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Hello, I’m Dr John Copp.

Thank you for visiting my website. I hope that once you’ve read what
this
website has to offer you will have been educated and have a better understanding
of what problems obesity causes to your health and how they can be overcome by
the use of a laparoscopic gastric band or one
of the other methods of surgical
weight reduction. As of August 2007 I have personally done nearly 600
laparoscopic bands and this number
is currently increasing to approximately 200
a year. My team and I feel very encouraged by the results and we are backed by
worldwide research showing the benefits of these procedures to weight reduction,
particularly in the long term and benefits then to patient health. The beauty of
a lap band is that it is placed laparoscopically so there is minimal trauma to
the body thus leading to rapid recovery following surgery. It is a completely
adjustable system that does not interfere with the length of the
gastrointestinal tract so that anything that is eaten is absorbed and vitamin
and protein malnourishment is exceedingly rare.
All patients who come for an interview with regards to banding are told proven
scientific facts about the band from years of research done in many centres
worldwide as well as information from our experience with the numbers we have
done. I always inform patients that having a lap band inserted is only half the
battle with their weight. They must adopt lifestyle changes which include
choices of good low calorie, low carbohydrate foods and some degree of exercise
after their surgery. Eating a high calorie liquid diet with a lap band could
lead to no weight loss at all. Patients are followed very carefully through our
clinic long term to ensure that their diet is broad and wholesome with adequate
protein and vitamin content. I remind patients that a lap band is literally just
a plastic band, it is not a super computer, it is not a brain though its effect
is to send signals to our brain and the satiety centre in the brainstem making a
small meal satisfying.
There are a few rules that need to be adopted. One is to avoid loafy bread and
as I tell my patients most foods that are made on self raising flour will tend
to swell and block the stoma of the band so loafy bread, muffins, cakes, scones,
donuts (all the bad food if you want to lose weight anyway) will be problematic.
If you are serious about major weight loss these things can be avoided and
certainly there are substitutes. The flat breads such as Nan bread, wraps,
cruskits, sao crackers, salada's, etc all tend to go down well. Food needs to be
chewed well and a few tricks to the process of eating are discussed at each
meeting with either myself or the Dieticians. Sticking to these simple rules or
processes should lead on average to a 50-60% of excess weight loss with dramatic
improvement in co-morbidities that are associated with obesity such as sleep
apnoea, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and most of our patients note dramatic
changes in their general mobility and feeling of wellness.
A number of patients have stated to me that they have felt that friends have
commented or even family members have commented that in having surgery for
weight loss they seem to be taking the easy way out. This usually gets me fired
up and I love the opportunity to be able to debate this one. There is certainly
nothing easy about having surgery and making the decision to finally go from
trying diets, drugs and exercise over many years that has never worked for you
as an individual or have ever shown to work very well as a population basis. The
average weight loss with most of these other options is approximately 10kg.
Our clients obviously need to lose an awful lot more than this to get into a
healthy weight range. The word to use is “effective”. The surgery is incredibly
effective in that it will consistently get weight losses, as I mentioned in the
50-60% range or more and this is on average. Most medical therapies will only
get up to about 10% of weight removed and most of these are not permanent. There
are now long term results up to 10 years showing permanent weight reduction with
a gastric lap band. On the other hand maybe it is easy, maybe these people are
correct and say that it is easy and taking the easy way out because how easy has
it really been for you throughout your life battling the problems of obesity,
constantly failing at them and the regain of any weight loss that you have
managed and usually adding on more at the end of it.
How easy has the struggle been with medical problems associated with obesity,
social situations and community bias? Having the surgery may feel easier for you
and you should feel confident that it should work in most situations given good
support from our team. I never say that surgery is easy but certainly once you
have done enough you make it look relatively easy so if taking this easy way out
is going to be effective, is going to work, is going to cure the problems then I
guess the answer to your “supporters” that claim it is the easy way out is ………..
I think you know what I am saying, just ignore it as you will see the surprise
in their eyes within about six months when they can’t believe the amount of
weight loss that you have had, are continuing to get and maintain and how
healthy you have become. They will become converts.
NOTE:
Dr Copp is now in Toowoomba every 6weeks to see patients in Mackay from the 14th
to 18th April to see patients.
Click here to find out more about my practice.
Click here to find out more about obesity.
Click here to find out more about Lap Band
Surgery.
Before

2003 at 120kgs |
After

July 2006 67kgs |
After
November 2006 57kgs |
More |