Currently I'm at 31 BMI. My insurance will cover me at 35. Has anyone used weights and stuffing? And should I worry about the final weight in when I go for surgery?

How much actual weight do you need to gain?

Great questions. I did do some of that, but my situation was different. I was bouncing around between 27 to 29 BMI when I went to my doctor and requested the lap band. I did some things to increase my weight for the initial consultation, but found that the doc was fine with operating on me. It seemed his cutoff was significantly lower than my BMI at that time. Maybe 25?

He joked that if I wasn't self pay, that weights might be necessary for insurance purposes. I suspect that he wasn't entirely joking and that it has happened.

It's so expensive. I wouldn't fault anyone for trying to get insurance to pay for it.

Good luck!!!

If you have to try to gain weight for weight loss surgery... maybe you don't need something as drastic as surgery... JMHO!

And of course the doctor's criteria is lower... he wants the money.

I appreciate the honesty. I'm consistently overweight, however. Doesn't matter what I try to do to cut back or exercise more. I'm always between 20-40 pounds more than where I should be. Just so happens I'm in the middle presently. I would have to be about 19 pounds heavier for my insurance to cover it.

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WLS is drastic and is NOT an easy way to lose weight! You have to change your entire way of eating; there are things you may love that you may never be able to eat again; you will get sick and most likely have complications if you don't stop eating when your body tells you to -- not when you feel "full". It is also not a guarantee to lose... some people can even gain weight despite being banded. You have to have routine maintenance with a band, especially in the beginning. I'm not trying to scare you, it's just that I would never consider putting myself through this if I was under 50 lbs overweight. But once again, that is just my opinion.

I appreciate the honesty. But realistically there are many things that I already don't eat. I am vegetarian. And fairly strict.. I don't know what accounts for my body changed that won't allow me to metabolize and lose weight. So many things that are in the average diet I don't eat But you would never know that looking at me.

From the Lap Band website: Indications: The LAP-BAND^® System is indicated for weight reduction for patients with obesity, with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 40 kg/m² or a BMI of at least 30 kg/m²with one or more obesity-related comorbid conditions. Lower than 35 BMI is allowed with comorbidities, but insurance would probably give you a hard time. Many doctors will do the Lap Band with a lower BMI, but the good surgeons want to be sure it is for the right reasons. For me (and many banders with low BMI), it is more about the improvement of health than the weight loss. In my mind, I always think of my health first and think of the weight loss as an amazing side effect. To look at me, most don't understand why I need surgery, but my surgeon, Dr. George Fielding looks at me (and my family) and knows he is giving me my life back. It seems like although Bariatric Surgeons can make plenty of money (so I don't think they expect to get rich approving all those low BMI patients for surgery), for most of them, it is about helping people live a happy and active life. It is up to us the patients to be sure we have our ducks in a row and are doing the surgery for the right reasons. Remember the surgeons are just the guys qualified to install the tool....it's up to us to understand how to use the tool for the most benefit.

I used the weights on my first appointment and second. After that no....I was short 13lbs so I bought ankle weights and put one in my bra and the other one between my legs as a pad....sick I know but I got approved! Ps ots very hard to walk!