Typical candidates for a bariatric surgery procedure are people who remain severely obese after conventional approaches to weight loss such as diet and exercise or who have an obesity-related comorbidities.
If you are a candidate for bariatric surgery, greater efforts toward weight control and maintenance, change of eating habits, behavior modification and increase in physical activity, is crucial if you are considering to undergo the surgery. You should understand the risks and benefits of the surgeries as well be aware of the responsibilities that come with such type of intervention.
Surgery should be considered as a treatment option for patients with a BMI of 40 or greater or 35-40 kg/m2 who present with obesity-related comorbid conditions, such as hypertension, impaired glucose tolerance, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and obstructive sleep apnea and for ones who attempted to lose weight but failed an adequate exercise and diet program (with or without drug therapy). A doctor–patient discussion of surgical options should include the long-term side effects, such as a possible need for reoperation, gallbladder disease, and malabsorption.
The International Diabetes Federation issued a position statement suggesting under some circumstances, people with a BMI 30–35kg/m2 should be eligible for surgery.