Is Bariatric Surgery Right for Me?

Like any surgical procedure, there are risks associated with weight loss surgery, so you should carefully evaluate its risks and benefits and compare them with the risks associated with remaining obese. The safety of weight loss surgery has improved greatly in recent years and the nation's premier health agencies now believe the benefits of weight loss surgery outweigh the risk for most morbidly obese individuals.

The National Institutes of Health developed the following criteria to help determine which patients are appropriate candidates for weight loss surgery.

To qualify for Bariatric Surgery, you must:

• Have tried and failed, at least once, to lose weight by participating in a medical weight loss program;
• Weigh at least 100lbs more than your ideal body weight, as determined by 1983 Metropolitan Life tables;
• OR have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or greater
• OR weigh at least 75 lbs more than your ideal body weight (a BMI between 35 and 39.9) and have at least one serious, obesity-related disease or lifestyle impediment (such as lack of mobility) that is difficult to address- without weight loss.

Additionally, you must:

• not be dependant on drugs and/or alcohol
• not be pregnant
• be free of unstable psychiatric disorders or psychosis
• be between ages of 18 to 60; individuals interested in weight loss surgery whose age falls outside this range must be evaluated for bariatric surgery on an individual basis