Well, according a nurse that I spoke with this morning, I'm overweight but not enough. I had checked my BMI with a chart/calendar online and it said that my BMI was 34.9... our insurance requires 35 with 2 comorbidities. I have those and with my 34.9 I figured I was a sure in. Well, according to this nurse, my BMI is 33.8 I rechecked and sure enough, she was right. Dang! So hubby did some checking and found out that I would need to gain 7lbs. but to be on the safe side (not knowing if their scales would be off or not) I should gain 10 lbs. I'm at a loss. I want to LOSE weight not GAIN it, besides, if I knew how I gained it, I wouldn't have to lose it!! How in the world does someone go about putting on 10 lbs when I'm already miserable enough! 10 lbs is all I need in order to be approved.....GAH!!! UGH!! Any ideas, anyone???:thumbup::wink_smile:

Knowing how this surgery has helped me as a lower BMI patient (it has been HUGELY successful), as contradictory and irresponsible as this advice sounds, personally, I would be tempted to gain a bit, go in in extremely heavy clothes, have weights in my back pockets (I was thinking about the little weight disks from our dumbell set), drinking loads of Water and eating salty foods for a few days before and scheduling the appointment for right before my period.

None of this is healthy, it all sounds really dsyfunctional by sheesh, with all due respect, your entire medical system sounds unhealthy and dysfunctional, lol. The way people are excluded over tiny details is stupid. I mean chances are if they send you away, you'll be 10lb heavier in a year anyway.

Good luck.

There are people who have posted here who did intentionally gain so they could be approved, and were glad they did it and never looked back. Honestly, if you want the band that badly, that 10 pounds can save you thousands of dollars. It is stupid, it is counter-intuitive, but it is insurance. If you don't honestly think you'd gain that much over the next year or so anyway, have you tried just dieting and exercising to lose? That way might work for you if you don't struggle to hold your weight.

I know you'll decide what's best for you! :wink_smile:

I know what I'd do! LOL

I was in a similar position as far as needing to gain weight to qualify. I have no embarrassment in telling you I ate everything I craved, including several chocolate mousse cakes that were umm umm good. Those 10 pounds left quickly when I reverted back to my usual diet. I also did every thing Jachut mentioned, lol. I was determined to get banded. And I did!!!!

Mimi

Aw, screw it! I will confess, I needed to gain weight because I too was under the bmi requirement for my insurance company.

I ate crappy and gained (like I wouldn't have anyways?) and I wore the heaviest wool sweater, jeans etc anything that was heavy for my weigh in - I made it.

So, I ended up losing it afterwards for my pre surgery requirement and all has worked out fine.

If I had not gained, I would not have had surgery, if I had not surgery I would have gained!:wink_smile:

Well the nurse says it's not enough, but have you asked an insurance rep if the two comorbidities and being that close would be enough? I mean, depending on the company, it's actually people that are making the decisions, right? It woudln't hurt to pick up the phone before you picked up the cake, right?

In any event, I hope you do get the approval you are looking for!

Thank you guys so much for the replys and suggestions. I think perhaps I am on the verge of becoming obsessed about this whole thing. I am now having dreams about it! LOL... hmm.. wonder if that's a good thing or a bad thing. At any rate, I have to do something. Ya know, sometimes I wish the insurance people who had the fate of my health in their hands could spend a day going through what I/we do. I am absolutely certain they would approve any and everyone on the spot. I even suspect they may OFFER the surgery!!! I think my next step is to maybe call the insurance and explain to them my situations. My only problem is will they actually take time to LISTEN to me, rather than just hear me. Thanks again!!

Best of Luck!

I feel your pain. I too needed a few #'s. I wore the heaviest clothes and shoes I could weigh out and even held my purse which had a lot of change:tongue2: in the bottom! It is such a long process getting approved that by the time I had my surgery I had already gained those lbs I needed. Sad but true! I am so glad I had the surgery and you will be too!

I have a co-worker that actually placed weights in her bra and socks! She just had her surgery the week before Christmas and has lost 17 lbs not to mention the "weights" she took off!!:wub: Do what you gotta do and don't look back!!!! Best of luck!!!!

Ooooh, weights in the bra!!! That's a good one!!! Nobody will check there! Much better than eating ten cakes and 50 pizzas!

Ooooh, weights in the bra!!! That's a good one!!! Nobody will check there! Much better than eating ten cakes and 50 pizzas!

I don't know about you, but there's not ROOM in my bra for 10 more pounds! LOL

I don't know about you, but there's not ROOM in my bra for 10 more pounds! LOL

My husband wants your phone number. :thumbup:

My husband wants your phone number. :thumbup:

ROFLMAO

Unfortunately the rest of me matches the girls! LOL LOL

:thumbup:

I would find somewhere to stick something and thats no joke ROFL

I would put all kinds of things in my bras and undies. I also wear a spanx body suit so I could find places to put other things too.

Plus I would eat like theres no tomorrow but I am not the best person to give advice since i dream of cheeseburgers.

Okay, seriously, you gals are a riot! ROFL.... I gotta tell ya, each of ya have some really great ideas! I wonder how the weights in the bra would work considering that's the only part of my body that actually needs some weight?!?! I received some other suggestions about possible diver weights... hmmm.. slap the belt of that bad boy around my waist and I'm good to go. My question would be this.... what happens if I "lose" the weight right before surgery?? Surely I can't wear the diver belt and my weighted bra into the operation room...or can I?! Hmmm... and secondly, how long does the process usually take? From first dr. appt. to surgery? I'm still in the early learning stages.

Thanks so much!

Hi! New to the forum and all that. I don't know how it worked for everyone else but no matter how hard I try to lose weight I gain. I look at celery and can pack on 10 pounds, it sucks! It took my insurance almost a year and a half to go through by the time I was done with the dietician and everything even with the correct BMI and (fortunately in my eyes) 2 minor co-morbidities. I have a surgery date for the end of January and start the clear liquid diet on the 12th.

Its easy really. Just go in and bend your knees just a little, when they are measuring your height.

Ok, now your one inch shorter, and your bmi is more.

If anyone notices that they measured you and you shrunk a little, just tell them that you had always been measured in the past with your shoes on.

Or just add 10lbs of quarters in all the right places....tape them flat so they don't jingle....LOL

Edited January 7, 200917 yr by Jaffa