Losing question

Hi guys.....
so first a few facts-

Highest weight- 285 (May 2010)
Height 5'7" tall
Weight 9/2010 when I met with surgeon 257
Current weight 241
surgery is 12/7/2010

Ok.....so here is my question(s)....really just looking for you opinions......

One side of me says ok- you hage lost 40 pounds since May- why not keep going.....THEN reality sets in and I know I have done that in the past and guess what I gain back more then I lost!! Imagine that!! LOL

anyway- so most everything I have read says plan on losing around 100 pounds....then leveling off....that would put me in the 140 range- holy crap- I weighed that is Middle School (I think) anyway- thats way less then I wanna be.....I would be THRILLED to be in the 160's-170 max.....
any thoughts?  should I be worried about losing too much???????  I know that sounds strange but it is something that has been nagging me.........
thanks in advance.......

OK - you should know that what you're feeling is VERY normal.  Pretty much all of us went through that same last-minute questioning.  On my pre-surgery diet, I lost 30 lbs in 3 weeks.  I found myself wondering why I just couldn't keep doing that diet and lose the weight. 

Then I remembered when I did Weigh****chers and lost 45 lbs, only to gain it all back when things got "busy" and I stopped watching everything I ate.  And when I did Atkins and lost 55 lbs, only to gain it all back, plus some additional.  And when I tried Jenny Craig, and the grapefruit diet, and South Beach, and every other thing out there...  I'm the "poster boy" for failed "diets"...  I realized that a big factor in my 30-lb pre-surgery weight loss was knowing that I only had to keep it up for 3 weeks.  Heck, I could probably stand just about anything for a mere 3 weeks, but without the RNY surgery, I would probably lose some weight, then gain it all back again. 

Think about your own choices and eating patterns that got you to this point?  I'm sure if you got approved for the surgery, you've been through a similar pattern, and in your heart you probably know you would never get close to your goal weight.  After all, this probably isn't the first time someone told you "eat less and you'll lose weight", right?  But for most of us, it's much easier said than done...

With the surgery, I've given myself a year or so in which to re-learn how to eat healthier, establish a pattern of exercise, and discipline myself toward success.  I know that eventually, if I don't learn to eat healthier foods, in healthier portions, and if I don't establish a pattern of exercise and self-discipline, I could regain at least some of the weight I'm going to use.  But the WLS is a tool that buys me a significant weight loss, and enough time to re-train myself.  And I'm going for it - 100% committed to making this work.

Which surgery are you planning?  RNY typically leads to loss of 65-75% of your excess weight.  VSG is a bit lower, but still excellent at 55-65%.  DS would be a bit more than RNY - maybe 70-80% of excess weight. 

But all of these are percentages of "excess weight".  Given your height, a "normal" BMI would put you at 159 lbs.  So, right now you have about 82 lbs of "excess" weight, and if you lost 75% of it, you'd be at about 179-180.  Technically, you would still be "overweight" at that weight, but you'd be in a much better position, health wise, than you are today, right?  Do you think you could get there on your own?  Of course, your milage may vary, but the statistics say that without surgery the odds are strongly against it... 

There are very few people on this board that wind up losing more than they feel is healthy.  There are a few whose weight has seemingly stabilized a bit below their goal weight, but with few exceptions, they seem perfectly OK with it because they are healthy.

In my case, my starting weight (and BMI) were considerably higher than yours, so if I lose 75% of my excess weight, I'd be around 235 - about what my surgeon told me most people my size are able to attain.  I'll be happy (and much healthier) if I make that, but my "stretch" goal is to get down to 205, which would be more like 85-90% of my excess weight lost.  I know that the odds are against it, but I would really like to get out of the "obese" category, and just be "overweight". 

I wish you the best of luck, whatever your decision. 

I consider myself one of the "Lucky" ones.  That is if you consider a life time of yo-yo dieting "Lucky".  I can look back at photographs of myself from toddler until present seeing myself as chubby, fat, obese and morbidly obese.  There is only one time when I was a senior in high school when I was at my proper weight.

Unfortunately, I had to wait until I developed weight related problems like sleep apnea, hypertension, gall stones, scarred arteries and finally a pulmonary embolism to make me realize that I wasn't just going to die suddenly.. but slowly suffer.  

So I decided to have surgery, and to reduce the risks during surgery, I began losing weight before my RNY.  My friends and colleagues asked me why I needed the operation since I lost so much on my own. I told them.. "Yes.. I have lost it on my own.. and I have lost it on my own over and over again.. only to gain back even more weight."

I knew that I needed the surgery to help me keep it off. Now to be honest, it is still a struggle. But having the restriction from surgery is a huge help keeping it off.

For me, my surgery gave me something I had lost over the years... It gave me hope.

In the end, everyone has to make their own decision about WLS. Good luck on whatever you chose to do.

 Hey Owwoso - like Jim, Herc, and so many other guys on this site, we've all been through the yo-yo weight loss/gain diet thing.  You name a diet and we've been on it, lost from it, and most likely gained it all back with interest!

The decision to take the extreme of WLS is not an easy one nor is it one to take lightly (pardon the pun).  I've posted this before...WLS is a tool and a great tool to have.  BUT, it is just one of the tools you will need to be successful, healthy, and enjoy sustained weight loss.

Due to the other health issues a result of obesity and the yo-yo dieting, the RNY procedure was the best tool for me.  Due to the intestinal by-pass and malabsorbtion, the RNY is perhaps the best procedure to "cure" type II diabetes.  Since my surgery, I've not only lost the weight, my diabetes is GONE, my sleep apnea GONE, my GERD - GONE, my blood pressure "normal" with now only 1 med (used to be 3)...I am in better shape and healthier now than I've been in 30 years.

You are about the same weight I was at my highest (287).  I have a little bit of height on you (6'1") and from my highest weight, I've now lost 90 Lbs.  My personal goal was to get under 200 and then sustain between 195 - 200.  I am there and got there in 7 months from surgery.  

Although I am still on the same high protein, low carb, post-op diet, my weight loss has slowed down, and for all practical purposes stopped.  At 187, I am in a maintenance mode.  Now as I've increased my exercise (training for a Marathon) i have increased my food intake, including carbs (complex, healthy carbs) to have the energy and stamina for distance running.  I use a BMR calculator to determine my caloric needs and try to stay close to that to ensure I don't eat too much on my rest days.

So bottom line, the WLS is a GREAT tool.  I wish I would have had it years ago.  But, even with this great tool, I have to think about A) what I eat, and B) what exercise I am doing every day.  Sustained weight loss and good health is not a sprint...it is a Marathon!

Good luck with your surgery on 12/7.  With your pre-op loss, you will be in great shape for the surgery.  Do what your Dr and team tell you.  Keep us all posted on your status and progress.

All the best!

 Mike

I think the others said most of what I was planning to say. I lost 48 pounds on the preop diet and began to wonder if I can do it on my own. But then I remembered my past dieting experience and rebounds. So I decided to go full steam ahead.

Best decision of my life.

I'm at the point now where I feel comfortable with my weight. I'm 5"11 I lost over 140 pounds. But I'm not comfortable loosing more weight. The high end of a normal BMI is about 180 pounds for me. I think I could achieve that but I don't want to.

I like the way I look and feel at this point. I went down to 210 and didn't feel comfortable in addition received many negative comments which I agree with. Therefore I'm trying to stabilize between 215 and 220.

It's difficult as my body wants to loose more. I posted in a previous post my 8th month followup plus my maintenance plan if you want to read more. But That's where I am.

Good Luck.

Thanks guys.....
I am having an RnY on 12/7....that decision is already made.... I made it though my wifes and didn't change my mind (she had hers 11/16)....there is no changing my mind on that....I just do not want to look "too" thin.....NEVER ever thought I would worry about that....but I have seen a few people that look unhealthy due to the surgery.....my Dr. says that I will loose then leverl out and gain a lil back to an ideal weight......
I too have done the diet of the day - lost a bunch and gained.....new diet, more lost and then gain even more back....I am so tired of the yo yo...and know this will help me get where I want and then its up to me to maintain.....I am ready ..... want to loose a few more pounds b4 surgery -
thanks again for your comments.....

Your last response may hold the key to your weight loss and the success of your WLS.  Since your wife has already had WLS, the both of you will be committed to following your program(s) together.  You need not both be on exactly the same "diet."  As a man, you will eventually be eating more than her anyway.  You can quickly expect to lose more weight than her over a short period of time.  I ask that you be patient with her because she may be frustrated as you lose weight quicker than her.

I'm glad you have been approved for WLS.  Having started out as super morbidly obese and still 136 lbs more than you at almost 6 years post op from my RNY revision, I sometimes have trouble relating to "thinner" men.  The excess weight is relative and our experiences are indeed shared.  I am truly glad that other men are responding to you.

Go with the flow.  When you get near your goal weight, see your primary doctor and see how he feels.  You may want to look into the exercise and fitness forum around then to see what you can do and to get advice about post op exercise.  Bob