Is Surgery Right For You?

Weight loss surgery is a tool to help manage obesity. Weight loss surgery is not the right choice for everyone, so we ask people to keep their minds open to nonsurgical possibilities for regaining their health. Sometimes learning information about eating patterns, calorie requirements, appropriate food choices, and exercise is enough to manage this disease to a level that is right for you. If these measures are not helping your health, then consideration of surgery may be appropriate.

Surgery is not a magic procedure and does not "lose weight for you." You will not be able to "eat all you want and still lose weight." These operations require a tremendous amount of devotion to true life-long habit changes in order to achieve lasting results. These operations allow you to receive new feedback from your body -- reduced hunger, satisfaction with smaller meals, and sometimes negative physical effects from eating things that aren't right for you. You will still need to make permanent dietary and lifestyle changes in order to maintain your health.

Surgery for obesity is a major operation. It can provide significant help for those with the most serious obesity, but also carries risk. See our section on TYPES OF PROCEDURES for more details.

You are a candidate if:

• You are 18 years or older and have a BMI of 35 or more with obesity related health conditions, i.e. coronary artery disease, sleep apnea, diabetes, hypertension, depression, degenerative joint disease, chronic lower extremity edema, urinary incontinence.
• You have been overweight for more than 5 years.
• You demonstrate at least three failed attempts of non-surgical weight loss methods of a 3 - 6 month duration.
• You attend at least one manditory informational seminar and support group seminar prior to surgery.
• You verbalize an understanding of the weight loss procedure chosen and how this procedure produces weight loss.
• You verbalize an understanding and acceptance of the risks associated with surgery.
• You verbalize a commitment to life-long dietary changes, including post-surgical diet progression and permanent diet restrictions.
• You demonstrate motivation and commitment to the program by following through with scheduled appointments.
• You agree to stop smoking at least 4 weeks prior to surgery.
• You abstain from becoming pregnant for at least 12 - 16 months post surgery.
• Your primary care physician is in support of you having bariatric surgery.

Feel free to review our Comprehensive Bariatric Program Process.