My son often comes home with stories about kids teasing him or kids picking on another child during the school day. It was true when I was in school and it's still true today ... kids can be cruel. So I can only imagine how difficult life might be for a child or teenager who's morbidly obese. In addition to obvious health complications it creates, their self-esteem and social life are at risk as well.

Lifestyle habits are difficult to change. If losing weight was easy, then who would be overweight? It takes enormous commitment and a willingness to shake things up and substitute bad habits with healthier behaviors. The Wellspring Academy in a remote area of North Carolina seeks to help students (age 11 or older) lose weight and learn to live healthfully.

Students must be at least 30 pounds overweight to be accepted to the school which has a maximum enrollment of 50 students. One month's tuition costs $6,250; the required minimum length of stay is four months making the minimum investment $25,000. Participants undergo extensive behavior therapy and rapid weight loss. According to Wellspring's president, the average weight loss for students who stay for eight months is 81 pounds. He also states that the first class of 15 students maintained their weight loss for 10 months.

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Here at That's Fit we spend a lot of time writing about eating right and exercising. That's because we believe it's the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle. And, if you want to lose weight, it's the least invasive and generally the most effective way to go about it. But for some people who are morbidly obese, weight loss surgery is another option. But it's an option that comes with major risks such as blood clots, post-operative leaks at the staple site, hernias, dumping syndrome, and other complications. And weight loss surgery isn't a get-out-of-jail-free card, either. It's not the quick and easy way to weight loss. Sure, the weight likely will fall off rapidly. But people who have this surgery also make permanent changes to their lifestyle -- most notably their eating habits.

WebMD has a quiz to help you determine if you want to consider weight loss surgery. Of course, with all the risks involved, this isn't a decision to enter into lightly. If you're considering weight loss surgery, make an appointment with your general physician. You can have a general physical to determine your fitness for surgery and discuss the pros and cons with a professional. Then, make an appointment with a surgeon who performs the method of weight loss surgery you're considering and, again, talk over the pros and cons. In the end, the decision is up to you so make sure you're well informed.

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