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HOLY. COW. I did not know until today that all of your receipts for bariatric supplements, Vitamins, Meal Replacements, Protein, etc. are ALL TAX DEDUCTIBLE because it is a physician prescribed diet. This is the best news ever! I am saving those receipts!!!

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Does that include Protein Bars as well???? LOL!!!!

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YES!!! Keep those receipts!! We're getting so old, and paying everything off, that we need all the deductions we can get! HA!

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Oh, and disregard my ticker....I just figured out how to add one, but I don't have a date yet

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I've read online in various places that some nutritional supplement businesses drum up WLS customers for their products, mail the items to their customers, and directly bill the patients' Medicare / Medicaid / Insurance accounts for the supplements.

It seems iffy to me, but I really don't know if it's an actual scam.

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I have a child with multiple food allergies and his specialized foods are also tax deductible under medical expenses. The caveat is only the cost above what a normal version of the item would cost is deductible. For example, my son has to drink rice milk at a cost of $5.98 per gallon. Regular milk is on average $3.28 a gallon. $2.70 is deductible for us for every gallon of rice milk we purchase ($5.98- $3.28= $2.70). I suggest double checking to make sure the same stipulation is or isn't applied to bariatric foods. Also, double check about deducting the mileage also to purchase bariatric foods! I suggest working with a good accountant if you want to use these deductions to make sure everything is done correctly.

Thanks for sharing a wonderful tip!

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Just a quick note that medical expenses of any kind are not "deductible" like many other expenses (subtracted from taxable income).

However, deductible medical expenses must exceed a certain percentage of your taxable income.

* I am not a CPA. :)

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Does that include Protein bars as well

@@BryBro63

:D :D :D :D :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

the way i love and eat Protein Bars..........

what a write off i would have had :D

good try ;)

kathy

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@@BryBro63 I was told that if your Protein bar is a physician approved Meal Replacement then yes, you can include it.

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My insurance didn't cover my sleeve surgery at all, so it was self-pay. Can I use that cost as a write-off?

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Yes, you can -- in accordance with the IRS rules found at:

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Deducting-Medical-and-Dental-Expenses

Edited by VSGAnn2014

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Your write off is only what exceeds your agi of a certain percent which I think is 7.5%. I certainly hope supplements never exceed 7.5% to be able to claim. Self pay on a surgery definitely could though

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It's now 10%. Thank you obama

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HOLY. COW. I did not know until today that all of your receipts for bariatric supplements, Vitamins, meal replacements, Protein, etc. are ALL TAX DEDUCTIBLE because it is a physician prescribed diet. This is the best news ever! I am saving those receipts!!!

Good to know! I'll be sure to keep my receipts going forward.

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    • LeighaTR

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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