Perhaps you have tried to find some “easier� alternative to dieting.

No doubt, you have seen advertisements or have read articles on rapid weight loss methods, such as gastric and intestinal bypass surgery.

Here is a brief description of what each involves.

Bypass surgery. In these rapid weight loss procedures, the stomach or the small intestine is surgically modified or bypassed.

With the gastric bypass procedure, the stomach is greatly reduced in size, limiting the quantity of food which can be eaten at one time.

In the intestinal bypass operation, the small intestine is reduced in length; thus, food is poorly digested and fewer nutrients are absorbed, because most of the small intestine is bypassed.

Intestinal bypass may result in severe health complications and possibly even death. The body seems to adapt to gastric bypass more easily and with fewer side effects.

Because of the dangers involved in both, however, these rapid weight loss medical procedures are considered drastic measures.

Generally, they are not recommended unless your physician believes that your obesity is life threatening and other more conservative weight-loss plans have failed. [source: Food and Nutrition magazine]