I am no longer obese.. just plain ol' "overweight"

The scale reads 224 pounds this morning.  That means my BMI is 29.6.  I am no longer obese. I am now overweight.

Since I attended the weight loss surgery workshop at the Cleveland Clinic just over a year ago.
I weighed 440 pounds then. I had a BMI of 58.2. I was considered "super morbidly obese"
I don't remember if I was still wearing pants with a 72 inch waist, or 9XL shirts.

By my RNY surgery on September 21 (about seven months ago).. I got my weight down to about 324. My BMI was 42.8. Still Morbidly Obese.

As of today, I have lost another 100 lbs since surgery.

I wear size "large" tee shirts. My waist is 40 inches. I ride a bicycle fairly effortlessly. I fit into just about any standard seat.

Although I'm happy to no longer be obese.. I still need to lose weight to become healthier. I still have cholesterol and other weight related issues challenging me.

BMI charts say I need to get down to 189 lbs (another 35 lbs) to be considered at a healthy weight.
Yes, I know there's a lot of controversy over BMI charts.
But studies show that men with a waist of 40 and over have a higher chance of having a heart attack.
Some docs say your waist should be half of your height. So I'd like to have a 36 inch waist (4 more inches)

I also want to investigate a more accurate way of determining my Body Fat Percentage without an expensive scan. I hope to to that this week.

For now, my next goal is to reach Onederland! I'd like to get below 200 lbs.

I'm thankful for my RNY and for all the support I have received from you on this board.

Congrats, Herc ..   You're our hero ..      (and with over 600 OH friends in 6 months, you must be doing something right     )


  As to the body fat % measurement thing, I discovered the joy of the Omron hand-held electronic body fat % checker gizmo. 

   http://www.amazon.com/Omron-Bodylogic-Body-Fat-Analyzer/dp/B 000NHRFBC

   It's a little device that you first push a button, then grip the tiny pair of handles, it zaps you (a couple of AAA batteries - you don't even feel it), and then it reads out your body fat % on the display.  (you first put in your stats like age, height, weight, M/F and whether you have an "athletic" body type) ..  It also shows your BMI ..   Pretty cheap @ under $50 and quite accurate (probably only water immersion is more so).  You can program it for a # of regular users, and it stores the results for future reference.   

  The only caution is that you should not use it (or any of those types of analyzers) if you have a pacemaker or any other implanted electrically-powered medical device in you.  

   I found it after I decided I did not like the weight scales that have a similar built-in function through the foot pads, as my lymphedema makes the readings taken that way inaccurate.  

   If you do prefer to go the weight scale route, WW has a new scale that not only will calculate the body fat %, but also your hydration %, lean muscle mass %, and bone mass.   It's under $75.00 and you can get it at Target, among other stores.