All of them suffered from diabetes, heart disease or some other chronic illness that ultimately led to death by age 65.

And at 261 pounds, Pecce knows she is on her way toward repeating family health history. That prospect was chilling enough to send the 42-year-old Henderson, Nev., woman to a Sandy operating table to get a silicon band wrapped around the upper part of her stomach.

The band will limit how much food she can eat at a time, make her feel fuller faster and, if national statistics hold, help her lose 65 percent of her excess weight. She believes the $13,000 surgery is her last hope at permanent weight loss and a better life.

"I see the quality of my life going downhill already," she said moments before the 45-minute procedure last month. "My back hurts; my legs swell; I'm not as active. Besides that, I have all kinds of health issues in my family, everything you can get by being overweight. I just want to live longer."

She's among the growing number of obese Americans turning to surgery as the solution for significant weight loss.

Last year, 170,000 Americans had a weight-loss operation, according to the American Society for Bariatric Surgery - more than double the number performed in 2000.

The trend is likely to continue now that Medicare has added adjustable gastric banding to its coverage. Until February, Medicare covered only gastric bypass surgery, a more elaborate - and permanent - procedure.

Taking drastic measures: According to the National Institutes of Health, one in three Americans is overweight, and more than one in four are obese. In Utah, 58 percent of adults are overweight or obese, according to a 2004 behavioral risk factor survey by the state health department.

Surgery isn't the answer for all of them. Eligible patients are those with 100 extra pounds, a body mass index (BMI) greater than 40 or a BMI greater than 35, along with obesity-related health problems such as Type 2 diabetes or hypertension. BMI is a ratio of weight to height in which 24.9 and under is considered normal, 25 to 29 overweight and 30-plus obese.

Though surgery is no doubt a drastic measure for weight loss, research shows it is the only strategy, when combined with lifestyle changes, that produces long-term weight loss for morbidly obese people.

A 2004 review of studies on bariatric surgery found that on average, patients lost 61.2 percent of their excess weight. Diabetes was resolved in three out of four patients and improved in 86 percent of them. Likewise, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea were resolved in most patients. The review was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Studies show it produces slightly slower than, but ultimately comparable weight loss to bypass surgery. As a result, the procedure is gaining in popularity because it is less invasive, more adjustable and reversible.

The surgery is for people who have not been able to lose weight and keep it off on their own by conventional means, said Layton Alldredge, Pecce's surgeon at South Valley Surgical Associates.

"These people are not lazy," he said. "They're not unmotivated. They're far more compliant than many of us. Most have lost hundreds of pounds but gained it back. Ninety to 95 percent of [gastric banding patients] have been on every diet. They can't stand one more grapefruit, one more Slim-Fast. You can't go off-diet with the band."

"If I could physically overeat . . ." Mayre Ann Frantz tried it all - Weight Watchers, NutriSystem, South Beach - even the prescription pills dubbed phen-fen. She had the same results with all of them: temporary weight loss. She underwent gastric banding surgery last month.

"Basically, I was to the point where I felt like I didn't have any other options," the Salt Lake County resident said.

Tasha Beach reached that same point three years ago, when she hit her peak weight of 274 pounds.

"I knew I was a bomb ready to go off," said Beach, now 35. "I had kids who wanted to play, and I was like, there's no way. I knew I needed to take care of it before it got out of control."

She lost 75 pounds within a year of gastric banding surgery, 90 pounds by 18 months. She has maintained that 90-pound loss for more than a year and now enjoys size 14 clothes instead of size 26.

She has no doubt the band is the governor that keeps her appetite and food intake in check.

"It scares me to death because I know that if I could physically overeat, I would," she said.

The band limits how much food a person can comfortably eat, usually about a cup per meal. Eat too much, and they'll vomit.

Like all surgeries, gastric banding carries some risk.

One study found that 1 percent of patients suffered a tear in the stomach wall during or after surgery. Potential post-surgery side effects include nausea, gastroesophageal reflux, and constipation and band slippage.

While risks may be higher for senior patients, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that surgeons with more experience produced similar success rates, regardless of patients' age.

Gastric banding patients have to make the most of the calories they take in to ensure they get the nutrients they need. No liquid calories such as soda or Jamba Juice. The band can't restrict those.

Food-intake rules are especially strict after the surgery. Patients drink a clear-liquid diet for the first five days, then follow up with five weeks of pureed foods.

Then they revisit their surgeon to make sure the incisions and internal stitches have healed. At that point, the band may be inflated with a saline solution, which essentially tightens the band and further limits food intake, if needed.

"At first, you feel like you're going to lose your best friend, food, but then you start losing weight, and you feel fabulous," Beach said. "I was still able to enjoy the things I liked, just on a smaller scale. Before, I was eating the whole bag of chocolate chips. Now, I eat a few and feel satisfied."

"I can't wait." Despite the success, just a couple of insurance companies cover weight-loss surgery. Pecce paid for hers with the support of her husband, 16-year-old son and 20-year-old daughter.

"My whole family is willing to give up a little of this and a little of that to improve my health," she said.

She figures it's worth the cost.

"I figure it's like paying for a new car over four years or my life for an extra 20 years," she said. "A year from now, I want to feel better. There are so many things I want to do."

Like go on vacation and have the energy to enjoy it. Like board an airplane without worrying about fitting in the seat. She says she'll be patient and do her best to give up Diet Pepsi.

"I can't wait to see what one month, two months, three months brings."

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Contact Ronnie Lynn at rlynn@sltrib.com or 801-257-8722. Send comments to livingeditor@sltrib .com.

By the numbers:

Findings from a 2004 Journal of the American Medical Association review of some 100 studies on weight loss surgery:

;73 Percentage of surgical patients who were women

;39 Patients' average age. Ages ranged from 16 to 64.

;46.9 Average Body Mass Index

Surgeons at South Valley Surgical Center report similar figures for patients who undergo the gastric banding procedure:

;81 Percentage of patients who are women

;44 Average BMI. Patients' BMIs range from 35 to 70

;560 The weight of the heaviest person to get Lap-Band surgery.

;300 Amount of weight the heaviest person lost over two years.

;40-45 Percentage of excess weight lost within a year of surgery.

;60 Percentage of excess weight lost within two years.

;64 Percentage of excess weight lost within three years.

;BMI =

Weight in pounds divided by height in inches squared x 703