Bariatric Surgery: Find a Bariatric Surgeon

• Gastric bypass surgery – The stomach is divided into two sections, forming a small pouch of less than one ounce that serves as the “new” stomach. This limits the amount of food intake. It also provides a feeling of fullness and satisfaction with smaller portions. A part of the small intestine is also bypassed limiting food and caloric absorption.
• Gastric sleeve surgery – About 85 percent of the stomach is removed so that it takes the shape of a tube or sleeve.
• Lap-Band^® surgery – An adjustable band is placed around the top portion of the stomach. The band can be tightened like a belt to form a small pouch that serves as a new, much-smaller stomach, essentially restricting the amount a person can eat before feeling full.

Bariatric surgery isn't necessarily the best solution for everyone. It's only one option. The following criteria are required:

• You have a BMI of 40 or higher.
• OR, you have a BMI of 35 to 39.9 with other medical complications such as Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease or osteoarthritis. If you don't know what your BMI is, talk to your doctor or use the BMI calculator.
• You're between the ages of 18 and 75.
• Psychologically, you're in a relatively healthy place.
• Besides losing weight, you're also committed to making lifestyle changes. 

If you're not an ideal candidate for bariatric surgery, you may want to consider our non-surgical weight loss program.

When combined with a comprehensive treatment plan, bariatric surgery may often act as an effective tool to provide you with long term weight-loss and help you increase your quality of health. It has been shown to help improve or resolve many obesity-related conditions, such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and more. Frequently, individuals who improve their weight find themselves taking less and less medications to treat their obesity-related conditions.