HOUSTON -- For more than 127 million overweight Americans, a quick fix to weight loss is like a Holy Grail. But some pay the ultimate price, News2Houston reported Monday.

"You know, there were days I would just stay at home because I didn't like myself so I didn't want to go out and have to be in public, around other people," Amy Mix said.

"If nobody sees me and I don't see myself, well then it is not there. So I hid from it. I hid from myself," Patsy Starr said.

Mix and Starr found the end of their quest in an operating room.

"I am healthier. I am obviously going to be around now. But ultimately, it comes down to the fact that (it was) something I had to do for me," Mix said.

They both underwent gastro bypass surgery -- a procedure that reduces the stomach size to 1 fluid ounce and shortens the small intestine.

Starr lost 265 pounds.

It's the same surgery that helped "Today" weatherman Al Roker drop more than 100 pounds.

"It was almost glamorized. You heard of people having the surgery and how wonderful it was and how much weight they lost and you never really heard about any of the (tragic) stories," Judy Stevens said.

Stevens' husband, Richard, died after the same type of surgery.

"He was my best friend. It still hurts. Even after a year, it still hurts," Stevens said. "We were told it was a very serious operation and there were risks in all major surgery. It never occurred to me this would be above and beyond normal risk."

Doctors said that one out of every 1,000 people who have the surgery die.

"There is a unique set of dangers, if you will, to a morbidly obese patient," said Dr. Philip Leggett, with Houston Northwest Medical Center.

The patients are at least 100 pounds overweight and most have serious medical problems, like high blood pressure and sleep apnea, to undergo the procedure.

"From the standpoint of just physical size and being able to pick up on potential problems postoperatively, they are much more difficult to evaluate," Leggett said.

Leggett said that the biggest dangers come after surgery.

"You can develop a small leak and a small leak is very difficult to pick up," Leggett said.

A leak killed Stevens' husband.

"He wasn't a famous person and never would be. But I think the world is going to miss him," Stevens said.

Leggett said that experience counts with gastro bypass surgery so patients should make sure the surgeon has experience and a good track record.

He also said that patients should make sure the facility could handle postoperative emergencies.

Leggett said that those who undergo the procedure should be prepared.

"There is an underlying belief that this is a quick fix. They have got to understand -- this is a lifestyle change. They have to be prepared for that," Leggett said.

Patients will find many changes aside from weight loss.

"You can no longer go out and have a steak. You can go out and have a couple of bites of steak," Leggett said.

The new stomach is the size of a computer mouse. Half of a sandwich will fill it up.

All patients have to take multi-vitamins in order to get enough nutrients as well as drinking plenty of water each day.

Most patients need plastic surgery to remove the excess skin from the weight loss.