Bariatric teams goal weight suggestion
ruqayyahsmum
Posts: 1,513 Member
Im just wondering what your teams suggest as a goal weight
I saw my team today who suggested i stop losing now. Ive lost 150lb but im still 237lb i dont think this is my ideal weight and while i know im unlikely to get under bmi 25 im still just over bmi 40 ( im a short *kitten* )
I saw my team today who suggested i stop losing now. Ive lost 150lb but im still 237lb i dont think this is my ideal weight and while i know im unlikely to get under bmi 25 im still just over bmi 40 ( im a short *kitten* )
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My team told me I choose. So, first goal is 160, to see how I feel look there... If I'm good, I'll call it goal... If not, I'll see where I feel good at.
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Mine didn't set a goal for me. They did a lot of counseling that stressed that most VSG patients only lose up to 75% of excess weight. Of course, I have a goal in mind, but that goal might change. I never remember weighing less than 170 pounds as an adult (I'm 5"4'), so I have no idea where my ideal weight/size will actually be.0
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Mine didn't set a goal for me either. The surgeon asked me how many pounds it would take for me to lose to consider my surgery a success, but that's it. My personal goal is 160, but since I've never been a normal weight as an adult, I'm not sure what that will look like. I'll see when I get there.0
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Mine wasn't set for me either but when I started the process my surgeon recommended getting somewhere in the 140s. I am 5'4" and my highest weight was 239.6, surgery weight 203, and my last official weigh in 3 weeks ago was 155.8. I missed the last 3 weeks of WW meetings/official weigh ins since the first two my husband worked and my daughter didn't wake up on time and last Saturday I was recovering from vertigo. My husband is working this Saturday but I told my daughter that she needs to get up early with me so I can go to my meeting! Need to get a grasp on where I am at, and own it. Been taking ketones for the past couple of weeks so hopefully that has helped me some.
I think for me, ideally I would end up between 145-150 but also so that it affords me a small cushion if I do have some regain which my surgeon said is normal and to be expected. That said, I would be fine if long term I stayed at my current weight, but do want to lose some more for that cushion.
Have any of you experienced hitting maintenance? Part of me wonders if that is why I have had some small gains as well - maybe my body is trying to determine its happy place?2 -
ruqayyahsmum wrote: »Im just wondering what your teams suggest as a goal weight
I saw my team today who suggested i stop losing now. Ive lost 150lb but im still 237lb i dont think this is my ideal weight and while i know im unlikely to get under bmi 25 im still just over bmi 40 ( im a short *kitten* )
Congratulations on 150 lbs down! you have worked hard for that.
The goal is healthy. whatever that looks like for you. Stopping or continuing your weight loss should be your choice.
Would love to see @Aztec4Life take on this. he is 203 lbs down.
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fit_chickx wrote: »ruqayyahsmum wrote: »Im just wondering what your teams suggest as a goal weight
I saw my team today who suggested i stop losing now. Ive lost 150lb but im still 237lb i dont think this is my ideal weight and while i know im unlikely to get under bmi 25 im still just over bmi 40 ( im a short *kitten* )
Congratulations on 150 lbs down! you have worked hard for that.
The goal is healthy. whatever that looks like for you. Stopping or continuing your weight loss should be your choice.
Would love to see @Aztec4Life take on this. he is 203 lbs down.
See i wonder if they said it as i did lose more but gained after pregnancy. When i gave birth i was 210ish and looked like shite on a stick but thats because i was so ill during pregnancy i lost 3 stone before giving birth at 25 weeks
In the 18 months since i had him i gained 4 stone and have lost half the regain so far
Im actually at the weight i was when i was 16 but i hate hate hate the way i look but love the fact im more active, i hiked 6 miles with baby on my back today, no problems1 -
My doctor asked me to choose a goal, with a "normal" BMI in mind.2
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After a long struggle starting in Sept 2013 to get approval through my HMO I finally met surgeon in January 2015. I weighed 394lbs that day (I topped out at 403 in Feb 2014 and was 399 when I started using MFP). The surgeon said a good weight for me based on my body type and history would be 220lbs. My personal first goal was just to get under 300. I had been 300+ since 2008. And realistically I thought if I could get below 250lbs and stay there the rest of my life I'd be satisfied with that (I actually still think that)
I lost most of the weight in first year getting down to 230lbs in Jan 2016. Lost a few more and then developed shingles in Sept. That laid me up for a couple months. I gained a few pounds but once I got the OK from doctor to exercise again I started walking my 10,000 steps a day. Since Nov 17, 2016 I've hit my 10k step goal everyday but one. And by moving regularly and eating less refined carbs I've been losing about a pound a week for the past 7 months. I'm currently around 195. I haven't been this weight in 27 years. My main weight goal is what doctor recommended of 220lbs. I'm fairly confident that I'll be under 200 for a while. I'm finding the less I focus on weight the easier it is to lose/maintain it. I just try to keep up with good eating and exercise habits on a daily basis.
I track my weight on trendweight.com. It pulls the data from Fitbit and gives you a rolling average. I think this is more accurate because of all the weight fluctuations that can happen for all sorts of reasons. You can see a full history of my weight for the past two and half years through the link below.
https://trendweight.com/u/366d57a9670d41/
https://trendweight.com/u/366d57a9670d41/3 -
I have been STRUGGLING with maintenance!! I had some personal losses that triggered emotional eating and am now up 10 lbs!
I am so upset because it seemed like I was losing without trying, now I've been trying and nothing is happening.
I'm frustrated, mad at myself, and have a hard time staying under 1300-1400 calories a day.
My food addiction is in full relapse and I just wanna cry.0 -
I don't remember my surgeon ever talking about a goal weight. He is a vegan and his main goal in life is getting everyone to at least become a vegetarian...lol. I do appreciate his approach to healthy eating, active living, and focus on body composition instead of a single metric like weight/BMI.
You've probably heard this before, but BMI is not a great way of measuring an individual. It is best utilized as a metric to see trends in populations over time--you need a big set of data points to make it statistically relevant.
My lowest weight was 143 (and change) last September...for exactly one day. I was up to 147 in December; frustrated by the fact that I couldn't seem to make my goal of "half my starting weight" (285 pounds), I had a DEXA scan done to get a picture of my body composition. As it turns out, I was 16% percent body fat, getting below 145 would mean getting to an unreasonably low body fat level if I didn't also give up lean body mass (which isn't easy to do). It would also explain why I only had 4 periods in 2016...
At my two year check up last week, I was 157 pounds; at 5'4", that puts me right in the middle of the overweight range at a BMI of 27. BUT, I'm measuring 18% body fat which is still quite lean and considered in the athletic range. If I were to gain to the recommended amount of body fat (25-30%), I would weigh 180-185 pounds and would be obese according to the BMI index.
The reality is that, for many people who were "fat but fit" for many years, have excellent bone density (i.e. heavier bones...actually bigger boned in a way) and generally have a good reserve of lean body mass to work with. My bone density actually measured high outside of the normal range! If you actively work to eat right and stay active, you are more likely to maintain your lean body mass but that also means that you are less likely to reach a "normal" BMI weight.
That all being said, it is REALLY surprising to me that they've suggested you should stop losing. Assuming you're 5' 0" tall and have a starting weight of 387 pounds, 220 pounds would put you at losing 60% of your excess weight...so, technically, a "success" by most surgical standard. If you're continuing to lose without excessive calorie restriction, staying active, and are otherwise not experiencing any health problems...I say lose until you can't anymore. I definitely wouldn't move into maintenance at this point.
I have read that one of the reasons they have a hard time judging long term success rates is that those that lose the most weight and keep it off are more likely to stop going to follow-up appointments with their bariatric teams. They know what they need to do, take care of business, manage any medical conditions through their GP, and don't really have a reason to see their bariatric surgeons long term. Its is those with re-gain or failure to reach a goal that go back trying to sort out the reasons behind the perceived failure.
It could be that they know this is a very maintainable weight for you and it is much better that you have stability rather than risking yo-yoing in the future. I think it is worth some follow-up questions to better understand their logic.4 -
@Ultima_Morpha Thank you for mentioning BMI! You're spot on about it's use. It should NOT be used to measure individuals. It caught on in the 90's because insurance companies were using it to discriminate and healthcare professionals realized it's easy to plug in height/weight and have an equation spit out a number. Most people don't even know it was developed by a Belgian mathematician in the 19th century. By BMI standards Michael Jordan would have been overweight in his playing days and might be "obese" now.
If I were to have set a "gaol weight" according to "Normal BMI" I'd have to get down to 173lbs. That's not happening. Not to mention I'd look ematiated if it did!4 -
137 would be right at the top of normal bmi for me (im 5ft 2)
Im 237 right now. I know i wont be getting to a "normal" bmi but i dont feel now at 237lb is where i should stop
Im due to see them again in 6 months (in the uk follow up is normally only 2 years, they are humouring me by still seeing me 6 montly) im hoping for maybe another 40 -50lb in that time and reasses from there2 -
I should say the team i see is dietitian and on rare occasions the bariatric nurse will pop in
The surgeon met me literally 1 hour before surgery, accused me of overdosing on thyroid meds as i wouldnt be the first fat woman taking too many thyroid meds to lose weight, stropped that i had chosen bypass instead of sleeve and i never saw him again lol1 -
@inkdm0m don't beat yourself up over a 10 lb gain. Focus on how much you have lost and kept off. Half the battle is being self aware which you clearly are. Maybe consider going back to basics?
I am right where you are..gained between 4-10 lbs. haven't weighed in 3 weeks so my last weight was a 4 lb gain. I also have had a rough 3 months or so personally as well and ate my emotions, so I get it. I think this week I have been the most focused I have been in a while. Really trying to focus on my protein being higher than carbs. While that isn't necessarily the case with every meal or snack, I do what I can to ensure my day overall reflects that. Maybe do something similar to what I am doing, and if you aren't active, consider moving more...even a walk helps.
@Ultima_Morpha THANK you for your post. I am 5'4" and around 155. For me to have a "normal" BMI I would need to get into the 140s or less. I am honestly not sure if that is doable for me, and if it were it would be short lived because I can't imagine that whatever I do to get to that normal BMI weight would be sustainable. My doctors said at my last appt that I am not due for a dexa scan yet but will consider getting one and paying out of pocket. I have been very active for years, so I do have a good amount of muscle mass. Would be good to find out my body fat % so that can give me a goal to focus on that isn't related to the scale.2 -
@jcavanna2 The DEXA is one of the best things I've done to get my head in the right place...especially when I'm having a "fat day" and need to be reminded of my progress. I am so pissed that the weight gain means that I don't fit into my size 2 jeans, but it wasn't all fat and I'm still at a very good body composition.
If you have a university in your area with a sports medicine department, I've heard of them offering reasonably priced scans. BodPod is cheaper, pretty widely available, and considered pretty accurate. I used dexafit.com to find one of their facilities in the area...it wasn't inexpensive but I also had metabolic and cardiopulmonary evaluations done. I had FSA money to burn so I did all the testing...lol.0 -
@jcavanna2 Also, to add that clinical Dexa for evaluating bone density for osteoporosis and the like are often NOT full body.1
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I don't remember exactly, but I think they said I was carrying 140 pounds of extra weight at 281 pounds (before surgery). I told them that I'd be happy with losing 100 and then going from there to see where I should be. They were fine with that and said it's a positive goal to work towards. So basically my main goal (for now) is to get to 180.1
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I was told in my program that with surgery the average person loses 30% of their highest weight which would put me at 210lbs. My surgeon said for my size I would likely lose 100lbs from my surgery weight which would be 172lbs goal. My personal goal is 160lbs.1
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During the process, none of mine agreed, the psychiatrist said 170, Nutritionist said 130 so BMI would be normal. Surgeon has never given me a goal wt0
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My surgeon took one look at me before my surgery and said I'll get to 60kgs. Currently I'm sitting at 64-65 kgs I'm 7 months post op. I have been this weight for bloody months and can't shift it lol0
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I haven't been told or even suggested a goal weight from my surgeon or my primary dr. I myself want to loose at least 150 pounds. I just started this whole process and haven't had surgery yet but, my starting weight was 369 and currently weigh 345.4. My BMI is off the chart so I know I would like to have a BMI that's not considered Morbidly Obese, but I am not sure if I'll get to a "normal" BMI.1
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I have never set a goal with my surgeon. My last appointment I was 178 and he said - do you have a goal weight in mind? I said no - and he said good, I don't want you to focus on a number anymore I want you to focus on how you feel. So - while I still focus on the scale I don't necessarily have a number in mind.3
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I haven't been told or even suggested a goal weight from my surgeon or my primary dr. I myself want to loose at least 150 pounds. I just started this whole process and haven't had surgery yet but, my starting weight was 369 and currently weigh 345.4. My BMI is off the chart so I know I would like to have a BMI that's not considered Morbidly Obese, but I am not sure if I'll get to a "normal" BMI.
Youll get there hun
I started at 387lb with a bmi of 70
My bmi is now at 40.3
Just need the scales to reflect the effort im putting in0
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