Most people know when it comes to losing weight, there is no easy fix.
Surgery for those who are morbidly obese is one option, but long NHS waiting lists and a strict criteria mean this treatment is hard to access.
One consequence of this is a growing number of patients who are deciding to pay for operations, here or abroad.
Doctors fear without extensive research and the right post operative care, people are putting themselves at risk.
In first of two reports STV News has spoken to one woman who says she has no regrets about her decision to have surgery in Latvia.
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