I was suppose to have surgery on 7-11-08 but because I did not lose 20 pounds the doctor got very upset and told me he would not do the surgery until I lose the 20 pounds. I have been waiting a long time for my insurance to cover this surgery and I was scared if I did lose weight they would not cover me so I was not strick about losing the weight. I have been working on losing the weight I have two weeks to do it. This has really upset me. I have about 180 lbs to lose. Was anyone required to lose weight before surgery.

Oh, yes. I think that most of had to loose weight. I had to loose 15 pounds. I knew that this was a strict requirement. Hang in there, suck it up and get 'er lost!!!! SS

I know what you mean, I was afraid my BMI would then be under 35 and then I would no longer qualify for the surgery. I lost 7 lbs. I was not told to lose any certain amount, but then I was self pay.

Yes- my surgeon asked that I lose between 5-10 pounds before surgery. I've lost about 3... and my surgery is Friday! yikes!

Many clinics ask you to lose at least 5-10% of your excess weight before surgery- so for example if you want to lose 180 pounds - to lose at least 9-18 pounds.

I was at a support group meeting last week and the dietician at the meeting was saying that band research from all over the world is showing that the band is successful for people who show that they can lose weight before the surgery, not so successful for those who don't or can't. As well, research is showing that the most successful bandsters incorporate exercise into their daily habits, either before surgery or as soon as possible after. As such, my WLC - which does not do fee for service work and only offers the band on a limited basis - is using weight lost and commitment to exercise as part of their screening tool to determine who gets banded.

I know this issue is debated endlessly on this forum. Many people think that they don't need to do anything before surgery and that they will start working after the surgery. They have the attitude that "if I could lose the weight, I wouldn't need the band".

I personally strongly believe that is a recipe for a poor to middling result. To make the band very successful, you need to be ready to make some major changes in your life. You can't expect the band to do the work and make the choices for you. If you haven't started to incorporate those necessary changes into your lifestyle before banding, you will likely find it very difficult to do so after banding, as there is nothing magical about the band to make you change over night. You will still want to eat after the band (head hunger) and you will still crave the foods that made you obese in the first place. Many people find that the foods that got them into trouble in the first place slide right through the band and are very easy to eat, band or no band.

Good luck in your journey.

jj thanks for your comment it's very eye opening!

jj..i completely agree with you. Now, I am just beginning the journey to make this decision (I have considered bypass before, but did not go through with it as the recovery time and evasiveness worried me). This year I have already slowly began making changes in my health (more Fiber, less fat, more whole grains, switching from regular to diet sodas, etc). I am now enrolled in a 4 month weight management workshop where they work with you on making small changes in your diet and activity levels. I am committed to losing weight in this program and then I will decide if WLS is for me, because I would never go through it with out knowing I can make the changes.

Maybe i feel this way because my insurance requires losing 10% of your highest weight, so i have to do it any way, but I still think it's a good idea to counsel patients pre-op on lifestyle changes.

Tiger do you have to do a liquid diet before surgery? That should take care of your 20 pounds. I know I had to do 14 days of liquids and YES 20 came off! Good-luck to you!

ok i was not given a requirement for losing weight, but after reading this post i sure did send an email to make sure, and will follow up with a phone call...thats so weird that they wouldn't tell us (you)...i mean i was put on a low carb diet, maybe they just assumed the weight would come off with the diet. ( i'm self pay i don't know if that makes a difference) but i DO NOT want to be cancelled!!!!

good luck to you! there's just 20 lbs standing between you and your surgery, i know i say "just" like its easy, but i know coming to these boards keeps me extra motivated...looking at peoples WL tickers and bf and after photos!

hey!

I wasnt required to loose weightbefore the op, but was told that any weight i can loose will be benficial to me. I will be doing a four week pre op diet. Like you i have alot to loose over 200 lbs. Dnt give up hun, keep ya head up.

I was asked by the med doc to lose 20 lbs. This is usually a requirement because being heavy our organs also have fat on them. They need our insides to lose weight as well so they can get to your stomach easily. The liver will also shrink some and make it easier too. I had to lose 20 pounds in one month! I missed the mark by 3 lbs. I was scared my doc wouldn't do the surgery but he saw that I was able to come very close to it and was giving it all of my effort. I worked out 4-5 times a week and changed my eating habits all the way around, that included portion sizes and types of foods. This also helps "train" you for what you need to do after being banded. It is a long hard trip, but once you get there and realize "Hey, I really can do this!" It makes it a wonderful trip that you will gladly take again. Good luck on your journey!

My clinic requires a loss of 5% (13 pounds for me). I'm nearly there. I have lost 11 of those, and if all goes well will have my surgery either the end of August or the beginning of September. I just cut out soda's, Snacks, and cut back on what I do eat. It's amazing how fast it's going.

Teri

I was on a three month pre-surgical diet where I lost 30lbs and was on mostly liquids and one meal a day. Than I saw the Dr. two weeks ago and he said I need to lose 5 to 10lbs. Well I lost 5lbs just like he wanted. I know it's hard but try and lose the weight. Just think you will never regain that weight again.

I lost 20 lbs in the pre-op phase and tho't that was pretty good. It wasn't enough -- my liver was still so big and unwieldy my "20 minute" procedure took 2 hours and the surgeon told my husband if I hadn't already been through so much to get there that day, he would have ended the surgery and we would have done a gastric bypass at a later date. Out of pity he kept working and was finally able to place the band.

So in addition to proving you ARE capable of following a diet plan/instructions....every pound you lose BEFORE can only improve the outcome of your surgery!!

Our clinic says you absolutely can't gain weight before the surgery. We have to do a two week pre op diet to shrink our liver, but they haven't said "you have to loose ____ amount of weight before surgery". I know they are very concerned about our liver being fatty and not being able to access the stomach easily.

The insurance companies use your weight at the time of your medical intake appointment for the BMI guide. The first 20lbs is the easiest to lose because it's mostly water, glucose, and fat around your liver that drops fast. Taking it off makes your surg. faster and more accurate. It’s easier/faster for the surg to get in next to your stomach. You will have a better band fit which will help you lose weight more effectively on the band. It also decreases risk of complication (slippage) later on. I would think that you would WANT to have the band placed in a way that maximizes your chance of a good band fit with reduced chance of complications! Also, the insurance companies and surgeons also know that although the band is effective -- it is really important that it is matched to the right patients --- or it will not work. In addition to the medical aspects --- most surg require the weight loss to identify patients who are at risk for disappointing banding outcome.