BMI of 32 and getting a sleeve?

[lifeislikeaboxofchocolates 12]

Please do not flame me for asking this. I am over weight. I have tried EVERYTHING. My fear with getting the Sleeve is that I'll lose so much that I will not be able to stop the weight loss. I want/need to lose 60lbs, but absolutely no more than that. Is it possible to stop the weight loss? I am planning on Dr. Alvarez in Mexico.

I realize I put this in the wrong section. Sorry! I'm trying to move it.

Edited February 16, 2014 by lifeislikeaboxofchocolates

[Recycled 2,182]

The truth is ......"you never know what you're gonna get"........

[Indigo1991 1,612]

Yes, you can stop the weight loss. You only lose weight if you follow what you're told to do and you will be advised on how to maintain your weight when you reach your goal.

Bear in mind that, on average, your sleeve will help you lose two thirds of your excess weight - you have to work to get the other third off. My sleeve has helped me lose 100% of what I wanted to lose and that's also the case for others. But we have had to work hard at it - it doesn't just keep dropping off.... There are rare examples of people who lose too much but, again, it's usually related to how they are eating not an inability to stop losing weight.

People with lower BMI can also find it slightly harder to lose all their weight.

So I wouldn't worry too much about not being able to stop. Good luck with your decision, it's brilliant finding a way of losing weight that has actually worked for me after trying every diet known to man

Edited February 16, 2014 by Indigo1991

[SuNMooNStaRS816 423]

My BMI was 36. Now it's 24.4 Normal. I started at 199 and am now 138. At 4 1/2 months out. I have begun adding cals to slow the wgt loss down. This is what my NUT has instructed me to do. It has slowed to one lb a week the last 2 weeks. I have 8 lbs to goal. I don't think I will have a problem stoping the wgt loss.

Edited February 16, 2014 by SuNMooNStaRS816

[Teachamy 1,042]

You will be fine. People who can't stop losing have anorexia or bulimia, and their issues go way beyond the sleeve. Good luck.

[Jenny12 361]

I don't really know anyone who can't stop losing weight if that's truly what they want. Best of luck.

[Tamosy 65]

HI there, I started at a BMI of 32. I also tried everything, seriously debated WLS a year ago (honestly for several years, but almost did it last year. Got scared and hired a personal trainer and nutritionist and enlisted an endocrinologist for a year. On the sucess side of that year (2013), I finally got diagnosed as insulin resistant that no dietary and exercise regiments were fixing, so I went on metformin and it made a huge difference in terms of my energy and I finally started to recover from my workouts and seeing results. After a year of VERY diligent effort, consistant and HARD workouts 3x's per week 90 minutes plus additional cardio throughout the week and healthy eating and logging everything that went into my mouth I lost a total of 30 pounds. Then I injured my shoulder and in a month of still eating the same but not able to work out so hard, I gained almost 10 pounds back! That was it, I was done, I waved the white flag, went to a seminar in December, had a consultation January 17th (bmi was 32), and went right in for surgery on 2/4/2014.

I can tell you my very first thought was crystal clear when I woke up from surgery in the recovery room... it was PURE RELIEF that I wasn't going to have to struggle for the next several decades of my life and feel like it's all for nothing.

I'm off the metformin now (we will see in 6 months if I need to go back on it). My risk for diabetes (mom, dad, & sister all have) has been significantly reduced. And I feel for the first time in forever, like I am actually going to win this battle and land in a normal bmi that I can maintain. That's all I want... just normal and not to have diet, exercise, and weight loss obsessively control my life.

I'm 2 weeks post op, and am so sure this was the best thing I've ever done for myself (my trainer would have a heart attack if he knew!) But I don't care, I finally feel free.

Do I wish I could have done it on my own, yep.... did I try? Ummm, yes for 20 years, the tide came and went, I never stayed in a normal bmi for more than a few months, but I was pretty much always active, worked out, and always focused on healthy eating habits. So... I'm pretty sure if I could be that 3-5% that does it on my own and is successful in the long term, well, I'd have done it by now.

So...from one 32er to another, do what you feel is right. I don't regret the year I spent working so diligently to do it the conventional way, it definitely leaves me feeling confident I tried everything and thus, I have no regrets.

Good luck to you!

[Tamosy 65]

oh...and it's funny, I worried too about losing too much. In fact my Dr. gave me a goal 10 pounds less than I want... because I think 150 would be too slim for me. I'm just a curvvy and athletic girl and I kinda want to keep my curves... just less of them

When I asked him that very question, he said in his practice of 10 years he has not ever had such a situation. Some people need guidance on maintenance and it is more fear of regain, but it's very easy to maintain where you want to stop.

These boards have convinced me of this as well.

[Sha0717 46]

Thanks for these replies..i am currently doing my preop diet...i will have sleeve done 4/24. My worries will I miss the social part of it,,,will I not use this took like I should and have wasted the self pay over nearly 11,090. Im 57. Bmi 31.5. 186 lds.,,hope ing to get to 146. Im 5 ft 4. Have fought this battle my entire life...been as high as 205. Low as 130. Are my goals realistic I think so...also do i really need to do 2 weeks of Optifast with that low of a bmi

[Bufflehead 6,358]

@@Sha0717 If your surgeon told you that you need to do 2 weeks of Optifast, then yes, you need to do them. It's never a good idea to start disregarding your surgeon's instructions based on what you pick and choose from anonymous internet people. The best advice I got before getting sleeved was to trust my surgeon and his team and not start second-guessing them based on what I pick up on the internet.

[Tamosy 65]

Congratulations on making a decision and getting a date. I too agree, do what your Dr. suggests, whether you agree or not. If you don't trust their judgement, don't let them cut you open. If you plan on holding them fully accountable for what happens, do what they say even if it seems unnecessary.

I am now about 10 weeks out from my surgery. I would say by most standards I am a slow loser. I was 203 the day of surgery and 10 weeks later I am about 182...so about 2 pounds per week. Better than I've ever done with anything else and given that we started with a low BMI I don't think it's that unusual in terms of rate of loss.

Couple things I've learned that have helped me a lot should you find yourself feeling like I did at times. You will stall (sometimes for weeks), don't get obsessive about the rate of loss. I don't lose EVER in my luetal phase of my period. But I don't gain like I used to either... now I stay steady for like 2 to 3 weeks til my period comes, then I lose a good chunk in a couple weeks time before it stalls again. In the end, until I see an upward trend, I refuse to let it affect my psych anymore. I did this to stop the lifelong battle with food... it has worked and I am confident this is the tool that will end that aweful cycle. I am back to the gym now (took a while to really have the energy to take on hard workouts... but I do now). Give your body time to recover and know in the yucky times they are very temporary.

At 10 weeks I'm already forgetting the discomforts and misery of the strict pre/post diets phases. I know they were there, but I don't struggle anymore with it. I eat my Protein first and follow the general guidelines, take my Vitamins and live a totally normal life free of fretting about my weight. It is so incredibly liberating. I don't care what anyone else thinks about my decision.

As for your remark about the social part of it. Yes! You will miss partaking like you used to in the social ways food plays a roll in our lives. I am still working on eating slow so I can enjoy a meal with others. I am often done too fast and can't eat more, while they are just a few bites into their meals. It's weird... I still have to think about eating small bites and slow. That too is getting easier though. You find new ways to live and enjoy foods and social settings.

Good luck to you. I hope it all goes textbook and you find yourself as relieved as I am to have made the decision. We are pretty similar in starting and goal (but I'm 5'8" so numbers are shifted). I am 40... a little younger, but in the end, I've never felt such optimism to escape the weight loss/gain cycle that has tormented me my whole life and made me a slave to calorie counters, gyms, dietitians, and trainers... NEVER getting the kinds of results other people would get. It's incredibly liberating to know that those days are over.

I still work out, probably log my food 50% of the time. My last Dr. visit he basically wanted me to try to get more calories in a couple days a week (NEVER had that advice before... to eat more)! I asked if I could have it in wine and he said if I keep doing all the things I'm doing, healthy food choices, working out, taking my Vitamins, etc... a glass or two once or twice a week was totally acceptable! Made my day. I just feel like I can live a totally normal health life and not have to always be depriving myself of things. I was never a sweet fan and pretty much ate healthy 90% of the time before, so I don't really struggle with foods cravings or missing anything.

I hope you find the same satisfaction in this process! Good luck to you!