Hi. I have BCBS of IL and they are requiring me to do a 3 month medically supervised weight loss attempt. If I follow the plan my doctor gives me, I will lose weight. My problem has always been keeping it off. So my question is this: Will losing weight make it less likeley that I get approved, or does the insurance company want to see you lose weight to see that you are committed? How does that work? I don't know if I should try really hard, or just show up to the appointments and not really try to lose weight during the three months. Have any of you had any experience with that?

I really don't know. The best person to talk to is the doctor. I've read where people have "kinda-sorta" followed the supervised diet, lost a very few pounds (but nowhere near what they could have lost) and went on to be approved. I know that's not much help. I was self-pay, so I didn't have to jump through any hoops (just have pre-op tests done), so I'm no authority.

Let us know how it goes. Someone else will want to know, I promise!

Gaining weight will make you less likely to be approved!

I have yet to be banded and will probably be down 70+ pounds by the time my 3 months are up. I have asked them the same question every time I visit the surgeon's office and always get the same reply.

They use the starting weight and BMI when they submit to the insurance companies.

The supervised diet is to make sure that you are willing to change because the band is only a tool and it is you that will be doing the real work.

I am actually going through the exact same thing right now( I also have BCBSIL)- matter of fact, my 3rd appointment is tomorrow. Someone I work with had the surgery in the spring back when they were requiring a 6 month pre-op diet. He said he lost 12 lbs in that 6 month period and he went on to be approved. As of my last appointment I had lost 6 lbs but I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring. In my humble opinion if you go and lose a really substantial amount of weight they could argue that you can do it on your own. I certainly wouldn't want to gain weight because they could argue that you aren't taking it seriously. Good luck!

Thanks for your replies. I had my first appointment for the diet yesterday. The doc put me on a 2000 calorie diet and told me to exercise 3 times a week. I can live with that. Good luck everybody!

... In my humble opinion if you go and lose a really substantial amount of weight they could argue that you can do it on your own...

I disagree. As many people on this site can tell you; the problem for a lot of us is not losing the weight, it is keeping it off. I've personally lost over 75 pounds 3 times only to gain back more than I lost.

The insurance companies are aware of yo-yo dieting and that is why they ask for a diet history.