Unlike gastric bypass which involves a procedure to make the stomach smaller. No surgery is needed with the endobarrier, but the results are not as dramatic.

Doctors say the endobarrier may be help obese people who dont want to undergo surgery or who dont qualify because of health issues or because they dont weigh enough.

Dani, re your quick fix comment, I have the gastric band and I can tell you I have engaged in at least 15 different diet programs at some point over my life. And not just for a day or two - for months or years at a time. I have also been a gym junkie, a compulsive exerciser and on three different diet drugs over 25 years. I have also lost and regained the same weight over and over again, each time gaining more weight than I lost (this is typical of diets: they actually cause weight gain over the long term). Many of the people I know who have the band have done similar. Face it: this issue is not as simple as you wish it was. Ian Michell, I think youll find that Jill Singer is in fact referring to Rick Kausman. Sloppy journalism. And TP, for the record, I dont own a TV.

Most surgeons recommend that women delay pregnancy until a year after bariatric surgery the period when the most rapid weight loss occurs.

Pressure than obese women who did not have surgery, They also found that these womens babies were less likely to be born prematurely, be born underweight or be born overweight than

But surgery is not the only weight-loss option the bariatric center offers. Also on staff are dietitians, a physical therapist and psychologists who can help patients address their obesity medically, rather than surgically. Overseeing this medical side of the center which should be fully operational in January, Dr. Nguyen said will be Dr. Maureen Boyle, who works in obstetrics and gynecology.

At the University of Minnesota, surgeons are getting ready to perform weight-loss surgery with another experimental device that slides down the mouth to the stomach.

But Dr. Sayeed Ikramuddin, a surgeon at the University of Minnesota, says its a natural next step in the evolution of surgery. Once, 20 years ago, the only way to remove a gallbladder was with a large incision. Then along came "keyhole" or laparoscopic surgery that required only a few tiny slits in the skin. So why not imagine a device that could operate through one small slit Or none "Its where were trying to go," he said, "which is really hands off. "

Alli weight loss aid is the latest diet craze. Its simply an over-the-counter version is the diet drug orlistat. Known as Xenical, orlistat was widely researched, and in double blind testing found to be effective for weight loss. Alli is a lower dose than the prescription drug, yet effective if used in combination with a low fat diet and exercise.