Weight loss surgery has become a more common procedure in the United States. Many people choose weight loss surgery over losing it “the old-fashioned way” with diet and exercise for one reason: diet and exercise simply didn’t work for them.
The reasons why diet and exercise don’t work for some patients are varied, but usually it’s because of ingrained behaviors that make trying to make lifestyle change very difficult. The result is yo-yo dieting, which doesn’t help people lose weight and instead serves to promote unhealthy eating.
So if you’re overweight and you wish to finally see that excess weight go away, ask yourself: do you qualify for weight loss surgery?
Who Qualifies For Weight Loss Surgery?
People with a BMI over 35.
BMI, or body mass index, is used to assess how overweight someone is relative to their height. Over 25 is considered overweight, but over 35 indicates severe obesity. Severely obese people make up about 18% of the US population as of 2019, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.
People with obesity-related health conditions.
People who suffer from weight-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, hypertension, or fatty liver disease are considered good candidates for weight loss surgery. This is because weight loss surgeries have found to be particularly effective in sending these conditions into remission, regardless of weight loss.
People who have tried diet and exercise with no results.
If you’ve tried to make healthier changes to your diet, but were unable to make them stick, you’re not alone. Most people who try to lose weight don’t succeed the first time. However, if it’s been years of trying diet and exercise to no avail, and you also meet the other qualifications, then it might be time to consider weight loss surgery.
Important Things To Know About Weight Loss Surgery
Weight loss surgery is a big decision. It is an involved procedure that does have risk of complications. What’s worse is that weight loss surgeries do not guarantee that a person will keep the weight off. In order to make sure the weight stays off, patients are urged to make the necessary diet and lifestyle changes.
Weight loss surgery is NOT like plastic surgery. It makes fundamental alternations to the way your digestive system works in order to make overeating much more difficult and to prevent excess calorie absorption.
Consider weight loss surgery to be a last ditch effort: the final decision to lose weight for good. If you commit to weight loss surgery and the changes required by it, you WILL see results and your health WILL benefit greatly.
