BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Katie Polston decided to undergo weight loss surgery when her health started to fail. "I would take a few steps and be out of breath," said Polston. "It was at that point I said, 'I've got to do something. I'm dying.'"

After years of losing weight only to gain it again, Polston knew she needed help. Her goal is to weigh 130 pounds -- right now she weighs 236 pounds. So she decided to undergo a weight reduction procedure called Lap Band surgery. Unlike stomach bypass surgery, the Lap Band procedure is less invasive and provides an easier recovery.

"What that (the surgery) does is create a small pouch where the band is," said surgeon Nirav Naik, "and makes it so that not as much food can pass through." Naik said that the procedure, in effect, makes a person feel full faster.

The procedure is performed laparoscopically through small incisions in the abdomen. The band is placed around the upper part of the stomach and adjusted to form a pouch. Over a period of time, the band is adjusted to allow more food to pass through depending on a patient's progress.

But Polston said she knows the surgery is not a magic bullet. Prior to surgery she said she had to learn portion control and how to keep a journal, and she had to prove she has the determination to keep the weight off.

"It's not a Sleeping Beauty story where you fall asleep and everything's better when you wake up," said Polston. She compared it more to the story of Cinderella who had to work for her reward. In Polston's case, she said she is more than willing to do the work it takes to keep the weight off.

For more information on Lap Band surgery, visiti www.lapband.com.