Geil Cramm wasn't happy when she looked in the mirror. Over the years she'd packed on the pounds.

"At 250 pounds, I had been battling my weight for my whole adult life," said Cramm.

The excess weight pushed her blood pressure up, gave her trouble with her knees, and put her in a tailspin emotionally.

"I was feeling so discouraged like there was no help out there," Cramm said.

Then she found Doctor Thomas White and this little band.

Find out more about Doctor Thomas J. White, General Surgery.

"This is the laproscopic adjustable band. They are known as the lap band. It's a restrictive procedure, so your making a noose for a connection around the top part of the stomach that's going to make it more difficult for food to get in from the esophogus and the upper small portion of the pouch to the lower part of the stomach," Doctor White said.

By squeezing off the stomach, the band forces you to eat less;  three small meals a day. You feel full faster and the pounds start peeling off. So far, Geil has lost 24 pounds in 3 months.

"The fact that I didn't ever give up on the hope of getting the weight off led me to the solution," Cramm said.

Doctor White gets to see the before and after.

"It's amazing to see the change in people's attitudes. They're able to go out and find clothes they've never been able to fit into. People have gotten different jobs. People have gotten promotions for the first time in their lives and also they feel better," Doctor White said.

The surgery is not for everyone. You need to be at least 100 pounds over your ideal weight. Doctor White figures in Omaha alone, 20 to 30 thousand people would qualify.