Comparing Weight Loss Plans, Dollars Per Pound

Oct. 28, 2010— -- Losing weight and keeping it off can tax the willpower and determination of any dieter, but the strain it can put on a dieter's wallet is a big consideration for some.

Certain medical procedures, in particular, carry a heavy price tag -- so while results are likely, and often dramatic, such approaches can lighten wallets as well.

Meanwhile, a number of new diets and regimens that involve pre-packaged food have increased in popularity. Many swear by these approaches, as their calorie-limiting benefits can translate into better bodies and better health. Still, these changes are not free -- and some wonder how they stack up to a good, old-fashioned jog in the park.

ABCNews.com looked at a number of different weight loss methods, some diet-based, others surgical, and calculated an approximate "price per pound" of losing that excess fat.

Weight loss results and pricing for diet plans and surgeries vary greatly from person to person, but the esimates on the following estimates use averages provided by doctors, clinical trials and data analyses to form a ballpark figure.

These surgeries are only recommended for those with a BMI of 40 and above or those with a BMI of 35 and above who have health complications due to excess weight. The surgeries can run anywhere from $15,000 to $35,000 if paid out of pocket, though under many insurance policies, those that qualify for surgery will have full or partial coverage of the procedure.

The most common weight loss procedure is gastric banding. According to the website for Lap-Band, the top selling adjustable gastric band system, the procedure costs $15,000 to $20,000, and the average patients loses one and a half to two pounds per week post-op. Patients generally lose about 50 percent of his or her excess weight, says Dr. John Morton, director of Bariatric Surgery at Stanford University.

Duodenal switch is a less common but more effective procedure, according to Dr. Mitch Roslin, a bariatric surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital. The procedure involves cutting away a portion of the stomach and small intestines while preserving the duodenal valve that is the gateway between the stomach and the intestines. Roslin says that with a duodenal switch, patients lose 85 percent of excess weight by three years out.

For a 250 pound patient whose ideal weight is 150, a 50 percent excess weight loss with the band would be 50 pounds, which works out to $300 to $400 per pound. A duodenal switch is generally $20,000 to $30,000 so for a 85 percent excess weight loss in the same 250 pound patient, that would work out to $235 to $353 per pound.

Considering post-operative costs of medical care, cost of food, and varied insurance coverage, however, it's nearly impossible to assign a cost per pound for weight loss surgeries.

The downsides of liposuction, as compared to losing weight naturally, are many. While the fat removal takes place in one sitting, the full results of the procedure take months to see.

"Most patients will see 90 percent of their ultimate liposuction results with in one to three months after surgery. For the first few weeks after surgery there is postoperative swelling. When the surgeon closes the incisions with stitches, swelling usually resolves within 8 to 12 weeks," according to Liposuction.com, a consumer information website.

Patients can also be left with an irregular skin surface or dimpling following the procedure and as with any surgery, there are medical risks such as blood clot and in rare cases, death, associated with going under the knife.

Non-prescription Weigh Loss Aids -- Adding Oomph to A Diet

Bottom-Line Estimate: $173 per pound when paired with low-fat diet.

When paired with a calorie-restricted diet and exercise, some diet pills can boost weight loss. Unfortuantely, most of the diet pills on the market have not been evaluated and approved by the Food and Drug Administration. In fact, the only FDA-approved over-the-counter diet drug at this time is GlaxoSmithKline's Alli, a lower-dose version of the prescription weight loss drug Xenical.

Orlistat, the chemical name for the active ingredient in both Xenical and Alli, works by attaching itself to enzymes in the digestive tract to stop about 25 percent of the fat intake from each meal. That fat later passes through the body undigested, which can lead to gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea.

At its prescription strength, clinical trials show that Orlistat helped those on a fat-restricted diet lost 13.4 pounds over the course of a year compared with 5.8 pounds in those who only dieted. That makes for twice the weight loss, but only a real increase in loss of about eight pounds. Non-prescription strength Alli provides half the dose of Xenical, but comparable results with those using the product experiencing a similar doubling in weight loss compared to those on placebo.

Alli costs about $1.20 per pill, or $1,314 a year if taken with every main meal. Given given Orlistat's 7.6 pound average increase in weight loss in a year, that works out to $172.90 a pound.

Alli's side effects should be taken into consideration: users can experience "gas with oily spotting", "loose stools", "difficulty controlling bowel movements" according to the product website. A recent FDA safety review has also found that Orlistat can lead to severe liver damage in rare cases. The company advises that those who experience yellow eyes or skin, dark urine or loss of appetite should stop taking Alli because of possible liver damage.

Alli and Xenical also absorb some necessary fat soluble vitamins from each meal, which can result in nutritional deficiency.

That's not to say that "simply" eating less is a simple feat, but if you can manage it, you could actually save money by dieting. Haub's Twinkie-heavy dietis not recommended, but as long as you cut back on what you normally eat by about 25 percent, you can expect to lose about a pound a week, says Ayoob.

"A pound of fat is 3,500 calories so to lose a pound of week, you'd need to trim off 500 calories a day from what you eat. Based on the standard 2,000 calorie intake per day, that would amount to a 25 percent decrease in caloric intake overall," Ayoob says.

While you may choose to eat healthier food, which could make your grocery bill a little higher, if you're cooking at home as opposed to eating out and overall buying less food, this would be the cheapest diet yet, he adds. In fact, that diet could actually pay you to be on it.

For a rough estimate: The Consumer Expidenture Survey estimates that the average U.S. consumer spends about $50 a week on food. So if you cut your caloric intake by 25 percent, you could be spending about 25 percent less on food in general (if you're buying less of the same stuff), so you could save $12.50 a week, or $650 a year! If you stick to the plan and lose a pound a week, this works out to being paid $12.50 per pound you lose.