PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Governor Chris Christie underwent LAP-BAND surgery in February. It's a less invasive stomach surgery to help obese people lose weight. Health Reporter Stephanie Stahl is On ...

She thought about surgery, some family members had done it with great success. She even talked to a doctor about the lap-band, but realized that surgery wasn't for her.

When it comes to weight loss surgery, the lap band procedure is one of the most popular, but doctors say in many cases the weight either never comes off or soon returns.

Dr Pena looked at 21 severely obese South Australians, aged 14 to 18, weighing anywhere from 98 to 185 kilograms who — after trying dieting and lifestyle changes — underwent lap band surgery.

The most obvious problem here is that kids sometimes outgrow their weight problems; allowing a 14-year-old to get Lap-Band surgery discourages them from sticking with diet and exercise. But there ...

During a Lap-Band operation, a band is secured around the stomach, restricting its size. Patients, as a result, feel fuller on less food. Alex Brecher, shown pre-surgery, had weighed 255 pounds.

• With lap-band surgery, weight loss is slower and less dramatic than with gastric bypass. • Other well-known lap-band patients include New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan and actor Brian Dennehy.

Teleo said, "Most people are successful in losing weight after the Lap-Band surgery." Jennings agreed, "The Lap-Band is not a magic pill. You still have to work to lose weight.

In San Diego, a hotbed of lap-band surgery in outpatient centers, ASCs operated by Surgery One still have to rely on cash-paying patients. Payors only cover lap-band patients in the hospital, says ...

• With lap-band surgery, weight loss is slower and less dramatic than with gastric bypass. • Other well-known lap-band patients include New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan and actor Brian Dennehy.