It depends on the insurance. I had completed the 6 month diet before I even considered surgery. It was at the end of that 6 month diet monitoring that my doctor told me I needed surgery because I kept gaining weight. It didn't affect my insurance approval, it actually showed that I couldn't lose the weight on my own.
If you are unsure, call the surgical coordinator at your surgeon's office. They are very knowledgable about what each insurance company is looking for and can help you.
I've been wondering about some of these questions as well. Newly divorced and looking to step out there into the dating world. I've tried Christian Mingle too but it seems hard to get anyone to respond to smiles or winks or whatever. It just seems to be so "looks" oriented -- you have those couple of pictures that people look at before they ever get to the profile. I sit there trying to figure out if it's the weight or my short hair or 20 other factors that keep people from responding.
And then I try to take a step back and say to myself "Self, you are a caring, loving, deserving person and you deserve someone who looks beyond the exterior and gets to know the real you."
It takes a lot of positive self-talk and reframing... maybe I'll get it down someday...
