Bariatric surgery lap bands: Surgically widening the stomach for the holidays

DENVER - Most of us loosen our belts after our big Thanksgiving meal, but some people are doing something a little more drastic. The Denver Center for Bariatric Surgery has seen an increase in patients wanting to have their lap bands loosened just in time for America's favorite food-oriented holiday.

After countless times to the gym and years of yo-yo dieting, for some the surgery is a miracle solution.

"Some people will say success is having lost and maintained 30 percent of their excess body fat, most people will lose quite a bit more than that," Dr. Nancie Ziemke, a psychologist specializing in eating disorders at the Eating Disorder Center of Denver, said.

From time to time, Ziemke conducts evaluations for people who've undergone or are looking into bariatric surgery.

"It is a type of weight-loss surgery in which a band is placed on the upper portion of the stomach, and it is tightened through a port," Ziemke said.

Put simply - you get fuller, faster. However, the amount of food you are able to consume is much smaller.

"It may be that it has been a special time for their family, there may be special foods that they enjoy," Ziemke said.

She says some clients choose to get their band loosened around food-related events, even cruises, and tightened again afterward.

She says the process to loosen is relatively non-invasive.

"The port is usually somewhere close to your ribs, and there's a tube that is attached to the band, and you either add or subtract the saline solution," she said.

Ziemke says for most patients, she doesn't discourage it. She says it's deprivation that causes overeating and she says this is a means of control.

After all, loosening every now and again just might make you stick with the band for the rest of your life, as it's intended.

According to the Denver Center for Bariatric Surgery, patients average a "fill" or "unfill" four to six times a year. It costs between $100 and $300, and doctors there say it's a minimal risk procedure.