If you’re very overweight and can’t lose pounds with a healthy diet and exercise, surgery might be an option for you. The surgery is usually for men who are at least 100 pounds overweight and women who are at least 80 pounds overweight. If you are somewhat less overweight, surgery still might be an option if you also have diabetes, heart disease or sleeping disorder.

Although the results of weight loss surgery can be drastic, there are potential risks and complications. In one pivotal study, Australian researchers compared conventional diabetes care with gastric banding. After two years, patients in the surgical group were five times more likely to experience a remission of their type 2 diabetes than those receiving the usual treatments. In one study, a U.S. team compared two groups of obese patients – one that had weight loss surgery and one that did not and followed them for an average of seven years. Deaths from diabetes were 32 percent higher among patients who had the surgery.

Opting for weight-loss surgery is not an easy choice. To decide whether it’s right for you, consider the facts of the procedure and the post-operative road you’ll need to travel. Before making your decision, you should be well informed. You may choose to research weight loss surgery on your own via the Internet or asking some expert doctor. Ask your doctor for names of other patients who have had similar weight loss surgeries and who are willing to discuss their experiences, good and bad, with you.

Weight loss surgery limits the amount of food you can take in. Some operations also restrict the amount of food you can digest. Many people who have the surgery lose weight quickly. If you follow diet and exercise recommendations, you can keep most of the weight off. The surgery has risks and complications, however, including infections, hernias and blood clots.

Hence, weight loss surgery is not necessarily the answer for weight loss. Many times you can lose weight by following a healthy diet regime, regular exercise or consuming best diet pills. Remember, your health is more important that your body shape; so don’t go for weight loss surgery, until it remains your last option to reduce weight.