The Wallens of Clinton Township, Mich., are part of a new group of Americans who have undergone bariatric weight-loss operations.

The 2008 figures by ASMBS claim that 220,000 people underwent the procedures.

Bariatric surgery decreases the size of the stomach through gastric banding with an implanted medical device or by removing a portion of the stomach, which is termed as gastric bypass surgery.

The whole process costs, on average, $17,000 to $26,000, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Many are able to stop taking medication and can reduce blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol and sleep apnea medicines, Birkmeyer says.

“You find out what you really like and you eat what you really, really want to”, says Brenda Wallen, 53, who underwent Lap-Band surgery in April 2006, six months after her sister did.

Dr. John Birkmeyer, the bariatric surgeon at University of Michigan who runs the registry with his wife, Nancy, U-M associate professor of surgery, reveals that major weight reduction after the surgery continues, with many of them showing maintainable weights even after 12 to 18 months of operation.

However, deaths risk is rarely linked with all bariatric surgery. They dropped from 0.3 percent in 2007 to less than 0.1 percent for 2009.