Typical candidates for a bariatric surgery procedure, including lap band surgery and adjustable gastric banding, are people who remain severely obese after conventional approaches to weight loss such as diet and exercise, or who have an obesity-related disease. For other patients, however, greater efforts toward weight control, such as changing eating habits, behavior modification and increasing physical activity, may be more appropriate. If you are considering undergoing gastric bypass surgery or bariatric lap band surgery, you should understand bariatric surgery risks and rewards .
To be eligible for a bariatric surgery procedure, like adjustable gastric banding or lap band surgery, you must be morbidly obese (weighing at least 100 pounds over your ideal body weight and having a BMI of at least 40). You may also qualify for the procedure with a BMI of 35 to 40 if other serious illnesses, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, or sleep apnea, are present.
