Qualifying BMI - Be honest

Good morning!

I'm new to this forum and hope to be one of the many people with the ticker that says they've reached their goal.

I'm honestly so sick and fed up of being over weight. I've wanted the surgery for years but now....I'm turning 35 this month with so many new ailments. My knee started having fluid on it, i can't breath...everything is hard physically.

I guess my question is....had anyone done anything to meet the bmi requirements to skip out on the 6 month weight loss diet stuff?

My BMI is just shy of 45. I have severe hypertension. I just wish I had a realistic plan to add 5 to my BMI without gaining 30 lbs :(

That will be determined by your insurance company and your surgeon.

my BMI was almost 60 and I still had to go through the six-month diet. It completely depends on your insurance company and your surgeon (my surgeon didn't require it - but my insurance co did)

the six months flew by for me, and I actually found it very helpful. It gave me time to practice some of the stuff that I'd need to do once I had surgery, so as a result, my after-surgery eating didn't seem as radical a change. The dietitian I was working with had me gradually increase my protein, gradually decrease my carbs, wean myself off caffeine, gradually lower my caloric intake, etc. I also practiced waiting 30 minutes after eating to drink anything. It made the transition much easier, I think.

Call your insurance company and ask. Or ask the insurance person in your surgeon's office.

I have never heard of the "50 BMI gets to skip the 6 month supervised diet" stipulation. Is that really a thing?

I had a BMI of 50 exactly and was able to skip the 6 months supervised diet. BCBS of MI PPO plan.

First, I've never heard of a BMI over 50 getting to skip the 6 month weight loss requirement. I had a BMI of 57, and I had a 9 month requirement.

Second, even if there is, gaining with the intent of scamming your insurance is fraud.

Finally, gaining weight to get surgery is absolutely the wrong mindset. It isn't as though surgery is a magic cure and starting at a higher BMI only increases your surgical risks.

I never said I was going to gain weight for the surgery. I was just voicing my frustrations I guess.

Personally I would be afraid to gain more weight. You'll be further stressing every single organ in your body and your bones and back vertebrae as well. Also, what happens if your heart gives out while you're trying to avoid the six month diet by gaining weight? Heart attacks are a real risk and many people don't survive them. You're already in the high risk category for heart failure - do you really want to roll those dice?

Do whatever you have to do to get in starting right now. The six months will fly by and not only are they looking to see if you can lose weight, they are testing your ability to eat in compliance with their plan.

And as others have mentioned - at it's most blatant this is insurance fraud.

My insurance co required the 6 month supervised diet for EVERYONE. If you go self-pay there's a chance the surgeon doesn't require it, but the surgeon will have their own set of criteria as well. This is a huge surgery with a lot of risks, especially for people starting out with higher BMIs. The pre-op period is a good time to do a lot of research and start changing the habits you'll need to stick with post-op. I was impatient too, but being so prepared over that evaluation time eased a lot of transition stress.

I paid cash for my surgery. I did not need the 6 months diet. But I needed a 4 weeks liquid pre-op diet, plus all the tests and meeting I had to attend - it was still 3.5 months from my first visit with surgeon to my "date".