helping patients lose weight and can help avert some weight-related illnesses, such as heart conditions and diabetes.

Contact obesity surgery specialists at Gastric Band Info learn more about everything from gastric balloon prices to the care you will receive.

Where, a decade ago, Lapbands were seldom heard of, they are now a part of daily life for thousands of people and well known to millions.

And website Gastric Band Info is now raising understanding further with a video revealing the simple way that a gastric band can help you to shed the pounds.

Benefits of a gastric band

At his heaviest, golfer John Daly was between 280 and 300 pounds and admits that when he bent down to tie his shoe while playing and come up out of breath.

After losing 115 pounds with a gastric band, Daly is now a major advocate of Lapbands.

“Your self-esteem gets better,” he said. “This is the greatest technology that anyone can have.” Pretty unambiguous support there!

Other news from across the Atlantic shows that not only are increasing numbers of women having weight-loss surgery, but that falling pregnant after having a gastric band is safer than ever.

Weight loss surgery may be more common today, but there are still plenty of myths about the procedures. So, whether you’d like to know about gastric bands, gastric balloons or gastric bypass surgery, you can find out from the experts at Gastric Band Info.

Television presenter Fern Britton lost three stone following her much-publicised gastric band operation, and more and more people are now switched on to how weight loss surgery can help them.

The process is a simple one. The gastric band effectively restricts the size of the stomach so that less food is needed to make you feel full. As a result, you eat smaller portions, develop a healthier lifestyle and lose weight.

Gastric bands aren’t just an easy option

However, it’s important that, amid celebrity weight loss success stories like Fern Britton’s, patients appreciate that a gastric band is neither an instant nor an easy solution.

While the band will control your appetite, and is proven to help weight loss over time, it is crucial to follow the post-procedure dietary advice to ensure maximise results.

This means that willpower and healthy eating are still the order of the day!

A spokesman for obesity surgery experts Gastric Band Info said: “The major health problems associated with being overweight and obese are now clearly understood throughout society.

“As a result, any misplaced stigma that was once attached to gastric bands has long since disappeared and we are seeing increasing numbers of people undergoing this procedure for the sake of their health and their family.”

(Winfrey actually lost weight in 1988 on a medically supervised liquid diet using a supplement called Optifast.)

Love, 42, got the Internet buzzing last month when she appeared noticeably thinner in photos of her vacationing in Hawaii in a bikini. She wrote on her Web site that she’d “lost 44 pounds with 6 more maybe 11 more to go.”

But on Thursday the New York Post’s Page Six quoted a source as saying Love was “telling people she got the gastric band surgery.” Love’s rep told the paper: “Not true. She says she never got surgery.”

In 2006 the This Morning presenter had a gastric band fitted to reduce the size of her stomach and has now lost 5st.

Fern’s new figure was reported to be down to her new hobby of cycling and careful dieting but now the 50-year-old has revealed her secret.

‘As interest is so high, I am making public, as a personal choice, that I had a gastric band operation two years ago,’ Fern said.

‘I did this purely for myself and I would not wish to influence others to do the same. But for me it has worked and I am very pleased with the results.’