Weight loss surgery involves removing part of the stomach, which can lead to hormonal changes

Countless diets and meal plans exist to help you lose weight, but for some surgery seems like the only option. 

That was the case for Jackie Paige. She was part of the FOX 2 News Morning family for many years. And for many of those years, she struggled with her weight. 

Her life completely changed when she finally decided on weight loss surgery.  

"It was the best decision I ever made for myself," she tells us. "I needed to reset the mechanism. You have a 6-week time period where you are very, very limited in what and how much you can eat, and I really needed that. It retrained my taste buds, it retrained my brain."

In March 2017 she had what's now considered one of the most common weight loss surgery, called the gastric sleeve. 

About 70 percent of the stomach is removed, taking the stomach from round to more of a narrow sleeve. 

Beaumont bariatric surgeon Kevin Krause explains this surgery leads to dramatic hormonal changes. 

"What we've learned over time is that surgery has a bunch of hormonal changes. They change appetite, they change blood-sugar metabolism and so all these things really impact weight loss, not just the food consumption," he says.

Are there risks? Yes, it is surgery. But it's also proven to be the best route for longterm weight loss and beyond.

"A little over 85 percent of people are going to be successful in both achieving initial weight loss and maintaining it over time. It has tremendous health benefits in terms of medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, back, and arthritic problems," Krause says. 

Now, you hear Jackie's voice. She's a news anchor on WWJ News Radio. When you see her, she's 125 pounds lighter. She's a new person. 

She ran her first half marathon and is still committed to working out and eating right every single day. 

"It's really about what you think you can and you can't do. So many of us are limited when we are overweight; we think that we are limited by that. We think the weight makes it so we can't live our lives. But running a marathon, having the surgery, doing things like that you realize it's mind over matter and you can do whatever you want to do. You really can," Jackie says. 

Interestingly, most people who qualify for weight loss surgery choose not to do it. Keep in mind if you're 80 lbs. or more pounds overweight, you might be a candidate. 

You can do research on the pros and cons at www.beaumont.org/weight.