Qualification for Weight Loss Surgery

Weight-loss surgery alters the shape and function of your digestive system. This surgery might help you lose weight and manage medical conditions related to obesity. These cases involve diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, and risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

Weight loss surgery is also known as bariatric surgery in Turkiye. There are different surgical procedures, but all of them help you lose weight by limiting how much food you can eat. Some procedures also limit the number of nutrients you can absorb. Bariatric surgery may help you overcome old habits so you can lose extra weight and become healthier. However, this treatment isn’t suitable for everyone. At Healthy Türkiye, we apply a personalized approach to determine whether bariatric surgery is the answer to your weight loss needs.

Bariatric surgery is not a weight loss program for people who are slightly overweight. Bariatric surgery was developed to treat severely obese people who are 100 pounds or more overweight and whose health is at risk. A person’s body mass index, or BMI, is currently the best way to define the degree of obesity. This is because BMI measures both a person’s height and weight. Also, this can be adjusted for men and women.

Weight Loss Surgery Criteria

Weight loss surgery is performed as a treatment for patients who are very overweight and need a lifelong commitment to weight loss through accompanying changes in diet, exercise, and lifestyle. Also known as metabolic surgery, it can help to attain significant weight loss for those patients who have been unable to lose weight through other means.

However, the decision to undergo surgery should not be taken lightly, and it is not suggested for everyone. There are various factors that your bariatric surgeon will assess before they suggest weight loss surgery.

Calculating BMI

For Bariatric surgery, patients with a BMI of 40 or more are qualified, and it is recommended if you are severely overweight. You might also qualify for weight loss surgery if you have a BMI of between 35 and 40 and a health problem that could be improved if you lost weight, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, or mobility problems.

You can use the BMI Calculator on our website to check if you are at a healthy weight. And you can use the chart below to see what category your BMI falls into and whether you are required to be concerned about your weight.

BMI Category

Below 18.5 Underweight

18.5 – 24.9 Healthy

25.0 – 29.9 Overweight

30.0 – 39.9 Obese

Over 40 Morbidly obese

Your Weight Loss Attempts

If your efforts to lose weight by applying diet and exercise have been unsuccessful, and you have been unable to achieve or maintain a beneficial level of weight loss for at least 6 months. After the necessary tests have been performed and after consultation with your doctor, you can also qualify for weight loss surgery.

Your Health and Fitness

You are usually fit and healthy and without any medical condition that may make it impossible to be administered an anesthetic or that may make the surgery dangerous for you. You also need to be fit enough to fully recover from surgery. If you meet these requirements, you may also be eligible for weight loss surgery.

Your Understanding

You must be fully aware of your weight loss surgery options as well as understand the commitment to long-term changes after surgery, such as lifestyle changes and regular check-ups. In order for you to qualify for weight loss surgery, it is necessary that you thoroughly understand these situations.

Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a medical term for a combination of high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. It is also an important parameter that indicates whether you are qualified for weight loss surgery. It puts you at greater risk of heart disease, stroke, and other cases that affect the blood vessels. Metabolic surgery applies a set of weight loss surgery to treat and cure diabetes and other weight-related problems in some overweight patients that may not strictly meet the criteria of morbid obesity.

Your Mental Health

In order to qualify for weight loss surgery, it is necessary to follow some guidelines. Weight loss surgery is unlikely to be suggested if a mental health condition or other underlying factor meant you would be unable to commit to long-term lifestyle changes.

Weight loss after surgery depends on your capability to change behaviors in eating and exercise. Also, being in good mental health is important for the demands of following your weight loss treatment plan. Your medical team’s purposes are to identify psychological or behavioral risk factors, address any issues, and decide whether you’re ready for weight loss surgery. Your expert healthcare team will talk with you about the following:

Motivation – Are you motivated to adopt lifestyle changes, set goals, and educate yourself about healthy nutrition? Your expert medical team will track your ability to follow suggested changes to your diet and exercise routine.

Weight-loss history – What dieting and exercise plans have you applied in the past to lose weight? Have you lost weight or gained weight? Patterns in weight loss and weight gain may help your team understand your challenges and suggest strategies for post-surgical plans.

Eating behaviors – Irregular eating behaviors or eating disorders might contribute to obesity. These involve binge eating, nighttime eating, and unplanned grazing between meals. Some eating disorders are connected with other mood disorders and other mental health conditions.

Mood disorders – Depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or other mood disorders are connected with obesity, and these conditions might make it difficult to manage your weight. Also, people with untreated mood disorders generally find it difficult to stick with new diets and exercise habits after weight loss surgery.

Alcohol and drug use – Issues with alcohol or drug use, as well as smoking, are connected with poor weight loss and continued substance use problems after weight loss surgery. Untreated or unmanaged problems likely prohibit the option of weight-loss operations.

Pre-operative Medical and Surgical Screening for Weight Loss Surgery

The pre-operative medical and surgical screening defines whether you are healthy and qualify enough for weight loss surgery. The screening includes a series of tests to rule out a medical problem as the cause of obesity.

Tests are also performed to define if you have any obesity-related diseases (such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, pulmonary disease, sleep apnea, vascular disease, or depression) and how these disorders affect your health. It’s important to note that patients with advanced heart or lung disease might not be appropriate surgical candidates. Some of the pre-operative tests that might be needed include:

Cardiac clearance

Abdominal ultrasound

Chest x-ray

Medical clearance

Echocardiogram (ECG)

Blood tests including a complete blood count (CBC), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), cortisol, creatinine, electrolytes, prolactin, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)

Electrocardiogram (EKG)

Liver function tests

Sleep study

Pulmonary function tests

Upper gastrointestinal (GI) evaluation

Pre-operative Nutrition Screening and Diet Counseling for Weight Loss Surgery

Pre-operative nutrition screening is focused on changing your eating behaviors and food selection practices. This aids you more easily adjusting to your postoperative diet and achieving the best results possible from weight loss surgery.

During nutrition screening, a dietitian from the medical team will evaluate your weight loss history and current eating behaviors by applying a weight and diet history questionnaire. You’ll also keep a food diary to record your daily consumption and learn the principles of dietary progression, protein and fluid needs, and lifelong vitamin and mineral supplementation.

What Are the Risks of Weight Loss Surgery?

All surgical procedures have risks, particularly when the patient is morbidly obese. You need to learn this information at the time of qualifying for weight loss surgery. Different surgical procedures include different risks, and depending upon your personal circumstances, your risks might be higher or lower than average. It’s also important to know that bariatric surgeons with more experience performing weight loss surgery methods report fewer complications. The potential risks of surgery will be communicated to you by your bariatric surgeon at Healthy Türkiye so that you can make an informed choice. You can evaluate this situation together with your specialist.

The Study of Qualification for Weight Loss Surgery

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) analyzed the long-term outcomes of weight loss surgery among severely obese patients. The study, which followed participants for up to ten years, found that weight loss surgery not only led to significant and sustained weight loss but also resulted in a substantial improvement in various obesity-related health conditions, such as diabetes and sleep apnea. The research demonstrated the importance of proper patient selection and counseling to ensure the best results. This study reinforces the significance of a thorough qualification process and emphasizes that weight loss surgery is a viable and effective option for individuals facing severe obesity and related health risks.

Is Weight Loss Surgery Right for You?

The key to avoiding regaining weight after bariatric surgery is education and counseling on diet, health behaviors, and exercise. Attend follow-up appointments with your doctor, dietitian, and psychologist Professionals are able to help you identify the emotional triggers and underlying issues that may lead to regaining weight and managing them effectively.

A team of expert doctors, nurses, and other specialists will help you determine whether this is an appropriate option for you. The process the expert team applies to determine if you’re ready for weight loss surgery is also there to help you make an informed decision. You will need to consider the benefits and risks, follow through with pre-surgery and post-surgery plans, and make a lifelong commitment to a new nutrition and exercise program.

Healthy Türkiye will always be with you on your journey to qualify for weight loss surgery and will be your planner at all stages.