Is Weight Loss Surgery for You?

When non-surgical approaches to weight loss have failed, or for people who have an obesity-related disease, surgical weight loss may be the best next step. For others, greater efforts toward weight control, such as changes in eating habits, behavior modification, and increasing physical activity, may be more appropriate.

Answers to the following questions may help you determine if weight loss surgery is for you.
 
Are you:

• Unlikely to lose weight successfully with non-surgical measures?
• Determined to lose weight and improve your health? 
• Aware of the life-changing effects associated with this surgery, including the need to chew well and the inability to eat large meals?

Do you:

• Have a BMI of 40 or more?
• Have an obesity-related physical problem (such as body size that interferes with employment, walking, or family function)? 
• Have high-risk obesity-related health problems (such as severe sleep apnea or obesity-related heart disease)?

Surgery for the treatment of clinically severe obesity is endorsed by:

• The National Institutes of Health
• The American Medical Association
• The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• American Academy of Family Physicians