Who can have bariatric surgery? Bariatric surgery is not a weight loss program for people who are slightly overweight. Bariatric surgery was developed to treat severely obese people who have exceeded a certain BMI.
A person’s body mass index, or BMI, is currently the best way to determine the level of obesity. This is because the BMI measures both a person’s height and weight and adjusts for both men and women.
Body Mass Index (BMI)
If you don’t know what your BMI is, please take a minute to calculate your BMI. If your BMI is 40 or higher, you may be a candidate for bariatric surgery.
When your BMI is greater than 32 and you have one or more of the following, you may also be eligible for bariatric surgery:
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Coronary heart disease
- A high percentage of fat in the blood (hyperlipidemia)
- Difficulty breathing while sleeping (apnea and hypoventilation)
- Osteoarthritis
Who can have bariatric surgery? | Do I qualify for a stomach reduction?
Patients with the following BMI can be candidates for bariatric surgery:
- Your BMI is greater than or equal to 40 (approx. 45 kilograms overweight).
- Your BMI is greater than or equal to 32 and you have weight-related medical problems, which could be:
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure or heart disease
- High cholesterol or high levels of fat in the blood
- Difficulty breathing while sleeping (sleep apnea)
- Joint pain or arthritis
Is a stomach reduction suitable for me? | Who can have bariatric surgery?
While you may be physically fit, you should only have bariatric surgery if you are well-informed and motivated. To get bariatric surgery you need to:
- Understand and be willing to accept surgical risks.
- Change your diet and eating habits.
- Commit to long-term follow-up care.
There are also several types of bariatric surgery. Find out which variant of stomach reduction is best for you.
Diet and lifestyle changes before bariatric surgery
Part of the bariatric surgery assessment process is a consultation with our nutritionists about your diet and lifestyle habits. Understanding your eating habits – in addition to a healthy lifestyle – is the key to your weight loss success.
Before your operation, our nutritionists will guide you through a supervised weight-loss process. In fact,
your insurance company may require you to lose weight before surgery to make sure you lose weight.
We will also ask you to keep a two-day food diary.
Psychological assessment prior to bariatric surgery
We understand that successful weight loss after bariatric surgery affects all patients. Since psychological and
social factors are very important for long-term successful weight loss, all patients in our bariatric surgery examinations receive a comprehensive pre-surgical psychological assessment.
This psychological report will help us ensure that you will get the best results after your surgery.
Psychological examinations are standard for our bariatric surgery team. Most health insurance companies
also require patients to have a psychological assessment before they have bariatric surgery.
Two dates
During your psychological assessment you have two appointments:
- During your first appointment, you will take a comprehensive psychological test that assesses your eating habits, mental health, alcohol and drug use, physical health, quality of life, and social support. For many patients, these factors help predict whether they will lose weight successfully after surgery. The first appointment usually lasts two to three hours.
- During your second appointment, you will have a two-hour conversation with one of our psychologists.
Our psychologist will discuss your eating habits, your coping and adjustment, your emotional and psychological state, and your social relationships.
We use the information from your psychological assessment to provide our obesity surgeons. With recommendations that will help improve your post-operative results. And improve your general well-being, and help you get down
to your ideal weight safely and healthily in a short period of time.
Who can have bariatric surgery? | Am I emotionally prepared for an operation?
Choosing a stomach reduction surgery is a serious commitment. While bariatric surgery is life-changing for
many patients, many patients face mental and emotional challenges during their recovery.
You also need to be willing to do the following:
- Take part in these consultations:
- Psychological
- Diet assessment and training with a nutritionist
- Have medically supervised weight loss (which your insurance company may require).
- Understand health risks during surgery
- Commitment to long-term aftercare and recovery