More and more Americans are dealing with obesity by going under the knife, according to a new study.

In 1998, 772 people aged 55 to 64 had gastric bypass, stapling or some similar procedure known as bariatric surgery to help weight loss. But that number ballooned to 15,086 six years later, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

More than 120,000 obese Americans had some kind of surgery to help them lose weight in 2004, with the biggest increase among middle-aged people, according to a Reuters report.

I have written extensively about my thoughts on surgery. Even though I've lost a significant amount of weight, it still crosses my mind. Maybe one day, when I hit the lottery.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com