I am new on here and will be sleeved october 20. I have decided that i am not going to tell many people about my surgery. Only my three closest friends, my mom and my boss. I dont want to be judged by people who have no idea what it is like to struggle. So i am curious what is the average weight loss like? I am 5'11"" and 265 pounds. My goal is to lose about 100 pounds.

Sarah, Congratulations on your impending surgery! You will be delighted when you start seeing the new you emerge as you lose weight. But...the average weight loss is a very slippery number. My doctor said that "most" people lose and keep off about 75% of the amount they are overweight by. I see very different things on this board but I don't know if that is because the most successful people are posting here and others aren't. Spend a few hours reading the stories and you will see a lot of folks who lose 100% and then some of their goal weight so it is hard to know.

The amount of weight loss also depends on several other things....how much was your starting weight, how closely do you adhere to your eating plan, how much exercise will you do. I started off about 200 lbs and the weight loss has been slower (generally) than folks who start off at a higher weight. Not sure but we may all end up with the same results though. My doctor's goal weight for me is 145 lbs and I am just a bit over a pound away from that. My personal goal is 135 lbs and I may or may not get there. I will still be thrilled if 145 is my final number as I feel better than I ever have in my life. I started off wearing size 18-20 and 2x's mostly. Now I am wearing size 6 and size 8 and I love going to the gym. Words I never thought I'd say!

My advice is to focus on following your eating plan, increasing your exercise as you can and your body will work its way back down to a good weight for you! It is hard to not obsess over the numbers on the scales but trust in the process. Good luck!

I am only 5 weeks out, so I cannot answer your question; but I wanted to say welcome and good luck to you!!! I live in St. Louis too, where are you having your surgery?

Beadingnurse is right--there is no "typical"weight loss. If you work your program, you should be able to lose as much as you want. I got to a normal BMI less than 8 months after surgery but I only had to lose 73 lbs to get there. I am losing more because I choose to be smaller. Pick a goal but don't be afraid to modify it if you want. BTW--you will be considered a "surgical success" if you lose 50-65% of your excess weight. That is how most of the research studies define a successful surgery.

Just from looking at other peoples loss and my own experience... It seems like the average is about 10lbs a month. At first it's a lot more per month then it slows way down... For me at about 7 months out I was down around 80lbs now at 10 1/2 months out I'm down 101. In my opinion if you follow what you're supposed to do.. you shouldn't have any problem losing 100lbs. Good luck!

Totally agree with others...I agree that those who are not successful are less likely to post on here and if you read the posts it seems everyone is getting to their goal. I have noticed that for most (but not all) if you follow your doctors diet and make a lifelong change to the way you live you will lose all your weight.

Thanks for the support. I am excited to be at a healthier weight. KristinaRN i am getting my done with Dr. Minkin at Des Peres. He is a Center of Excellence himself as is the hospital.

Thanks for the support. I am excited to be at a healthier weight. KristinaRN i am getting my done with Dr. Minkin at Des Peres. He is a Center of Excellence himself as is the hospital.

HI,

I just had my surgery by Dr. Minkin in July and my husband did his August! He is the bomb...just let me know if you'd like to chat about it! Tracy w (St. Peters)

Here's my weight loss for the first year. I lost 12lbs. prior to surgery. Also, keep in mind I am considered a slow loser...

16.6 lbs-1st mo Aug 27 to Sept 27

7.0 lbs-2nd mo Sept 27 to Oct 27

6.8 lbs-3rd mo Oct 27 to Nov 27

8.2 lbs-4th mo Nov 27 to Dec 27

3.0 lbs-5th mo Dec 27 to Jan 27

4.4 lbs-6th mo Jan 27 to Feb 27

1.8 lbs-7th mo Feb 27 to Mar 27

2.0 lbs-8th mo Mar 27 to Apr 27

4.2 lbs-9th mo Apr 27 to May 27

2.0 lbs-10th mo May 27 to Jun 27

2.8-11th mo Jun 27 to July 27

1.0-12th mo July 27 to Aug 27

I am stuck at about 14 pounds from goal, at 9 1/2 months out, but I am still working on it, and may still lose the rest over the next 8 months. I have lost 77 pounds including 10 before surgery. That is around 83.7% of my EWL(excess weight loss) including the 10 pounds. The average in studies is about 53 percent of EWL, but for those who are smaller to begin with (under 45BMI), the average is around 70%or so. As you can see here, many people lose more than that. Just do your best to follow your Drs advice, and a support group like this one REALLY helps. Cheers! Enjoy the ride!

I started out with my surgeon at 268 but I am 5'6" so quite a bit shorter than you. My doc calculated my goal by finding my "healthy" weight based onBMI chart,which is 155 for my height, then calculating what my "excess weight" was. His goal was for me was to lose 80% of that excess weight, which would put me at 177lb. I have exceeded that in less than 6 months and only have 17 lb to go until I reach the 100% of excess weight lost. I think as others have said, if you take full advantage of the first 6 months to a year, you should definitely be able to reach your goal.

Thanks for the support. I am excited to be at a healthier weight. KristinaRN i am getting my done with Dr. Minkin at Des Peres. He is a Center of Excellence himself as is the hospital.

I have heard good things about their program. I work for BJC, so I had my surgery done at Barnes by Dr. Varela (also a Center for Excellence). I have been very happy with my choice so far. I have lost 31 lbs total, 23 of that since surgery 5 weeks ago. I'm excited to see someone else from STL here! Would love to keep in touch and support each other along the way!

Kristina

HI,

I just had my surgery by Dr. Minkin in July and my husband did his August! He is the bomb...just let me know if you'd like to chat about it! Tracy w (St. Peters)

Hi Tracy!

I am in St. Louis as well, south county. I had my surgery with Dr. Varela at Barnes. So excited to see more STL people here, I thought I was the only one!

Kristina

Sarah, Congratulations on your impending surgery! You will be delighted when you start seeing the new you emerge as you lose weight. But...the average weight loss is a very slippery number. My doctor said that "most" people lose and keep off about 75% of the amount they are overweight by. I see very different things on this board but I don't know if that is because the most successful people are posting here and others aren't. Spend a few hours reading the stories and you will see a lot of folks who lose 100% and then some of their goal weight so it is hard to know.

The amount of weight loss also depends on several other things....how much was your starting weight, how closely do you adhere to your eating plan, how much exercise will you do. I started off about 200 lbs and the weight loss has been slower (generally) than folks who start off at a higher weight. Not sure but we may all end up with the same results though. My doctor's goal weight for me is 145 lbs and I am just a bit over a pound away from that. My personal goal is 135 lbs and I may or may not get there. I will still be thrilled if 145 is my final number as I feel better than I ever have in my life. I started off wearing size 18-20 and 2x's mostly. Now I am wearing size 6 and size 8 and I love going to the gym. Words I never thought I'd say!

My advice is to focus on following your eating plan, increasing your exercise as you can and your body will work its way back down to a good weight for you! It is hard to not obsess over the numbers on the scales but trust in the process. Good luck!

I say Pfffffttttt to the 65%-75% statistics. I've been sleeved for only 2 months and I'm 22 lbs away from losing 75% of my excess weight. I soooo plan on surpassing that statistic soon. I love this forum for the support and motivation.

HI,

I just had my surgery by Dr. Minkin in July and my husband did his August! He is the bomb...just let me know if you'd like to chat about it! Tracy w (St. Peters)

HI,

I just had my surgery by Dr. Minkin in July and my husband did his August! He is the bomb...just let me know if you'd like to chat about it! Tracy w (St. Peters)

Tracy - I'd love to talk. The only person in the area i know that had the surgery went to Mexico and has suffered serious complications due to the surgeon's mistake.