What Does The BMI Mean?

The BMI–or Body Mass Index– is one of many measurements that clinicians use to evaluate your overall risk for chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.   It is a calculation that takes into account the ratio of your weight to your height, which at the population level has been shown to correlate to disease risk.

• A BMI over 25 is considered to be ‘overweight’–meaning that there is shown to be an elevated risk of disease in groups of people at that BMI level.
• A BMI over 30 is considered to be obese, and suggests another cutoff point at which an even higher risk of disease is observed.

Who is a surgical candidate?

If your BMI is between 35-39.9 and you have co-morbid conditions, or medical problems, then you qualify for surgery based on your BMI.

If your BMI is over 40 then you qualify for surgery.  The exception to this is Medicare and TriCare.  If you have Medicare or Tricare you must have a major medical condition even if your BMI is over 40.