Should I Have Weight Loss Surgery?
Bariatric surgery, sometimes referred to as “weight loss surgery,” might be an option if making lifestyle modifications — like changing your diet and exercise routine — have not been enough in your efforts to achieve a healthy weight.
Doctors usually recommend bariatric surgery if:
- You have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more
- Or if you have a BMI of 35-40 and a health condition that can improve with weight loss after bariatric surgery
What’s Your BMI? 
BMI is a measurement that compares your height and your weight. To calculate your BMI, take your weight (in kilograms) and divide it by your height (in centimeters). Or use this BMI calculator and enter your details.
If your weight is normal, your BMI will be between 18.5-24.9. If you’re overweight, your BMI will be between 25-29.9. If you’re obese, your BMI will be 30 or higher.
Carrying too much weight can cause serious health problems, including:
- Back and joint problems
- Digestive tract problems
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Sleep apnea
- Stroke
- Type 2 diabetes
- And more
It can also affect your quality of life, limit your mobility, lead to depression and increase your risk of more than 10 cancers. However, surgery and achieving and maintaining a healthy weight can cause many of these conditions to disappear (sometimes called “disease reversal”) and reduce your risk of cancer.
Your care team will perform bariatric surgery on you if caregivers know:
- It will improve your health
- You’re ready to make changes after surgery to maintain a healthy lifestyle
The Benefits
There are many benefits to bariatric surgery. Besides helping you achieve your weight loss goals, weight loss surgery options can also help prevent or treat:
- Arthritis
- Certain cancers
- Colorectal cancer
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Infertility
- Liver disease
- Psychological problems
- Sleep apnea
- Stroke
- And other issues
In some cases, a health problem you had that was linked to being obese might go away after bariatric surgery. People who have surgery tend to lose more weight than those who get medical treatment for their weight loss. However, results are not the same for everyone.
The Risks
All surgeries have risks, including gastric sleeve procedures and other bariatric surgeries. Your risks may be different depending on your age, general health, the type of surgery performed and the amount of weight you need to lose. Your care team will go over your procedure and the risks associated with it. These can include:
- Bleeding
- Blood clots
- Constipation
- Gallstones
- Heart attack
- Infection
- Need for follow-up surgery
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Psychological difficulties after the procedure
- Regaining some weight after surgery
Total Annual Volume: 2023
In 2023, Enloe Health Bariatric & Metabolic Services performed 245 total bariatric surgeries. Of those, 234 cases were sleeve gastrectomy procedures and 11 cases were Roux-en-Y gastric bypasses.
Enloe Health experienced four readmissions from these surgeries, all related to nausea, vomiting and/or dehydration.
There were zero surgical site infections, hospital stays greater than five days or deaths as a result of procedures performed by caregivers with Enloe Health Bariatric & Metabolic Services.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you’re ready to take action and learn more about Enloe Health’s medically supervised weight loss program — a respected weight loss program in Northern California — contact us online or learn more about gastric surgery options in our videos below.
What is BMI or body mass index?
Who would be a candidate for bariatric surgery?
