Q: With summer coming up, I’m exasperated. I’ve tried everything to lose weight but just can’t seem to make any of the diets work for me. Does that make me a candidate for the new weight loss surgeries? —Karen Matthews, Chicago, IL

A: You probably can’t fit into the dress you wore to your high school graduation, and that’s to be expected. As we age, we gain weight more easily and have a harder time losing it (especially after childbirth). If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you know how hard it can be. So more than ever, women like you are considering weight loss surgery to lose the extra pounds.

Some weight problems are more severe than others—it’s harder on your body to be obese than overweight. It’s estimated that one in three American adults are obese—defined as a body-mass index (or BMI) of 30 or more (to calculate your BMI, check our chart). Obesity is more than a nuisance; it raises your risks of heart attack, cancer or other serious health problems. When the cornerstones of losing weight—diet, exercise and counseling—just don’t work, weight loss surgery (or bariatric surgery) is sometimes appropriate.

If you’re overweight, it’s always smart to try diet and exercise first. But if your weight problem is out of control, weight loss surgery may be an option for you.


Bariatric surgery isn’t for everyone and should be considered only when other weight loss methods have failed and your weight problem is serious. In most cases, you should have a BMI of 40 or more—that’s weighing 235 pounds for a 5-foot, 4-inch woman.

One form of bariatric surgery, gastric bypass surgery, has grown immensely popular—with a 740% increase between 1998 and 2003 in the number of adults having this procedure. Rates are highest among older baby boomers where obesity surgeries for people between ages 55 and 64 in the U.S. have increased by as much as 2,000%! Still, the surgery remains rarer than the media makes it appear—only about 1% of all Americans have had the procedure.


While weight loss surgery is now more common than ever, it’s still not risk free. One study released last year showed that about four of every 10 gastric bypass patients develop complications within six months of surgery—and about two in 10 develop problems while still hospitalized, after surgery.

Although death is rare, some of the potential complications are serious, like respiratory failure, infections or pneumonia. About 12% of patients develop “dumping syndrome,” which occurs when food moves too quickly from the stomach to the small intestine, potentially causing cramps, nausea, and vomiting. These complications and others bring 7% of all patients who have the surgery back to the hospital for readmission.


If you’re a candidate for this surgery, you need to follow your healthcare provider’s advice closely, including the detailed instructions about what to eat and how often to eat. And remember—the surgery isn’t a one-time fix to an ongoing problem. To succeed, you still need to make the diet and other lifestyle changes to sustain the weight loss.

Before you sign up, do your homework. Talk to your healthcare provider and to the surgeon who would perform the operation. Make sure you—and your family—know what to expect both before and after the procedure. If you qualify for insurance coverage, find out what is covered and under what conditions. Finally, make sure you know what to do if there are complications.

Make sure you know how the surgery will help, learn the risks and benefits and understand your options. Be involved in your healthcare by talking with your clinician about the potential surgery—and remember that your active involvement in losing weight, no matter what option you choose, may save your life.