Are you a
candidate for gastric
bypass surgery?
Candidates For
Gastric Bypass Surgery
Gastric bypass surgery
is recommended for
those persons who are
90 pounds or more
overweight and have or
are likely to have
medical complications
that will be helped,
and in many instances,
cured by substantial
weight loss. While
weight loss surgery is
not for everyone,
there are a large
number of patients for
whom losing a lot of
weight is imperative,
including those
suffering from
diabetes, high blood
pressure, heart
trouble, shortness of
breath, arthritis and
orthopedic (bone)
problems with their
legs, hips or back.
Weight loss surgery
actually fails in
those persons who
drink large quantities
of regular soft
drinks, consume
sweets, ice cream,
chips and fatty fried
foods. If you are one
of these people and
feel you cannot switch
to diet drinks and cut
out sweets and fried
foods then gastric
bypass surgery is not
for you.
Do I
qualify for Gastric
Bypass Surgery?
Physicians and
healthcare
professionals commonly
use the "Body Mass
Index" (BMI) as a way
of helping to
determine obesity. BMI
is a number calculated
by dividing a person's
weight in kilograms by
his or her height in
square meters.
Although a patient's
BMI cannot be used to
determine actual
percentage of body fat
or overall health
condition, it is a
means of categorizing
weight in terms of
nationally recognized
standards. These
standards — derived
from years of research
and data — are based
on the probability of
whether or not a
person will be healthy
or unhealthy as they
age.
A Body Mass Index
(BMI) greater than 40
is by definition
morbid obesity. Lesser
BMI may be morbid if
associated by serious
co-morbidities.
