This is totally natural. In fact, it is great. You should find out as much as possible before any medical procedure and weight-loss surgery is no different.

So expert advice site Gastric Band Info has put together this list of common Q and As to start you thinking about the procedure.

1) Will I suffer side effects?

As with any surgery, temporary side effects are likely, such as nausea as you recover from the anaesthetic, and bruising and pain around the affected area. However, once these have passed, gastric band surgery should leave you free to continue your usual activities.

2) Should my diet change once I have a gastric band?

This depends on your diet beforehand! A gastric band will restrict the size of the stomach, and therefore the quantity of food you can eat, and you lose weight as a result.

However, the most effective results come when a Lapband is used in conjunction with a balanced, healthy diet that is high in fibre and low in fat.

3) Is the operation reversible?

Absolutely! The Lapband can be removed, or adjusted, at any time. Your specialist should continue to monitor you for some months after the procedure to ensure that you are totally comfortable living with the band.

4) How much weight will I lose?

There is no guaranteed weight-loss, and it’s even hard to give an average amount, because everybody starts at a different weight and responds to the procedure in a different way.

However, patients regularly lose seven or eight stone and, in some cases, much more when the procedure is overseen by obesity surgery specialists.

Obesity surgery, such as gastric bands, gastric balloons and gastric bypass procedures, can prove very effective at shifting excess weight.

However, the best ‘before and after’ results come when patients maintain a sensible diet and exercise following the procedure, rather than have the surgery in isolation.

Advice from Gastric Band Info

“Gastric band and gastric balloon surgery are both on the rise, as people realise how safe and effective the treatment can be,” said a spokesman for Gastric Band Info.

“Patients can lose several stone and the health benefits are also huge. Being overweight or obese can cause issues such as heart problems and diabetes, and weight-loss surgery can help tackle this.

“During gastric band and gastric balloon surgery aftercare, we teach patients the importance of a healthy diet and those who maintain this tend to benefit most from the treatment. The treatment is a lifestyle change, not a quick fix.”

If you are interested in weight-loss surgery, visit Gastric Band Info to see whether a gastric band, gastric balloon or gastric bypass could work for you. Online videos help explain and simplify the procedure, and you can contact the experts at Gastric Band Info for any further information.

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.

Research from the University of Warwick has revealed that when high blood sugar and blood pressure are combined with obesity, the risk of a heart attack is doubled.

Gastric bands and gastric balloons are proven to help clients lose weight – and by reducing obesity from the lethal combination, the study found that heart attacks were reduced.

A spokesman for weight loss surgery experts Gastric Band Info said: “A healthy diet and exercise is vital to any programme to tackle obesity and all our treatments help the client develop an improved lifestyle that they can keep up.

“This doesn’t just improve how they look and feel, like other forms of cosmetic surgery, but it can also help tackle a range of serious health problems, as this research shows. The difference before and after procedures can be remarkable.”

Other weight loss news

Depressingly, in the UK, around 25 million adults are overweight or obese. However, the good news is that University of Oxford figures have now revealed that children seem to be getting the message.

There are expected to be four percent fewer obese girls (between the ages of two and 11 years old) and seven percent fewer obese boys (in the same age bracket) by 2020.

A Gastric Band Info spokesman added: “Weight loss surgery – and especially Gastric band and gastric balloon procedures – are increasing in the UK and this clearly means that more people understand the risks associated with obesity.

“Crucially, these figures suggest that they are passing that knowledge onto their children, which is great news for the future.”

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