Gastrointestinal surgery may be the next step for people who remain severely obese after trying nonsurgical approaches, or for people who have an obesity-related disease. Candidates for surgery have:

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A BMI of 40 or more,

A life-threatening obesity-related health problem such as diabetes, severe sleep apnea, or heart disease and a BMI of 35 or more, and

Obesity-related physical problems that interfere with employment, walking, or family function.

If you fit the profile for surgery, answers to the following questions may help you decide whether weight-loss surgery is appropriate for you.

Are You:

Unlikely to lose weight successfully with nonsurgical measures?

Well informed about the surgical procedure and the effects of treatment?

Determined to lose weight and improve your health?

Aware of how your life may change after the operation (adjustment to the side effects of the surgery, including the need to chew well and inability to eat large meals)?

Aware of the potential for serious complications, dietary restrictions, and occasional failures?

Committed to lifelong medical follow-up?

Remember: There are no guarantees for any method, including surgery, to produce and maintain weight loss. Success is possible only with maximum cooperation and commitment to behavioral change and medical follow-up -- and this cooperation and commitment must be carried out for the rest of your life.

Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases