Listen to the marketing hype, and you'd think weight-loss surgery is as simple as "fat today... thin tomorrow."

But despite the promises made by the billboards, TV spots, and radio ads, these procedures aren't simple -- and they sure as heck aren't safe.

The glossy brochures might make it seem like you're going to hop off the operating table and bring your new, thin body straight to the salad bar. But in reality, these procedures are fraught with risks and complications up to and including death.

FDA cracks down on Lap-Band ads

Now -- finally! -- the feds are cracking down on these overly simplistic marketing campaigns, with the FDA sending out a series of warning letters to clinics that specialize in Lap-Band surgeries.

Talk about hypocritical. The FDA is the reason we're in this mess in the first place! Not only did the agency approve Lap-Band, but they're the ones who recently revised weight targets so that even people who aren't all that fat now qualify for the surgery.

Here's the reality you won't find in the marketing literature -- and it's true of all the weight loss surgeries, from Lap-Band to gastric bypass: Once you get that procedure, life as you know it is O-V-E-R.

Even if everything goes according to plan and you don't suffer any complications (yeah, right), you're going to have to learn to eat all over again. And if you botch it and revert to some of your old habits, even for a moment, you may find yourself puking your guts up in no time flat.

Forget these extreme changes -- and forget the chance of a punishing case of the pukes when you screw up on your diet. You can get your life back on track and your waistline under control if you can make just one basic change: Kill the carbs.

Sure, it takes some willpower. But it's still safer, easier, and cheaper than surgery.

Related articles of interest:

Facts About Fat: The True Path to Lasting Weight Loss

Meat – the original superfood

Diet soda linked to weight gain

How High Fructose Corn Syrup Makes Us Fat

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