PBS special topic

So I saw most of the pbs special, FAT: what no one is telling you after seeing the post from cgatens. I came away with one telling and surprising statistic. the professor from harvard said that even with the surgery only 5% of the patients make the journey to a normal weight. most others get close but they don't get to normal and it's still a struggle to get there and stay there.

I think most of us who've been over a year out have now come to find that this was no magic pill and we who made the effort to change habits came out ahead in the process. Hell, I'm even thinking of Jenny Craig again. anything for portion control. So I had to think a little about my journey because I got to normal weight.

My surgeon said the only ones who get there get religion. which was his way of saying they understand the pouch rules, exercise and eat right forever. the rest just fall short. still impressive but not the knock out punch. for me and some others, it was medical complications that got us to our goal weight and then in some cases past that landmark.

I really thougt that all the guys on here except for a few have reached normal weight. am i way off here? is this a secret or is it something we don't talk about or is it something we don't give a **** about? I mean if we're feeling good then who cares is our weight is not in perfect range. so now i'm really curious if everyone has made their goal and was that goal a normal weight. don't feel you have to respond but that professor piqued my curiosity. i just got a vibe that all of us guy**** our goals in here. maybe i missed something if only 5% of us in this room are reaching normal weight.

just a late night rambling. i'm busting my own balls tonight. i've been to two docs today, stuck like a pig and i hurt all over and then threw up all night. so bad mood here. then this creep doctor comes on and says only a handful of us get to goal. ok, i'll shut up now......carbonblob

hey cb, i've been checking this for an hour or so looking for responses because i'm just as curious.  i know for myself that i keep struggling with what my ideal weight would be.  according to the bmi calculator i would need to be about 180 to be in the normal range.  however, i feel that right around 205 is where i picture myself, which is still overweight.  i'm sure the pbs special does not take those factors into account.  i'm sure all they look at is the numbers and not how far we have come and how happy we are with what we get to? al

good point al, Dx made a comment a while back that will smith and brad pitt would be overweight according to the bmi charts!

Hi Bob, If by 'normal' weight, you mean those "standard" weight and height charts, I don't think most people hit the target on those.   In my case, I never discussed a specific weight with any of my doctors, the primary MD, Bariatric MD, or the surgeon.   I'm 5'10".  Here's the *normal* weight from one of those charts: sm frame 144-154, md frame 151-163, lg frame 158-180 (To hit the 'normal' range on the BMI calculator, I'd have to hit 173.) I don't know exactly how they define small frame, but a guy 5 10 that weighed 144 would look pretty damn UNhealthy if you ask me! So, giving my self the guideline for a large frame, is 158-180 a reasonable goal for me?  180 is probably reachable, but don't know if I could keep it there.  Your Doc is right...I'd have to get and keep the "spirit" to stay there.  My personal goal is to get to about 195.  I'm down about 110lbs from my highest weight a little over a year ago, 70 since surgery six months ago.  I'm 232 this morning, so I think MY goal ought to be reachable by my one year surgery anniversary Oct. 9th.  If that happens, I'd consider myself at a healthy wt, but I'd still be overweight according to the "charts". So, considering the numbers on the charts, your doc might be right when he says only 5 percent hit those numbers. Best of luck Brother! Dennis

Dennis, When I was 18 and fresh out of Marine Corps Boot Camp I was 146 lbs at 5"10". My ma about died when she first saw me get off the plane. She fattened my up to about 185 in 2 weeks. I'm hoping that my surgery will get off enough to better manage my diabetes and anything after that is gravy. Hope to hit that 200 mark as my personal goal. Brian

well you might like this Brian, i was taking 10 shots of insulin a day and i never took a single shot since the day of surgery! in addition, every single one of the 10 meds i was one i got off of except synthroid. not bad

yeah Dennis, i hit 143 pounds a few months back and I'm 5'8". everybody hated my look. i myself thought i looked gaunt and had rings around my eyes. the weight at the low end is way too low. right now i hover around 151 pounds and it seems to suit me and nobody comments that i look sick......carbonblob oh, great job on the weight loss. only being 6 months out you have a lot more weight loss on the way. you'll hit 195 no problem. keep exercising and all that good stuff.......

Hey CB, Great Topic! According to one internet site, the ideal weight for someone 6'3", like me, is 196 lbs. That site did not take into account my frame though, which is large. Would I like to be 196? I'm not to sure. I weighed 244 this morning and already look really thin in the face, arms, and legs. What would I look like at 196? Probably like I have a terminal illness or something. Another site that takes height and wrist measurments, I forget the sight name, told me that my ideal weight was 216.7. That sounded a lot more realistic to me. My doc has 21 years experience in bariatrics, but thinks it's best not to set a goal weight, per se. He did give me a printout of what guys my size usually lose on average. It showed that guys weighing about 350 losing down to about 240, on average. Hell, at 350, this sounded pretty good to me. I'm only 4 lbs. above that now, at 8 months post-op. I'm probably not alone by saying that I don't care much for being in the 5% of guys *****ach, or go under, unrealistic goal weights. My goal is to get to 215. I'm only 30 lbs. above that, so I don't see myself having much difficulty achieving that number. If I done a side by side comparison today of what my life was like at 350, compared to what it's like at 244, then it would show that I've already succeeded. Just my opinion and some other crap! Ronnie

amen, ronnie!! al

right on Ronnie, it's all about how WE feel at this point and what WE feel is right in terms of weight loss. my doc said they get about 70% loss for all patients and very few get the numbers on the chart. my doc is about the same size as me and he said his weight, 150, would be to little for me considering my frame. he wanted me to get to 170. so when i dipped all the way down to 143 he was a little worried. i looked sick, hell, i was sick! so now i am at his weight but i don't think i look so bad. i'm able to carry a lot of muscle but nothing like i could handle 20 years ago. that's ok too. i'm not out to compete or anything so i think i'm ok even if i gained another 10 pounds which i guess puts me at overweight again. however, i've always gauged my success by inches and i'm very happy with my waist size and the way my clothes fit. end of story!