pre surgery weight loss question

Hey everyone I just have a quick question because I'm getting conflicting answers between orientation and people's actual experiences. At orientation they encouraged us to make lifestyle changes and possibly lose some weight before surgery. I asked at orientation if we lost weight and got below a BMI of 40 if we would still qualify for surgery. I was told that yes we will qualify because they use the BMI that we had at the time of our referral. With that information in mind I went about making as many changes as I could. I started to watch what I was eating and started exercising. As a result I have lost 17.5 pounds so far. I was pretty excited and recently shared this information on one of the forums. I then had a few people message me to warn me that they had also done the same thing got their BMI down to 39 and were rejected from surgery at HRRH because the surgeon said they could lose weight on their own. This has me a little worried because now my BMI is 40.2 right now and at referral it was 42. If I continue to lose weight I know I can get my BMI below 40. My problem has never been losing weight it has always been keeping it off. I know this surgery isn't some easy fix and that I'm going to have to work hard to keep the weight off. I do think though that the surgery well be a great tool to help me form the healthy habits I need to have for success long term. I've worked pretty hard to lose the 17 pounds I don't want to sabotage myself but at the same time I don't want to jeopardize qualifying for surgery. If I could lose and maintain weight loss on my own I would have done it by now unfortunately I know I need some help to stay on track. I'm 100% dedicated to being successful in this journey so I really hope I'm not doing anything that would jeopardize qualifying for surgery. If anybody has lost weight and gotten their BMI down below 40 and still qualified for surgery at Humber River Hospital please let me know. I really do appreciate all the insight and help that I've gotten from this site.

If it is concerning you that much, you could maybe try to maintain your current weight (by finding your daily caloric intake for maintenance****il you have your first round of appointments?

Then you can talk to nurse practitioner, nutritionist etc about continuing to lose weight and its effect on approval. 

I didn't go through Humber, but a friend of mine did and I know the nutritionist wanted her to lose weight and meet with her again a month later.  

I put into practice everything they told me to do and I have lost around 25 lbs. Most of that is because of getting my blood sugar under control.  Now the Optifast has kicked in. My surgery is in a few days and when I asked that same question they asked my why on earth they would punish me for doing what they told me to do.  It does not make ANY sense that they would deny it to you for losing weight. Especially since you are relearning new habits and working with a nutritionist. I would not worry about that- seriously.  I seriously doubt that my BMI would qualify me anymore either. I just checked and mine is 37.2 now and they are going ahead with mine. Don't worry- just keep doing what they are telling you to do.

That was my thinking. I am making the changes they want us to which of course results in weightloss so they can't possibly deny a person who is on the right track to being successful after surgery. I was rally taken aback by the two women who warned me that their BMI was down to 39 at their first surgeons apt and they got denied because the Dr said they can lose the weight without the surgery. I am really hoping there was just some misunderstanding there because I worked hard to lose what I have so far to prove to the team I am dedicated in doing what I need to do to be successful.  Thanks for your response it eased my anxiety a bit  because I was really caught off guard when I got those warnings. It just makes no sense lol

I went through Windsor not HRRH so it might not be the same. They go by the first time they weigh you not your referral weight. You can still qualify if you have a BMI over 35 and two comorbidities.

I read something in a book that stuck with me over the years. Overnight/obese people are experts at losing weight. It's keeping the weight off that is the challenge. Part of the requirement for WLS is to have failed attempts to lose weight. I have lost and maintained a 40 pound weight loss sin bring referred. But I know without surgical intervention, it will not be a lifelong success. My BMI is high enough that the amount I lost puts me in no danger of not meeting the requirements.

Do you have any comorbidities? 

Because you are so clean we to the BMI requirement this is a difficult situation. I would phone and ask, or email us f you have the contact info for anyone in your Team.

Well what you described is definitely true for me. I really am an expert at losing weight and always fail to keep it off. Unfortunately/fortunately I myself don't have any comorbidities relating to my weight at all. I do however have an extremely strong family history of heart disease on my father's side (19 of 21 of my grandmother's siblings died of heart attacks before 60 and so far 4 of 9 of my father's siblings have had heart attacks before 60 including my father last month). On my mother's side there is a strong history of diabetes.  I don't know if they will even take my family history into consideration if my BMI is under 40. Right now my BMI is 40.2 so if I lose another 2lbs I will be under 40. I have a major dental surgery coming up a week before my 1st surgeons apt so I know I will end up being down in weight because I won't be able to eat solids for a few days. I will definitely call the office Tuesday and hopefully I will get an answer. If not I will have to do my best to make sure I don't fall below 40 before I get to have my 1st surgeons apt and discuss it with him then. It's really a scary thought that I may be jeopardizing my surgery because I'm trying to follow the guidelines I learned about in orientation which results in weight loss. Very frustrating.