Has anyone her gained weight to get to a bmi of 40 for insurance purposes? I need 17 more pounds to be covered. Was wondering if anyone has done this and how long it took.

Thanks, Lisa

wow.... 17 pounds is alot to gain to get this done. Its not like just 3 or 4 pounds...you could do alot of damage to your body gaining that much weight so fast. Does your insurance pay for a 35 BMI or higher if you have health problems that are assisted by your weight? I had a BMI of 35.6 when I got banded last monday. I had high blood pressure that I was not on medication for yet, and my feet killed me all the time. Oh, and I also have endometriosis which leads to irregular periods, and some Dr's think weight can play an issue in that. If you have medical problems that go alon with your weight I would try that before trying to gain 17 lbs. That is alot of weight. Good luck!

I was already denied...no medical problems. Good luck with your band!!!

My word, gaining weight to qualify for the band? What a crazy world we live in.

Still, I hope everything works out for you, Lisa.

Wow, I totally could not recommend gaining such a huge amount of weight. That would be another 17# to lose after being banded, and each and every pound you have to lose can be a struggle so why make it harder?

OK not maybe if it were less than 5# I could see it - but 17# is literally a size or two in clothing. That's too high a price to pay, in my opinion.

Instead I would use that effort to document my history of obesity and weight changes and failed diet attempts. I would literally list each and every diet I'd done - and all the dates if I could.

Then I would also clearly note each and every overweight relative with their co-morbidities - all through out my family tree. So no, you might not have any co-morbidities yourself but if you can show both your grandmothers were overweight and high blood pressure and diabetes, then this could really help.

I would gather all this documentation and present it to the insurance company with my written appeal (Your surgeon's office is planning to help you appeal, I hope?). That same effort can be successfully used to assist you in getting approval rather than going to such extreme measures as gaining a size or two.

Good Luck!

I don't advocate this route, lol, but someone else on LBT had to gain... and managed to do it, um, temporarily. :eek:

This thread has more details & suggestions:

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=15094

I can't believe they make folks gain for the surgery... charts will be the death of us!

Good luck!

I did it and to be honest, I really regret it. My BMI was 39ish, which I interpreted as permission to go buck wild and eat everything in sight. As a result of my 5 month binge, I’ve gained 25 pounds, I have lots of new stretch marks, and everything that hurt before hurts even worse now. I only needed to gain about 10 pounds, but I went too far. The only benefits I have seen so far are A)my BMI is over 40 now so I’m not an “iffy” candidate anymore and :eek: I am sick to death of food. I’m actually looking forward to going on liquids and protein powders.

I know a lady that gained to qualify for the rny ...so its not unheard of. I would recomend slouching, and lots of salty foods before weight in....but not truely gaining actual fat. Another option would be to lift weights and gain muscle while NOT doing cardio to try and preserve your weight.

good luck i gain around 15ponds for sugery and was still turn down taken two years just to loss it getting ready for banding soon judy

I don't understand how gaining 17 would be any worse than losing 17 on a two week liquid diet. Seems to me either one is hard on your system. But, what do I know?