The first criterion to consider is your body mass index (BMI). A person’s BMI assesses their excess weight by comparing their actual weight with their height. Suitable candidates for weight loss surgery would be expected to have a BMI of 32.5, which may represent 20-25 kg or more of excess weight. Those who would be considered obese according to these criteria should preferably come to weight loss surgery as a last resort, after being unsuccessful with other methods.
Weight loss surgery can represent a valuable course of supportive treatment to those who suffer another health condition. Some diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, can be greatly worsened by obesity, and may benefit from a weight reduction method. In such cases, it may eventually mean the difference between life and death.
Bariatric surgery has now been accepted as a possible method of diabetes remission. In severe cases, diabetes can result in damaging complications such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, organ failure and nerve damage. Such cases may well require more than the diet and lifestyle modifications usually advised for sufferers. In the last decade, both the International Diabetes Federation and the American Diabetes Association have come to accept the role of weight loss surgery in helping diabetics with a high BMI.
There is also the question of the health problems arising from obesity itself. A person carrying a great deal of access weight is prone to joint problems, obstructive sleep apnoea, high blood pressure and even heart failure. It’s not easy to simply take up an exercise routine when you are already carrying a level of weight that makes movement difficult. In such cases, weight loss surgery should be considered a valuable choice for liberating these patients from their problem and putting them on the road to good health.