Be Honest...keeping BMI and weight the same for surgery

[Nikki Monroe 71]

I am in the pre-op stage and I have lost a few pounds. I read that some people didnt want to lose too much weight because they didn't want to be denied by their insurance company. When I told my husband that I was considering doing this , he said he disagreed with me not losing weight on purpose. He feels I should lose as much weight possible, regardless if I am approved for surgery or not. Did anyone keep their weight or BMI the same so that they could have surgery? Is it considered to be selfish?

I was told that once you are approved by your insurance company that you can not go back to being denied because you lost weight. Surgeons tend to want you to be as small as possible so that they have more room to move around in during surgery. Once you are approved, don't worry about it. Lose the weight of you can. If will only make your journey easier on you to get to your goal. I would talk to your doctors office for confirmation. Good luck!

[Michelle Tarver 62]

I have been told in no uncertain terms by the NUT,and the Surgeon NOT to lose anymore weight pre op or I would be denied by my insurance. I do not have any co-morbidities. So my BMI has to be above 40

It's pretty screwed up honestly.

Could I continue to lose more weight with out the surgery...yes....i have lost 50 or more pound 3 or 4 times...but can I keep it off? No, no I can not. So I will play the insurance companies game.Keep my BMI in aproval range till I can hve surgery in Feb.

I spoke to my brother in law who has had an R-n-Y for 15 years. His advice was " Be selfish, do this for YOU" It is the best thing I ever did for MYSELF.

[woo woo 872]

Do whatever they tell you to do in order to get approved. The end.

If anything he is being selfish by messing with you in this manner.

Going forward, I would consider not talking in depth about this with him. Keep him aware of what you are doing, generally, but keep the discussion to a minimum. It's obvious that he's not yet in a place where he can give you his true support. Right now he's giving you false or fake support. Otherwise known as lipservice.

Talk to us on this board or to other friends when you need to talk details. We totally get it and understand the process and the struggles.

[laura4923 137]

Talk to your surgeon....he/she will know the BMI cut off for your insurance as it relates to you and your co morbidities. I knew at my first appointment how much weight I could lose!

[MiamiBlue13 16]

I am self pay so I will still be approved by the surgeon if I go a little lower. I went from for 40 to 39 bmi during the first week of pre op. I think you should actually work on the proper pre-op diet to increase the chance of pre op success-which means you will drop a few lbs. Wear tons of clothes for the weigh in, wear all your jewelry, an actual pound of makeup, lean to right if it's an old fashion scale, think heavy thoughts, put you hands on your hips????????

[StephBtoo 28]

How far out are you from surgery? If you are talking a couple of weeks, you won't lose that much weight between now and then... most insurance companies look for a BMI of 40. If you are talking months then find out what your insurance companies rules are. The way I understand it, losing weight right before the surgery is important to reduce the size of your liver so they have more room to move around in there... My BMI is 40.7 and my doctor told me to lose 5-7 lbs by doing the preop diet 2 weeks before surgery. 5-7 lbs won't drop me out but should help with my liver size.

Not trying to sound harsh or anything (typing doesn't convey feelings/emotions/tone of voice very well), but your husband may need to be better educated about exactly what you are planning to put yourself through... this is in NO WAY easier than the old diet and exercise routine others without a weight problem seem to think is a cure all for all fat people -- if that were true none of us would be here!!! This is likely to be the most difficult thing you will ever do for yourself -- and the most rewarding!!

[Liza001 10]

I was told not to loose any weight until after approval. Now I'm approved and in pre op I am now loosing on the pre op diet

[peaceout 273]

As others have said, this is something you need to find out from your insurance company. My policy was very clearly worded that I had to have a BMI at or above 40.0 on the day of surgery, and also had to do a 6-month diet beforehand.

So yes, during that 6-month program, once my BMI got to 41, I had to stop losing weight and just maintain for the last 2 months. This was so any weight lost during the 2-week pre-op diet (many do liquids, I just had a calorie/carb limit) didn't put my BMI below 40.

It does seem like a strange game to play, but I had to do what was necessary to have my surgery. And making sure that you qualify is a huge deal, and no more "selfish" than deciding to get control of your life and your health and putting yourself first for once.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

My surgeon submitted my insurance approval based on my initial weigh in, NOT on my weight after I followed my 6 month process. Ask your doctor and your insurance company which weight you "qualify" with and go from there.

[Debbie Jean 406]

What do YOU think you should do? [/quote

The most weight I've lost before is 13 pounds, just to gain it back and then some. I've tried WW plus I am at times an emotional eater. My PCP suggested WLS and I do feel I need it. I'm 5'7 and between 303-307 pounds. I'm ready for a change and I feel that WLS will be a tool to help me gain more control of my life. My husband says he is behind me having WLS but he feels its an easy way out. He said I should do my best to lose weight and that I shouldn't keep my weight at what it currently is just so I can have surgery. I'm going to go thru with the surgery if my insurance approves me but I wanted to know if I was making the right decisions.

Based on your stats you currently have a BMI of 47+ so you could lose 40 lbs and still have a BMI of over 40 which is for many insurance companies the cut off for approval without co-morbidities. But call and find out the exact BMI requirements for YOUR policy... which weight they use and what BMI you need to present with.

I think you are safe to start a weight reduction program using some of the techniques you will likely have post surgery. Small bites, chewing longer, increased Protein, more Water, etc. If you start developing good habits now not only will you be healthier for surgery... always a good thing... but it will make the post op transition to a new eating protocol so much easier.

This is such an exciting time for you!!

Edited August 5, 2015 by Debbie Jean