Surgery is supposed to be the ultimate shortcut when it comes to weight loss: Let the doc put you under, and when you wake up you’re on your way to a brand-new body.

If only it were that simple.

Now, the FDA is finally starting to crack down on the companies that promote one of the most common weight-loss procedures, the adjustable Lap Band that squeezes the stomach so you can fit less in it.

When your stomach holds less, you eat less… and when you eat less, you lose weight.

For many people, that’s all they need to hear. If their insurance covers it, they’re on their way to a new life that’s a lot more difficult than any of them ever would have guessed.

That’s because while the billboards and TV ads promise quick and easy weight loss, they don’t really talk about risks. And they barely even mention that this is a major surgery with serious side effects, up to and including death.

In some cases, the Lap-Band needs to be adjusted. Some patients need two or more surgeries before it’s on right, and they face the risks of complications each time they go under the knife.

Once the band is in place, patients often experience difficulty swallowing, severe and miserable heartburn, and nausea.

Although the FDA’s recent warning was specifically directed at a series of clinics offering Lap-Band in Southern California, those warnings could have been directed at clinics across the country. Because no matter where you live, odds are you’ve seen signs and heard ads that conveniently leave out those very real risks.

And believe it or not, this is actually one of the “safer” forms of weight-loss surgery. Other procedures, such as gastric bypass, promise more dramatic results — but come with even more risks, including an even higher risk of death than the Lap-Band.

So forget surgery. You can do a better job on your own anyway — and as I told you a couple of weeks ago, it starts with just two days a week of an easy-to-follow low-carb diet. (Read about it here.)

Start with two days a week — but don’t end there. Turn that two-day lifestyle into an everyday habit, and you’ll lose weight the right way… and enjoy all the benefits of a thin, new you without the risks of surgery.

Obese folks considering weight-loss surgery might feel reassured when they choose a hospital that’s been labeled a “center of excellence.”

The truth is, these hospitals are no better than any other when it comes to complications and even deaths, according to a study published in a recent issue of the Archives of Surgery.

The study looked at 19,363 patients, 5,420 of whom had their procedures done at those so-called bariatric surgery “centers of excellence.” This is a label slapped on hospitals by a group called the Surgical Review Corporation after the place meets the group’s guidelines and sends out a check for the privilege.

Researchers found that 0.17 percent of the patients in these centers of excellence died, versus 0.09 percent in the other hospitals.

They also found 6.3 percent of the patients in the centers of excellence developed complications, versus 6.4 percent in the supposedly non-excellent hospitals.

If those numbers don’t look all that different, it’s because they’re not. It’s a statistical tie. Yet many insurers will only pay for procedures in hospitals given the “centers of excellence” designation.

The simple fact of the matter is you don’t need to choose between these different kinds of hospitals. Gastric bypass surgeries and similar procedures are potentially dangerous and often traumatic.

And in the end, the patient will need to learn the same sensible eating habits that would have kept him out of the operating room in the first place.

When it comes to weight loss, there is one recipe for success, whether you need to drop a spare tire or a whole car.

It means re-learning what you think you know about food. I have come to call it the Torture Chamber Diet. It is filled with low-fat foods that are high in carbs (sugar). These foods will, in the long run, only make you fatter and less healthy – and if you need any proof, just look around you at what a couple generations of “low-fat” dieting has produced.

Too often, people who opt for weight-loss surgery step out of the operating room and right back into “the torture chamber.”

Instead, focus on eating better and getting more exercise. Avoid those carbs, processed foods and “low-fat” foods. Eat sensible portions in balanced meals that include healthy fats and proteins along with fresh vegetables.

Keep at it, and you’ll lose the weight. I can guarantee it. Not only that, but you’ll learn a better way to live too.