surgeon's goal for me 195lbs

 My friend had RNY five years ago this Sept.  She lost 120 lbs from 280.  She had severe PCOS and endometriosis.  Was told she would never have children.  She is now the fabulous mother of a fantastic one year old.  Boy, is he ever cute.... (she did miscarry once in between).

that's good to hear...minus the miscarriage thing of course. gives me hope.

The focus is on how you see yourself when you get there.  My ideal body weight is 135, I originally wanted to be at 115.  When I got to 180 I was thrilled and hoped for more but was comfortable with the way I felt and looked.  Right now at 169 I know I probably need to lose more, but can't control where it comes off from.  I am skeletal from the hips up and carry the excess in my legs.  At 38 mos. out the weight is still coming off, but can't force it to come off the legs.  You will know when you are comfortable at what weight.

That is what I was going to say.  When you look at yourself in the mirror and are happy with the you that you see and you are just sitting on the couch one evening and are happy with how you feel, you'll know you are right where you should be.  Also I think your body will let you know when it is ready to even out on its own.  But then again I'm still new to all of this so I could be wrong.

Your body will decide where it wants to be! Sounds like your Dr is setting the goal high as encouragement! I was 327 at my highest, I am 5'8" tall, I was having regular periods but ONLY because of BC pills, I had been on metformin for years for PCOS and insulin resistance. Post op I continued with BC pills (with condoms as a back up for a while). I too was told I would never have children... well here I am 7weeks pregnant and we were only trying for 4 months! There is hope! Pre-pregnancy I was about 192. My Dr's goal was 170 but when I saw him in January he was thrilled with where I am.

As you get closer to the goal that is set you and your Dr will be able to decide where you should be and your body ultimately will decide where it is comfortable!

Oh and the "insurance guidelines" said that I should be 140 - at 140 I would look like I was sick!

Hope this helps

Liz

thank you for your post...it really helps me feel better.

Don't get too caught up on the BMI scale.

The BMI scale really doesn't give you an accurate snapshot of your health as a post-op.

I did some health fair thing last year here at work with blood tests, body fat anyalysis, and all that good stuff, and my percentage chance for a heart attack came back at less than 1%. The guy fell out of his chair telling me he's only seen that one other time in all the years he was working there.

But guess what, according to the BMI chart, I'm obese.

Not merely overweight, but obese.

You're body will help you figure out a good weight for yourself.

All the belly fat is extra bad for us gals.  I too have PCOS and have been in the ER several times with bursting ovarian cysts, worse than gallstone pain!!!!!
I am 5'11 and "they" say I should be 170.  I was 170 as a very young adult and was very skinny.
I think, as do many of you, that you know where you need to be, where your health is best and what you and your physician feel is best.
I have learned that BMI and other charts and lists are just a base guideline for "the masses".  We as individuals going through the WLS process know more about our bodies than most.

Trust that.  ;)

Sometimes I feel like I got jipped since I was never given a goal weight by my surgeon and other times I think it's a blessing because I have nothing to obsess about.

I started at 270lbs and a size 24. My personal goal is 159 which would put me at the high end of a normal BMI. however today 9 months post op I am 180 with a 28BMI (overweight) and I wear a size 12 I run 14+ miles a week and I am in amazing shape and health. I still want to someday make it to 159, but I'm also perfectly happy staying exactly where I am.

You may find that 195 is a realistic goal and you'll be amazed at how "thin" you will look and feel when you get there.

Good luck.