Hi friends!

I am brand new here and also in the process of WLS. My first appointment with my weight loss surgeon is on 9/1/21 to start the process! I am looking at the sleeve surgery since it seems the best from the research I have done. My concern is how much I can lose with the procedure's assistance. I know it's a tool, but I need to lose approx. 126lbs and from the calculators and estimators I have used online it says I would lose only about 70lbs with the sleeve or 85lbs with the bypass. These numbers seem really low compared to the results I see on the forums and other websites. I just wanted to know if anyone had more information on this? Is anyone similar to my stats who has lost more/less?

Thank you in advance!

The estimates are based on averages. Some lose more, some lose less. I honestly believe, if you embrace your drs plan, and change your relationship with food, you will be successful. Good Luck!

1 hour ago, Luna Girl said:

The estimates are based on averages. Some lose more, some lose less. I honestly believe, if you embrace your drs plan, and change your relationship with food, you will be successful. Good Luck!

Exactly. My surgeon told me 60-65% of excess weight was what to expect. She recommended sleeve for where I was (around a 40-41 BMI when I had my first consult) and for the fact you are unlikely to have dumping issues or absorption issues. However, before she made the final decision I had to do an endoscopy to show that I didn’t have reflux issues or that would mean bypass.

As Luna Girl said, you have to commit to follow the plan and change you eating habits. I did not stray from the pre-op or post-op diet stages, and only ate the things that were appropriate for each stage. Now I’m not going to lie - I’ve had a cookie here or there or a small ice cream a few times - but I log everything and I have one on occasion as a special treat - I don’t eat 6 cookies in one sitting - actually, I don’t think I’ve even had 6 cookies in total since surgery! And I was probably 5 months along before I had any of those things in small doses. Surgery is a tool - not a magic bullet - and I think sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of that.

The last thing I will say is that my only regret is not doing this sooner. You’ve already done the hardest part in taking the first step - stick with it and good luck on your journey!

What @Luna Girl & @Crick said is correct. The average weight loss is about 65% of the weight you need to lose to get you into the healthy bmi range after (I think) 5yrs. This is the weight the calculators will say you will likely lose too.

This average is not the lowest weight you may reach but where you settle after a few years. Some of this occurs because you amend your original diet because it was too restrictive, not sustainable or just not practical with your lifestyle or you change your exercise routine for the same reasons. It’s why it’s not uncommon for people to experience a 10lb+/- bounce back weight gain in yrs 2 & 3 post surgery.

Like all averages you can fall above or below. But you can decide the weight you want to reach & maintain as long as the diet & exercise regime you need to follow to be at that weight is sustainable. Being healthy & happy is more important than the number on the scale.

Good luck.

ditto what all the others said - it's an average, and you'll find plenty of people who fall on either side of that. It includes people who don't do well because they don't follow the guidelines - and those who are super committed and are very successful. If you're really committed and follow the rules, you'll likely lose more than that.

15 hours ago, greenwitch17 said:

I just wanted to know if anyone had more information on this? Is anyone similar to my stats who has lost more/less?

Not sure how tall you are, but we sorta had similar starting BMIs (I started off at BMI 43 @ 235 lbs…i’m 5’2”)

Based on BMI 25 as “normal weight” (in my case would have been 135 lbs goal weight), my doc said he would consider me a success if I lost 60-70 lbs (i.e., 60-70% of my 100lbs excess weight) within a year.

Ended up losing 120% of my excess weight (110-ish lbs in 7 mnths, and another 10-ish in the first couple months of maintenance). Been more or less sitting at 115lbs for over 2 years now.

I’ll be 3 years out from sleeve surgery in October.

Honestly, barring any medical conditions, you can lose as much as you are willing to put the effort in for.

Good Luck! ❤️

Thank you all so much for the feedback! This community has already helped me so much and I am so excited to start the process!! :)

On 8/21/2021 at 2:03 PM, greenwitch17 said:

Thank you all so much for the feedback! This community has already helped me so much and I am so excited to start the process!!

Good luck, update the forum when you get new information.