Lap Band surgery was once just a theory that was put into action and proved to be an effective method in implementing weight loss. The patients who undergo Lap Band surgery usually start losing weight rather quickly, but will certainly lose between 1 and 2 pounds a week, which can result in 50 to 100 pounds lost in the course of the year.

The theory started out with the idea that a small band being placed at the top of the stomach to create a small pouch would be a great way to get people to eat less. Simply make the stomach smaller and the individual gets full with very little food. This pouch that is created only holds around 30 ml of food and the food moves from the top of the stomach to the bottom of the stomach considerably slower than if no band were in place. What this does is make the upper stomach feel like it is full, which tells the brain that there is not a need to eat any more food.

However, the band does have to undergo some adjustments through a small port that is placed subcutaneously under the skin. Such a solution as saline is injected into that port in order to make it expand. What this does is decrease the size of the passage in which food moves through to keep the food from moving at all. This process is done several times until the patient feels as if they have reached a place in which they can lose weight with minimal intake. How long this can take is not known since every individual is different.

But not everyone can undergo Lap Band surgery. As great as this sound, a person has to be overweight by a certain amount before the procedure can be performed. Someone that is 45 pounds overweight is not a candidate for the procedure because with proper diet and exercise, which shouldn't be much of an issue for someone 45 pounds overweight, they can take off the weight without surgery. The ideal candidate is going to have a body mass index of 40 or higher. If the individual suffers from such conditions as depression that is a result of their obesity, then someone with a body mass index of 35 can have the surgery.

However, doctors are more likely to conduct the surgery if the patient is twice their normal weight or at least 100 pounds overweight, but there are some doctors who say otherwise. There are certain clinics that will perform the surgery on someone with a body mass index as low as 30, which may translate into them being as little as 50 pounds overweight. Sometimes the procedure will only be performed on someone with a BMI as low as 30 if there is a health condition that can be relieved as a result of the surgery. But the condition cannot be what caused the patient to be overweight because that could lead to even more complications. The patient must also be someone who has been overweight for a period of more than 5 years.

Lap Band surgery is a great way to lose weight and look great fast. Some can do the diet, but may not be able to do the exercise. What Lap Band surgery does is force the diet and takes off the weight to where the exercise can be picked up later. Some are so obese that exercise is not an option, but Lap Band surgery is the perfect solution for those who meet the health and weight requirements to have the surgery.