Who is a Candidate for Bariatric Surgery?
Is bariatric surgery right for you? As the obesity epidemic grows, weight-loss surgery is becoming more common. Learn about the screening process that will help decide if it is the right choice for you.
Is Bariatric Surgery Right for You?
Obesity is a national epidemic associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Bariatric surgery, or weight loss surgery, is a highly effective tool to improve patient health dramatically and includes a variety of procedures performed on people who suffer from severe obesity
An increasing number of obese patients consider bariatric — or weight loss — surgery because of difficulty in maintaining weight loss with exercise and diet alone. The National Institute of Health (NIH) recognizes bariatric surgery as the only effective treatment to combat severe obesity and maintain long-term weight loss.
At Bariatric Surgery Tijuana Center for weight loss surgery, we give patients many surgical options for weight loss using bariatric surgery.
Who Should Consider Bariatric Surgery?
Not everyone should consider bariatric surgery. People should try appropriate dieting, exercise, and other ways to lose weight before considering bariatric surgery. However, if you have failed at multiple diets and cannot get your medical problems related to weight under control you should consider bariatric surgery.
According to American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: [lists style=”style5″ line=”0″]
- BMI ≥ 40, or more than 100 pounds overweight.
- BMI ≥35 and at least one or more obesity-related co-morbidities such as type II diabetes (T2DM), hypertension, sleep apnea and other respiratory disorders, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, osteoarthritis, lipid abnormalities, gastrointestinal disorders, or heart disease.
- Inability to achieve a healthy weight loss sustained for a period of time with prior weight loss efforts.
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A person should also consider bariatric surgery if they have no medical or hormonal reason for the obesity; they are fully informed about bariatric surgery and have realistic expectations of weight loss and possible complications; they accept the risks of bariatric surgery; they demonstrate a willingness to make dramatic lifelong changes in lifestyle, dietary habits, and exercise; and they commit to medical follow-up.
When considering bariatric surgery, keep in mind that the weight loss is part of your experience. The most important health benefit bariatric surgery provides is an effective cure or relief of diabetes, high blood pressure and a host of other co-morbidities associated with obesity.
Are you ready for weight loss surgery?
The following questions will help you decide if you are ready for weight loss surgery. It is not meant to take the place of a consultation with your primary care doctor, but give you topics to discuss with your doctor concerning your overall health and weight loss options.
If you are trying to decide if weight loss surgery is right for you, consider these points:
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- Are you unlikely to lose weight with further non-surgical methods of weight loss?
- Are you informed about the surgical procedure and changes to your anatomy?
- Are you aware of the potential surgical risks, side effects and long-term complications, and occasional failures?
- Do you understand the lifetime changes you will be required to make to your diet choices, eating habits, exercise level, and lifestyle habits?
- Are you determined and motivated to lose weight and improve your health?
- Are you committed to medical follow-up care for the rest of your life?
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