Is Weight Loss Surgery for Me?

The Mount Sinai Program for Surgical Weight Loss
If you are severely overweight (roughly 100 pounds or more), and have been unsuccessful at dietary or behavioral approaches to weight loss, you may be a candidate for laparoscopic weight loss surgery.

Important: Surgery is NOT a "magic cure" for obesity! Surgery is a TOOL to help you lose weight! Even after a weight-loss operation, it necessary to follow a special diet and exercise regularly. You may need to take vitamins, calcium and iron supplements every day for the rest of your life! You may need to take other medications as well. Most importantly, you will need to follow up with your surgeon and primary care doctor on a regular basis!

It is important to recognize that weight loss surgery is major surgery! Even with minimally invasive surgical techniques, weight loss surgery requires general anesthesia, several days in the hospital, and several weeks of recuperation.

Because of this, the decision to have weight loss surgery is a very major one! By reviewing the information on this website and discussing this issue with your primary care doctor and your surgeon, you can determine if you are a candidate for this type of surgery.

How Do I Determine if I'm a Candidate?
In order to determine if you are a candidate for weight loss surgery, it is helpful to know your Body Mass Index, or BMI. The easiest way to do this is to use our BMI Calculator. This index combines your weight and height into a single number. If your BMI is greater than 35 or 40, you may be a candidate for a weight loss operation.