Answering
this question may give you the courage you need to take
the first step. Below are tools you can use to determine
if you are morbidly obese and potentially a candidate
for weight loss surgery.
There are several medically accepted
criteria for defining morbid obesity. You are likely
morbidly obese if you are:
more than 100 lbs. over your
Ideal Body Weight, or
have a Body Mass Index (BMI)
over 40, or
have a BMI over 35 and are experiencing
severe negative health effects, such as high blood
pressure or diabetes, related to being severely overweight
unable to achieve a healthy body
weight for a sustained period of time, even through
medically supervised dieting
Select your ideal body
weight, or select your height and weight to calculate
your BMI. The results of the BMI calculations are
displayed below. Note that these are approximate
values, and are intended to be used only as a rough
guide.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood
Institute proposes that Body Mass Index be used in assessing
weight. The body mass index is simple. It describes your
weight relative to your height and can be applied to
both men and women. It is an estimate of your total body
fat. The BMI score means the following:
