My surgeon doesn't give a goal weight, they ask what my goal is (160, i'm 5'8") and said it sounded good.

Is there some kind of formula to figure out a realistic goal weight after RNY? Do many people reach the "healthy" BMI range or should I expect to be something higher ? How long does it usually take to reach goal?

My surgeon did the same, asked me.

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Goal weight is somewhat of an artificial number. I think 3 years ago my surgeon and I discussed goal weight and came up with 190 pounds. In the end I dropped to near 140 pounds. Your body will determine how much you will lose and your weight loss will naturally tapper off and you will slide into the Maintenance phase. I slid into maintenance around 7 months post-op. A good goal is the upper side of normal BMI weight category.

Good news! You don't have to name a number now [or ever]. It's your choice. Of course we think in terms of numbers; it's part of the culture and hard to turn off in our heads. I've very recently gotten to a place where I believe that my goal is to lose weight. That simple. Carving a number into my brain is too much pressure. I hope and expect that, when I reach the place where I'm satisfied with my physical state (aches, pains, slightly high BP/glucose/a1c and whatever else), the way I feel and the way I look, I'll shout, "Eureka! This is my goal weight and I am here!"

Another approach is always to have a goal of losing 10 pounds or even five. Ten are manageable. One hundred or so, hmm, big number to contemplate.

Goal weight is definitely a personal choice. With my bypass they told me on average people lose 70% of their excess weight. Well, that bothered me because if i was going through all of this, i really wanted to get to a normal weight for my height.

I chose to use the BMI scale given it is what all the doctors used when assessing whether or not our weight is at a healthy level. When i looked at that chart, it basically told me that i should be somewhere around 165 for my 5'10" height.

At the time i was 310lbs and could not even fathom getting to 165 which was my weight after having my first son. prior to that i was actually underweight but i was a teenager.

So, I chose 165 as my ultimate goal but i had mini goals along the way. The first was getting below 300, then 250 and then 210 because that meant i had lost 100lbs. then my next big goal was getting to onederland!

It was at that point that i finally started to believe i would get to a 165 goal.

My surgeon never expected me to get to that weight and absolutely did not set a weight goal. In fact when i got to the 200 mark, he considered my surgery a success. And he warned me that if I wanted to get to my ultimate goal i would have to work very hard at controlling my diet and getting some exercise. I did and I swear I thought that last 30lbs was going to be the death of me. I had limited ability to exercise for the 2nd half of my weight loss because of multiple surgeries so I had to do it with food.

I am now at a stage where I have been maintaining since March 2016. I fluctuate between 162 and 158. Part of me would really like to get to 150 so that if I do get the 10% to 15% expected weight gain back that i have some room. I like the way that I look right now and really don't want to lose more but I am a bit worried about regain and I am watching it like a hawk.

Something happens when you hit maintenance.....you find yourself being more hungry, more head hunger and you are a bit daring. At least I have been. I still don't eat much but it is really all about choices and it is easier for some reason to make bad ones if you are not careful.

Best of luck to you with goal setting and getting to your goal!

As of today, I am 11 pounds lighter than the 70% the docs say you will lose of your excess weight, which puts me at 78%.

And this lady ain't yet done. She's going for the full Monty!

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I think 'goal weight' depends on a lot of factors. Before surgery, I set my goal weight at 150. I am 5' 6" tall, 60 yrs old, and at my thinnest (when I was 21) I was 130. When I got to around 165, my surgeon told me not to go below 159 as he said that 'for a woman my age...' 159 would be perfect. I told him that I was not going to go through all of this and not reach what is considered to be a healthy BMI - so I compromised with him to 155.

Having said all of that, though, I can see that if I get too much thinner I will begin to look gaunt. Therefore I strive to keep my weight between 155 and 159. That works well for me.

I think I was at my goal weight around 7 months after surgery and have now been in maintenance for four months. As some other posters have said, your body will find the weight that is best for you. The important thing is that you are healthy - look good and feel good about what you have accomplished. Numbers are good for guidelines, but I think that being tied to an unrealistic number can be harmful.

Good luck on your journey...