I'm just getting started. I start my labs & test next week I am insured by Anthem BCBS in Ok I'm hoping I get approved quickly I have a BMI of 39 with Diabetes and sleep apnea I'm excited & nervous I haven't shared with my family. I want to wait till I am locked in I guess I'm afraid my family will think I'm taking the easy way although I know it is really tough and a lot of work I would love any encouragement & experiences using my insurance company also interested in any weight loss support meetings in SW Oklahoma wish me luck....smile

After you have the lapband surgery I hope you will tell your family that it is NOT THE EASY WAY OUT .The easy way out is not doing anything about your weight and getting bigger and bigger then you have to have the gastric by-pass. You will lost weight easy with that and 1 year later you can gain all the weight back cause you lost it so quickly and easily. Lapband is not anything easy, It is a tool. With this tool you will be able to have a better life.

Congrats on taking this life changing step! i am a new bandster - banded 8 days ago. I find the people who say it is the "easy way out" don't know enough about the band. We will always have to watch our portions, food choices, and be physically active. Welcome... and you will find lots of supportive people here!

I have Anthem BCBS national plan through Kroger. There was no supervised diet requirement for me. I literally had to type up a list with names of diets, year of diet, and amount of weight lost on diets. I had to estimate on a good deal of diets because I do not remember the small amount of weight I lost on some random diet years ago.

My only complaint is that I was required to see a dietician by my clinic, but my Anthem BCBS did not cover any type of nutritional counseling (if that's not the weirdest thing ever).

I was approved after a two week wait. I was BMI 41 or 42. I don't really have any medical issues- my cholesterol was a tad high and my blood pressure is usually a little high too, but I am not on medication for either. I also have a thyroid condition that is medicated. I had Sue as my case manager with Anthem and she was awesome!