Ophelia Brown had weight loss surgery two months ago and, so far, she's lost 35 pounds. "I don't breathe as hard. I don't get tired as easy," said Brown.

The procedure is a new approach in bariatric surgery called sleeve gastrectomy. "We remove three-quarters of the stomach, so the new stomach has a new shape, looks like a sleeve or a banana," said bariatric surgeon Dr. Alex Gandsas.

Unlike gastric bypass, surgeons don't have to reroute the bowel. Other than downsizing the stomach, the anatomy stays intact so there are fewer complications.

“The sleeve actually does offer an appealing alternative for those patients who are intimidated by having a major operation such as the gastric bypass," said Gandsas.

The sleeve not only forces patients to eat less but they also don't crave food as much because a big part of their stomachs are gone.

"This part of the stomach is in charge of producing a hormone called ghrelin, which is responsible for our appetite," said Gandsas. "By removing that, the patient not only will be able to eat less, but will feel less hungry."

Gandsas is pioneering the procedure at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore because, he says, the benefits are lifesaving.

"Health issues such as diabetes type 2 have been resolved in approximately 65 percent. The hypertension's been resolved in 50 percent, sleep apnea in more than 75 percent," he said.

"Already I'm off the diabetes medicine; the blood pressure I just take now and then," said Brown.

Now, as Brown's weight goes down, her appetite for better health soars. The sleeve procedure is performed through small incisions. Patients can lose about 60 percent of their excess weight compared to gastric bypass's 70 percent.

The sleeve procedure is not yet covered by many insurance companies.