The following are key factors that can determine whether you may be a candidate for gastric sleeve surgery:
BMI Range and Gastric Sleeve Candidacy
Could you be a candidate for gastric sleeve surgery based on your BMI range? This weight loss surgery may be an option if your body mass index (BMI) is at least 40, indicating that you’re significantly overweight. A BMI of 35 coupled with a chronic weight-related health condition like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or sleep apnea may also qualify you for this surgical procedure. Weighing your options between gastric bypass and gastric sleeve surgery? Your weight and BMI might make you a more suitable candidate for the latter.
Overall Health and the Gastric Sleeve
Your overall health is a critical factor in deciding if you’re a candidate for gastric sleeve surgery. If you have weight-related health problems but can withstand the physical demands of the surgical procedure, you could be a suitable candidate. Our healthcare professionals will delve into your medical history and current health status, conducting necessary tests to ensure your ability to handle the surgery and recovery.
How to Be a Candidate for Gastric Sleeve: Commitment to Diet Maintenance
Becoming a candidate for weight loss surgery such as gastric sleeve requires a long-term commitment to maintaining a specific diet. Overeating can stretch your new, smaller stomach and lead to weight regain. Our dietitians can guide you through a plan that fulfills your dietary requirements and optimizes nutrition. This commitment involves several crucial guidelines including mindful eating, managing liquid intake with meals, staying hydrated, and avoiding nutritionally poor, calorie-dense foods.
Some of these guidelines include:
- Chew everything well before swallowing. Your dietitian will help you develop this healthy habit so that you become a more mindful eater before you have gastric sleeve surgery.
- Consume food and drink separately. You won’t have a lot of room in there. And extra liquid with food will make you feel full too fast, which may prevent your ability to get proper nutrition.
- Drink a liquid 30 minutes before each meal. Hydration is also vital to health. And before gastric sleeve surgery, you get a lot of liquid from food that you’ll no longer consume after gastric sleeve surgery. So developing this healthy habit ensures that you still get adequate water for healthy kidneys, liver, skin, and every part of your body.
- Avoid calorie-packed foods and drinks that have little nutritional value. You’ll be eating much less after gastric sleeve surgery, so you need to ensure you have room for wholesome foods. That won’t leave much room for anything else.
- As an important side note, some people are moderators by nature and others are abstainers. If you’re a moderator, then you may be able to occasionally and selectively have junk food. But, and this is a big BUT: If you have trouble moderating, as is the case for most patients who have the chronic illness obesity, you’re likely an abstainer. That means you will be most successful abstaining completely because once you get a taste, you have trouble stopping.
People often say “Everything in moderation.” But this philosophy doesn’t work well for people who have trouble moderating. If you need to abstain to be healthy, you need to make that commitment to yourself. That often means never buying things you shouldn’t eat or drink. Just keep them out of your house. You learn these techniques pre-surgery to give you the tools to keep your commitment.
Commitment To Exercise Post-Gastric Sleeve
Exercise is an integral part of successful weight loss attempts post-surgery. As a candidate for bariatric surgery, you should be ready to commit to regular physical activity. Our team of exercise physiologists, trained specifically to assist bariatric patients, can provide you with the support you need.
Nutritional Supplements and Gastric Sleeve Candidacy
Since your post-surgery stomach will have a significantly reduced capacity for food, you will need to take multiple vitamin and mineral supplements for the rest of your life. This willingness to commit to necessary supplementation is an essential aspect of being a candidate for gastric sleeve.
Psychological Readiness: A Key Factor in Gastric Sleeve Candidacy
The question, “Am I a candidate for gastric sleeve surgery?” goes beyond physical health; psychological readiness plays a crucial role too. Post-surgery, you may need to change how you manage stress, particularly if you’ve been prone to overeating. Additionally, your relationships may shift. Our behavioral counselors are available to help you navigate these psychological challenges as part of your preparation for the surgery.
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