5 Signs You're a Good Candidate for Weight Loss Surgery

Are you tired of being caught in a failure cycle when it comes to dieting and losing weight? If you feel like you’ve tried every diet under the sun and nothing has worked for you, perhaps it’s time to think about weight loss surgery.

At Turnquest Surgical Solutions, our board-certified bariatric surgeons, Dexter Turnquest, MD, and Victoria Chang, MD, are ready to help you explore your options for this elective surgery.

We offer such weight loss procedures as Lap-BandⓇ, gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, and duodenal switch, as well as revisional bariatric surgery, which is for patients who have had complications from previous surgery or who have not achieved intended weight loss from a first surgery.

Here are five signs that you’re a good candidate for weight loss surgery.

BMI of 40 or more

You may have had your body mass index (BMI) calculated numerous times. If it stays at or around 40 or more or you’re more than 100 pounds over a normal weight, you know you’re obese. A normal BMI ranges from 18.5 to 24.9 based on body type and height.

With a BMI of around 40, you’re at risk of serious health complications. It’s time to try a new approach. Weight loss surgery can help you lose the weight you haven’t been able to shed on your own.

BMI of 35 to 39.9 with a serious health condition

Are you overweight with a significant health issue? Perhaps your BMI isn’t quite 40, but you have sleep apnea, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, or another chronic health problem.

Having a BMI of 35 to 39.9 and at least one chronic condition makes you a good candidate for weight loss surgery. You don’t want one chronic condition to turn into two or more. Your weight places you more at risk for health problems that diminish your quality of life.

Failure to lose weight with diet and exercise regimens

At Turnquest Surgical Solutions, we review your medical history and ask you about your previous weight loss attempts.

Have you seriously tried to lose weight through supervised weight loss programs? If you’ve been in a repeated failure cycle, it’s time to consider weight loss surgery. It can be the win you’re looking for.

Becoming informed about weight loss surgery

Weight loss surgery requires you to make changes. Are you fully aware of how your eating habits need to change? Do you realize that eating a lot of sugary foods after weight loss surgery can cause nausea and vomiting?

Depending on the type of surgery, you may need to take a regimen of supplemental vitamins and minerals for the rest of your life to ensure you're getting enough nutrition.

Look into various types of weight loss surgery to research your options. Come to your appointment with questions you have about the surgery. The more you know beforehand, the fewer surprises you’ll have afterward.

Motivation to change habits

Weight loss surgery isn’t a quick fix for losing weight and then eating the same high caloric, sugary foods you’re used to eating. You must commit to changing long-standing habits.

Eating too many high caloric foods that have little nutritional value after surgery can cause malnutrition and serious health problems. You won’t be able to consume nearly as much food, and what you do consume needs to be nutritious.

You’ll need to empty your shelves of processed foods and buy fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, lean meat, and poultry. You might enjoy taking a healthy cooking class that teaches you how to cook these foods so they’re appetizing.

A nutritionist can help you make these important changes. We may ask you to lose a certain amount of weight prior to the surgery to show your commitment and motivation.