Weight Loss Surgery

Overview 

Options for Treatment of Obesity

Most non-surgical weight loss programs are based on some combination of diet/behavior modification and regular exercise. Unfortunately, even the most effective interventions have proven to be effective for only a small percentage of patients. It is estimated that less than 5% of individuals who participate in non-surgical weight loss programs will lose a significant amount of weight and maintain that loss for a long period of time.

According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 90% of all people in these programs regain their weight within one year. Sustained weight loss for patients who are morbidly obese is even harder to achieve. Serious health risks have been identified for people who move from diet to diet, subjecting their bodies to a severe and continuing cycle of weight loss and gain known as "yo-yo dieting."

The fact remains that morbid obesity is a complex, multifactorial chronic disease.

For many patients, the risk of death from not having the surgery is greater than the risks from the possible complications of having the procedure.

BMC offers numerous options for weight loss including:

Weight Loss Surgery
Diet & Behavior Modification, through our Nutrition and Weight Management service 
Over-the-Counter & Prescription Drugs, through our Nutrition and Weight Management service

Weight Loss Surgery

Weight loss surgery is major surgery. Its growing use to treat morbid obesity is the result of three factors:

• Our current knowledge of the significant health risks of morbid obesity
  
  
• The relatively low risk and complications of the procedures versus not having the surgery
  
  
• The ineffectiveness of current non-surgical approaches to produce sustained weight loss

Surgery should be viewed first and foremost as a method for alleviating debilitating, chronic disease. In most cases, the minimum qualification for consideration as a candidate for the procedure is 100 lbs. above ideal body weight or those with a Body Mass Index of 40 or greater. Occasionally a procedure will be considered for someone with a BMI of 35 or higher if the patient's physician determines that obesity-related health conditions have resulted in a medical need for weight reduction and, in the doctor's opinion, surgery appears to be the only way to accomplish the targeted weight loss.

More important, however, is the commitment on the part of the patient to required, long-term follow-up care. Surgeons at Boston Medical Center require patients to demonstrate serious motivation and a clear understanding of the extensive dietary, exercise and medical guidelines that must be followed for the remainder of their lives after having weight loss surgery.