Summary: Weight loss surgery is a big milestone that one has to seriously consider before deciding to undergo it. It is becoming quite commonplace for bariatric surgery to be used to correct and solve weight related issues.
It is evident that these surgeries help people become fitter and healthier versions of themselves. However, before one decides to undergo any weight management procedure one needs to consider a few factors:
- Are you morbidly obese with a BMI of at least 30? If you have a BMI that is lower than 30, you can easily commit yourself to exercise, eating right and a healthier lifestyle to achieve your weight loss goals. To calculate your Body Mass Index, please refer to our post: Do you know your BMI? To accurately deduce if you need surgery to remove excess fat from your body.
- Are there any weight related problems? Bariatric and other weight-related surgeries should be considered if the subject has a weight-related illness; diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea etc. This is because weight loss will most times nullify the effects of these medical conditions. Since excess weight reduce mobility and subsequently fitness, it allows other minor ailments to creep in which if not well tended to may accumulate and become unmanageable for most. Hypertension, for example begins from having too much fat in the body. These fats then move to the lining of the arteries, causing thinning of the blood vessels. If the fats are not quickly used up, they start blocking the blood carrying vessels, causing the heart to use more pressure to pump blood past the debris created by the fats. This leads to Hypertension. Another risk not considered in this post but will in future posts is Stroke.
- Age is also a factor as the older a person is; the likelier they are to undergo surgery. A younger person is more likely to be healthier generally speaking, and may still be able to wing it (his/her weight issues) without having to undergo surgery due to their higher fitness level.
- Anyone with a BMI of 40 and above is definitely not going to shed much by dieting and exercise and weight loss surgery is a procedure that must be urgently considered.
- Do you have any insurance or social coverage? If you do, how much cover do you have? Undergoing a laparoscopic or any other weight loss surgery is still a little pricey and it is important that there are covers put in place to offset most, if not all the bills. If the reverse is the case, undergoing surgery could be a daunting challenge, let alone following a new lifestyle after the procedure.
Whatever the situation may be, carefully consider these factors before committing yourself to undergo or stay away from weight surgeries.
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