Obesity is an extremely dangerous condition that poses a number of critical health risks. Most obese people have tried some kind of solution to drop the extra pounds, including physician-supervised diet and exercise programs and modified eating habits. When these regular avenues fail, a more drastic approach, such as weight loss surgery, is sometimes necessary, particularly when there's a secondary medical condition (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc.) involved. There are many types of surgical procedures to help severely overweight people get down to a more manageable size. This article examines a few of the more popular ones.

Gastric bypass is a procedure that many folks have heard of, though they might not be completely familiar with the details. In this weight loss surgery, doctors divide the stomach into two sections (commonly referred to as "pouches) of different sizes, one significantly smaller than the other. Both pouches remain connected to the small intestine, though the manner in which they're reconnected varies depending on the specific gastric bypass method used. Since the stomach is functionally smaller after this kind of weight loss surgery, the patient is physically unable to eat as much as before and begins shedding pounds very quickly.

Another option for those investigating weight loss surgery is something called laparoscopic gastric banding. Commonly referred to as a lap-band operation, this procedure involves putting an inflatable, saline-filled band around the stomach to essentially squeeze it into two parts connected by a narrow passage. To get a better image of what lap-band is all about, just imagine squeezing an inflated balloon at the middle until the air retreats to the ends. Your hand, which serves as the saline-filled band in this visual exercise, controls the width of the passage connecting both parts. The tighter your grip, the smaller the passage. Loosen up a bit, and the passage gets wider. This is what lap-band weight loss surgery does to the stomach, which greatly limits the amount of food you can eat.

Other types of weight loss surgery include vertical gastric banding, biliopancreatic diversion, and sleeve gastrectomy. This latter is a newer procedure that takes the drastic approach of removing approximately 75% of the stomach. This of course reduces the quantity of food that can be ingested, thereby allowing patients to lose excess pounds.

Weight loss surgery is a decision that should not be made lightly. You need to consult with a knowledgeable doctor who can go over all the different options with you and list the pros and cons of each. Almost all of these surgeries are very risky, and can lead to serious complications (including death), but can also help get your weight under control and allow you to start living a much healthier life. You need to weigh the risks versus rewards as they apply to your own situation, and with the help of your doctor's counsel and input from those closest to you, make an educated decision.