Official Response from Anthem

I've received official word from my health insurance provider that they will not cover any aspect of my pursuit of medical weight loss because weight loss is not considered medically necessary.

Well, thanks.  Thanks a stinkin' lot.

I am 5 feet 6 inches tall.  I weigh 256 pounds.  My BMI is 41.3.  According to annecollins.com, as well as just about every single doctor or nurse or other healthcare professional who thinks I might listen to them, my BMI makes me morbidly obese.  Risk factors of a 41.3 BMI include: a 50-100% chance of premature death from all causes, increased risk of just about anything under the sun to include diabetes, insulin resistance, cancer, or heart disease, an increased risk of fatty liver disease, chronic venous insufficiency (from what I gather, this is poor circulation to my extremeties), and several other health risks.   In addition to my BMI placing me into the morbidly obese group, I carry the majority of my weight around my middle, which is also known as central obesity.  Central obesity carries with it several additional health risks such as marked increased risk for cardiovascular disease (in addition to the risk that my BMI itself poses), deep vein thrombosis, and kidney failure.

So glad to hear that my obesity is of no cause for concern to you, Anthem.  Good thing this pursuit is important enough to me to foot the bill myself.

Ageless Weight Loss Center

Have you ever seen the commercials for Ageless Weight Loss Center?  They promise extreme weight loss the healthy way.  I thought that this is something I would be looking for, so I made an appointment for a consultation.

Believe me when I say this:  Ageless Weight Loss Center is a corporation, driven by monetary gain.

Well, of course they are, right?  Everyone's out to make a profit, right?

I had my consultation and the "nurse" (who has no actual real medical credentials aside from the fact that she lost a lot of weight on "the program" herself) hooked me up to the super duper fat-o-meter (pet name compliments of me) to determine my body composition and basal metabolic rate.  Funny, I don't remember talking about the super duper fat-o-meter in any of my Wellness courses when we discussed ways to determine body fat rates and composition.

Anyway, the super duper fat-o-meter said the same thing that I've been saying all alone.  I'm fat, morbidly so, and my basal metabolic rate is actually quite high (2100 calories when my body isn't doing anything other than performing basic life functions) so aside from constantly stuffing my face there really isn't any reason for me to be so fat.  Thanks.

So then she takes me into this room to show me "the program", which is truly just a bunch of shakes and bars.  Gee, lady, if all it took to drop 100 lbs was shakes and bars, I would have done it already.  Seriously, though, does she really think I haven't already tried Slim Fast?  So she makes me a "shake", hands it to me to taste, and asks in a really perky voice, big stupid smile on her face, "Doesn't it takes amazing?  Hard to believe it's a diet, huh?"  The look on her face dropped when I responded with, "That has got to be the MOST disgusting thing I've ever put in my mouth.  That is absolutely awful."  To which she retorted with the all-famous challenging comment, "Well, maybe you're just not at a point yet where you are willing to make sacrifices for your health."  And I bit... hard...

So then she showed me how much shit-in-a-glass costs these days.  The entire cost of my intended program, with just 60 lbs of weight loss as my goal, was something to the tune of 3 grand.

Now I'm just pissed off that these people are taking advantage of desperate people in circumstances like this, luring them in with false hopes of getting to a weight they can be proud of and then emptying their pockets on a program that will, in all likelihood, result in regaining all weight lost and then some in the process.

Hello, I'm Abbie

Hello, I'm Abbie.  I'm a compulsive overeater.  We (compulsive overeaters, that is) have a support group, just like Alcoholics Anonymous.  Actually, our 12-step program is modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous, so there are remarkable similarities.

For whatever reason, at some point in my life, I learned to turn to food for comfort and pleasure.  I developed inappropriate and unhealthy eating patterns.  It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that my overeating was compulsive, based on emotions and circumstances, and that I am not fat for the simple fact that food loves me so much that it decides to hang on to any part of my body for all eternity.

I am 5 feet 6 inches tall, 256 lbs.  I am standing at the precipice of my journey to regain control of my life and attempting to conquer the hold that food has on my body.  To be perfectly honest, I am scared shitless.

This is me:

I look pretty happy, huh?  Or not.

See that look on my face?  It pretty well captures my outlook on my life right at the moment.  The idea of losing the amount of weight I need to lose is pretty scary.  Will I be able to do it?  What if I fail?  Will I allow small stumbling blocks to kill my desire, my need, to be at a healthy weight?  My biggest fear: what if it's not possible?  What if I truly can't do it?

Here goes nothing.  I'm jumping in with both feet.