2 months away

Started this journey in January with the thought of getting the band, but have decided to get the sleeve instead. During this time I have gotten all my clearances (pending stress test) and am continuing with the nutrionist. They gave me a 1500 calorie a day diet but really haven't mentioned losing a percentage of weight to shrink fatty liver. I have only lost 5 lbs so far (taking liberties as usual) but now I'm concerned after reading other posts. My goal is to lose 75 lbs through the whole process. I weigh 245 and don't want to go under 170, even though on paper my "target weight" shows I should be 145...I haven' been that weight since before high school (I'm 58) so I feel I am being realistic in my goal weight.

If people are losing 60-70 pounds pre-op, why not just continue and not have the surgery? I know the surgery will help keep the weight off, but I am having the surgery because I can't seem to lose more than 20lbs regardless of what program I am on. If I could lose 50 lbs pre-op, I don't think I would have the procedure. Any thoughts?