(HealthDayNews) -- If you think fat removal via liposuction lets you off the hook when it comes to diet and exercise, think again.

In fact, liposuction patients are three times more likely to gain weight if they stray from a proper diet, new research finds.

And they're four times more likely to gain weight without regular exercise, says the study published in the December issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Liposuction is the second most popular cosmetic plastic surgery procedure in the United States. More than 320,000 people had the procedure in 2003, up 13 percent from the prior year, according to the ASPS.