6 month diet-Highmark PPO

Hi- Does anyone know how much you should lose during your 6 month diet? I am scared to lose too much and scared to not lose enough. Can your insurance deny you if you lose too much? Does that actualy happen?

I have Highmark PPO.  They wanted to see that I was unsuccessful at my supervised diet.  In other words, I complied, but I basically bounced around the same 10 lbs the whole time.  Up one month, down the next.  Still MO.  Duh.  If dieting worked, I wouldn't need WLS, would I? I've never heard of anyone not getting approved because they lost too much.  How much have you lost?  I definetly wouldn't want to gain just because the closer you are to surgery, the less you want to weigh to make surgery safer.  Any amount you can lose right before surgery, the better your liver will look and the easier it is for your surgeon to perform surgery on you.

I just started my diet last week and gained 3 pounds. I only saw my family dr to be weighed. I don't see the nut until this week. I was scared they wouldn't do it if I gained or if I lost too much. It's really stupid. I'm just trying to play the game to get the surgery. If I was good at dieting then I would never want surgery to begin with...duh. I guess this is their way of really making you think about it for 6 months instead of making a quick decision.  Thanks!

Be careful--some insurance compaines require you to lose a certain amount of weight, while others want you to fail miserably at a diet for approval---make sure you know and don't waste 6 months to get denied! I work in TN and one BCBS plan requires you to lose 10% and the state employees BCBS plan requires you to fail at losing 10%. The patients talk to each other "I have BCBS of TN" (they both are BCBS of TN plans!!!) and get the wrong info--- MAKE SURE YOU GET THE INFO-------if the customer service rep cannot tell you, ask to speak with someone in pre-determinations or pre-authorizations, tell them you already know about the BMI criteria, you need the specific criteria for approval, usually only pre-d or utilization management has that info. Sometimes the insurers website has it too, look under medical policies, then bariatric surgery. Blessings! Bonnie 264/155