Are You a Weight Loss Surgery Candidate?

Written by Jane Long

Are you a weight loss surgery candidate? You have been overweight most of your life. Now that you are an adult, the extra pounds are starting to adversely affect your health. If you want to live a long and happy life, something has to be done now! But, you have been on every weight loss plan imaginable. Nothing seems to work. You are desperate. As a last resort, you want to know if a bariatric surgeon can help you reach a healthy weight.

Unfortunately, bariatric procedures are not simply an elective surgery like breast augmentation or a nose job. You are doing much more to your body than changing outward features. If you undergo this weight loss procedure, you entire digestive track will basically be rewired to contend with portion control and the ability to absorb calories during the digestive process. The decision is not solely up to you.

Not too Sick

Your bariatric surgeon and your body will be the determiners of whether you qualify for drastic weight loss and a whole new way of life. The first consideration will be the overall condition of your health. You should have weight related health issues that necessitate drastic weight loss. But, you must also be able to withstand the procedure and the subsequent changes you body will experience in the near future.

The doctor will run a battery of tests to ascertain whether you can withstand the demands that will be placed on your body. Your heart, lungs, mobility, and more will all be scrutinized before the surgeon will give you the go ahead.

Your BMI

Obesity is not the only criteria for weight loss surgery. If that is the case, then about a third of the population will qualify. Instead, it also depends on your body mass index. For instance, if your BMI is 25 or below, you are at a healthy weight; should the calculations be 25-30, you are overweight, and could stand to lose a few pounds; 30-40 and you are considered obese, and a possible candidate for weight loss surgery; however, if your BMI calculation is 40 or above, you are grossly obese. But, it may also mean your chosen bariatric surgeon will disqualify you. It will be necessary to find a weight loss surgeon willing to take on a higher risk case.

Well Informed

Do you simply consider weight loss surgery the answer to years of failed diets and exercise programs; or, all you well aware of the risks as well as the benefits of bariatric surgery? Do you truly understand that this surgery is not a temporary fix to a lifetime of weight gain?

Once you go through with this surgery, life as you know it will have to change. Weight loss surgery is not an easy way out. You will have to be totally committed to a lifestyle change for the rest of your life. You will never eat the same again, although you will occasionally be able to have a bit or two of forbidden fruit, so to speak, once you reach your target weight.

Today you may be too heavy to exercise regularly. However, after the surgery, exercise will become part of everyday life. “Couch potato” will no longer be in your vocabulary.

Maybe you gladly anticipate the changes, but have you really considered the real risks of a bariatric procedure? Your body is going to be altered to accommodate only small portions and short circuit the digestive process to prevent absorption of unneeded calories and fat. So, there is a whole host of complications that can occur during and after surgery. In fact, you will have to becoming increasingly aware of your body, so you can recognize if something is not quite right.

The Cost

Weight loss surgery is not cheap. You will have a whole team of health care professionals dedicated to the success of your surgery. Plus, you will have a significant hospital stay.

Unfortunately, some insurance companies still see bariatric surgery as an elective procedure. Even if you can convince the company that is necessary to prevent further complications and early death, it takes time and a lot of paperwork to convince them to help.

Many patients have to come up with the cost of gastric bypass surgery or similar options. Friends, family, personal loans, savings, and a lot of personal sacrifice may be needed to come up with the funds for the operation.

So, now you know some of the determining factors used to figure out whether you are a weight loss surgery candidate. If you feel that this is the last resort to a healthier you, it will mean a lot of red tape and tests even before the procedure. Then, after weight loss surgery, your life will permanently change. Are you ready?