Your Body Mass Index, commonly abbreviated BMI, is a function of your height and your weight. Your BMI is used to determine if you fall into underweight, healthy weight, overweight, obese or morbidly obese categories, which helps to determine candidacy for weight loss surgery.
While the body mass index is not the best possible tool for measuring appropriate weight for an individual, it is the simplest and most widely used calculation.
The equation is spelled out at the bottom of this page, for those who are interested. This page also has a BMI calculator (upper right) to make it easier to find your number.
The index breaks people out into categories along the following scale:
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Under 18.5: Underweight.
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18.5-24.9: Healthy Weight.
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25-29.9: Overweight. An individual at this range is at greater risk of weight-related health conditions, but is not a candidate for weight loss surgery.
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30-34.9: Obese. An obese individual is at a greater risk for weight related health conditions. If he or she has already been diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea or other health conditions, that person may be a candidate for adjustable gastric band surgery, but insurance probably would not cover it.
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35-39.9: Severely Obese. A person in this category is at significant risk for developing health conditions. If those conditions already exist, some insurance plans may pay for weight loss surgery.
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40+: Morbidly Obese. At the higher end of the Body Mass Index, individuals are at great risk of weight-related conditions and an increasked risk of early death by 50 percent, compared to people who are not obese. Many insurance plans pay for lap band surgery in this range.
If your calculation came back greater than 30, download our free weight loss surgery info kit by filling out the form at the top of this page. It contains information about both major brands of adjustable gastric band, and it will help you learn how weight loss surgery can help you lose weight and get more of life.