60-70% of excess weight

benagek

When I first started looking into the VSG I asked how much weight I could expect to lose. I was told that the sleeve would help me lose 60-70% of my excess weight and then I'd have to do the rest. For me, I was roughly 100 lbs overweight so I did the mental math and thought "okay, in 12 to 18 months, I will lose 60 - 70lbs."

I had surgery at the end of September and have already lost over 50lbs just 3 1/2 months in. Although I will totally be thrilled to lose another 50 lbs, I find myself a little scared. It's happening so fast. I don't even know what that number looks like on a scale? How am I going to stay clothed, since it's coming off so much faster than I thought.

Those of you who have been post-op for longer than 18 months; what percentage have you lost? Is the 60-70% accurate? Did your brain ever catch up with your body?

april731

60-70% is the "average" weight loss of WLS patients - I think docs give these numbers to manage expectation. Some lose a lot more, some lose a lot less. I have no intention of just being average and fully anticipate losing 100% of my excess weight - I'm 9 months post-op and have lost 64% of my excess weight. But I had a lot more weight to lose than you.

Don't worry about your weight loss. You won't waste away, at some point your body will reach a set point. You may well reach your goal weight in the next few months. That's awesome! You may also dip below your target weight, at least temporarily, but don't freak out because a lot of people have a bounce-back and regain a little bit.

DJRonnieLINY

Under promise, over deliver. The VSG is still the newest procedure so the long term research has not caught up. The original premise of the surgery was to prepare severely obsese patients for an eventual bypass. Most of the people I know have significantly exceeded expectations.

rpyle111

Another thing to remember is what the "Excess weight" is calculated from. From what I have read, it is the midpoint of the 'healthy' BMI. For me at 6'5", that is under 200 pounds. My target weight is 240, which will be 20 pounds lower than I have been as an adult, and 50 less than I graduated high school. While I may want to be lower, I doubt it. That will put me at 'only' 81% of my excess weight lost and I will consider it a raging success.

Understanding the numbers helped me understand that 60-70% is a lot more successful than it looks.

Rob

Dannadl

I had RNY in March of 2012. I've lost 80% of my excess weight. By the end of my 1st year post op I'd lost 58% of my excess weight. It does get harder as time goes on. I'm working on losing the final 20% this year. By the end of my second year post op I had lost 78% of my excess weight and the third year it really slowed down. In part, the third year I trained for a 1/2 marathon (and completed), which was a huge undertaking for me as I've never been a runner. I found that it really increased my appetite and distracted me. You'd think all the running would burn so many calories that I wouldn't have to worry. Not so. Exercise definitely helps, but 80-90% of weight loss is what you put in your mouth. At my current size, I only burn about 100 calories per mile that I run. So a 26 mile marathon would only burn 2600 calories (though it feels like it should burn 10,000). There are restaurant meals commonly available with more than 2600 calories for ONE meal. So there you go. You just can't out run your fork.

benagek

Thanks so much! I think i just started freaking out a little because I honestly cannot remember being any lower than 160 lbs. That's only 18 lbs from where I am now. I know in my mind that I was still over weight at that point but I just can't seem to wrap my mind around anything below that. Instead of being excited, I'm beginning to feel.....I don't know....a type of anxiety over it. Probably the idea of facing the unknown. Don't get me wrong. I'm not depressed or anything. I'm still enjoying the journey. It's just a really weird feeling.

rpyle111

I know the feeling. I have perhaps the best picture ever of me (and my lovely wife, who is the main reason the picture is . .) on my desk. It is a picture of me at 24 at a weight just 7 pounds lower than I am today (it is the one with me in a tux in my pictures). I am excited to see myself there again in a couple of weeks. That will be my lowest weight since likely before high school. And my current goal weight is twenty pounds lower! Wholly new territory.

I am a little anxious to get there, then reassess my goals.

Rob

pawoodhull

I am currently at 55.7% loss and it's getting very difficult. My doctor told me to expect to get to 200, pop up to 220 and stay there. I am 222 right now, so he is predicting a 55% loss. I want to get and stay somewhere below 200 so still working on it. I think it's partially that they don't want to "promise" you will lose it all when we as individuals have to make that happen. After a certain point, it's really in our hands.

bikrchk

I'm a year and 1/2 post op. I'm 5'6" and I've lost nearly 100% of my 100 pound loss original goal, (which was 135). I actually adjusted UP by 10 pounds when I hit a size 4 thinking enough was enough! Today, I bounce around in a 10 pound range between 135, (which I haven't hit yet, but that's by bottom end), and 145. If I hit 145 I adjust my eating till I'm back where I belong. My body really seems to like 141-143 and that's fine with me!

grim_traveller

The 60-70% EWL figure is an average, and is based on weight lost 5 years post surgery. Since it is an average, many lose more, and some regain between the 2 and 5 year marks.

I lost all my excess weight just under a year, and have been maintaining at the same weight for a year and a half. I've lost 290 total, and 65 more than my surgeon's goal. I'm right in the middle of the healthy BMI range.

Jamielynn_77

I lost weight very fast too after my VSG. I was at about 250 on surgery day and i was at 180 six months later. But my body found a balance, actually we don't agree. my doc and I would like 165 LOL but my body like 185. So I am working on the last 20-25 pounds.

bikrchk

I've lost 100% of what I wanted to lose and have been bouncing around within my goal range for about 9 months now.

garber6th

I have lost a total of 89% of my excess weight. I am still working on that last bit, but I believe that because I have so much excess/loose skin that it affects my weight, so I am going to consult with a plastic surgeon before long to see how to factor that in and determine my net weight. I have lost 208 lbs and I am 5'-4". I honestly think that I have at least 10 lbs of weight from excess skin if not more.