Hi,

I am just starting this journey and my insurance (highmark) requires that you are on a supervised diet program before they will approve the surgery. They want you to lose or at least maintain your weight throughout that time period and you have to keep a written food diary that lists every single thing you eat. They want you to stick to 1400 calories a day. I was just wondering if everyone had to do that on every insurance? I don't want to wait 6 months to have the surgery but I have no choice. That means no surgery for me until Oct.

Randi

I think that unless you are self-pay most insurance companies require at least a three month supervised diet, mine was six and come July it is changing to a 12 month supervised diet...so I'm lucky I got in under the wire. Yes, I think most (not all) require certain diet/tests etc. I had to turn in only one month of a food journal, some require one for each month.

My insurance company required 6 months, but it was basically going to the Nutritionist class once a month. My first visit counted when I went to see the Nutritionist, then had class for 4 months and my last surgeon visit will count as my last months class. Good Luck to you!! It really does go by really fast!

I have Highmark BC/BS and had to do 6 month supervised diet also. I went through my doctor though, not a nutritionist. I put off starting it for almost a year because I thought it would take too long and I thought I could lose the weight alone.....boy was I wrong The 6 months went by super fast and surgery was there before I knew it. Good luck!

I have Highmark BC/BS and had to do 6 month supervised diet also. I went through my doctor though, not a nutritionist. I put off starting it for almost a year because I thought it would take too long and I thought I could lose the weight alone.....boy was I wrong The 6 months went by super fast and surgery was there before I knew it. Good luck!

That is exactly what I did!!! LOL I just wish it was faster but I quess it is a process. Did you lose any weight while you were being supervised?

Mine was 6 months too, but all I had to do is get weighed every month. No food journal or anything

I actually gained some weight. When I started the supervised diet I was taking fastin, so I lost 25 pounds in two months. I had to stop taking it due to complications sleeping, so the remaining 4 months I gained 30-35 pounds I had taken fastin about two years before that and lost 60 pound in 5 months, but gained that back over the next year. My surgeon said that probably helped my approval because it showed that I could lose the weight. Just hang in there, it really will go fast

That is exactly what I did!!! LOL I just wish it was faster but I quess it is a process. Did you lose any weight while you were being supervised?

I had to do 6-months of weigh ins, no journaling. I can promise you this, the 6 months do go fast and before you know it you'll have a surgery date!! Good luck.

I also have Highmark BCBS and had to do 6 months. It included checking in once a month with my nutritionist and keeping 6 months of food logs that were submitted with all of my paperwork. Once it was submitted I was approved within 48 hours and I had my surgery 2 weeks later.

Thanks everyone!! I just wonder how they expect you to journal and keep your calories to 1400 a day for 6 months. If I could do that I wouldn't need the surgery and would be skinny already! LOL!

If you have a PPO you probably don't have to.

Thanks everyone!! I just wonder how they expect you to journal and keep your calories to 1400 a day for 6 months. If I could do that I wouldn't need the surgery and would be skinny already! LOL!

But that is what you have to do with the band.. or you won't lose weight, so I guess it's preparation. I think they know you won't stick to it, but they want you to try, and to lose SOME weight.

I had to do 12 moths, and journal it. By the time I was ready for surgery, I lost 100lbs....

Be glad you only got 6 months.

It goes pretty quick though.

I am just starting the presurgery meetings with my PCP as well. I'm so glad so many of you posted who have highmark bcbs because that's my insurance and I was wondering how the approval process worked. I have a coworker who had the Roux en Y and she had to do the 6 mths and had all kinds of testing required (sleep apnea etc) but when I called my insurance provider they didn't mention that. My firstappt with the PCP is on April 28th. I CANNOT WAIT for these 6 mths to pass. I'm thinking surgery will be in November or December of 2011 and I hope to be a few sizes down by the summer of 2012!!

I am just starting the presurgery meetings with my PCP as well. I'm so glad so many of you posted who have highmark bcbs because that's my insurance and I was wondering how the approval process worked. I have a coworker who had the Roux en Y and she had to do the 6 mths and had all kinds of testing required (sleep apnea etc) but when I called my insurance provider they didn't mention that. My firstappt with the PCP is on April 28th. I CANNOT WAIT for these 6 mths to pass. I'm thinking surgery will be in November or December of 2011 and I hope to be a few sizes down by the summer of 2012!!

Oh good! Me and you are going to have it around the same time! Where do you live? I also had to have testing. They wanted my results from my sleep study and my colonoscopy and I have to get a chest xray, an upper gi and a ekg. I had the sleep study and I have apnea so that helps qualify me. I also can't wait till my surgery!!!!

Randi

when i had cigna they would not cover it all and said i would have to try to prove that it was medically necessary which included a 6 month monitored diet ! Once i switched to Anthem I got approval very fast and had the surgery within 4 months .. Good Luck !

Also high mark, also had to have 6 months. I said the exact same thing, if I could follow this low carb diet and I had that much control I wouldn't need the surgery! I even had six months worth of weights and a Dr. Saying I was following a low glycemic diet the whole time, and they wouldn't approve that. They wanted six months with the bariatric unit, going and getting weighed once a month. Half the time I just made up half the entries to the journal, but I did try my best. I lost 20 pounds, and I could not lose much more or I may become ineligable.

The six months will fly by, good luck, just do whatever you can do. Do your best!