Practice guidelines from the Canadian Obesity Network, an association of researchers and physicians, recommend weight-loss surgery only for clinically obese patients with a body-mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher (say, someone 5-foot-6 who’s at least 247 pounds), or a BMI of 35 (216 pounds for that same person) with at least two weight-related medical conditions, such as hypertension japan lingzhi 2 day diet and diabetes. The B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons and some others recommend that stand-alone clinics doing gastric banding cut off patients with a BMI below 35, or 30 if there are other health conditions.

Three former employees, two of whom now work for Slimband’s competition, claimed that Slimband accepted clients, including actresses and body-builders, who were not obese, though they cited no such patients who suffered medical problems or were left unhappy.

“If they were under the [recommended] weight percentile, they’d have to speak to the doctor, who would say yea or nay, and all the time he’d say ‘yes,’ ” said one former sales worker, who isn’t currently working for a rival firm. “It would freak me out.”

Posing as interested patients, National Post super slim pomegranate reporters contacted representatives of four different private weight-loss clinics, reporting a normal-range BMI of 25 or 26, but also a history of fluctuating into obese territory and a desire to prevent serious weight gain from returning.

Representatives at Toronto-based CIBO Clinic said their surgeon would “definitely not” operate on someone with a BMI of 25, though he might make an exception for a 29. Vancouver’s False Creek Health Centre said no one with a BMI of under 30 would qualify, adding, “It’s done for medical purposes, not just to lose weight.”