How realistic is it to lose 288lbs?

Holy crap - you have lost 332 lbs?!?!  Congratulations!  That is a HUGE accomplishment!  Your life must be unrecognizable from before!  I am so happy for you!

Thanks, you have done pretty good yourself.....congrats

How much you lose is directly related to how well you follow your plan after surgery :)  I had an all time high weight of 369, was 352 the day of surgery, and now weigh 160 (I am 5'4").  I wear a size 8/medium, have more energy than ever before, and have completely transformed my life.  Losing 200 lbs was not easy - it still requires constant vigilance EVERYDAY because I can eat some wheat thins, popcorn, and other simple carbs in large quantities.  But I do things like today - chicken sausage for breakfast, have a lunch date and already read the menu and will have the tuna tartare appetizer, am having Thai for dinner so will have chicken and veggies.  I also did an hour at the gym this morning.  So yes, it's possibly for you to lose 200+ lbs of weight but it does require eating on plan which means eating high protein dense foods, and steering clear of carbs.  Look at Grim Traveler (who commented above) - he is my role model for losing tons of weight and maintaining!

Stacy all I can say is a surely hope so, and it least looks like I will get to my personal goal, maybe less.  I started this journey at HW 399 (first appointment at Bariatric clinic 8/6/2014)  SW 339 ( 1/14/15)  and CW 217.  I would like to get to 180 lbs.  I should be from 135-155 pounds according to the charts.  To date I am down 182 pounds and I am 7 1/2 months out.  I use my sleeve and eat high protein, low carb diet.  I still struggle with exercise but try to do at least 30 mins of cardio a couple times a week.  It appears to me that you get back what you put into this journey.  Good Luck with your decision.  No matter what you do, less weight is healthier!

You can do anything you want!  And you will not know your right weight until you get there.

The best chance to lose and keep off that amount of weight is the VSG w. Duodenal Switch.  Though there are issues with doing it in 2 parts (often times people do not achieve as much weight loss in 2 steps as they do the full VSG/DS at once) maybe you'd want to consider a VSG (Sleeve) then if you don't lose enough add on the duodenal switch???  The full surgery is truly a gem BUT only if you learn how to take care of yourself pre-op and then do so post-op.

All best to you.  I want to see you winning Stacy!

Hi Stacy 

My stats are close to yours. I'm  also 5'-7" and my high weight was 449.

For me, I  can't see myself reaching 150 lbs. I was SMO for many years. My goal is 180 which is  more realistic for my history and my age (53).

I'm currently around 210 and if I never lose another pound the surgery was worth it. I feel so much better and have more energy than I've had in years.

Don't let charts, graphs and BMI calculators scare you away. They don't factor in the life of us who are/were SMO.  Good luck!

I don't know if you can know what is realisti****il you get closer to goal. I am trying to figure it out right now. You absolutely can lose a significant amount of weight. What the final number is somewhat of an unknown. As others have said, you will be happy losing no matter what.

That kind of weight loss is completely possible, however I suspect you may be very happy with your life transformation after even half that weight loss. So don't let the worry that you might not reach your ideal weight derail you.  My advice is, in addition to the weight goal, set yourself some more tangible goals as well, relating to the quality of life or your fitness. Fir instance, some of mine are to learn Krav Maga and kickboxing, run a mile, etc... it really keeps me focused and positive!

Another thing to remember is that being MO causes us to build denser, and therefore heavier, bones. This is a good thing, but it means that the BMI charts don't really apply to us. (ANd they're pretty goofy even for 'normal' people.)

I never set a number-on-the-scale goa. My goal was to be healthy, more mobile, and in less pain. Thankfully my DS has made it possible to reach all of those goals, and at 11+ years post-op, I'm at my lowest adult weight EVER.

I strongly urge you to research the DS. It has the very best long-term, maintained weight-loss stats for patients of any size, but especially so for those of us with a BMI greater than 50. It makes a dramatic, permanent change in how our bodies metabolize food, and it has the best stats for resolving or preventing co-morbs like diabetes and high cholesterol, too. Plus, unlike the RNY, with the DS you can still take NSAIDs. For me, that was a real biggie---I have extensive arthritis and I just can't function without my naprosyn.

I had surgery at 401 (my highest weight was waaaay higher) and I am hoping to hit at least 190-200 or so; I assume since we are SMO we have at least 20-40 pounds of extra skin which won't be lost without plastic surgery, obviously.  So I'm taking that into consideration.  I'm 5'2".