Since my appointment for my colonoscopy last month, I've lost 12 pounds. I have about 15 pounds to go before I can leave the "morbid obese" level. If my BMI drops below 40 and I don't have any underlining conditions, will that effect my qualification for surgery?

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My understanding is that it's your BMI at your first appointment and not your BMI as you've been prepping for surgery.

My insurance company said they can go back four years to see your history

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It really depends on your insurance company and your surgeon.

I would suggest you talk to your patient coordinator about your concerns.

It really depends on your insurance company and your surgeon.

I would suggest you talk to your patient coordinator about your concerns.

My insurance company takes the highest weight from the previous year to qualify you. I think that's one year from the time you enter the program, not one year from surgery date.

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my insurance wouldn't let me have the surgery if my BMI wasn't at least 40 when they requested the surgery. They also required me to be in the weight loss program at least 6 months before they would approve me, and I almost went under, so I had to maintain my weight for a couple of months which was a pain in the butt.

Right now I'm 285 (I'm 5'8") and my BMI is a 43. In order to leave the 40s, I'll need to be about 265. I'm just scared that by the time I go to the doctor, I'll reach that weight. But we'll see.

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I'd recommend calling your insurance company and getting them to send the policy on weight loss surgery to you. My insurance company had a nurse case manager explain everything to me and send me the policy for my reference. For my particular plan, I had to be over 40 BMI at the first appointment, but during the 3 month weight loss they were fine with me going under 40 BMI.

Just had my appointment today. She said I can't go below a BMI of 40 just in case the insurance doesn't go by the starting weight. Kinda feeling discouraged because I'm now about 20 pounds away from being disqualified.

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Just had my appointment today. She said I can't go below a BMI of 40 just in case the insurance doesn't go by the starting weight. Kinda feeling discouraged because I'm now about 20 pounds away from being disqualified.

When a family member had this surgery in December, her doctor was reporting that she was following a strict diet but actually told her NOT to do it so she wouldn't lose too much before the surgery. She's got BCBS of Minnesota. It varies by insurance company, so I'd call yours to ask.

I have been worried about this also as I have lost over 10 percent of my weight and am about 10 pounds away from a 40 BMI. It has made it difficult to stay motivated and stick to my diet. My insurance also requires evidence that weight-loss attempts in the year preceding surgery have been ineffective. I have not been able to get a clear answer from my insurance about whether that means if I lose too much on my preop diet they will consider it proof a supervised diet is effective.