Pre-Op Diet
meyou4042
Posts: 40
I am sure it will be different for each person, but can you give me an idea on what kind of diet you were on before surgery? And did most of you have to do the 6 months or the 3 months? And if you did the 3 months, why? What were the determining factors for 3 months vs. 6 months?
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I was on the 3-month. That was my insurers decision. I've been careful about my food intake through these 3 months, hoping to lose a little on my own. Doc said 4 lbs.. That's it. Last I saw him, I'd managed 14.
I am on day 5 of my liquid diet and due to have surgery on the 17th of June. By the way.... I'm so hungry!!!!0 -
I want to lose weight on the diet, but at the same time I do not want to lose too much that it will preclude me from getting the surgery! How did your insurance determine the three months? May I ask what insurance you have?
I am sorry you are hungry! I heard about the liquid diet for two weeks before surgery! That is really going to be tough. I did it for two days before a colonoscopy, but for two weeks is gonna be hard!0 -
I want to lose weight on the diet, but at the same time I do not want to lose too much that it will preclude me from getting the surgery! How did your insurance determine the three months? May I ask what insurance you have?
I am sorry you are hungry! I heard about the liquid diet for two weeks before surgery! That is really going to be tough. I did it for two days before a colonoscopy, but for two weeks is gonna be hard!
In my informational seminar they told us not to worry about losing yourself out of surgery. The initial weight they measure is the one that determines eligibility. I assume that they are telling the truth!
They put me on 1500 calories per day, which is well under what MFP suggests for a person my size. So far, I have been doing very well at eating the 1500 calories, exercising more and the results are really great for me! I did ask the dietician when I saw her a couple of weeks after starting if I should continue to eat such a low number of calories and if I was losing too fast and she told me that if I was tolerating the 1500, that it is good training for post-surgery and I should keep it up! I follow instructions pretty well!
I see the surgeon on Wednesday and hope to get a surgery date then!
Good luck to you!
Rob0 -
Good Luck at the surgeon's Rob! You have done GREAT he or she is going to be amazed at your progress so far, I have no doubt you will get your date!
Jena0 -
I have Cigna, which requires a 3 month supervised diet. As others as said, insurance goes with your starting weight. My doc wanted me to lose 17 lbs during the 3 month but it isn't a requirement. If I lose the 17, I can do a pre-op liquid of one week instead of two so that is good incentive for me. I meet with the in-house nutritionist once a month and with the surgeon once a month. So far, I have lost about 11 lbs and I have about a month left. They started me on 1700 calories a day and now I am at 1500 calories a day. They had me cut out sweets, bread, wine (that was really sad!) and caffeine (also sad) and focus on protein. They are also having me practice not drinking with meals. They want me exercising and started me out at 10 minutes a day.0
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I had Blue Cross insurance. I was required to go through 6 consecutive months of nutrition counseling and joined a weight-loss group. I did Weight Watchers on-line. After those six months, I went to the surgeon's office for my pre-surgery appointment, only to find out that my surgeon was not covered by my new insurance (UPMC) that was going into effect the next month! I sat in the parking lot and cried!!
Fast-forward a year and a half, and monthly phone calls to my new insurance company to see if they covered my surgeon, yet. (Yes, I could have travelled 100+ miles to another surgeon, but it wasn't something I could manage for a number of reasons.) Finally I was told he was approved!! Angels sang!!
Because everything I had done previously was within two years, I didn't have to start the process over. I scheduled surgery, passed the psych eval
, and did a two-week, doctor-prescribed diet of two protein drinks and a green salad with 3 oz of chicken, 2 T of fat-free Italian dressing and 3 saltines, daily. During the entire pre-surgery process, I lost 22 pounds.
There was no concern about losing too much, once the surgery was approved. It has been nearly two years since my RNY bypass surgery. I was told I would lose up to 80% of my excess weight. I actually lost more than that. I'm 5'8" tall and weigh anywhere from 145 to 150, depending on the day. (I seem to bounce back and forth between those two weights.)
Best wishes to all who are approaching their surgery dates. It is a tremendous journey, with ups and downs. But it was definitely worth the struggles for me!!
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I had an insurance switch mid-process as well. It was extremely frustrating. You did much better than I did. I quit all efforts at losing and moped for about a year. Then I started anew with the new insurance (which involved a new Bariatric Center). As I have said elsewhere, the restart was a Godsend, because I was not in the right frame of mind the first go around.0
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Thank you all for the information!! I appreciate it. I don't want to start my diet until I see the DR and get my starting weight noted.
What is involved with passing the Psychologist appointment?0 -
I have heard stories of insurance companies using your weight at the end of your supervised diet and were denied. It depends on your insurance. What is your BMI now?0
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I had a 6 month waiting period. I was not expected to lose any weight during that time, except what I would lose during the liquid phase before surgery. I pretty much maintained during most of the time and ultimately lost about 9 pounds before the liquid started. It all depends on the doc... :huh:0
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I have heard stories of insurance companies using your weight at the end of your supervised diet and were denied. It depends on your insurance. What is your BMI now?
Laura,
My BMI at the moment is 39....5 more lbs and I will hit the 40 BMI and not need any of the co-morbidity requirements. I have Aetna for my insurance.
Has anyone done this with Aetna?0 -
I did not have a supervised diet. I did have to take 6 months of nutrition classes. I am (was?) also diabetic and on high blood pressure meds, so I had co-factors which meant it was automatically covered by my insurance. I have BCBS IL PPO. I actually called BCBS after my initial seminar to see if it was covered and what I needed to do. My hospital also had an insurance specialist who worked across carriers to make sure every patient was covered. So they kept on top of what hoops we needed to jump through in order to have the surgery. If I had a question that individual was around to help out.0
