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By my count about 1/4 of the contestants have had weight loss surgery--it will be interesting to see how well they do/what special problems they have compared to the others.
The surgical ones are (I think...I count 5 out of 21 contestants, which seems like an odd #, so I may be missing someone):
Rick--gastric bypass
Jessica--lap band
Montina--lap band
Burgandy--lap band
Allie--vertical banded gastroplasty
Can anyone provide a layman's explanation of gastric bypass and vertical banded gastroplasty? I don't fully understand how those two options work. The lap bad, I understand, is an inflatable band inserted through laproscopic surgery to restrict the amount of food allowed to flow from the portion of stomach above the band to the rest of the stomach below the band and from there into the intestines. Just curiosity really.
I'd like to know also, mamaamyg.
I do think the ones that have had lap band done could have an advantage over everyone else. Depending on when their last "adjustment" was and how tight or loos the band is will determine how much they eat. A coworker had it done and she can't eat breads at all b/c it gets stuck in her. She doesn't each nearly as much as she used to. BUT she still eats really bad food. If she were to eat healthy then she'd loose all kinds of weight. It's not just about portion size, it's about what it is also...a combo.
Here's what wikipedia has to say....just google any of these terms to get more detail, but this paragraph kind of combines mentioning them all.
Vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG), also known as stomach stapling, is a restrictive operation for weight control. Both a band and staples are used to create a small stomach pouch. In the bottom of the pouch is an approximate one-centimeter hole through which the pouch contents can flow into the remainder of the stomach and thence onto the remainder of the gastrointestinal tract.
Stomach stapling is a restrictive technique for managing obesity. The pouch limits the amount of food a patient can eat at one time and slows passage of the food. Stomach stapling is more effective when combined with a malabsorptive technique, in which part of the digestive tract is bypassed, reducing the absorption of calories and nutrients. Combined restrictive and malabsorptive techniques are called gastric bypass techniques, of which Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RGB) is the most common. In this technique, staples are used to form a pouch that is connected to the small intestine, bypassing the lower stomach, the duodenum, and the first portion of the jejunum.
This type of weight loss surgery is losing favor as more doctors begin using the adjustable gastric band. The newer adjustable band does not require cutting into the stomach and does not use any staple lines, thus making it a much safer alternative.
VBG is known in the medical community as a very serious and dangerous procedure. It has been classified by the AMA as a "severely dangerous" operation.
Guess the Biggest Loser contestants are great examples of how some doctors are getting rich supposedly helping their patients but after losing the weight and spending $40,000 on surgery they gain it all back. I hope the this show does address the issue and ask these contestants how they gained the weight back.
I hope so too Bearcata. I also they address diet pills soon too.
I can't tell you how many times I walk by the surgical board in the OR and see GBGB: Gastric Bypass Gone Bad. Dangerous indeed!
Good grief, they even have an abbreviation for it??? Is the lap band considered as dangerous?Quote:
Originally Posted by elleprn;4070637;
The Lap Band is dangerous but not likely fatal and with few complications. GBGB would almost be a joke if it were not so very serious.