Super heavy weight division

Im scheduled to have my DS on February 13th. My starting weight is 470 is there anyone on this board who started around this weight and can talk to me about what to expect. I've scoured the board and don't see many people starting this high of a weight that have much info. 

Thanks in advance for the info.

Dave

I started out 450+ and my surgeons office would only do the VSG because of the large abdomen ( where I carry the majority of my weight) Now two years later and holding at around 100 lbs off, they will consider the DS part of the surgery. Still I am 350 or so and I know I have not seen any discussions posted by Heavy Weights. Keep me updated with your search and surgery.  

How tall are you? Your profile gives your BMI as 58.7, which does NOT put you in the "super heavy weight" division. You're considered SMO, or 'super morbidly obese', but we've got folks here who started out as SSMO, and even some who were SSSMO.

My highest weight was 405, i was 397 on surgery day.  Not quite as heavy as you were, but definitley in the super SMO category for my height, 5'5". I lost 60 pounds my first month post op.  There's no scientific proof to this, but it is said the more you have to lose, the faster you will lose it. I had lost 200 pounds within a year.  I lost 245 pounds total, and by the chart I'm still overweight/obese, but I also have about 15 pounds of loose skin and attached fat deposits, accounting for that.  Working on getting rid of them with lipo and plastics, and once I do, I will be within striking distance of 145, my chart weight. I currently bounce around between 160 and 170.  Word to the wise:  start planning now for loose skin removal once your are at or near your goal weight. Mine is a medical necessity, due to cellulitis and skin infections, which interestingly, I never had as a  pre-op. I scrub my thigh skin meticulously, and keep my skin moisturized, but I still have issues, so my PCP has determined that the loose skin is the source of my troubles.  When the germs get in from clothing friction, I'm dealing with another infection.  Last time, about three months ago, I had to use two different antibiotics to get rid of it completely,  one ten day course of Keflex, which had  previously been effective alone, and one seven day course of Cipro.  That means the germ is becoming antibiotic-resistant, hence the surgery to get rid of the skin, and hopefully stop the chronic recurrence of infection.

Congratulations on having a surgery date.  There is not a better surgery for Super Morbid Obesity than a full complete DS done in one single surgery.  You will have so many changes in your body and in your life and they will happen so fast that you will want to hang on tight for the ride.  Best wishes to you.

I wish I could offer some insight.  But I'm pre-op as well.  My peak weight on 10/1/12 was 450. I'm male, 5' 11" tall, and 43yo.  I've reached a long plateau at 408.  My DS will hopefully be sometime late winter or early spring with Dr. Rabkin.  

There are lots of folks in your weight range who have been very successful.  I met a man in my docs office who was originally over 800lbs!  It can be done.

Being male is a huge advantage.  You will lose better and faster than a woman who weighs the same amount.  My best advice to you is to lose as much as you can while it's easy and that means no carbs and lots of shakes.  Just lose the weight first and then worry about how many carbs you can have!

Best of luck!

copy/paste the link below.  You will find the blog of a very cool guy who started around where you are and has had tremendous success.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/apologize/

I was 430 + at the time of surgery.....   I was close to your weight.....   tomorrow is my 5 year 'surgiversary' from Part 2 of my DS...... Expect w ild ride!!!!  (OK, for more details, lol...or with questions, just PM me)     Good Luck!   Mary

Dave, I have the info. you are after!  I remember this formula being discussed a few years ago, when this board was much more active.  It is from a study based just on patients of Dr. Baltasar, who had a starting BMI over 50, and who were more than 3 years post-DS, and the study came out in 2009.  For that population, the Expected BMI = Starting BMI x 0.33 + 14.  here is a thread where it was discussed http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/DS/4311126/Realistic-formu la-for-figuring-goal-computing-expected/  As a male, you may do better than average (as mentioned by a previous poster).