Am I a Candidate?

When you're considering bariatric surgery, one of the first steps is finding out more - more about the benefit and risks of the procedures. And remember: Only you and your bariatric surgeon can decide which procedure is right for you.

According to the National Institutes of Health, anyone weighing 20 percent or more than the ideal for his or her body is obese. At that point, the extra weight becomes a health risk, contributing to a number of conditions – many of them life-threatening.

One way to determine whether you are obese is by calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI). An individual whose BMI is in the 25-29.9 range is considered overweight. A BMI of 30 or higher signals obesity. A BMI of 40 or greater is considered morbidly obese, or obesity at a level significant enough to be life-threatening.

If you are obese, weight-loss surgery (bariatric surgery) may be an option to help you control your weight.

To qualify, you should:

• Have a Body Mass Index of 40 or greater with or without comorbidities (medical problems or conditions that negatively affect your health)
• Have a BMI between 35 and 40 with at least two comorbidities related to obesity
• Be between the ages of 18 and 65
• Be able to show serious past attempts to lose weight medically, through exercise or through programs, such as Weight Watchers® or Jenny Craig®
• Have no significant problems – physical, medical, emotional or psychological – that would make surgery unnecessarily risky
• Be able to participate in treatment and lifetime follow-up