ABSTRACT
The consequences of morbid obesity increase the risk for serious medical illness, impact health and quality of life, and reduce survival. A clinical imperative for effective, meaningful, and sustainable weight loss exists to prevent these diseases from manifesting and reversing those that have already occurred. The key to successful weight loss is a permanent alteration in eating behavior and caloric intake (i.e., food choices and portion sizes) combined with an increase in daily caloric expenditure. But, accomplishing these fundamental changes through lifestyle and pharmaceutical therapy has been a difcult process for patients and providers alike. Surgical approaches to weight loss must be considered when more conservative measures fail.
