Losing too much weight before surgery

[Shea 13]

Okay. I'm on the 6 month supervised diet. (Forgive me if this subject has already been asked). I have been doing well with the supervised diet. If I do too well with that make the insurance company think "Oh she's doing great on her own, she doesnt need surgery" or will they still approve me because I followed the prerequisites of the insurance? Even if I lose 40 pounds I will still have a BMI over 40 but I'm just nervous they will think I can finish the weight loss on my own. I dont want to set myself up. Thanks.

Shea

[Erika78 1]

Its so funny that you are asking this questions today, cause I was thinking the same thing! I see all these people on here talking about losing weight before surgery and I was wondering if everyone was told to do this or what? My doctor never said anything about losing weight before. I also want to kinow the same thing about insurance cause if I lose anything I will be below the 40 bmi.

Okay. I'm on the 6 month supervised diet. (Forgive me if this subject has already been asked). I have been doing well with the supervised diet. If I do too well with that make the insurance company think "Oh she's doing great on her own, she doesnt need surgery" or will they still approve me because I followed the prerequisites of the insurance? Even if I lose 40 pounds I will still have a BMI over 40 but I'm just nervous they will think I can finish the weight loss on my own. I dont want to set myself up. Thanks.

Shea

[notfat 1]

My doctor told me that the only thing that matters is your weight at the very first visit with him/her. I also had a concern about this because my BMI was exactly 40 and if I lost it would drop below 40. He re-assured me to do the best I could and it didn't matter if I lost 10 or 100 pounds. It is just a pre req for most insurance companies.

Good luck on the journey!

[TaraLynneRN 0]

Hey, I am glad I am not the only one stressing about this!! My BMI is 37, and for some reason ever since the seminar and scheduled surgical consult (12th) I have lost 5 lbs. I found myself eating a couple of small bags of chips tonight after I weighed myself because I am afraid I will lose too much for the surgery. My mom said "well maybe you don't need the surgery, and can do it yourself". But I know my routine - for 20 years, I can always lose that 10-15 lbs, unfortunately, it always creeps back up on me before I realize it!! So if as "Brit" says, the official weight starts with my initial appointment, I only have 3 days to go. Woo Hoo! Can't wait. Thanks for the information.

[HeatherinCA 10]

I wouldn't worry, just think of it as a jumpstart! it'll be EXTREMELY helpful knowing you can stick to a diet after surgery.

[Rachel412 116]

I was expected to lose 5% of my weight before surgery, but the doctor said if I lost more than that it wouldn't have any bearing on my ability to get the surgery.

[Papillon Princess 13]

I was told the only weight that they're going off of is your consultation weight. The more weight you lose, the better! If you go under the BMI, you're showing your commitment. I was hoping to lose more than I did during the 6 months but only pulled off about 13 lbs. Don't worry about losing too much!

[Shea 13]

Thank you for all your advice, and you guys said the same thing my doctor said yesterday. She said that she wondered the same thing at first, and as other people have come to her for the 6 month supervised diet she has found out that it doesnt hurt you to lose a lot because in reality that's what the insurance company wants to see. She said they know people can lose the weight it's the maintenance that is the concern because most people regain their weight. She said so dont worry, work hard, and when you work hard the insurance company will say "this is the candidate that will be perfect for the band because she's willing to do what it takes to lose and maintain, and therefore will be sucessful. The insurance company doesnt mind paying if they are sure the patient is going to be sucessful and make the band work for them" I'm so encouraged to teach myself to eat less, and exercise now, so when I get banded it will be a lot easier on me. Good luck to everyone.

[slm2007 7]

It's only your weight from your initial visit....if you lose 50 pounds in 6 months, awesome! I was scared of the same exact thing and the doctors office told me that it goes by the initial weight....they don't want to see a weight gain, as that might be an issue with your "dedication" to the lifestyle change.