The decision to have weight loss surgery is hardly one that you make from one day to the next. Most people who opt for this approach only do so after a long road of trying other weight loss options.
Before you consider bariatric surgery to lose unhealthy pounds, our team here at Advanced Surgeons prefers to make sure that you have exhausted all nonsurgical options first.
As the nearly 200,000 people who underwent bariatric surgery in the United States in 2020 can attest, the journey to weight loss surgery is usually not a short one.
Candidacy by the numbers for weight loss surgery
While every case is different, there are some general numbers we go by to consider you for weight loss surgery.
For example, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery suggests the following:
- A body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher
- A BMI of 30 or higher with a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis
- A BMI of 30-35 among people who tried, and failed, to lose weight nonsurgically
If you’d like more information about BMI, please read one of our previous blog posts that thoroughly explains this measurement and its importance.
Beyond the numbers
The numbers we outline above provide us with a general framework for bariatric surgery, but it doesn’t paint the entire picture
To illustrate this, we want to spend some time discussing the tried-and-failed dieting qualification because this is important.
If you’re reading this, you’ve likely been battling your weight for some time now. What we want to see is that you’ve made sincere efforts in the past to lose weight through diet, exercise, and other nonsurgical options, such as medications.
Weight loss surgery isn’t a magic bullet. You’ll need to drastically change your eating habits, and we want to know that you’ve been down this road before and that you’re mentally ready.
We also want you to know that we’re here to help with these nonsurgical efforts, and we can guide you through weight loss with customized diet plans.
If you’re successful in losing weight and keeping it off, that’s fantastic! We can consider it a mission accomplished. But if the weight quickly comes back or you just can’t seem to lose the right amount, it’s time to talk about bariatric surgery.
For your health
Some roads to bariatric surgery are shorter because of immediate health concerns. If you have a diagnosis of diabetes, cardiovascular issues, or kidney or liver disease, for example, we may speed up your timeline and work outside the candidacy numbers to get your weight down.
This is why guidelines for candidacy are simply a framework because there are exceptions, such as your health, when expediency is required.
If you want to get on the road to bariatric surgery or you have more questions, please contact one of our offices in Valhalla, Carmel, or Poughkeepsie, New York, to schedule a consultation.
