I am going to my first day of "monitored dieting" today. I could only loose about 3 pounds to stay within the 40 BMI range and do not have any co morbidity's. Does anyone know what exactly the insurance company will look for? I know I can loose weight, but I can never keep it off. I am afraid if I get under the 40 BMI they will not cover it. What should I do to make sure my insurance will cover my surgery?

Thanks for the help!!

Roxy:confused_smile:

This comes up a lot and I'm not sure it's ever been really answered. Perhaps phone your insurance company and ask them if the weight you lose on the supervised diet brings your BMI down below their coverage threshold, will you still be covered.

Many people sabotage their supervised diet periods, to ensure they get the band covered. I'm not sure this is necessary, nor smart.

TRN - I had a 6 month insurance required period as well. My BMI started at 42 and I have high chol, so there was not a huge chance I would have "undone" my opportunity to do the band. But the things that I worked on with my doc's office were all very band related. I saw the nutritionist and started making some of the necessary changes. I gave up diet coke, started (OK- tried) sipping Water, practiced eating my Proteins first, not drinking during meals, etc.

I also stepped up my exercise program. I lost 10 pounds in that 6 months. But it really set me up for what was to come. I felt way more prepared for the surgery and the changes to come. I also feel like I did "sow some wild oats" and got it our of my system. I have jumped on the band-wagon with both feet and never looked back. No cheating on foods that I should not eat, following the new doc diet to a T, etc.

I am glad I had the 6 month thing; in truth, I would not have been ready for the band without it.

I like the other suggestion of asking about the insurance co. Also your doc's office/nurse may be able to shed light on it as well. It may serve you as a prep period as well. I would also ask the doc's office for a goal - what do they want to see you do. Some folks have pre-op diets for liver reasons and such.

Oh also -- there's a good chance you have comorbidites, even if you don't know it. It's increasingly rare that obese people have no signs of - at a minimum - wear and tear on the body. I was fine on all blood levels, good BP, no prior medical issues, no prescription meds, etc.

Then about 2 months ago I sought treatment for something that I thought was the result of an auto accident I was in. Come to find out, it's early onset osteoarthritis, and I had it before my band surgery. It went away for a while, then just recently came back up. The literature I've read about it indicates something like 90%+ of obese people have some indications of it. So when you have your physical, make sure you mention everything you can think of. This doesn't hurt, it's more just a non-pain sensation... and comes and goes, and I really never paid attention to it until after my accident.

TRN. I am in my fifth month of a six month medically supervised diet. I was told by my surgeon that he would like to see me lose weight during this time period along with exercising regularly. At first I was a little disappointed and thought that the six months seemed so looooooooooooong. I just decided to jump in with and eat like I would if I were already banded. I still do drink with meals once in awhile but other than that, I am eating about 800-1000 calories a day and exercising at least 3 days per week. That's all I want to do and seem to be able to lose. I have dropped 46lbs and feel so much better.

I was a little concerned a couple of months into it and wanted my surgeon to verify that it would not screw up things with my insurance. He said that my insurance company would take my beginning BMI of 40. He also stated that he sees his most successful banded patients as the ones that prepare and change their diets way b/4 being banded and lose weight.

Thanks so much everyone! You all have been a great help!

One last thing I remembered that may make you feel better about the 6 month thing. I certainly had a month or 2 where there were no scale differences and the reaction from the doc's office was nothing scary. It was not like they were questioning my commitment or anything. They were very kind and gentle just offering suggestions for the next month.

I was so worried about it that I hesitated to check in the first month when there was no scale movement. But the fact that I quit Diet Cokes was reason for them to cheer. Apparently that was as huge as dropping 20 lbs!