It’s unlikely my insurance will pay. Given my BMI, I would need at least one co-morbidity. I (thankfully) have none, although the results of the sleep apnea test aren’t in yet (fingers crossed?).

Weight has been a life long issue for me. I’ve been going to dietitians since I was in grade school. Other than my weight, I’m thankfully healthy. The way I see it, why wait until I’m not?

so my question is, would you have paid out of pocket if insurance denied you (and you could scrape up the cash)?

Finding surgeons who do BMIs under 35 without diabetes is difficult as many in the medical community believe the benefit is not worth the risk.

Just now, Creekimp13 said:

Finding surgeons who do BMIs under 35 without diabetes is difficult as many in the medical community believe the benefit is not worth the risk.

I’m right at 35.

I have seen many posts about members who traveled for surgery at a reduced rate. I would usually dismiss this idea, but having recently gone to a very clean and organized clinic in mexico....and met at the airport and back easily .....(just cosmetic) i am saying perhaps look into all your options. Best of luck on changing your life!

Thanks, Julie!

Yes, it's worth it! But if insurance will not pay, shop around if you have to. My local surgeons charge $18500 for self pay. I went to Florida where I paid $8899. There are plenty of surgeons who cater to traveling patients and have great all inclusive self pay packages. Dr Borland in Louisiana, bariatrix Florida, Blossom bariatrics in Vegas, Dr pleatman in Michigan, and plenty to choose from in MX. My insurance has covered all my preop and post op testing, coordinated by my PCP.

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I was 35 bmi at my consult, and 32.7 the day of surgery. None of the 4 surgeons I had consults with had any issues with me not weighing enough.

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47 minutes ago, GassyGurl said:

I was 35 bmi at my consult, and 32.7 the day of surgery. None of the 4 surgeons I had consults with had any issues with me not weighing enough.

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Gassy Girl, that brings me to another question I haven’t been able to get a clear answer to...does surgery only restrict calories? If so, would I get the same result by cutting my calories to 750 and no carbs?

Or...is it that set point is also reduced, making it easier to lose weight? I’m already at about 1200 calories per day and the scale won’t drop beyond 194. I’m 5’ 2”.

Thanks.

1 hour ago, ElseeG said:

Or...is it that set point is also reduced, making it easier to lose weight? I’m already at about 1200 calories per day and the scale won’t drop beyond 194. I’m 5’ 2”.

Okay....the set point is reduced with surgery, so yes, it's easier to lose weight in the beginning. This is why it's called the honeymoon phase. Easy peasy...but then you get on in time and you have to work it, just as any other person who manages their weight...but the catch is...you've developed great eating habits, better foods in your diet, and you are working out, whether it's just a simple walk a day or going to the gym and lifting, or whatever workout you want to do.

Now, if you're eating 1200 calories a day to lose weight on your own...that's WAY TOO LOW. Please believe me, I did that, so do the numerous others who did it, and guess what...you have a rough patch and you start eating back the way you did, and WHAM! It gets piled back on and more! So, please please also believe me when I say, you can gain weight eating too low. I did this. Not because I was on some kind of diet, just because I didn't eat. When I did eat, the body was saying "hey, you didn't feed me enough food, so I'm going to hang on to every calorie you've just eaten, especially the fat and store it." My doc got on to me for this!!! So, education is key. Sometimes you have to figure out how the body actually works and figure out what you need to do. So, I entered in your stats in this calculator. I don't know your age (but I put in 30) and I don't know your activity level (so I put in light 1-3 times a week). Your body, at these stats, is supposed to be getting about 1697 calories a day to lose at a 15% deficit. When you lose, you revisit the calculator and get your new numbers. When you meet goal, revisit, and you'll have a general idea of how many calories you'll be eating to maintain.

Now, I wish I had the discipline to have done this in the beginning without wls, but I needed to forced, per se, to learn better eating and change my lifestyle (I'm now plant based/vegan/vegetarian-like); I was also at a higher BMI and nearing getting complications due to my age/lifestyle then. I've always enjoyed working out, so that wasn't an issue for me. I'm at 40 lbs from my goal...and when I reach it, for my future stats, I'll be eating approximately 2400 calories a day. Sounds like a lot right? But my body will need it for the amount of energy it puts out.

Check out the calculator and check out this website, if you plan to do it on your own.

http://eatmore2weighless.com/weight-loss-calculator/