How many people actually hit their weight goal after surgery? Or is it more common to only lose what they predict for you?
Still working on it but there are several successful people on this forum.
I started at 238. My surgeon's goal for me was 160. My personal goal was 150. I ended up right around 140, and maintain within a pound or two of that except for the last month or so I've been hanging out around 135. (Less grazing, more fluids and more activity lately). This is a loss of over 110% of my excess weight.....almost twice as much as the stats say I "should" lose. There's no reason you have to be limited by what other people lost (cause that's all WLS statistics are). You can be as successful as you want.
I was 285 at my highest and 255 at surgery. I wanted to weigh 150 my entire life and when I reached that goal I went down another 10 lbs. Six years later I hover at 147-150 and am amazed at that! I never thought I'd weigh that and to maintain it for almost 5 1/2 years is almost what I call a "Miracle"
I would say just keep working the program and your body will go to the weight that's comfortable for you. Take advantage of the "honeymoon" period and really follow the program set forth by your surgeon steadfastly.
Continued success, "The Sky is the Limit."
I don't know the percentage of people who reach their weight "goal." If anyone finds that stat, please post it. And I'll do the same.
But I certainly reached my weight goal.
I started at 235.6 pounds. My goal for myself was 150 pounds. I set that goal because I thought it was possible, it was a nice round number, it was just one pound above "normal" BMI for me (I'm 5'5"), and it was less than I'd weighed since I was in my 30s. I also knew from being online here and at other WLS message boards that it was definitely possible to reach a normal BMI, because I saw people doing it right and left. And I saw people maintaining at that weight, too.
BTW, my surgeon didn't give me a goal. And I didn't ask for one. I've learned to be VERY CAREFUL about letting others set my goals for me.
Here's how my weight loss phases went: I lost 20 pounds pre-op. Then 9 months post-op I reached 150 pounds (for a total of 85 pounds lost). Then over the next 9 months, while learning how to maintain my weight, my body dropped another 15 pounds, down to 135 pounds!
Shocked the heck out of me! I never expected to be a "skinny bitch." Now I understand that it's not really skinny, but just normal. But initially it was truly freaky!
Now here's the real miracle -- a year later I still weigh 135 pounds! I really do work at it -- still planning meals, tracking cals and macronutrients, exercising 5 days a week, chewing more, eating slower, not drinking with meals, drinking 8 glasses of water / liquids, eating nutritious food, eating protein first, not grazing, seeing my therapist (which I've been doing for nearly 3 years now), keeping trigger foods out of the house. Etc., etc., etc.
Caveat: I am not perfect. I splurge sometimes. But after all this time of building new habits and a new lifestyle, "what I want" has changed, too. And how much I move has changed so much. Yes, sometimes when I can't sleep I have a midnight sandwich. But I have learned that one midnight sandwich won't make me gain 100 pounds, although a midnight sandwich EVERY night probably could. For me, maintenance (the most powerful part of WLS) is about finding a balancing point that works for me.
P.S. To learn more about how I lost my weight and how I maintain my weight, click on the two links at the end of my signature block below.
Consult: 235 lbs
My and doc's preop diet: 216 -19 lbs
M1 postop 205 -30
M2 193 -42
M3 184 -51
M4 174 -61
M5 167 -68
M6 162 -73
M7 156 -79
M8 151 -84
M9 148 -87
M10 146 -89
M11 144 -91
M12 143 -92
M13 142 -93
M14 140 -95
M15 139 -96
M16 137 -98
M17 135 -100
First Surgiversary post
Second Surgiversary post
Third Surgiversary post
Never got a goal from anyone but gave myself one of being 155lbs (5' 9"), a year out I still need to lose another 20lbs. I've lost 95lbs which I'm extremely happy about. At my annual visit I asked what would my weight be if I lost 100% of access weight and was told 134lbs which would put me right in the middle of the bmi calculator but I would look like death, lol. So I'm sticking with 155lbs and I hope to get there before the summer.
I'm close to my 8-month post-op sleeversary and I have met several weight loss goals.
My first goal was to halt weight gain, and I have certainly accomplished that considering my weight has been downward since about 3 months pre-op. Don't get me wrong, there have been plenty of stalls and small lived gains to do monthly menstrual cycles.
My second was to lower my high cholesterol, and control my early diagnosed type 2 diabetes. I lost 19lbs pre-op, and one month post-op, my cholesterol was normal and I was back to a few points into prediabetic numbers. I just had my 8 month follow up and I am happy to report my cholesterol still normal (though good cholesterol needs to improve), and ✨I am no longer Diabetic.✨
My third and fourth goals are about making choices: eating nutrient and vitamin rich foods closer to their natural state, and to be active every day for the test of my life. Along with my fifth goal of living a calm and stress managed life, allowing time for self-care is really important to me.
These last three goals will help me keep my first two goals.
My surgeon said that I would be in the "healthy" range for my height at 155-165lbs. My personal goal is pre children weight, and in my heart I would love to see 135lbs on me again. Sometimes those numbers just seem so far away, but if I keep honoring my sleeve and the reasons I chose it, I know I will get there.
HW: 245lbs (11/15); SW: 226lbs (5/17/16) - Height: 5'6"
Post-Op Weight:
M1: 211.3 (-14.7)
M2: 203 (-8.3)
M3: 196.5 (-6.5)
M4: 191.5 (-5)
M5: 186.3 (-5.2)
M6: (?)
M7: (?)
M8: 179.4 (-6.9)
M9: 177.1 (-2.3)
M10: 174 (-3.1)
M11: 171.5 (-2.5)
M12: 171 (-.5)
Y1.1: 170 (-1)
"Today is another day to get it right!"
To you All
Awesome!!! Way to go! I think whether WLS was a choice or not to lose weight, reaching ur personal goal is self-satisfying. Just like some of u I have set my own weight loss #. It's just a goal that I want to be around 170. I'm 5'4 and do not want to look sick. If my body says, 'look I'm better losing 10-15 more', then it will happen. Although I'm going from sleeve to bypass next week, I'm glad to come to this forum and seek the motivations needed to stay on track. I'm glad also that you all share the real, because the statistics out there are really not known. For example, when I began to gain weight from the sleeve I stopped going to the doctor for checkups. It was a mistake. But then I'm no longer part of a success statistic. So again, u all are GREAT MOTIVATORS. Thank you. Krys
My goal was to be a normal BMI and I hit it and have stayed there for over 2 years now. I'd like to work to get more in the middle of that range, as I'm at the high end.
When I met with my psychologist before surgery and said I love to walk and hike, he said, "Well then you'll have no problem losing all your weight." He was right. My surgeon gave me that, "You'll lose about 70% of your weight" line.
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