Minimum Weight to Lose

Hi all, I have a question for you.  My sister recently had her surgery and just went to see the nurse 5 weeks post op and the nurse told her that in order to be considered for the surgery you have to have to lose 100+ pounds.  At my first weigh-in I was wanting to lose 80.  Does anyone know if there is a minimum amount of weight that is needed to be lost to have the surgery? I am really hoping they don't kick me out. 

Thanks. 

It is based on your BMI ( and existing medical issues related to being overweight). Maybe your sister needs to lose 100 pounds based on her BMI. 

Two reasons for weight loss prior to surgery. 1) The liver needs to be able to move out of the way for the surgical implements . If it is too fatty they cannot move it and therefore cannot do surgery. 2)  They want to see the patient has the right mind set to continue down the post op path. By losing weight prior to the surgery it proves you are in the right mindset to continue and are serious in this life style change

I've heard that reasoning before, and that may be the reasoning at some centres (that losing weight before surgery proves we're in the right mindset or "serious"), but I personally don't believe it "proves" anything of the sort. If we were able to lose weight without surgery then none of us would have needed surgery. I think most us have "been in the right mindset" a hundred times before on every diet known to humanity before we had surgery. Luckily, the Toronto Western Hospital is not unreasonable enough to deny surgery to people who can't lose weight beforehand - they also assume that's why people are having the surgery, because they have tried and failed to lose weight (or maintain lost weight) without it. :) Unfortunately, at least one of the other centres is just that unreasonable.

I was not in the right mindset to lose weight before surgery, even though I was very serious about surgery and learning everything I could about the lifestyle changes and food rules I would have to follow afterwards. I was psyching myself up for surgery, and even had some food funerals. Everyone is different. Losing weight before surgery might work for some people in getting them into the swing of things, but I did fine after surgery even though I actually gained weight between orientation and the start of Optifast. Not suggesting that people SHOULD do that, but I also don't think that if people do gain weight before starting Opti that they should be considered to not be ready for surgery or not serious about it.

You have to have a BMI of 40 OR a BMI of 35 plus co-morbidities such as high blood pressure.  

Thanks for the info, currently my bmi is 42.9, I have high blood pressure, there is diabetes in my family and I am a cancer survivor.  

A year ago my cousin was turned down for the surgery her BMI was 39 and she has had high blood pressure for a number of years.  I was quite shocked when she told me she was turned down. 

She has reapplied and is waiting to get her orientation date. Keeping fingers crossed for her!! 

wow my BMI of 37 plus high blood presure got me approved and I was offered a surgery date after all the appointments, tests etc

When she was turned down they called and offered her the Optifast 12 week program. First time I had EVER heard of Humber offering the program. 

Here's hoping this time things will go her way!

That makes me mad, that hospitals are offering 12 week opti programs instead of surgery.

They know darn well that all of us have tried crash diets before (and sorry, but that's what optifast is - a crash diet), and that the vast, vast majority of people who do crash diets gain back most or all or more of the weight that they lost. This is just one more stalling tactic that will leave people's pocketbooks lighter, their bodies just as unhealthy, and their psyches battered yet one more time when they inevitably fail at yet another stupid diet that is ineffective in the long term (and even the medium term).

I just hate it when even the medical establishment buys into this crap.