Qualifying BMI - Be honest

I understand the frustration you are feeling. Once we make the huge decision to take control of our health and have surgery, we just want to get it done. Tomorrow. The 6 month diet, and other pre-surgical requirements are required for a reason. It is not there to frustrate you, or to deter you from surgery. Those requirements are there to help you understand life after BS, teach you good post-surgical habits, and to give you the best shot possible at a successful surgery and weight loss.

My program was a full year long, and by the time they wheeled me into surgery, I felt strong and ready. I am grateful I had that time to prepare. It was critical for me.

So don't think of any of the pre-op work as a delay in starting your weight loss journey, but rather an important part of the journey. This is a life changing decision. You won't be sorry that you took the time to be fully prepared.

^^^^This^^^^

Awesome words!

My diet requirement was in addition to my BMI being over 50. Being super morbidly obese did not fast track me.

As others have said, gaining weight does not let you head to the front of the line.

I had a BMI of 56 and I started the process in January of 2013 and had surgery in October of that year. In addition to my insurance requiring a 6 month documented weight loss attempt, my own program required a sleep study and a psychological evaluation. I probably could have skipped out on the 6 month requirement with documentation from when I was in the HMR program, but I figured I'd use the opportunity to get used to eating the way I would need to post-surgery and also get used to the idea of going under the knife and making a fundamental change to the way my body functions. I attended the monthly support group meetings and saw people who had had good success and learned strategies for losing and maintaining the weight loss. I also spent a lot of time on here and read posts from years and years back.

I felt a lot like you--I'd made the decision, so why couldn't I have it done now? But in the end, I think I am better off for having gone through the process. I developed a good relationship with my program's staff and gained a high degree of confidence in them as well as my own ability to be successful. Take this opportunity to plan and strategize for your own success rather than running headlong into change.

Also, be advised that several people on this board have been on here for many, many years and have just about seen the gamut. You are not the first person to express this desire and get the advice you have and you won't be the last. You are in a frustrating place right now and probably feel like people are attacking you, but that is far from the case. You will only do yourself a disservice if you choose to ignore their/our advice and leave the boards. This is a life-altering decision and it behooves you learn as much as you can before your surgery. Good luck to you!

Jen

On the contrary, once your weight is over a certain amount, some surgeons and insurance will refuse to operate until you have LOST enough weight for the procedure to be done more safely.

You could end up gaining a bunch of weight, and then losing it. And then have your insurance deny you because you aren't demonstrating a commitment to weight loss.

An extra six months to prepare for surgery is a gift. Use it wisely, and get a good running start going into your honeymoon period.

My insurance did not have any timebound requirements and it still took me 3.5 months to get through the Bari Center's program.

I fully understand how you feel. After debating this issue with myself for a couple of years, once I made the decision, I wanted to move forward. But believe me when I say it will fly by. I will have my 6th month check in with my PVP on March 23rd. I had a lot of tests and procedures to have done , and then the support group meetings, but the biggest help for me has been the time I've had to learn how to eat for after surgery. It's been a tough ride to kick sugar, but that is my weakness and am determined to make my "tool" work for me. When one of my clearances didn't make it to my surgeon's office and his staff called me about it, I needed to call my cardiologist and then I realized, this is getting real.

It will be 6 months gone before you can turn around.

Good luck to you!

Lower BMI's get special consideration when there's co-morbidities present. Honestly you should be trying to get your BMI down to 40 not up to 50.

My BMI was 36 but I had the sleeve and it was a revision no 6 month thing for me

Thank you all for your insight. I really do appreciate it!

I was able to get in to a bari center consult march 28th. I look fwd to sharing my journey with you!