What about weigth loss surgery?
There are two types of surgery - bariatric surgery allows you to keep weight off and liposuction is to remove fat you currently have.
Bariatric surgery is offered to obese people with a BMI of >35 (230lb for a 58 person) with medical problems from obesity or a BMI>40 (260lb for a 58 person). The most commonly performed operation, the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass entails restricting the size of the stomach to the size of an egg followed by bypassing some of the intestines so that food isnt as well absorbed. It is being performed more frequently with minimally invasive techniques to decrease the recovery time and the risk of wound hernias. The average weight loss after the first year is around 120 lbs. Over 5 years most people regain just 5-10% of the weight lost. The health and psychologic benefits of this weight loss can be tremendous, with many people getting off many or all of their medications for diabetes , high blood pressure, and reflux.
Bariatric surgery does carry serious risks though, including malnutrition and rare cases of death after the operation. Overall though, it is felt that in obese people the benefits of the surgery in the long run outweigh the short term risks.
There are many modifications of the gastric bypass. These include the Lap Band, a restricting device that often does not offer as dramatic a weight loss but carries much lower surgical risks. Bilopancreatic diversion and the duodenal switch are procedures that cause malabsorbtion of food and are often used for even greater degrees of weight loss.
Some insurance companies do not cover the operation. Out of pocket costs for the operation vary but average about $15,000.
Liposuction is a very common procedure to remove excess fat from any part of the body. Liposuction can be fairly inexpensive, but is not a permanent solution to weight loss.
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