Severe obesity is a chronic disease that affects millions of Americans. As noted by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, 64 million adults in the US are obese. Typically, severe obesity is defined as being greater than 100 pounds above your ideal body weight or having a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher. Calculate your BMI to see if you are a candidate for bariatric surgery.
Obesity-related health conditions can significantly reduce life expectancy. These conditions can include Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, depression and infertility. For a complete list of obestiy related health conditions, see slide 2 below.
For the vast majority of severely obese people, diets and medications only help with temporary weight loss. Patients usually regain all and sometimes additional weight. Unsupervised medical treatment of this chronic disease is difficult and often unsuccessful.