It may be a wording thing. Sic your bariatric office team on him. The way my pulmonary worded it was 'I don't give clearance. What I do is tell them that you don't have any issues that would put you at a greater risk in surgery than someone else'. Plus, the guy just sounds like a jerk.
You're already doing the first part by researching and considering surgery. So Step 1 - done! It will probably be very unnatural to put yourself first and take more steps to get yourself healthier. Do you have support at home?