University of California, San Diego Medical Center – Center for the Treatment of Obesity
Gastric Band Surgery – For more information, call 1-800-926-UCSD
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Dr. Santiago Horgan, a specialist in minimally invasive surgery, was among the
first surgeons trained to do gastric banding. He now teaches other surgeons in
using both the LAP-BAND System and the new REALIZE Band.
Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both adult men and women.
Enter your weight and height using Standard or Metric measures
Patient Testimonial
Meet Laura Gordon
"I had my gastric banding surgery in August of 2008 and as of this morning, Oct. 14, 2009, I have lost 141 pounds! My current goal is to lose another 29 pounds so that I can honestly say ‘I am half the woman I used to be!’ "In thinking about what I’ve done to get here, certainly my relationship with food has changed significantly and so has my outlook on exercise. Food has really become fuel to me rather than my friend, comforter, party partner, confidant, constant companion, etc. I used to center my day around food and naps and now I truly don't. "A 'before' typical Saturday used to involve sleeping as late as I could then making a meal (usually lunch by the time I got up) then snacking and watching movies and napping in bed until I made dinner and watched more movies and snacked some more until I fell asleep. I would look forward to it all week. "Now, I look forward to Saturday because I can add a lift class and yoga to my daily morning walk on the beach and then kayak in the afternoon. I am usually so busy I grab a yogurt with granola on the way to the beach in the morning and then have a couple protein bars throughout the day for fuel. Don’t t get me wrong; I didn't have the surgery and wake up not caring about food and wanting to move my body. This has been a journey. And I am still a work in progress. "When I decided to have the surgery, I knew that this kind of money commitment meant I had to play by the rules and succeed. My biggest concern was being able to avoid the foods that had always comforted me. "In that spirit, I now have certain 'go to' protein sources (cottage cheese, refried beans, protein bars, ground beef) which are the staples of my diet. If I start wanting to stress eat, I allow myself as much cottage cheese as I want and don't allow myself to eat anything else until my emotional desire for food passes. It is amazing how fast the desire now goes away.
Rules for success
Laura Gordon before banding.
Laura in October '09.
"My second rule is that I don't let myself get too hungry. I always have either a protein bar or 100 calorie pack of almonds in my purse or car. There’s no excuse for having to stop for fast food or eat something impulsive because I always something that will stop my hunger and not sabotage my eating.
"My third food rule is that I keep a food journal, record everything in it, and look back over it often. If I’m feeling like I’m not on track mentally, or am not losing weight as I think I should, I review my food logs and find out where my diet has changed.
Keep moving
"The other huge thing that has led to my success to date is moving my body. I have NEVER exercised in my life, not as a child or teen or adult. NEVER. I have a friend that tried to get me to walk around our neighborhood one afternoon about a year and a half ago and I flat out refused. Today, she is amazed that I invited her to walk at the beach with me and I outwalked her.
"This relationship with exercise, too, has been a journey. I started by walking around my block once. A few days later I did it again and started to record it. I found myself walking more until I was walking 20 minutes at a time a couple times a week. Six months later, I now meet a friend at Oceanside Pier just about every morning at 6 to walk for an hour on the beach. There is nothing as peaceful and wonderful as walking and talking with a friend in the wee hours of the morning.
"The rule I have developed for exercise is 'fake it till you feel it,' meaning at first I did not want to walk, period. I didn't enjoy it but I did it because I knew it would help in my weight loss. It didn't take long until I craved my walks. Another rule for exercise is keeping the old and adding the new. I only walked at first, then I added a trainer. Then I added the gym, then biking, then kayaking. The more I move, the more I am able to do.
"I hope this testimonial helps someone else on this journey.”
- Laura Gordon, banded August, 2008
Gastric Banding Advantages
Our bariatric program specializes in gastric banding, sleeve gastrectomy (the gastric sleeve) and gastric bypass. Our expertise ensures you will have the highest quality of care and support.
