HELP! Not another weight loss program

[Heatgirl03 41]

My insurance requires that I have tried losing weight from a medical weight loss program within the last 12 months! Ugh.... I have tried so many things in the past (not within 12 months) and I have just given up. I have lost weight with numerous of programs which were very expensive and gained my weight back and then some. So do I now have to get a dietitian and spend more money trying to lose weight before they approve me for surgery??? So much money spent on things I've already tried for years! Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks in advance. I have Cigna (open access)

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[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

@@Heatgirl03

A medical weight loss program can be pretty cheap. All that means is you are seeing a dietician or nutritionist and having regularly scheduled visit for weighs with a doctor. It will be covered under co-pays and help you meet your out of pocket.

Where are you getting this information? Have you picked a doctor yet? The office where you are going to have surgery can best tell you what you have to do. If you have a high enough BMI a lot of these requirements are not necessary. A good Dr office can help speed the process along greatly.

[Heatgirl03 41]

I contacted the insurance company and I read their requirements, I have an appointment with a Dr on July 21st. I was thinking, oh no! I've spent so much money on weight loss programs and it was a lot of money weekly. Does the Dr generally have a dietitian that you see? My BMI is over 40 so I'm hoping the process will not take that long. Thank You for letting me know!!

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[KristenLe 5,979]

I contacted the insurance company and I read their requirements, I have an appointment with a Dr on July 21st. I was thinking, oh no! I've spent so much money on weight loss programs and it was a lot of money weekly. Does the Dr generally have a dietitian that you see? My BMI is over 40 so I'm hoping the process will not take that long. Thank You for letting me know!!

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I went through the nutritionist at my program.

[theantichick 2,204]

Different Cigna plans must have different requirements. My Open Access plan only required 3 months supervised, with no specific weight loss needed. So I just met with a doc 3 times and got weighed and talked about nutrition and choices. I also saw a nutritionist, but I'm not sure if that was because of insurance requirement or my surgeon's protocol.

[Heatgirl03 41]

I guess when I go see the Dr for the 1st time, they will let me know what to do. I just do not want to spend a bunch of money at another weight loss program. Thanks so much!!!

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[Just.TinaVSG 1]

I'm in the same boat as you. Weighing my options. I may call my insurance tomorrow and see if they have suggestions.

[debd80 41]

My insurance required that as well. They accepted Weight Watchers as my weight loss program. So if you've signed up for that in the past, that might work.

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[Daisee68 2,493]

I think my Cigna plan even specifically mentioned Weight Watchers HOWEVER you still had to be "medically supervised" so you still had to get weighed in by the Dr once per month. My Dr referred me to a nutritionist who does their consults over the phone and writes down the weight you tell them on that day. Somehow it went thru fine that way. You just need to get your specific requirements from your Dr AND from your insurance and then you can figure out what to do but you should be able to find ways to do it fairly inexpensively. Good luck!

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[BarefootDrummer 108]

My insurance Excellus BCBS required that I do 6 month supervised diet. I was hoping past Weight watchers, doctor's visits, etc would count. It took me a long time to work up the nerve to do the surgery, to have to diet for another 6 months seemed crazy! Also my BMI was just at 40, so I worried, what if I lost weight and then they didn't approve me?! And what if I didn't lose weight, would they not approve me for that?

The 6 month diet involved seeing a dietician that was right in the same office as my surgeon. It seemed like her main goal was to really get me prepared and ready to eat the way I'll need to after surgery. I was not required to lose weight. They did want me to journal my food though, which I bulked at since I've done so much dieting in the past. She wanted me to try to eat around 1000 calories a day and 100 grams of Protein and no more than 100 grams of carbs. She wanted me to start trying some of the Protein shakes, bars, foods, etc and start focusing on Protein as the #1 thing.

I thought it sounded awful to do the 6 months when I was ready back in November for the surgery. But, it did go by fairly quickly and got me used to eating the way they wanted. I only lost about 10 pounds. Some weeks when I went in, my weight was up a bit.

Hopefully your insurance won't require the full 6 months, but if it does, use it as a time to prepare for the new way you'll be eating.

Good luck on your journey!

[Heatgirl03 41]

Thank You! I'm hoping that the Dr office will have someone I can go to within the office. My insurance company wants proof for the last 12 months.

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