One Year Appointment...didn't go as I expected

OK, I'm going to be un characteristically blunt.

Regarding your NUT thinking your weight goal is inappropriate, WHAT THE ACTUAL **** IS WRONG WITH HER?!

Of course, my perspective about your NUT's comments at your recent meeting with her is formed by my personal WLS experience, which in a nutshell is this:

I'm 5'5". I was sleeved in August 2014 at age 68 (I just turned 72). Prior to surgery I lost 20 pounds and after WLS surgery over the next 9 months I lost 65 more pounds. Then over the following 9 months I slowly lost 15 more pounds (while eating 1700 calories/day), bringing me to a round 100-pound loss.

And for the last 2 years I've maintained all of my weight loss incredibly well. I am incredibly active in life, exercise 5-6 days a week and am much more physically fit, much more attractive, and much happier than I was prior to WLS.

Obviously, I am NOT underweight. This morning I weighed 133.2 (I weigh daily). My BMI is 22.1, which puts me smack dab in the middle of the range of normal weighted people.

Your NUT needs a serious reality adjustment.

Obviously, your story really pissed me off. Perhaps I should have cooled off before typing this comment. Nonetheless, I strongly encourage you to achieve YOUR goals, not some under-educated, insufficiently experienced person who needs to find a different job.

Grrrrr!

Ann

I'm 5'7" and my goal was 147lbs, and I blew that away. The only comment I got was at my 9-month post-op visit the PA made a crack about how I could even "go a little crazy over Christmas and gain a few pounds and it wouldn't hurt me". She also asked me how crazy it felt that I went from being obese to underweight. But, I'm not underweight according to BMI or anything else. In the same breath, she told me that as long as her patient's felt good she considered 'goal' to be totally individual to each person. Anyway, it's fine and just lose the next 10lbs!

I pretty much agree with everyone else. My original goal was 160...I?m just under 132. At the mid 160s I was told by my dietician I could start trying to maintain...my response was hmm nope, not ready to stop yet...want to see where this takes me. She was fine with that.

Basically they are working with averages. At 160 I was officially a raging success in the bariatric world. At 145 they were asking me if they could use my results/pictures on their website. It is because at a normal BMI we are doing better than average, they don?t see it all the time.

at 132 my mom is telling me I?m too thin and looking anorexic. I?m not. It is her, not me. I take regular pictures to monitor that frankly, because the me I see in the mirror looks about 10lbs heavier than what I see in pictures...and that is common. Also, I am also not chasing the perfect body. Would I like to lose 10lbs off my legs? Yep...but I?d want to relocate it to my upper body. If I try and lose 10lbs I know it won?t come off my legs and I will look skeletal up top and I don?t want that so, I?ve set a bottom weight limit.

I also lost on balanced macros. In my 140?s I upped calories to around 1200 to slow the weight loss down and coast into maintenance. At 140 I upped it to around 1400 and go figure, you can see where I am now. I suspect true maintenance for me will be 1500-1700.

I hope to be VSGAnn in the long run :)

Most of us are only expected to lose 50% of our excess weight. I think there is sometimes a bias against more weight loss in professionals, sadly.

Also, most patients by far do not track or are successful. Most do keep a degree of weight off. Regardless of surgery, though, the majority do not reach a non-overweight BMI by much, if ever. The main goal for WLS to cause life improvements and reduce comorbidities...not to hit a normal, BMI, necessarily. To be honest, the average patient is far less motivated than the average person here.

Having said that, I mean, you could see the social worker. I guess? That's up to you and what you'd like to do. It might be worth it if only to complain about the social worker... heh. Kidding aside, if you are worried about it that's an option.

And you are not being unreasonable. Many people who get WLS in the 250s often hit the 150s in time.