How low should you go?

[fernandfj 469]

I am one pound from my goal and can't believe it! I had surgery almost eight months ago and I hope to hit my goal weight by my eight month date. This has been quite a journey and I am happy about where I am. My real question is should I stop at a bit over 130 lbs lost or keep on gong? My weight loss has stabilized to 8-10 lbs a month and I am sure I could lose more. I also have some areas of my body that still need to lose weight, most notably my thighs. My surgeon suggests I lose another 10-15 lbs so when I inevitably bounce back, I will be where I want to be. I originally had set a goal of 225 and went right past it. Now I am closing in on 215, a weight I never thought I'd see again. I would be perfectly happy to stop here and maintain, but I wonder if I should let my body decide this for me.

[VSG AJH 499]

I think if you peruse the veteran's boards and elsewhere, you'll see a 10-15 (sometimes even 20) pound regain before the body totally settles is pretty typical. If you go under your original goal by that much or a bit more, particularly considering the areas you mentioned where you still have more to lose/shape/tone, you'll probably be happier when things finally settle up. It is certainly harder to lose weight once you shift into maintenance than to go ahead and lose while you're actively still losing and still practicing those good habits. I think your surgeon's advice is sound.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

[JamieLogical 8,727]

My goal was 165. I met that goal right at my 1 year mark. Since then I've continued to lose a little without trying. And I'm down to 158. You may continue to lose even once you "put on the brakes" so to speak like I have. It's actually HARD to eat enough calories to sustain your weight if you are pretty active. I'm training for a half marathon, so I am burning 2200-2400 calories most days, but I have a hard time finding ways to fit in more than 1900 calories of food!

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

If you're still losing 8-10 pounds a month, you're going to find you can't just "put on the brakes" and stop losing. Stopping that freight train takes a few miles.

FYI, I have weighed 135 pounds (133 - 138) for 6+ months now. I have to work at it sometimes to stay above 135. It's not as easy or even as fun as that sounds like it would be.

Just sayin'.

[livvsmum 2,370]

I agree with what the others have said. Your body will eventually settle into a place where it is most stable and comfortable. Unless you go crazy and eat a ton of carbs, you likely won't regain as long as you keep up the high Protein, low carb bariatric diet. At a certain point, even if you're doing the same things, you will stop losing and things will balance out. Congrats on your weight loss so far!

[jane13 2,256]

I just answered another post like this and I think I am going to do my best to get to 155 like my surgeon would like. he said he wants me to shoot for that and in a year to 18 months post if I "bounce 15lbs" I will still be in a weight range I was aiming for which is 165-170.

At 53, I don't need anymore skin dragging behind me or flapping louder as I walk faster :/

[fernandfj 469]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I very much appreciate the advice and support!

[24601 211]

Seeing as you are 5'10" and your bmi is still considered obese, I am curious why you would want to even consider stopping already? If your weight is still melting off, I say go with it until your body is ready to level out more on its own!

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

@@24601

He is a man and how he looks with a BMI of 30 is going to be different than a female. According to my BMI I am mostly fat but according to my DEXA scan I have more lean mass than fat, and the BMI calculation is very far off on my body fat percentage.

Being heavy for a long time strengthens your bones and makes them very dense. My bone density is at the top of the chart. I don't know how long OP was overweight but if he was over weight for a long time, he could have very dense bones.

Being overweight for a long time changes your body, that is why most doctors don't set goals for for long time morbidly obese people that low. Carry a large amount of weight for a long time increases your muscle mass and your bone density, then if you add in ethnicity and body frame, there are more differences.

[fernandfj 469]

@@24601, Several endocrinologists I saw in the past and my present one have told me that I should not go by BMI because of my frame and bone density. They recommend that I go more by body fat, which right now is at about 20% which is well within the normal range for my age.

[24601 211]

Thank you for the educational response. I had no idea, and am now the wiser! I hope my question wasn't insulting, it was genuine and out of curiosity.

[JamieLogical 8,727]

I agree. BMI is such a useless measure. I'm a woman and my body fat percentage is 21.4%.... VERY low for a woman in her mid-30's who's not an athlete. But my BMI still has me as slightly "overweight".

[vsghealthymom 16]

My goals was 135 and I've been about 119-121 for the last few months. I didn't expect to go that low and wasn't sure exactly where my body would stabilize but so far this is where I am consistently. I'm a year in