Question:
Can the weight (fat) be physically removed from the body?

I am fearful of invasive surgeries that involve vital organs. Do they offer surgery to remove fat and skin from the stomach and thighs like lyposuction?    — Dana Y. (posted on June 10, 1999)

June 10, 1999
It is my understanding that lipo can only remove about 2# of fatty tissue at a time. It is TERRIBLY brutal and involves a lot of bleeding. That isn't to say that it is not a good thing! It is ideal if you have a fat glob here or there. But to just vacuum out 100+ lbs, it would take forever. I hear that it is quite painful, too. While cells that are "lipo'd" out can't come back, you can grow new ones. Removing the fat around knees or tummy isn't the same as taking it out from among and around the organs it's damaging, too. I've seen lipo do wonders for saddle bags or other "fat spots", though. They can make one completely vanish! Obesity surgery, as in stapling and bypassing, gets closer to the cause of our obesity. So, since the disease is incurable, we can either "wear" the symptoms visibly, or we can treat the disease. Although we can't CURE our disease, we can treat it by causing ourselves to absorb fewer calories. Since we're not going to BURN the calories we take in, the fewer we absorb, the less weight we'll retain. So, if you want your obesity to go into remission, "rearranging the plumbing" is the only permanent way as of 1999.
   — vitalady

June 11, 1999
Yea, but liposuction can not be used to loose weight, only to correct areas of the body that don't keep up with weight loss or are problematic for those who are not over weight. It is expensive, and just about as dangerous as "messing with the organs" and does nothing to correct the problem that caused the obesity in the first place.
   — PollyAnna F.