Considering that more than one in three American adults are considered to be obese, stomach reduction surgery is a popular option not only to boost a person’s self-confidence but to get them back on track to living a healthy life. But before you sign up for any weight loss procedures, it is crucial to have a sit-down consultation with a bariatric surgeon to get as educated as you can. Here are some questions to ask your surgeon during your initial consultation.

What resources do you offer before and after surgery?
Weight loss is a journey, not a destination. With this in mind, you’ll need to understand that it is crucial to stay supported from the beginning to the end. Some typical resources surgeons offer include dietitian appointments, support groups, and nutritional advice. These are all available so you will learn how to create healthy habits and sustain them after the procedure.

Is weight loss surgery a good choice for me?
Depending on your health history, weight loss surgery may not be the best option for you. Rather, your bariatric surgeon may put you on an organic weight loss plan where you focus on exercise and eating healthy foods instead of going the surgery route.

Can you explain the best surgery you recommend for me?
There are different types of bariatric surgery — the lap band, the gastric sleeve, and gastric bypass are all options. But they do range in how invasive they are and how long their recovery is, so what is right for one person may not be right for you.

What are your complication rates?
Even the most experienced surgeon can have complications in their surgeries. It is imperative that they are open and honest about any risks your surgery could pose and what measures they will go to to ensure you are safe and protected in both the operating room and in recovery.

We hope that these four questions will help to open up the conversation between you and your bariatric surgeon. Remember, there is no such thing as too small of a question when it comes to your health.

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You have worked hard to lose a lot of weight. You have exercised regularly, paid closer attention to your eating habits and even consulted with a medical doctor. However, you are still struggling to lose all of that weight. It is likely that excessive weight could be what is preventing you from being able to properly exercise. Additionally, excessive weight can make it dangerous to work out in some regards. It is also possible that you lost some weight, but now you are struggling losing that last bit of pounds. You may be a candidate for bariatric surgery.

Overweight individuals are at a higher risk for many health problems. They have more heart conditions. They may even have more pain that is associated with the excessive weight sitting on bones and other joints, causing too much pressure. Bariatric surgery is a great way and a great option for those facing serious health concerns to quickly reduce the amount of weight that they are carrying around. The weight should first be controlled with traditional measures, exercise and a change in diet, but this can prove to be unsuccessful for many.

In general, gastric bypass surgery and other weight loss surgery could be an option for you if efforts to lose weight with diet and exercise have been unsuccessful. If your body mass index (BMI) is 40 or higher (extreme obesity), if your BMI is 35 to 39.9 (obesity) and if you have a serious weight related health problem like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or severe sleep apnea. A Harvard study found that obesity increased the risk of diabetes 20 times and substantially boosted the risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and gallstones. Among people who were overweight or obese, there was a direct relationship between BMI and risk, the higher the BMI, the higher the likelihood of disease. Those suffering these types of diseases may have difficulties in exercise, and may be a great candidate for weight loss surgery.

Some candidates may be concerned about the safety of the gastric bypass procedure. However, bariatric surgeons are extremely qualified in this type of surgery. It is often the one type of surgery that they constantly do. According to a study done by the ASMBS Bariatric Centers of Excellence looking at nearly 60,000 bariatric patients, the average mortality rate associated with bariatric surgery was just .13%, or about 1 of every 1,000 patients. This rate is considerably less than other surgeries such as hip replacement or even standard gallbladder surgery. Also, the risks of mortality associated with many of the diseases that are common with extreme obesity are greater, when comparing the two.

Bariatric surgery is an option to those who are struggling with excessive weight that they are unable to lose. Often times, patients who have extreme obesity and are also suffering with medical conditions as a result are unable to exercise enough to effectively lose the weight. A gastric lap band by the way of a bariatric surgery may be an option for these patients. The surgery provides these people with a way to quickly bring their weight to a safer number, to allow them to continue to work on their weight with exercise and diet.

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