Millions of patients initially look to diets, physical exercise and medicines to fight their obesity. Unfortunately, studies show that these people will not achieve long term loss just by following diet programs and behavior change programs. People with morbid obesity face an even greater challenge when they try to sustain their weight loss and solve their medical conditions. Surgery can still be the best alternative for these patients to lose weight and sustain that loss.

The most common approach to lose weight is to eat less, to eat intelligently and to do more exercise. Nevertheless, many people who lose weight by using these tactics recover it very soon after having quit the diet, which takes them to more diet, replacing meals with special beverages or taking dietetic pills. It is estimated that less than 5 percent of individuals who participate in nonsurgical weight loss programs will lose a significant amount of weight and maintain that loss for a long period of time. According to the National Institutes of Health, most people in these programs regain their weight within one year. Sustained weight loss for patients who are morbidly obese is even harder to achieve.

Serious health risks have been identified for people who move from diet to diet, subjecting their bodies to a severe and continuing cycle of weight loss and gain known as “yo-yo dieting.”.