I just had my 6 month check up with my Dr and I had the chance to ask them what my goal weight should be. Their "goal" for me is to be comfortably in the overweight category - somewhere around a BMI of 27. This seems high to me, and my personal goal is to be in the healthy weight range, around a BMI of 22 (which I know is aggressive). Her rationale is studies show people who are overweight but exercise, and people who are of average weight but don't exercise have about the same morbidity. So, they focus on getting us firmly out of obese, then worry more about activity.

For those of you whose Dr's gave you a goal weight or BMI, where did it fall?

My surgeon didn't give me a goal weight, but the nutritionist asked me what my goal weight was and when I said 130, she looked at my as though I had said 85lbs! LOL!! She said that I should aim to lose 70lbs in 18 months. I'm already past that in 7 months (and I think my results are pretty average).

Personally, I think that the surgeons want to set our goals low so they can have more "successes." Just my opinion though!!

My dr had me make my own goal weight, based on how I feel in my skin at that weight.

My doctor didn't give me a goal and only said he wouldn't do the surgery if I gained weight. My nutritionist had me set goals which were 350, almost there and 250 then my final goal is 180.

My doctor didn’t give me a goal, but there are studies that show that 27 is a healthy and comfortable BMI for many people, despite the charts recommending lower.

My personal goal is 165. I have been that weight in my adult life and was happy there, despite my BMI being 27 and technically overweight. I think it really comes down to personal preference. I would rather not be super thin.

My surgeon asked me if I had a goal. I suggested 60kg (BMI of about 23) as I had been that weight before & had been happy then. He agreed & said it was a sensible goal for my height, age & lifestyle. When I surpassed it by 5kg he was initially concerned but after we talked about it he was ok. I lost another 5kg while I was working out my maintenance plan but have been stable for about 4 months.

Personally I think you need to consider what is the weight that will allow you to live the life you want & you can happily maintain. And if your goal changes, that’s your choice. It’s not always about the number on the scales. For me it’s about being happy & healthy.

the average weight loss for a bariatric patient is about 70% of your excess weight, so that's what they'll often give you as a goal since statistically, that's likely where you'll end up. But as with any average, there are people who lose more or less than that. You'll find several people on here who've lost much more than that - even 100% of their excess weight. It takes a lot of work, but some people do manage to get there.

I should add that there's a line of thought (and my PCP happens to agree with this) that a 23-27 BMI is the healthiest range for adults, esp for older adults (and I'm one of them....) - so it could be that your surgeon is one who's on board with that opinion, too.

in either case, if you put your mind to it and really work at it, you can probably do better than that (if you want to...)

7 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

in either case, if you put your mind to it and really work at it, you can probably do better than that (if you want to...)

I think that's a very important thing to say: "if you want to..." (put the ongoing effort into it forever).

I have decided that I don't want to. Would I like to weigh 3 or 4 kg less? Sure, I'd like to. I'd like my muscles, veins and tendons to show more. But I'm not willing to put the effort into it when I can maintain BMI of 23 without having to go out of my own way to do so. I'm going to take what additional benefit plastics have to offer and then it'll be alright.

On a side note: it's quite interesting how much more effort and vigilance one might have to put into this whole food/diet/exercise/weight thing to maintain a weight that's just a little bit lower. To me it's not worth it but someone else's opinion will for sure vary.

My Dr said the surgery would get me to the top range of the healthy BMI for my height, that was what he'd count as a successful surgery outcome. I've smashed past that and now I'm closer to an underweight BMI than a healthy one, which seems surreal to me.

My Dr said the surgery would get me to the top range of the healthy BMI for my height, that was what he'd count as a successful surgery outcome. I've smashed past that and now I'm closer to an underweight BMI than a healthy one, which seems surreal to me.

My doctor and I talked about the lowest weight I had maintained when dieting and exercising and NOT taking appetite suppressants as an adult and came up with 175. That's a 27 BMI, I'm 5'6.5". So that's pretty square in the middle of overweight. When I hit it I thought I could lose more and set a stretch goal of 150.

I also think BMIs are not appropriate for individuals, they were designed to measure populations. And muscle weighs more than fat. So I don't really care about BMI much.

I DO care about fitting into my current clothes (or smaller), being able to run and exercise generally, and feeling good.

Edited July 18, 20206 yr by JessLess

2 hours ago, summerset said:

I think that's a very important thing to say: "if you want to..." (put the ongoing effort into it forever).

I have decided that I don't want to. Would I like to weigh 3 or 4 kg less? Sure, I'd like to. I'd like my muscles, veins and tendons to show more. But I'm not willing to put the effort into it when I can maintain BMI of 23 without having to go out of my own way to do so. I'm going to take what additional benefit plastics have to offer and then it'll be alright.

On a side note: it's quite interesting how much more effort and vigilance one might have to put into this whole food/diet/exercise/weight thing to maintain a weight that's just a little bit lower. To me it's not worth it but someone else's opinion will for sure vary.

agreed. I got down to a 22 BMI during my second year post-surgery and am now at a 25 (at five years out). I complain and obsess about it, and I know I could probably go back to a 22 if I dropped way down in calories, but clearly I must not be willing to do that because here I sit - at a 25 - and have sat here for over a year. My surgeon, PCP, and dietitian don't care.

I can maintain my current weight if I stay in a calorie range of 1500-1700 most days (I'd guess I'm "moderately active"). I'm sure I could lose if I dropped down to 1200 kcal/day, but...ugh. It's sometimes challenging enough just to stay at 1500-1700 - I'm not sure how long I could tolerate eating 1200 kcal/day. So here I sit...

I didn't know what weight goal to set for myself. Initially, I came up with 130, but after considering that I've had four children and that my body has been through a lot, I asked my doctor for his opinion. He came up with 150.

I honestly don't know how much I weigh now because I haven't weighed myself in over a year. I no longer "track" my weight and I am better off for it. My body has its own schedule and I'm just along for the ride.

One of my first appointments with my doctor, I said I wanted to lose 100. I was currently at 257 at the time. He said he liked that goal. On surgery day, I was 249. I managed to get down to 241, but gained due to covid. I will be happy at 150, 130 tops..nothing lower, I'm 5'5.

1 hour ago, Missouri-Lee's Summit said:

I didn't know what weight goal to set for myself. Initially, I came up with 130, but after considering that I've had four children and that my body has been through a lot, I asked my doctor for his opinion. He came up with 150.

I honestly don't know how much I weigh now because I haven't weighed myself in over a year. I no longer "track" my weight and I am better off for it. My body has its own schedule and I'm just along for the ride.

we're the same height. I don't know how muscular you are (because that makes a difference - as does frame size), but I looked pretty awful when I was in the 130s. It might have looked fine when I was 20 years old, but at 60, no. Although I hated to be at 150, to be honest, I looked much better there (I'm about 158 now - trying hard to lose eight lbs!!). I think that's actually the perfect weight for me....

Thanks all. The lowest I've been in my adult life is 183, around a BMI of 27. (Even in high school I was well obese. I felt pretty good at 183, but I think I would have felt better a little lighter (I carry a lot of weight in my legs and at that point, my upper body was good but my legs were still pretty heavy). I guess I'll see how I feel when I get back around that level and decide if I want to keep going. But based on that discussion and what I am hearing hear, I think I'll likely end up over my original goal of 150, but somewhere below 183. Maybe 173, which would be a BMI of 24.8 and officially not overweight (I really want to be in a "normal" range at least once ).