The REALIZE^® Adjustable Gastric Band is a safe and effective way to achieve and maintain a healthier weight without cutting or stapling your stomach. The way the band works is by limiting the amount of food you can eat at one sitting, so you feel full sooner and stay satisfied longer. You’re less hungry and more satisfied, making it easier to stick with a healthier and lower calorie diet.

During this procedure, the REALIZE Band is placed around the stomach, dividing it into two parts: the lower stomach and a small upper pouch. This upper pouch can hold only about 4 ounces (1/2 cup) of food. As you eat, you fill up faster and take in less food. The idea is that over time you begin to lose weight, safely, at a rate of 1 to 2 pounds per week.

The REALIZE Band is fitted to you using laparoscopic surgery while you're under anesthesia. This minimally invasive procedure is performed using small incisions, and usually means a shorter hospital stay and faster recovery, with smaller scars and less pain than in traditional or “open” surgical procedures (which require large incisions). Following surgery, your surgeon will fill the band with saline. Periodic adjustments will ensure that you feel satisfied when you eat and that you keep losing weight gradually. And the REALIZE Band has proven results. In a 3-year clinical trial people lost an average of 40% of their excess weight in 1 year and 43% in 3 years after their surgery.⁸⁰

This kind of significant weight loss can lead to better health in a variety of areas. For example, adjustable gastric band patients in a US study suffering from type 2 diabetes experienced a major reduction in a key indicator of their disease. They also had a decrease in bad cholesterol (LDL), total cholesterol, and triglycerides.⁸⁰ The band helped resolve 47.9% of the clinical indications of type 2 diabetes, 58.9% of high cholesterol, and 95% of obstructive sleep apnea problems. People experienced a 22% increase in good cholesterol (HDL) 36 months after surgery. ²²

For in-depth information on the adjustable gastric band procedure, visit:

www.realize.com/dtcf/pages/adjustable-gastric-band-surgery-information.htm

The bariatric surgeon who performs your weight loss surgery will be a part of your support team for years to come, so it's important to feel at ease with him or her, along with the entire staff in the office. Most importantly, you need to get all the information you can and make sure any questions you have about the procedure itself are answered completely.

Here are some questions you can use to get the conversation started:

• Are you board certified?
• Do you perform the majority of your procedures through open surgery or using a laparoscopic technique?
• What types of bariatric surgery procedures do you perform?
• How many of each bariatric procedure have you performed?
• Are you associated with a Bariatric Center of Excellence?
• Do you have a team for post-op care and band adjustments?

• Which bariatric procedure is best for me? Why? What are the risks involved?
• If I decide to have bariatric surgery, what will you expect of me?
• How long will I be in surgery?
• How long will I be in the hospital?

Don't like the answers you get? Consider getting a second opinion. It's important that you feel comfortable with the treatment and the surgeon you've selected.

To locate a surgeon in your area who uses the REALIZE^® Band, try our Find a Physician tool.