The American Heart Association is now telling us that 2/3 of all americans are overweight and 1/3 of them are obese. There are many diets for people to try, but they don't always work. And sometimes, those people end up taking another approach, a surgical one. We see how that approach is working for one North Central Florida man as we continue our weight loss program series.
Like magic, the pounds are disappearing off of Carl Buz. But there's no slight of hand here, a medical device is helping him eat less. It's been almost two months since Carl had his Ingestable Gastric Banding or Lap Band surgery. When we first talked to Carl about four weeks ago he was weighing 295 pounds. He had lost forty three pounds just ten days out of his procedure. He now weighs 285.
Director of Bariatric surgery at Shands, Dr. Kfir Ben-David adds that for band patients, the average weight loss is about 40 to 50 percent of their excess body weight. This procedure is suppose to be less evasive than the Gastric bypass. Dr. David sayS," It's the surgery plus dietary changes, psychological changes, exercise changes. i think this surgery as a whole allows these patients to regulate the amount of food and it's sort of a new lease on life for them".
The real trick is staying active by excercising and eating less. And now lighter he feels better , and staying active is not a burden. Doctors had put Carl on a one year plan, but Carl is confident he will exceed their expectations. He plans to take it off in eight months. His goal is to get between 195 to 205. While he's not there yet, people are already noticing the difference.