What's your least favorite body part? Despite the popularity of low-carb and low-glycemic diets, keeping a diet food diary, or even resorting to diet pills, most U.S. adults still fight bulging bellies and flabby thighs. No wonder liposuction is the third-most-requested cosmetic surgery procedure, following breast augmentation and rhinoplasty, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgery (ASPS). Even the recession isn't keeping us away from lipo: 245,000 procedures were performed last year, at an average cost of $4,000.

According to Andrew Da Lio, M.D., a clinical associate professor of plastic surgery at the UCLA School of Medicine, the ideal liposuction candidate is someone who works out regularly and has a healthy body-fat percentage, or BMI, and is mostly bothered by small fat deposits in one or two specific spots (such as the dreaded "muffin top"). However, he adds, most patients who request liposuction are out of shape and turn to surgery as a shortcut to lose weight.

This can cause disappointment down the road, he says, because "liposuction changes the way you gain and lose weight." The human body has a predetermined number of fat cells, or a set-point. When fat is removed by liposuction, it can prompt the body to gain weight in areas that previously weren't problem spots. In fact, Da Lio says he frequently sees patients return two to four years after their first procedure to request it again.

Think liposuction is still for you? Check out the risks involved and, of course, consider the side effects that you may encounter.

If you're not ready for the leap into liposuction, here are a few things to try to get your body headed in the right direction:

* Count calories. It's often eye-opening and can help you cut out foods high in fat and sugar.
* Search for a fitness instructor in your area.
* Find exercise videos to try at home.
* Make sure your fitness plan combines aerobic exercise, cross-training, and lifting weights.