I am scheduled for surgery on August 16. When I look up the projected weight loss it says 60%-70% of excess weight. However, when I look on forums it shows that people are actually losing more weight then the 60%-70%. Does anyone know why?

I have assumed that the people who don't meet the average or lower may be disillusioned and don't post as much.

10 hours ago, Deegil said:

However, when I look on forums it shows that people are actually losing more weight then the 60%-70%. Does anyone know why?

People who're successful are more prone to continue exposing themselves on the boards. They're also the ones who continue to attend self-help groups IRL and who blog on the web etc.

People who're not as successful as they think they should be, tend to be ashamed and stop posting. I can understand that. They're scolded often enough by other users and (this is much, much worse) by their treatment team so they're not seeking help or help soon enough.

The really sad thing is that some people who lost tons of weight and BMI points consider themselves as "not successful" because "they only made it into the overweight category" and not to a BMI below 25 or 23 or whatever BMI they consider as the ideal one.

As for the studies and statistics: one should always take a look at the so called drop-out rates. Many people are "lost to follow-up" within a few years.