New research from the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) found that 80 per cent of weight loss surgery patients are women.
In a probe of whether bariatric surgery is seen as "quick fix" treatment to overcome obesity, it was also found that expanding waistlines are costing the UK around £5 billion every year.
Co-author of the report and NCEPOD clinical co-ordinator in surgery Ian Martin raised concerns over whether potential patients were being given sufficient dietary advice as an alternative to going under the knife.
"Bariatric surgery is a radical procedure with considerable risks, as well as benefits," he said. "It shouldn't be undertaken without providing full information and support to patients."
Among the study's findings was the revelation that less than a third of patients received psychological counselling before being referred for surgery.
However, the report noted that psychological disorders were common among obese patients who want to undergo weight loss surgery.
Alarmingly, the study discovered that 32 per cent of patients did not have adequate follow-up after the procedure, while 18 per cent of patients were readmitted within the first six months of going under the knife.
Consent forms also posed an issue as a quarter failed to provide appropriate information, with Mr Martin adding that consent often happens on the day of surgery meaning "there is no time for patients to reflect on their choices".
As a result of these gaps, the report called for a clear long-term follow-up plan for bariatric patients and post-operative dietary advice to help sustain planned weight loss.
Figures from the NHS show that between April 2008 and 2009, more than 4,200 weight loss procedures were carried out by the health system.
