Whats Your Goal?

Sorry, Melissa, but I have to ask.  If he is going to do weight loss surgery on you, why does he want you to loose 160 lbs before you even have the surgery?  It seems that the reason you are going to have the surgery is because you are having trouble loosing the weight.  I weigh close to 430 but my doctor is not making me loose over 100 lbs before doing the surgery.  Is he doing it because of other health concerns?  Just a little curious.

Apparently, it's because of safety reasons. At his clinic, if you weigh over a certain weigh, his surgeons doesn't like to work on people who have so much fat on them. They don't like having to work through all the layers of fat and continueing to wipe their blades and hands from all the fat. At least that is the way I understand it.

I STARTED AT 350 AND MY GOAL IS 170 TO 165.  I CHOSE THIS GOAL BASED ON HOW I FELT AND LOOKED WHEN I WAS 170 IN THE PAST.  I AM 5'8 AND HAVE BEEN AS LOW AS 145 BUT I FELT I WAS TOO THIN AND I REALLY COULD NOT MAINTAIN THAT WEIGHT. 

Well I started out at 426lbs.  I'm getting the DS - so maybe my goals will be different.  I'd really like to be "normal" size....which for a normal BMI - I would have to get down to 150lbs....so lose 275lbs.  That is a lot and would be amazing if I reached it.  I asked my surgeon if it was attainable and he said yes.  So that's my ultimate goal.  That being said, if I get below 200lbs I'll be ecstatic.  Others have done it - so why can't I???

Cheri

My surgeon set a goal at 85% of excess weight anticipated I would lose, which would put me at 150.  I was so thrilled with that at the outset, and it seemed a dream.  I've exceeded that goal and right now hover at ~139 give or take.  I feel great at this weight.  I do have a significant amount of excess skin that I'm not using any more and am having my first phase of plastics on 05/11/2009 with a lower body lift.  We'll see how much in poundage comes off then.

I feel like I'm done losing weight except for whatever I lose in skin.  I don't have a goal clothing size, and it would be pretty hard to set one given my current state of affairs and the variance in clothing sizes.  E.g., I ordered a size small shirt online and received it today.  It might even be a little big for me.  I bought a cute size medium dress  yesterday at Marshall's and it's a good thing I didn't get a small, I could have pulled it on, but it would have been unsightly.

-Jasmine

This is a great topic because I sometimes question my ultimate goal. At one of my post op appointments my surgeon did ask me what was my goal was. I honestly had no idea because my ENTIRE adult life I spent as not just overweight but SMO so I couldnt safely say to him...well 160 looks good on my frame or I liked the way 180 felt, because I just didnt know. He said based on my age, frame and height he wanted me to ultimately end up in the 140-150 range. He said ultimately he could settle for 160 if I could hold and mantain that for life but he sees me around 160 18 months post-op (pre plastics).  I could have fell on the floor when he said that. It seemed so outta reach for me and honestly sometimes still does. At almost 7 months out I have lost 110 lbs but I still have 78lbs to lose to get to my surgeons goal but my weight loss has drastically slowed down. At my 6 month post-op visit he said I was right on track with where I needed to be to meet my goal....so I guess well see.

A few years ago I weighed over 350 and could hardly walk due to back pain. My consult with my surgeon I was 336 and surgery weight was 321. So currently at 226 lbs somtimes 150 seems sooo far away however I think I would be happy in the end anything under 200. As someone that is turning 30 this year just having my mobility and life back has been truely rewarding.

I haven't had surgery  yet, but my highest weight was 346. I've been overweight since I was about 10 years old, so I have no idea what weight would be a good goal. To not be in the "normal" range (BMI), I would have to weigh 145 (I'm 5'4"). But, honestly, I'm not really concerned about a number. My goal is to be able to run and play with my kids. If I can do that,I think I'll be happy.  :)

My goal is changing also. I told my surgon I would be happy with 200. He told me 240. But sitting here at 10 months. I am almost past his goal now. It just seems silly to me to stop trying when I know I can hit it normal bmi. If I can keep working at it why not. I decided I really would love to hit a normal bmi. For this it would mean it hit 170 ish. I know I can do it. It is going to be hard but I have a lot of support and this surgery is a tool to me to choose how I use it. If I keep really working at it I think I can make it. I have yet to have hired a personal trainer or some of the other things people are doing on this board. I figure I will when I can't work my own ways out of my stalls. I realized I needed some therapy to make it down to goal though since there is a LOT of emotional baggage I seem to be carrying with this extra weight. But I am pretty determined to keep on getting up when I get knocked down and keep trying.