Weighing the risks

Recently a friend(who shall remain anonymous since she doesn't talk about weight loss stuff on her blog) and I were discussing weight loss and being healthy and what risks were worth taking to get there. Is it worth the risks to take diet pills? I've known lots of people who have tried it. Even getting ones like phentermine that are prescribed from their doctors. Pills that have a very similar chemical make up to methamphetamine. Of course you'll lose weight, but what are the side effects? Head aches, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, sweating, not being able to sleep.

Is it worth finding a Los Angeles lap band doctor and having your stomach banded? It's a major surgery, which is always risky, but even more so on someone who is overweight.

Even though both of these things have risks, so does being overweight. Being overweight can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, and a million other problems, many of which can result in death. When you consider that, is it better to have surgery or take a pill with a lot risks and possible side effects, or is it better to be overweight?

No I'm not considering diet pills or weight loss surgery. Just one of those things I think about. What about the rest of you? Which is riskier?