Lap-Band weightover: Have your steak and eat it, too
MANILA, Philippines - It’s never easy for someone so young to make a decision to undergo surgery to lose excessive weight. Always, the first option is to try to prove they don’t need to go under the knife and try every method there is to lose the extra pounds. Some may be lucky and achieve their ideal weight on the scale, but not everyone gets the same results. This was true in the case of 22-year-old Dustin Balictar, a young entrepreneur and graduating MIS student from the Ateneo de Manila University, who was obese at a very young age.
“I reached my heaviest weight before my Lap-Band procedure,” says Dustin. “I weighed 338 pounds at 5’4” that time.”
Dustin started to become self-conscious. He spent hours in the gym, tried fat burners and went into the different trendy diets. He even consulted a nutritionist to help him control his diet, but he still didn’t lose weight. And then he learned about a weight loss procedure called the Lap-Band while working out in a gym at Ateneo — it was said to be an ideal solution to his weight problems because unlike other surgical procedures, there are no cutting of the stomach and intestines and no stomach-stapling. To learn more about this new procedure, he consulted Dr. Edward Oliveros, a bariatric surgeon of the Bib & Lap-Band Center at LP06 (21/F) Medical Plaza Makati. Dustin relates, “Dr. Oliveros introduced me to the Lap-Band surgery and gave me a short lecture about how it could help me shed off the pounds. He advised me to undergo this procedure as a preventive measure, because I might suffer obesity-related complications in the long run. And that’s what finally convinced me. More than anything else, I was concerned about my health.”
Dr. Oliveros, one of Southeast Asia’s key opinion leaders (KOL) of allergan health, specializes in Lap-Band weight loss surgery. He was trained at the famous Mayo Clinic in the United States for bariatric surgery and at the Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York for laparoscopic bariatric surgery.
In 2005, the first time Dustin consulted Dr. Oliveros, he was morbidly obese or type 3 obese. Obesity is the excessive accumulation of body fat, which results from caloric intake that exceeds energy usage. It is measured by calculating a person’s body mass index or BMI, where weight in kilograms is divided by the height in meters squared. People with a BMI of 25 to 29 are considered overweight; those with a BMI of 30 to 34 are type 1 obese, while those with a BMI of 35 to 39 are type 2 obese. On the other hand, those with BMI 40 and above are type 3 obese.
Dustin, who was BMI 58 prior to the procedure, thought that he did not have any serious complications because he was still young. “He didn’t suffer much from obesity-related complications or comorbidities, although he had dyslipedemia, an abnormal liver function caused by his obesity,” shares Dr. Oliveros.
Today, Dustin no longer worries about these complications. “The Lap-Band System changed my life. I cannot believe that I would actually achieve this weight. I feel great! My waistline is down to 29 inches,” Dustin shares.
He adds, “Also, now, I live more fully. I continue to be active in school while finishing my degree. At the same time, I am doing some business selling premium-grade Angus and Wagyu steaks. The business is doing great, and I even set up a multiply account, www.wdeli.multiply.com, so that we can also cater to online shoppers. The steaks are really good and I love eating them. I still eat lots of meat and veggies but try to go low on carbs.”
Two years after his Lap-Band surgery, Dustin now weighs only 71 kilos or 156 pounds with a BMI of 27. From obese type 3, he’s now only close to his ideal weight.
Lap-Band is the original US Food and Drug Administration-approved adjustable gastric banding system that is placed laparoscopically (minimally-invasive surgery performed by creating small incisions) around the upper part of the stomach. Its high-grade medical silicone elastomer band, which is hypoallergenic and biocompatible, when filled with saline solution, creates a small pouch and a calibrated opening to the rest of the stomach, permitting only small amounts of food to pass, thus making the stomach hold less food and inducing the patient to feel early fullness or early satiety.
Prof. Dr. Paul O’Brien in his recent clinical study reports that Lap-Band patients can effectively lose as much as 87 percent of their excess weight in two years.
The Lap-Band System is one of the revolutionary obesity treatments being offered at the Bib & Lap-Band Center at the Medical Plaza Makati.
To know more about the Bib & Lap-Band Center/Total Obesity Solutions, call 886-4673 or text 0917-LAPBAND (5272263). For those who wish to schedule a private and discreet free patient info session, visit Suite LPO6 (21st floor), Medical Plaza Makati, Amorsolo corner De La Rosa Sts., Legaspi Village, Makati City. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mondays to Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Regional patient info seminars are also conducted upon special request. For more information, visit www.bibasia.info, www.lapbandasia.com, and www.totalobesitysolutions.com.
