Diagnosis Information:
Obesity Overview

Morbid obesity is a chronic condition that can be very difficult to treat despite exhaustive efforts with diets, exercise, medications, and behavior modification. Surgery is an option for some people who have not had durable weight loss with these treatment strategies and are approximately 75-100 pounds or more overweight. The Program for Weight Management (PWM) is a multidisciplinary group of surgeons, physicians, physician assistants, dietitians, and nurses who specialize in the treatment of overweight individuals. We offer surgery for appropriate individuals meeting the nationally accepted criteria for surgical treatment of obesity. After surgery, patients are supported with routine follow-up visits with the surgeon, one-on-one counseling sessions with a nutritionist, bi-monthly interactive group sessions for the surgical patient and those considering surgery, and exercise program designed by an exercise physiologist for the interested patient.

Who Qualifies for Surgical Treatment of Obesity 
Surgery may be appropriate for an individual with a body mass index of 40 or greater. The Body Mass Index (BMI) is defined as the weight measured in kilograms divided by one's height measured in meters and squared. Patients who have a BMI of 35-40 may also be appropriate surgical candidates if they have weight-related conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease. A BMI of 35 corresponds to being approximately 75 pounds overweight and BMI of 40 corresponds to being 100 pounds overweight.

Links 
National Institutes of Health link to gastric surgery for severe obesity
BWH Program for Weight Management (PWM)