Discussions about a woman’s health is often too focused on being skinny or being slim. Fortunately, this attention to weight is no longer about vanity, being like Hollywood goddess, or looking like a ramp supermodel. For a good reason, women are now talking about the health implications of being obese or overweight. Normally, women are told to engage in regular physical exercise and control food consumption.

However, many women still struggle with setting aside time for exercise. The demands at work and at home also drive many women to go for every single comfort food they can get their hands on. Being confined to their small cubicles from 9 to 5 every single day makes a gym workout just another demand on their hectic schedules. As simple it may seem, for some women, working out and going on a diet are impossible tasks. Many desperately say that they just don’t have the time and just resign themselves to the thought that obesity or becoming overweight is inevitable.

But losing the battle of the bulge need not be every woman’s fate. There are now alternatives and innovations in science and medicine that would allow women to lose weight even if they cannot give up their careers or fix their schedules.

Comes in and this is not your average weigh loss diet pill. We are talking about going under the knife…

Liposuction

“Lipo” is for those who have the money to undergo to this extreme measure to loose weight. Usually celebrities take this easy route. According to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, liposuction has been the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure in America since 2003. The procedure involves the identification of parts of the body that are predisposed to easy formation of fatty acids like the abdomen, the arms, and the hips. Liposuction is essentially a surgical technique that involves the insertion of a probing device into the patient’s body. The probe is used to liquify the fat before the doctor suctions it out. An outpatient procedure takes an hour and a half to perform. After a procedure, the patient must wear a binding wrap for a number of weeks. A significant amount of medication is required to manage the pain that comes after the operation. However, “Lipo” procedure is only limited to the removal of 10 pounds of fat per operation and, as such, is considered more as a cosmetic procedure rather than a real weight loss program.

Hormone Therapy

Another weight-loss approach involves taking anti-aging medicine. As the body ages, hormone levels go down, the pituitary glands stop producing growth hormones, and one’s metabolism slows down too. All this makes weight gain easier and losing weight a greater challenge. The goal of this method is to bring the body’s function back to when a woman was still in her 20s—the age when the body is at its peak.

The procedure starts with a series of four tests that include growth hormone faction which tests the state of the pituitary gland; DHEA which checks the testosterone level; the T3T4 that tests the thyroid gland; and a daily morning temperature that is intended for checking the metabolism rate of the individual. Based on the results of these test, a mix of tablets, injections, and creams may be prescribed by the doctor. This procedure is best for people whose hormones are not in tip-top shape. The risk of this therapy are overdose and hyperthyroidism.

Bariatric Surgery

This is recommended for those who suffer from what is called morbid obesity—being overweight by 100 pounds or more. The procedure involves stomach stapling, which is about reducing the size of the stomach so that a patient feels full after a small amount food. The expected result is a decrease in calorie intake and the long-term reduction in weight. The surgeon creates a pouch by stapling across the top of the stomach. Then a section of the small intestine about two to five feet in length is attached to it so that food can bypass the duodenum, the first portion of the intestine. It reduces calorie and fat absorption. This procedure can now be done laparoscopically—with narrow tubes through which a small camera allows for accurate incisions and stitchings. This is best for severely obese people or who are overweight by 100 pounds or more. Aside from the same risk the comes with all major surgeries, death is an added risk in any operation for patients who are seriously overweight. Then, there is also the risk of gastric perforation (tear in the stomach wall) during or after the procedure that might lead to another surgery.

Lipo-Dissolve

Also known as Mesotheraphy, lipo-dissolve is a new treatment specifically designed to eliminate localized pockets of fat in the body such as love handles, underarm flabs, knee flabs, double chin, and eye bags. The procedure entails the injection of Lecithin into the flabby body part in question. Lecithin is naturally made by the body to break down dietary fats, helps maintain lipid balance. The chemical reaction causes the fat to dissolve and be expelled by the body through the lymph glands. Each session last about 30 to 60 minutes and treatments are given once weekly. This is best for people who have lean bodies. The risk of this method is only limited to minor bruising.

Women should always consider their weight loss goals and the pros and cons of undergoing these medical procedures. Getting to one’s desired weight and figure need not always be about sweating it out and depriving one’s self of food. Sometimes, these shortcuts to weight loss might be the faster, easier alternative to lose excess pounds.