Can't afford weight loss surgery

nicolerasmus94
nicolerasmus94 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 21 years old and have been obese nearly all of my life. It's always been hard for me to lose and keep off weight, so I've been thinking a lot about surgery lately. I feel like it could be really good for me, but I am a student and will be for a couple more years, so it will be a while before I have substantial income. It would be great if I didn't have to wait that long though as I feel like my mental health would improve a great deal as a result, along with my physical health of course, and that these would help me to finish out school strong. I guess I'm just wondering if anyone on here was able to receive financial help for their procedure and how you went about doing that?

Replies

  • Lesscookies12
    Lesscookies12 Posts: 140 Member
    edited April 2018
    You're young and you don't have much income perfect time to check with your insurance carrier about getting it if you don't have much income it may end up being free. Good luck!!

    I once had to be in the hospital to get an X-ray my income was low so the trip was free for me, and I was also obese, and my insurance said if I got weight loss surgery it would be considered preventive service so it's free no deductible or 20% co-insurance. I ended up losing the weight myself so didn't take advantage but I had many opportunities. Make sure you ask don't assume you can't afford something if you haven't asked.
  • svel713
    svel713 Posts: 141 Member
    Calorie count to lose weight. Save the money instead for potential loose skin removal.
  • candicew70
    candicew70 Posts: 74 Member
    My mom is planning on getting the surgery. She told me that most people gain back the weight within 3 years. That seems crazy, but it also demonstrates that it's not a permanent solution. She's elderly and not really able to exercise so I'm being supportive. But for you at 21, it seems like you might want to consider other options.
  • SalinitySally
    SalinitySally Posts: 258 Member
    svel713 wrote: »
    Calorie count to lose weight. Save the money instead for potential loose skin removal.

    You beat me to it. My niece put her WLS on her credit card. She lost some weight but gained it all back and was still in debt. I'd be more willing to finance skin removal/breast lift/tummy tuck. It's a good incentive for losing by eating less and moving more, which you have to do even with WLS.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    Chiming in with what everyone else said--if you don't change your eating habits, WLS isn't going to work. I know two people who had the surgery, and they're now fatter than they were before the operation because they kept their old eating habits.

    Since you're a student, take advantage of your school's mental heath facilities to get help figuring out WHY you overeat. Then, as others have said, lose the weight naturally and save your money for any skin removal surgery you might need.

    Good luck. I know it's not what you want to hear, but even with the surgery, you're going to have to follow a very low calorie diet for the rest of your life if you want to be thinner. You can do that for free and without the risks/side effects of surgery.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,961 Member
    Surgery DOESN'T change your relationship with food nor your behavior with eating. If you're obese, you got that way by over consumption. Till you fix that issue, surgery is nothing more than a band aid. Gotta change your behavior first. And for many that do it, they end up losing weight anyway.

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  • WillingtoLose1001984
    WillingtoLose1001984 Posts: 240 Member
    edited April 2018
    nicolerasmus94 wrote: »
    I'm 21 years old and have been obese nearly all of my life. It's always been hard for me to lose and keep off weight, so I've been thinking a lot about surgery lately. I feel like it could be really good for me, but I am a student and will be for a couple more years, so it will be a while before I have substantial income. It would be great if I didn't have to wait that long though as I feel like my mental health would improve a great deal as a result, along with my physical health of course, and that these would help me to finish out school strong. I guess I'm just wondering if anyone on here was able to receive financial help for their procedure and how you went about doing that?

    If you can't afford it or insurance won't cover it ( I'd go to an introductory bariatric meeting to find out, thann either use MFP or another app to track calories. Don't be too hard on yourself! Take your time to lose the weight. You are still young. If I was 21, I'd just try to lose a pound a week for 2 years. I wish I had done that! Now I'm 33 and want kids and feel like that time is getting short!
  • Sayanogo
    Sayanogo Posts: 34 Member
    edited April 2018
    If you have urgent health issues caused by being overweight, I think surgery might be a good choice. Talk to your doctor about it if you haven't. An educated medical opinion is tons better than dreaming of a surgery thinking it will help.

    If you don't have urgent health issues, then you have time to lose slowly. Take that time. Learning how to develop a healthier lifestyle is what's important. If you don't develop one, surgery won't help anything. You'll just gain the weight back, be out of time and money, and have faced the complications of surgery for nothing.

    I second the idea that you should use the mental health services available at your school. Work on bettering your quality of life. You have time to grow into a healthier person.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    My father and sister have both had WLS. This is going back a few years, so the complications my sister experienced may no longer be as common. My father did well initially, but the weight is starting to creep back. He's fighting to lose it again.

    When I was 103lbs heavier, he was pushing me to get on the waiting list. I decided against it for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that I'm a vegetarian. Whole grains and beans area major part of my diet. And are generally not safe to eat after WLS. I saw my father have to give up fresh bread, because he could only handle toast and crackers. I didn't want to have to give up so many of my basic staples.

    I started MFP just over 17 months ago and I've dropped 103lbs making small changes, keeping most of the same foods (I've consciously cut back on bakery desserts and I tend to order foods at restaurants that are easier to track. Example: I'll go for a 10" pizza over a salad-bowl sized serving of pasta. If I'm having pasta, I go for stuff like canneloni, where I can look at 4-5 entries in the database and ballpark it, as opposed to the 'chef's signature dish with an original sauce', etc. But I haven't given up desserts or pastas; I just mostly opt for homemade and weigh my portions.)
  • WillingtoLose1001984
    WillingtoLose1001984 Posts: 240 Member
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    My father and sister have both had WLS. This is going back a few years, so the complications my sister experienced may no longer be as common. My father did well initially, but the weight is starting to creep back. He's fighting to lose it again.

    When I was 103lbs heavier, he was pushing me to get on the waiting list. I decided against it for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that I'm a vegetarian. Whole grains and beans area major part of my diet. And are generally not safe to eat after WLS. I saw my father have to give up fresh bread, because he could only handle toast and crackers. I didn't want to have to give up so many of my basic staples.

    I started MFP just over 17 months ago and I've dropped 103lbs making small changes, keeping most of the same foods (I've consciously cut back on bakery desserts and I tend to order foods at restaurants that are easier to track. Example: I'll go for a 10" pizza over a salad-bowl sized serving of pasta. If I'm having pasta, I go for stuff like canneloni, where I can look at 4-5 entries in the database and ballpark it, as opposed to the 'chef's signature dish with an original sauce', etc. But I haven't given up desserts or pastas; I just mostly opt for homemade and weigh my portions.)

    You can eat a plant based diet after surgery. There's a bariatric doctor on youtube who talks about it.

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