Weight can be kept off no matter how it's lost

"Obese people who have lost substantial amounts of weight without surgery can do just as well at maintaining the healthier weight as their peers who lost weight via gastric surgery. That's the finding of the first study to compare the two strategies. However, people who go the non-surgical route may have to work harder to keep the weight off, Dr. Dale S. Bond of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and colleagues found. Bariatric surgery is agreed to be the most reliable way for very obese people, meaning those more than 100 pounds overweight or with a body mass index of 40 or greater, to lose weight long-term, Bond and colleagues write in the International Journal of Obesity. While recent research has shown intensive behavioral interventions can also help, their long-term effectiveness is unknown. Source: International Journal of Obesity, online December 2, 2008" - Reuters