Bariatric surgery is a potentially lifesaving tool that can help you make real, long-lasting changes to your health and weight. Bariatric surgery changes the body's physiology, including the hormone signaling that causes excessive hunger and cravings for certain foods.

To be eligible for bariatric surgery, you must:

• Have a history of trying other diet methods unsuccessfully, including medically supervised dieting.
• Have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or more (100 pounds or more overweight) or have a BMI of 35 with one or more weight-related conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

Most insurance plans cover bariatric surgery when used to correct serious medical conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure. However, insurance plans vary regarding requirements for surgery and the amount of coverage provided. Our expert insurance verification team can help you check your plan's bariatric coverage. Metabolic and bariatric surgery is also a health expense that you can deduct from your income tax.

Weight loss varies depending on the type of procedure performed, plus other factors like your health and weight before surgery and how well you adopt new eating and exercise habits after your procedure. Usually, you can expect to lose weight quickly during the first few months and then pounds are shed more slowly. Maximum loss is typically about 60-85 percent of excess weight and takes about 12 to 18 months.

Your hospital stay depends on the type of surgery you have. Typically, hospital stays after surgery are one to two days. After you leave the hospital, you'll be able to take care of your personal needs but will require help with other tasks, such as driving, lifting, and caring for children.

Your time away from your job depends on the type of surgery you have and the kind of work you do. Generally, you can expect to take two to four weeks off work following your surgery. During that time, your focus will be on establishing healthy eating and drinking habits. You should be back to regular activities in three to five weeks.

After you've attended our informational webinar and are ready to proceed, the next step will be an appointment with a surgeon. This appointment will take about two hours. Your surgeon's team will perform an extensive physical and evaluate your medical history to determine if you are a candidate for surgery.

It's important to remember that weight loss surgery is a tool to help you lose weight, but keeping the weight off will depend on changing your eating and exercise habits for the rest of your life. That's why we offer a mind-and-body approach to surgical weight loss. Our team of experts will partner with you to help you adjust to the physical and emotional changes you can expect after your surgery.

We strongly recommend that women wait at least 12 to 18 months after surgery before becoming pregnant. It's safer for both you and the baby to hold off pregnancy until your nutritional needs have stabilized.