June 23, 2021
If you’re contemplating bariatric surgical procedure as a method for dropping pounds, you is perhaps asking, “How a lot do I’ve to weigh to be a candidate for surgical procedure?” But the quantity that basically issues is your physique mass index (BMI), a measure of physique fats based mostly on top and weight—not your precise weight.
“We don’t go by weight; we go by BMI,” says Ayotunde Adeyeri, M.D., a board-certified bariatric, superior laparoscopic and common surgeon at Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, New Jersey. “It’s a extra correct measure of the quantity of labor your coronary heart is doing to help your physique.”
The quantity most bariatric surgeons are on the lookout for is a BMI over 35 with at the least one comorbidity, akin to diabetes and hypertension. That’s when the surgical procedure dialogue can normally start.
“That’s the final standards,” Dr. Adeyeri says. “But each affected person is exclusive, so the precise indications for surgical procedure is perhaps a little bit totally different for everybody.”
For reference, in response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- BMI between 18.5 and 25 is taken into account regular
- BMI between 25 and 30 is taken into account obese
- BMI over 30 is taken into account overweight
- BMI over 40 is taken into account morbidly overweight
By the time most sufferers come to him, they’ve already tried a number of methods to shed some pounds over the course of a few years, says Dr. Adeyeri, who performs round 100 gastric bypass surgical procedures annually. They’ve tried and tried however couldn’t preserve the burden off long-term, he says.
“It’s not their fault. It’s a illness,” Dr. Adeyeri says. “Fifty years in the past, we didn’t classify weight problems as a illness, however we do now. Once you have got the illness, we advocate you search assist.”
How to Prepare Your Body and Mind for Weight-loss Surgery
Other than studying in regards to the surgical procedure and the outcomes, there are different methods to arrange your physique and thoughts for bariatric surgical procedure. Those embrace:
- Quit smoking
- Begin monitoring your meals and water
- Drink extra water and restrict all different drinks
- Begin an train routine, nevertheless small
- Commit to not gaining any further weight
- Focus in your psychological well being, too
You can be taught extra about weight-loss surgical procedure at Hackensack Meridian Health by attending a weight-loss surgery seminar close to you.
Next Steps & Resources:
The materials supplied via HealthU is meant for use as common info solely and mustn’t exchange the recommendation of your doctor. Always seek the advice of your doctor for particular person care.
