America faces an obesity epidemic. At least two out of every three American adults is considered to be overweight or obese. One in three American adults has been officially classified as being obese. Nearly one in 20 have been called excessively or morbidly obese. If you have tried to lose weight by changing your diet or by working out more and have not succeeded, a gastric bypass procedure may be right for you.

• Do These Things Before the Surgery:
  Talk to your doctor. If you have a body mass index (BMI) that is 35 or more, you may qualify for a gastric bypass procedure. Extreme obesity is defined by having a BMI of 40 or above and classic obesity is someone with a BMI from 35 to 39.9. If you suffer from other issues such as type 2 Diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure) or sleep apnea, you may want to consider surgery.
  Know what to expect from the surgery. If you primary care physician agrees that a gastric bypass procedure might be for you, they will send you to see an expert in bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgeons are the specialists who perform the surgery. There are several options for gastric bypass. Go over your options. They may need you to undergo psychological and nutritional counseling before your procedure. This is serious surgery so make sure you really understand what will happen. Ask a lot of questions. Some people do not succeed because they do not take the time to really understand what they are getting themselves into.
  Prepare yourself before the surgery. If you are told to get therapy and nutritional counseling, do it. This may be counterintuitive but many people who are slated to undergo a gastric bypass procedure have to lose weight before they can have it. Because this is a big surgery, it can be very hard on your body. This is why many bariatric surgeons require their patients lose weight before having surgery. It is also important to be psychologically ready to undergo such a big operation.
  Prepare your home before the surgery. Get rid of the foods you are not going to want to eat after surgery. You will have to follow a different diet after your weight loss surgery. Stock your home with the foods that will be easy for you to eat after the surgery. Talk to your family and friends about what your other needs will be after your operation.

Do These Thing After Your Surgery

• Walk as soon as you can. It is important to start moving as soon as you can after any big operation. Start by walking down the hall in the hospital. Walk around your home when you get out. Make a daily walk part of your routine. This will help your recovery and is a good habit to start.
• Follow your post-operative diet. That is worth repeating. FOLLOW YOUR POST-OP DIET. Few things are more important than this. Regardless of the kind of gastric bypass procedure you had, whether it was a gastric sleeve or a gastric lap band, the area in your body that holds food is smaller and you need to pay close attention to how much you eat. Be careful, too, about how much liquid you consume. This is a big deal because you can get yourself very sick by eating too much. People have, over time, expanded the pouch that is left after surgery. Not only does this negate the point of the procedure but it can be very uncomfortable in the beginning.
• Think positive thoughts. There will be days or times when things will not seem to be going your way. Talk to people who have been through the procedure and see how they dealt with the down times after surgery. You are not the first or last person to undergo this procedure. If you cannot find people locally to talk to, go online.

Having a gastric bypass procedure is one step towards leading a healthier life. Your work does not stop on surgery day. To be successful, you need to change the way you look at food and exercise. To maintain your weight loss you need to revise the way you eat and include working out in your daily life.