The effect of increased body mass index (BMI) on the short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) is controversial. We aimed to evaluate the influence of BMI on intraoperative and early postoperative outcomes in patients with LDG for gastric cancer (GC). Eighty-six patients who underwent LDG for GC were included in this study retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups as normal weighted (BMI=18.5-24.9 kg/m2, n=29) and overweighted-obese (BMI≥25 kg/m2, n=57). Preoperative and intraoperative data, postoperative outcomes were retrospectively analyzed and compared between the two groups. The preoperative data were similar between the groups. The rate of the history of previous abdominal surgery (19.3% to 3.4%, p=0.05) and the median preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels (1.7 ng/ml to 1 ng/ml, p=0.06) were higher in the overweighted-obese group but the differences were not significant. There were no significant differences in intraoperative data and early postoperative outcomes between the groups but the rate of postoperative serious complications (12.3% to 6.9%, p=0.71), the reoperation rate (10.5% to 6.9%, p=0.71), and 90-day-mortality rate (5.3% to 0%, p=0.5) were higher in the overweighted-obese group. Although the rates of postoperative serious com- plications, reoperation, and mortality were higher in the overweighted-obese patients, BMI had no significant effect on intraoperative and early postoperative outcomes in patients who underwent LDG for GC. LDG for GC is a feasible and safe approach for overweighted-obese patients.