I have a BMI of 38.4 and am wondering if I lose too much weight will I still be able to get the surgery? I have to do a 6 month diet with my PCP and I am presently at 220 lbs and if I get below 204 I will fall below the 35 BMI requirement. I feel bad about my weight and want to start losing but I know I can lose weight.......keeping it off is another story. Has anybody lost enough to fall below the 35 BMI mark and still able to get the surgery? I have Health Alliance insurance.:thumbup:

Make sure you check the requirements of your insurance carrier. Most want a BMI of 40 without a co-morbidity or a BMI of 35 with one or more co-morbidities.

I fell below my what my ins. required during my 6 mos. supervised diet, but my Doctor,Nutritionist, and surgeon sent the insurance all the information showing where I started, and that they required me to loose weight, and they ok'd me.

So what co- morbitities qualifies? I dont have any of the standard ones that I am aware of, no high BP or no diabetes or heart problems. Family history is awful ( all sisters have had by pass surgery or stents and both parents died from heart disease). Does family history count that you are aware of?

Family history might help make your case, but they aren't technically co-morbidities. :drool:

But there are lots of co-morbidities. In addition to HP, diabetes and heart problems, there is high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and GERDs. If you snore, you might have sleep apnea. If you get heartburn a lot, you may have GERDs. Some WLS programs test everyone for these things because people don't realize they have them.

Plus some docs consider things like plantar fasciitis to be a co-morbidity because losing weight will help. Losing weight is also supposed to help with respiratory problems so if you have allergies or asthma, some doctors consider that as well.