When does the clock start in regards to weigh in and you cannot gain any weight. During my consultation with my bariatric surgeon I weighed in at 218-219. Based on my height and weight and he said that if I dropped down to 212 I would not qualify just on BMI alone. He also advised me that if I didn't believe I had any co-morbidities that I should gain an extra 5-10 pounds for cushion (like I don't have enough LOL)

So can anyone advise me on when the clock start. When the weigh in start being documented and I cannot gain anymore weight.

This sounds very strange. I know requirements are different in the US from Australia but I did think, based upon other forum member stories, that if you met the bmi &/or comorbidity requirements at the start of the approval process you were fine. Almost all of us have to undergo a pre surgical weight loss regime. If we became ineligible for surgery because we lost enough weight on this diet to drop us below the bmi minimum, a hell of a lot of us wouldn’t have had our surgery.

I would certainly be asking further questions of your surgeon & your insurance company. If your bmi is 41 I wouldn’t have expected you would have needed any associated comorbidities to be eligible for surgery.

Good luck.

I think this depends on your insurance. Some start the clock at your first weigh in, some at your last nutrition class or your pre-op visit. You should talk to whomever manages the insurance stuff at your surgery center - at the place I go, it's the scheduler.

If you’re worried about weighing enough to qualify, wear a pair of ankle weights. I wore a 5 lb pair to my initial consultation because I was barely at a 40 BMI and wanted to make sure my insurance would cover it.

Jnfinney - I LOVE that!!! LOL

Rolls of quarters in your pockets, bra, wherever, heavy jeans,etc.

But inquire in an email to your insurance company, and te insurance coordinator at your surgeon's office. Sometimes the person at the surgeon's office can mess up that paperwork. Always in writing.

12 hours ago, KaytheGoddess said:

Jnfinney - I LOVE that!!! LOL

Glad I could help ?

My doctors have always had me remove my shoes, belts, jackets & even my skirt at weigh-ins to get the most accurate reading without me stripping down to my underwear. If I had tried to increase my weight through trickery, I would have been caught. If you do & you’re discovered it could affect your approval process. Best advice is to be honest about all aspects of your weight loss journey.

Nowhere I have ever weighed in in a clinic setting has anyone ever asked me to remove anything, even shoes. It was left up to me to take off my shoes or not.

It's an insurance game, and insurance companies are a numbers business nothing more. If I had jumped through all their hoops and went under the bmi and lost that 'game' by a couple pounds how is that honesty going to work then? You do you....

I would be careful about doing anything that would be considered as fraud or inflation of your numbers, as that could really come back to bite you when it comes time for approvals. But, this is probably a conversation you need to have with your doctor/nurse coordinator. They should know the rules for approval with your insurance company, as they tend to vary.

I was really worried about this for mine, as I was right on the 40 BMI line and, if I did the pre-surgery diet, I would have dropped under the line. But, since I had blood pressure and sleep apnea, the line was down to 35 and I was free to go ahead and get started losing weight. Assuming you have some other medical conditions, you might be OK. Even so, when I had my day-of-surgery weigh in, I was still worried that they would deny and I'd get stuck with a big bill. It turned out that my original weight was the only number they looked at and it was fine.

If you’re worried about weighing enough to qualify, wear a pair of ankle weights. I wore a 5 lb pair to my initial consultation because I was barely at a 40 BMI and wanted to make sure my insurance would cover it.

This is so freaking sad! Thanks for the idea!