Determining If You Are A Candidate
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You may be a candidate for weight-loss surgery if you have:
¢
A body
mass index (BMI) of 40 or more - about 100 pounds overweight for
men and 80 pounds for women (see BMI calculator below)
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A BMI between 35 and 39.9 and a serious obesity-related health problem
such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or severe sleep apnea (when
breathing stops for short periods during sleep)
¢
An
understanding of the operation and the lifestyle changes you will need
to make.
When diet and exercise measures fail to take off the weight and keep it
off, bariatric surgery may be the next step, especially for severely obese
people who have one or more obesity-related illnesses. Surgery to produce
weight loss is a serious undertaking. Anyone considering this type of
operation should understand what it involves.
The following questions can help you decide whether weight-loss surgery is
right for you.
Are you:
¢
Determined
to lose weight and improve your health?
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Someone
who has failed to lose weight and/or keep it off with dietary and
exercise measures alone?
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Well-informed
about the surgical procedure and the effects of treatment?
¢
Aware of
the potential for serious complications?
¢
Aware of
and ready to comply with lifestyle changes (including healthy
eating habits and exercise) that will be necessary for success
after
surgery?
¢
Committed to vitamin/mineral supplementation (if necessary) and lifelong
medical follow-up?
¢
Remember, there are no guarantees for any method, including surgery, to
produce and maintain weight loss. Success is possible only with
maximum
cooperation and commitment to behavioral change and medical
follow-up, and
this cooperation and commitment must be carried out for
the rest of your
life.
The decision to have bariatric surgery is a very personal and very
significant one. It will change your life in an irreversible way. Being
careful with a decision like this is the right thing to do. You should
research the various surgeries and the various surgeons. Then you and your
surgeon should, together, agree that weight loss surgery is the best
choice you can make.
A healthy BMI is less than 25. National
Institutes of Health guidelines state that a patient with a BMI of 35-40
with severe medical problems should be considered a candidate for weight
loss surgery. All patients with a BMI of 40 are considered candidates.
Patients need to have made previous attempts at weight loss through diet
and exercise.
Attend a Seminar
St. John's offers free
seminars about surgical weight loss (also known as bariatric surgery).
The
seminar answers questions about weight-loss surgery and the options
available to you at St. John’s. It also introduces you to our
preoperative program components and the professionals who will assist you
on your journey toward a healthy weight. Call 417-820-3800 to register.
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