Hi all,

I am going in for my final pre-op appointment on Tuesday! YAY! It's been a long 6 months, but so worth it!!!

I've been thinking a lot about the weight loss process after surgery, and I always hear "Oh, you'll lose about 40-60% of your excess body weight..." from different people (medical professionals, past sleevers, etc). But my goal weight goes beyond the percentage I have been told.. If I were to follow those guidelines, and achieved losing 60% of my excess body weight, I'd still be borderline obese.

And I understand that any weight loss will provide me with numerous benefits, but I refuse to accept that I will never reach my ultimate goal weight.

So for any of you that have reached your ultimate goal weight, or you went above and beyond the 60%, please share your stories, tips/advice, input, exercise/diet regimens! I want to fully prepare for this mentally before diving in physically. I don't want to feel discouraged before even having my surgery!

Sending love and congratulations to all of you!
Also, Happy Thanksgiving

They are giving you the averages. Some people don't lose much weight, others do very well, far beyond "average". They just can't predict ahead of time where you will land and they don't want to give you unreasonable expectations. My doctor said he would consider my surgery a success if I got down to 191 lbs. in a year. I'm at 168 after 8.5 months, and I am a post-menopausal woman.

Your success depends on a lot of things: how well you stick to the post-op diet, how well you hydrate, how much you exercise and, of course, your own body. Good luck!

Where did U start , if I don’t mind me asking ? 168 is my goal weight and I am post menopausal!

12 minutes ago, Lolo 2020 said:

Where did U start , if I don’t mind me asking ? 168 is my goal weight and I am post menopausal!

I started at 272

Orchids and Dragons, I am now where you started, I was proud of me, but I am still on my way to be half the woman I used to be. And I believe, I am still going,to make it. Slowly but it is still going to happen.????

You don’t have to be average :)

I’ve lost more and feel amazing.

Started 242 and at goal of 135 now.

Good luck!

I started at BMI 39 went down to 19 and seem to have settled at 22 - 9stone 4lbs in English money! I'd like to drop a few again, but am at a healthy weight so working on tone with exercise. Like orchids and dragons I am post menopausal.

I'd lost more than half my bodyweight now slightly less than that but not far off. And folk say I'd lost too much at my lowest which I found funny as it wasn't a concept I was familiar with.

My tips for success? Follow rules and beware sugar because it's the devil. Not just because of dumping which is horrible but post dumping it's easy to allow it to sneak back in and I believe it to be a drug at least as dangerous as alcohol...

Best of luck to you ?

10 hours ago, b_co said:

but I refuse to accept that I will never reach my ultimate goal weight.

It’s great to drive towards a goal, just don’t brainwash yourself into thinking that a statistically different outcome is your only definition of success. If you lose 40-60% of your excess weight, you are a successful bariatric patient achieving the average loss. Losing more is great, just don’t set a reach goal and then deem yourself a failure if you end up closer to the average. There are plenty of post-surgical mindgames you’ll find yourself playing; leave this particular one out if you can.

If you just rely on the physical restriction effect, you'll eventually be able to eat enough to maintain and eventually gain weight. That's where they get the 40-60% averages.

If you use the surgery properly, as a hard reset on your diet to help you re-learn healthy, sustainable eating habits, you can lose however much you want.

Chiming in here having lost 110% of excess weight and maintained that perfectly for a year now.

Edited November 19, 20187 yr by Phinley

So far I've lost about 73% of my EBW. The first 60% was "easier", but far from easy. LOL. I followed a plan and stuck to it. I lost weight. It was and IS a diet. Make no mistakes about that. LOL.

Many are lucky in that the rule: Even blind squirrels will find a nut every now and then...applies to them with surgery. The surgery does a lot of the heavy lifting. But I was not so fortunate. I have to work for every pound lost. And if you want to get beyond your 60%, it takes outright work, cunning, hacking, revising, and continuing to walk the WLS walk, every damn day.

But it is worth it.

I dreamed big. My RD told me it was unrealistic, but I was not gonna settle for "Overweight" after having major tum surgery. I want to be in the normal weight range and that is anything below about 140lbs. My goal is 125-130lbs. It may take another year to get there. LOL.

I lost 100% of my excess weight and have kept it off for 18 months. Things that helped me achieve this:

1. Months PRIOR to gastric bypass, I gave up the following:

a. No carbonated or caffeinated beverages or juice

b. No alcohol

c. No artificial sweeteners

d. No fast food

e. Minimal processed food, desserts, bread, rice, or pasta

f. Stopped drinking during and after meals

g. No food funerals

2. I followed my bariatric surgeon’s instructions to the letter and did not advance my diet ahead of schedule.

3. I worked on my food and other issues with a therapist before and after surgery.

4. I started walking more before surgery and continued to increase my daily steps after surgery.

5. I cleaned out my closet of clothes that were too big as I lost weight.

6. I weigh my food because too large portion sizes (with mindless eating) was a main reason I got so heavy.

7. I no longer snack/graze all day.

8. I’m much kinder to myself post-surgery. If I overeat I don’t beat myself up and then binge; instead, I move on and eat less at my next meal.

9. I drink a lot more water now.

10. I weigh myself almost everyday. When I was overweight I didn’t weigh myself, which allowed me to be in denial about my true weight. Now it’s just data and I can course correct quickly if it starts to go up.

MarinaGirl. This is really encouraging snd helpful. Do you have 3 meals a day, plus occasional snacks? Or just 3 mesls a day?

17 minutes ago, Briswife15 said:

MarinaGirl. This is really encouraging snd helpful. Do you have 3 meals a day, plus occasional Snacks? Or just 3 mesls a day?

3 meals a day and occasional snacks.

I also brush my teeth soon after dinner to minimize the temptation to eat any more in the evening.

Now all of the things I mentioned above, along with eating protein first on my plate, has become my lifestyle instead of thinking of it as a diet. You don’t lose all the weight and then get to eat more without consequences. This is also true for most normal-sized people; adequate portion sizes and minimal processed/junk food.

High weight - roughly 300. First appointment weight 271. Current weight 152. 2.5 years out. My BMI is technically 27 (overweight) but I look ridiculous any thinner, I'm post menopausal and my body fat is under 30%. My group has declared me a rock star. I am nationally ranked as a fencer in my age group.

I plan my meals. I have just had to start to increase carbs from 60g daily to 100g daily because I tend to burn about 1000 cal a day with exercise and I do weight lifting to support my fencing - I was cannibalizing muscle due to not enough carbs. But its whole grain. Still few sugars. Almost no white flour. Pasta once every few months.

Protein first. All The Time. A protein related snack in the morning and afternoon. 3-5 ounces of protein at each meal. Healthy green veg. About a gallon of water/unsweetened beverages a day.

I treat myself occasionally. I eat about 1200 -1500 calories a day - 110g protein 100g carb. I still log everything in My Fitness Pal. If I don't exercise, I'm very careful about what I eat.

I haven't had plastics and that would likely get rid of about 10 pounds of fat I'm carrying in the middle and excess boobage. But I'm not ready to do that yet.

19 hours ago, b_co said:

Hi all,

I am going in for my final pre-op appointment on Tuesday! YAY! It's been a long 6 months, but so worth it!!!

I've been thinking a lot about the weight loss process after surgery, and I always hear "Oh, you'll lose about 40-60% of your excess body weight..." from different people (medical professionals, past sleevers, etc). But my goal weight goes beyond the percentage I have been told.. If I were to follow those guidelines, and achieved losing 60% of my excess body weight, I'd still be borderline obese.

And I understand that any weight loss will provide me with numerous benefits, but I refuse to accept that I will never reach my ultimate goal weight.

So for any of you that have reached your ultimate goal weight, or you went above and beyond the 60%, please share your stories, tips/advice, input, exercise/diet regimens! I want to fully prepare for this mentally before diving in physically. I don't want to feel discouraged before even having my surgery!

Sending love and congratulations to all of you!
Also, Happy Thanksgiving

Your weight loss in the months to come will be unique to you. We are more than the statistics.

40 to 60% are the stats for weight loss. Nothing has to be set in stone as a goal weight right now. As you get closer to your surgeons goal weight. You can decided if you want to press on to your ultimate goal.

"So for any of you that have reached your ultimate goal weight, or you went above and beyond the 60%, please share your stories, tips/advice, input, exercise/diet regimens? I want to fully prepare for this mentally before diving in physically. I don't want to feel discouraged before even having my surgery"

You may have times when you feel discouraged after surgery. Stalls and mental battles Etc. Keep connected with support form bariatric patients. We are here for you.

• I am four years out.
• 5'5"
• 254 high weight - 234 day of surgery.
• six months 140 - I went on to 130's

My motivation and perspective came from my mother. I watched her battle cancer. She knew she had months to live. I thought of her each time things got hard. She would have gladly traded places with me for my weight loss struggles. I was driven to make the most out of my surgery and life.

Surgery is work. None of this happens over night. You earn each pound. The sum of small things repeated day in and day out will get you where you want to be.

• Nothing magic - I followed my eating plan and guidelines. Learned to log my food. I stayed consistent.
• I discovered a passion read all things bariatric, nutrition and fitness. It was eye opening.
• I learned food is fuel and not for comforting stress/emotions
• Exercise was a necessary evil. It developed over time into something I enjoy

Exercise:

Let no one interrupt your gym/exercise. It's time you carve out for yourself. Use it to process life's issues and overcome the mental battles that may surface with WLS.

My first year: I dedicated an hour five /six days a week. I started with walking. Then the elliptical and a bit of weight lifting. I increased the resistance and weight as I got stronger. Over time my workouts evolved Into biking, distance running and lifting.

Food:

Log you food. Make sure you hit your calories, protein and carbohydrates for the day without going over. Get temptations out of the house, Grocery shop and cook your own food.

Congrats on your upcoming surgery,

Jenn

Edited November 19, 20187 yr by skinnylife

19 hours ago, b_co said:

, but I refuse to accept that I will never reach my ultimate goal weight.

What is success with WLS?

We have different goals, medical issues and ways of working our programs. The goal is healthy even if you don't get to a goal number.

Reach for the stars, be your own awesome!