Those who got to normal weight what was your start weight please and how long did it take ?

Yikes maybe I'll try looking at body fat. Mines 50% :(

I, too, have been overweight all my life and never had a 'normal' weight so had nothing to compare to. My highest weight was 288 (5'5"), surgery weight 250lbs and I hit 150 almost exactly a year after surgery. Had my gallbladder out around that time and lost another 5 lbs during recovery.

It's good to have a reasonable goal weight/bmi in mind but don't think too much about it now. Focus on working the sleeve daily and all your immediate food/liquid/exercise goals and your body will likely tell you when it's done losing. Don't set it too low so that if you stop losing at, say, 145lbs you end up feeling like you've failed, just keep working it. It's interesting to watch our bodies 'unfold' during the weight loss process. Once you're within say 20 lbs of your personal goal or your doctor's goal then you can make a better determination.

Great advice thanks so much. Will change my goal to 150 and see how I am if I get there hehe. Weldone for your success!!

I started at 220 (5'5") almost 3 years ago...hit normal BMI (149) in just under 6 months. After that I lost another 23 in the next 6 months. Loved being way down there...could wear all of my daughter's clothes! I slacked off some...still tracking everything, but eating more than I need and have put some back on. As of this morning I'd like to take off 18 pounds to get to my ultimate personal goal of 125. That being said...I still feel great where I am and am still "normal"...whatever that means! Best of luck!

Focusing too much on the scale is a mistake (my opinion) because there are so many things that affect it ... like muscle mass, weight of loose skin, breast size (if female) That being said, I don't think an ultimate goal of 135 isn't unreasonable for someone of your height ... BUT your body might decide otherwise. It might decide that it likes being 160. No one can tell you whats going to happen on that front. All you can really do is follow your plan everyday and do your best to be healthy.

Look down there at my ticker ... see the goal I set for myself is 150. That's what I used to weigh before I had children. I honestly do not think I will ever see that again and if I don't I'll be fine with it. At this point in life I would be happy just to be under 200. "onederland" It would be nice to be a size 14-16 again.

I am 62, 5' 5" and my highest weight was 345. I took some of that off, and started my six month pre-VSG process at 271 and had my VSG in May of 2015. My surgeon and PCP wanted me at a BMI of 25 or 26, as "older women need some cushion". I spent my entire life feeling like an oversized couch, and wanted minimal cushion, and set my initial goal under 149, in the "normal range".

At eight months of TOTAL compliance, I met that goal, and felt I wanted to go lower. At fourteen months out, I was 122 pounds and looked gaunt. I had a bod pod fat assessment, and my fat percentage was about 12%, if I remember correctly. My alarmed PCP emphatically explained that all of those years of morbid obesity had made my bones dense, and weigh more. She estimated my excess skin at 5-8 pounds. She said my fat level was too low, and that realistically I needed to subtract another ten pounds (for bone density and excess skin) from my scale weight, to get an "actual weight". From that perspective, 112 was too low.

I am now 26 months out, and maintain in a five pound range between 134-139. My weight slowly redistributed, and I don't look gaunt. I encourage you to set a series of goals, and begin to increase physical and spiritual/emotional goals as you near maintenance. Shifting your mind set from losing and the scale as sole validation, to maintaining and living a healthy lifestyle, with achieving balance as the focus, is huge.

Good for you, for planning ahead! That's the key to success !

It took me 14 months to lose down from 286 to 143, right at a normal BMI.

Your surgeons goal is b asked on "average" weight loss. I started at 293lbs, weighed 273lbs on my surgery date and weighed 193 today. That's already 20 pounds less than my surgeon's "goal" of 80 pounds in one year. But it's less weight than many people here lose in 8 months.

In January Old Navy had some great sales and I got 14 pieces of clothing for under $100.00 all size large or 16. At that point I could not imagine ever wearing a size smaller. It was my fantasy size...I

I fit into a size 16 at the end on May, The size large tops I got at Old Navy a month ago are huge on me already. I need to buy size medium now.

You can decide not the be "average" but do make reachable goals for yourself. They are not set in stone. Once you reach your doctor's goal all you can reevaluate and readjust. Good luck!

Well it took me about 10 months to go from 235 to 135. I got down as low as 117. Too low but I am back up to 137 after 7 years. Need to shed a few so it doesn't get out of hand. my bmi is about 23. Diane S

I was over 320 to start (scale didn't go higher) Hit goal of 194 in 8 months, ticker shows monthly losses. If it were me I would be setting the goal at a normal weight- health reasons supersede "looking gaunt".