What is weigh-loss goal reality, sleeve & bypass?

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

Honestly no offense to the guys that post here, but their weight loss posts make me $#%$%^$ nuts. They lose so much so fast and it skews everything. "Hey guys, lost 60lbs in 5 weeks, hitting the gym hardcore, added 20lbs of muscle in 2 weeks." Bro'in out. Bro'in out.

If you discount the men and read between the lines and cut out all the pre surgery weight loss from people, you get a better picture. A lot of people will be like "Down 40lbs, 3 weeks out!" and leave out the fact they lost 30lbs before surgery, and have lost 10lbs in the past week once the IV fluids and swelling goes down.

Really it seems like most people lose 10-15 a month the first few months then its like 5 lbs a month. The thing that people don't really take into account that almost always constantly losing for months, even with stalls, really ads up. 10lbs a month is 120lbs in a year. That is huge, that is a whole person. That is also around 2lbs a week.

Real weight loss isn't biggest losers numbers. Almost all those people gain it back, because they lose weight in the worst ways possible. Our views on weight and weight loss are so skewed that we don't know what to expect.

I will totally admit there have been times I have been disappointed in my weight loss. Even though looking objectively my loss has been great. It is hard to be objective about something so personal, but we all need to take a step back. I can't ever recall losing over 60lbs in 3 months and not feeling miserable and starving. Surgery has allowed me to lose this weight without feeling terrible doing so, that is a great blessing that shouldn't be overlooked.

[WLSResources/ClothingExch 3,443]

@@sharkgirl -- To suggest that it's not unreasonable to expect a pound a day sounds like lunacy to me. Unless you realize how preposterous an expectation it is, you'll be unhappy every step of the way. Your 3-lb average is beautiful.

[sharkgirl 251]

@@WLSResources/ClothingExch

You are 100% correct and I have come to understand that. I am very pleased with my current average. The fact that the scale is going down and I am wearing clothes I haven't worn in 3 years is fantastic.

[sprocket 104]

The randomness of weekly weight loss is one of the primary reasons I started a weight loss spreadsheet in Excel to track my weekly losses. That way when I "only" lost 0.6 lbs. one week, I could look back at my average or see how in the previous week I'd lost 3 lbs. It kept it in perspective for me.

[lauraellen80 855]

My surgeon's practice considers a total of 60%-70% excess weight lost to be a "success" for VSG. They told me that they like to see half of that lost by the 6-month point.

I started with about 100 pounds to lose, lost 25 in the 3.5 months prior to surgery (including the 2-week pre-op liquid diet), and I've lost about 65 more pounds in the (almost) 5 months since surgery. That works out to an average of less than 1/2 pound per day, about 3 pounds per week, or about 13 pounds per month.

I agree with @@OutsideMatchInside about the guys' numbers throwing the curve. Men do tend to drop big amounts really quickly, especially early on, and just seeing the numbers can make you feel like your losses aren't enough. Just another reason not to compare with others!

[FrankyG 1,450]

My surgeon told me he would consider me a failure if I didn't lose at least 70% of my excess weight. And that I should be losing around 10 pounds a week in the beginning but never defined the parameters of how long the beginning part lasts. I do know that the one time I saw him for a checkup, he was strongly emphasizing that I needed to be doing better, despite the fact that I am following the dietary guidelines and exercising - I just don't lose as fast as others.

I think I'm about 60% excess weight lost, but I've been a very slow loser. I was also told that the prime time for sleeve weight loss is about 18 months, so I do still have plenty of time even if I'm only losing about 1-2 pounds a week most weeks. I do stall out on average every third/fourth week.

My consultant doctor (same group but different than the main surgeon) and my NUT both agree what I am currently averaging is excellent and that you can't compare yourself to others. And that the surgeon is always a bit more optimistic about the pace/goals and that they are more flexible for others that lose at a slower pace (like me).

I'm reducing about 6-8 pounds a month now but I am also losing inches and seeing minimal skin sag.

[Babbs 14,680]

@@FrankiesGirl

Your surgeon sounds like an arsehole.

[lealor 127]

@CowgirlJane@Babbsn See how important you veterans are!!!!!!! I have been in a real frigin depression as Im at a stall after 2.5 month. SO much I really didn't want to get up the last few mornings. Stalling...stalling...and yes I wnt to Mexico so have no professional support what so ever.

scale the same for 2 weeks but have to realize that now its time for more exercise. more Water and more Protein, the honey moon is over. Thanks once again for putting ME into prospective. Still sucks but this is really only a tool

[Djmohr 6,965]

I was never given an expectation and believe it or not my bariatric team does not focus on weight loss. They will tell you that for bypass patients the average total loss will be right around 75 percent and likely a 10 percent regain over a period of time.

They never ever set goals for me other than health goals like curing my severe Gerd, diabetes, kidney disease, etc. those are the goals they spend all of their time on.

I will say at my six month check in I had already surpassed that 75 percent reduction in overall weight and they told me given my weight loss and significantly improved health issues that I would be considered a successful bypass. They also told me at that time that my weight loss would slow down but I would continue to lose if I followed my new eating plan and stayed as active as I could.

Honestly the scale is important but there really is much more important barometers for success. Your health being most important.

Incidentally I have averaged right around 2lbs loss per week.

[newmebithebypass 713]

I was told by my nut I could expect to lose 100 pounds easy and 120 pounds if I worked hard

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

BTW I was never given a number. I was asked what I weighed in HS and told I could probably get close to that because I was motivated. I never had a number given, just that I should be successful because I am motivated.

[Mountaingal 322]

I didn't have a sleeve or bypass I had plication. I have been steadily losing at least 1 lb a week and sometimes 2lbs if I have been more active than usual ( more normal active is 5 miles walking each day).

[sprocket 104]

@FrankiesGirl - Good grief, I'd be a failure too because I've never lost 10 lbs. in one week, not even at the beginning. Yet here I am almost at my surgiversary and 110 lbs. down with only about 17 more to go - well below my NUTs goal for me. You'll get there at your own pace as long as you keep trying.

Edited November 10, 2015 by sprocket

[LipstickLady 25,682]

My surgeon said that my weight loss results would exactly reflect my effort to work my plan and move my body. The better I followed my plan and the more I moved, the more I would lose. The same was true in reverse. He also said that everyone he has performed surgery on has had exactly the same results as described above.

I'd say he was right.

He did not/would not give a goal weight either because the number on the scale defined nothing. He let me choose my goal and knew that I would achieve exactly what I set out for. He was right there, too.

[Sophie74656 1,572]

for me, for the first month or so I was loosing an average of a pound a day. now it has slowed down to about 3-4 pounds a week

my surgery was Sept 2

Edited November 10, 2015 by Sophie74656