I started pre-op in September of 2012 at 475, my surgery was on 1/28/13 and I was at 450. My goal is to be around 200. Is this something that can be done and if so how long should it take?

A very good friend of mine was 425 the day of his surgery on 11/15. As of this week, he has dropped down to 335.

I had my surgery on 12/19 and weighed in at 308. As of today I am down to 270.

Since everyone approaches weight loss differently, the amount and length of time would be difficult to gauge. Research has told me that about 80-85% weight loss is average. However, reaching goal weight (withing the ideal BMI range) is certainly possible. I am a slow loser and always have been, so my expectation is that it will take about 8 - 9 months to drop the 100lbs that I need to lose. Again everyone is different though.

Yes it is certainly doable, provided you want to and keep trying do it ! The initial weight loss will propel and motivate you towards your goal.

Many people here on the forum have done it so I don't see why you can't You're already past the hard part (making the decision and having the surgery) so now you just need to sail through the easy part and watch a new you emerge from the old one.

The stats say that most will lose xyz in abc period of time....but that's an average. That includes those who feel grazing while sucking down a milkshake is ok because it's "moderation". Those folks will gain eventually and that effects the percentages of xyz. Those who focus and learn what real moderation is (ie enjoy something, just don't enjoy half a gallon of it LOL) will get to their goals.

The only thing holding you back from that final number will be excess skin so keep that in mind. Your body will need a long time to bounce back from where it's been, especially your out side shell. Keep that in mind when setting your goals and then just move forward one day at a time.

I was concerned about losing all the weight I want to lose because my highest weight was 360 and I'm only 5'5" tall. I was reading about people can expect to lose 60% of their excess weight and I was like.. man if I lost 60 % of my excess weight, I'll still be FAT. Then someone explained to me that there are people who don't follow the instructions that drive the averages lower. Remember it only takes one "zero" to bring down an average significantly....So if you follow the post-op diet and also exercise, you can lose most of your excess weight. I have seen 400+ pound people on this board lose over 200 pounds and it's very encouraging to me! I am using Myfitness pal to log calories and Protein in order to make sure I'm in compliance . and I'll be getting a membership at the YMCA once I'm 2 months post op (right now I can't afford it since I'm self-pay so I'm spending ALL of my money on surgery)

I don't have grand visions of being 135 pounds... but I really think I can get down to 170 which is my goal weight. And I think you can get down to your goal weight too!

I started pre-op in September of 2012 at 475, my surgery was on 1/28/13 and I was at 450. My goal is to be around 200. Is this something that can be done and if so how long should it take?

You know, its hard to say because so many things are dependant on what YOU do. How much activity are you capabile of? How much activity will you ACTUALLY do, how closely will you follow your guidelines? All of these types of things matter. I think that its easy to sort of seek out the storys of people who lose 30 pounds a month but its important to realize that is pretty extraordinary and that sort of normal expected weight loss for a sleever seems to be IN REALITY more around 3 to 6 pounds a week.

You can do it!

You can lose as much as you'd like with the sleeve, as the previous posters have told you. I've seen some over 200 pound losses here, and we have a few active folks right now that wanted to lose around 200 pounds. You will lose as much as you want to lose that your body will allow. Sometimes our bodies set a goal weight a bit higher (or even lower) than our personal goal, so know that going in, but I certainly feel that 200 pounds is achievable if you put in the work it will take to get there.

The important things to remember are that weight will always come off faster immediately after surgery, so a slowdown is normal and should not discourage you from trying for your ultimate goal. Additionally, because you want to lose more than 70-120 pounds, your journey will be longer. There's nothing wrong with that! Just expect that, and know that every pound lost, no matter at what pace, is a pound lost forever. Life at goal is the ultimate goal here - and dedicating one to two years of your life towards that is a small price to pay.

Congrats on making this decision, and on your new sleeve. Please update the boards as you progress, so that there is more information out there for people in a similar situation. Everything you contribute about your own experience can help others see if this is the right surgery for them.

Good luck!

~Cheri