My Dr has just sent my referral in. My BMI is 50! Is it ok to start working towards weight loss now..before orientation. For example exercising..eating better and smaller amounts. Will it effect approval for surgery?

absolutely - start now! I did and I was really glad I did. I lost 57 lbs before I was rolled into the operating room. And at a BMI of 50, there's no way it's going to affect your approval. Unless you're using some really unhealthy approach to lose weight pre-surgery, you're not going to get down below a 40 (or 35) BMI by then.

plus, eating better and exercising will ease you in to the post-op way of life so it won't seem so radical once you've had surgery. You'll be used to at least some of it. I started eating more protein, fewer carbs, and fewer calories post op (my dietitian had me eat 2300 or fewer calories). I also took the time to gradually wean myself off coffee and soda then - and practiced waiting 30 minutes after eating to drink anything. And I started an exercise program. I think it was very helpful and eased the transition into post-op life.

Check with your team/insurance policy to make sure your approval will not be affected by weightloss prior to surgery. Otherwise, they may suggest you start now anyway.

Congratulations in advance ?

Absolutely you should start now. Start eating like you're going to be eating post-surgery with small meals. Go ahead and get as much exercise as you can.

What everyone else said....YES... do it now. The pre-op process is long and designed for you to learn new eating habits. That way, once you do make it to surgery, you're ready and armed with what you need to succeed post-op. It's hard, but totally worth it once you come out the other side of that operating room.

Good luck on your new journey!

Yes - the sooner, the better. The industry standard is for approval with a BMI of 40 or above (35 with comorbidities such as hypertension, sleep apnea, diabetes, etc.), so you have lots of margin to play with before worrying about that.

My suggestion is to look far ahead in driving your diet - how should you be eating in 5-10 years to maintain your weight and health, rather than worrying too much about an extra pound or two this month; you will likely lose a fair bit of weight just by making these long term changes, as most of the "diet" plans for weight loss yield short term loss that comes back when you stop. You want to learn how to eat to keep it off in the long term.

If possible, work with an RD (dietician, nutritionist) to help you transition - a good RD will work within your tastes and preferences to improve your diet, and help drive your tastes in a healthier direction. The WLS clinic will probably have RDs on staff, or you can find one at your local hospital, Clinics may have very structured pre-op programs, or flexible ones; do what you can to think long term.

Good luck...

Since I am close to that 35 BMI with co morbidities, I asked the nurse the question of, “what if I lost weight and was under 35 BMI?” She said that the weight that is used is the first weight they took when the process began. Idk if that is standard practice.

I’m trying to make changes and I have lost about 8 lbs so far. I’d sure like to lose even more but I’m not hard core dieting. Just making changes suggested by NUT.

Every lb will make surgery safer