What's an average to lose per month after surgery?

[Shirl]

My goal was to get to a normal BMI. I had no clue how long that would take, the doctor didn't say anything about how fast I would lose. (Probably because we are all different.) The only thing that counts is I got there and am now maintaining a normal BMI.

I realize we all will lose different amounts but my curiosity was on seeing people's GOALS on their ticker's every few months. I wondered how they picked a certain weight... like maybe they had been told to try and lose 10 lbs a month, 12 pounds a month. I wasn't sure if that (10#) was a good number to set my sights on.... or 12-15 lbs? I don't want to set myself up to feel depressed if I don't hit 10 a month.

I honestly have never seen people put monthly goal weight on their ticker. Thank Goodness!!!

What I have seen is their monthly check-in weight, and what did do for my "one year goal" was based on my DeXA body composition scan recommendation based on my personal muscle, bone and fat composition which I initially did 3-months post op approximately.

Folks like PamG, and I am not speaking for her, just based on following her comments for the last year, are personal goals??? Maybe based on times she felt healthier or weighed less in her lifetime??? She is also a tall woman so whatever her goals were, you cannot compare to hers.

My daughter is 5'10" and she weighs 180lbs and she looks amazing! She is a semiprofessional beach volleyball player and she is ALL muscle!!!

I'm 5'6" and at 170ish I'm wearing size 10/medium. I'm far from being muscular but I'm kinda liking what I look like these days. I'm scheduled for another DeXA scan May 19th, and I will adjust my personal weight goals then for my two year post op whether is maintenance or losing a few more pounds.

Another thing is that I cannot base my normal BMI on the standardized national charts because my bone mass is heavier than the average woman my height and age and ethnicity according to the DeXA scan. If I went with the standardized chart I would have to weigh between 118lbs(low end)-140lbs(high end).

Here are a few good reads on BMI standardized charts to account:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=106268439
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2010/08/3...th/31brod.html

[DesertGal]

Thank you everyone for all the input. I wasn't worrying, as much as not knowing what was a realistic amount to lose on average, over a year/year and a half, per month.
I am now, as of this Saturday morning, down 60 pounds, and my BMI went from a 40 to 31.2. I have an additional 40 pounds that I want to lose and I believe over the next year I can do it. (I'm thinking it may be a lot sooner.) If I listen to the nutritionist's thoughts on what I 'should' be at when all is said and done, I've only got 25-30 pounds to go. But I like my'160' goal much better.

[Ann2]

Don't put too much stock in those higher-weight goals your nutritionist is proposing for you. You may be very surprised at where you wind up.

And don't worry at all about how fast you lose. It took me 18 months to lose 100 pounds. And I didn't starve myself on the way down either. My surgeon's nurse practitioner (who knows more about WLS than anyone else on that team) warned me not to starve myself while losing weight -- otherwise, I'd wind up teaching my metabolism that I wanted to live for the rest of my life on a starvation diet. For more details about all that, read the two links posted in my signature block below.

[Pam G]

I randomly chose 180 as a goal cause that's what I weighed as a high school senior. I never thought I'd actually reach it, let alone surpass it, but I did.

Im still "overweight" BMI-wise, or maybe just barely "Normal". I can't imagine ever being in the middle of the normal BMI for my height. That's another 30 lbs!

I realize we all will lose different amounts but my curiosity was on seeing people's GOALS on their ticker's every few months. I wondered how they picked a certain weight... like maybe they had been told to try and lose 10 lbs a month, 12 pounds a month. I wasn't sure if that (10#) was a good number to set my sights on.... or 12-15 lbs? I don't want to set myself up to feel depressed if I don't hit 10 a month.

[DesertGal]

I'm now 203# as of this morning and my BMI is 30.3 according to my new scale , which I love! I'd love to see a "normal" BMI, but overweight will be thrilling (getting out of morbidly was a thrill).