Looking for feedback on final goals

As I have reached my first mini goal of getting to m y lowest weight, I have selected my next mini goal of 20 more lbs, so 240. But I have been thinking more about my final and wanted to get your thoughts.

The old charts obviously don't apply since they wild have me at 175 for my height. My current lean body mass seems to be about 165, which puts my fat mass at 95lbs. Kind of doing backward math assuming I maintain my current lean body mass 195 looks like it would put me at 15% BF. Easy right lol.

Anyways wondering what you guys have done to set a goal? Surgeon originally said 240 after surgery.

Chrispy

The sky (or the weightloss) is the limit!!  As long as you stay above 2% body fat (not counting excess skin) you should be OK.  Most post WLS people have to deal with weight gain after a few years.  Keep pushing forward as much as you can.  At some point as you near your goal your body usually will tell you enough is enough.  It is hard to explain but you just stop the weightloss and your body will settle...You start going up a few pounds...Then down a few pounds.  Usually a good sign you should stop losing is if you start to look like you've come from a World War II concentration camp.  When you hear friends and family start saying you have gone alittle too far with this weightloss issue...And they want to get you some mental health.  But as long as you stay above that 2% you should be good.  Brian 

Brian

Thanks for the response. I saw my surgeon today and he agrees with you. Basically saying that being super morbidly obese affected my metabolism significantly and that post surgery there is a very narrow calorie band which affects future loss. Which explains how having to restrict intake significantly is one major factor in losing while exercise is the other. Even at my current restricted diet he predicts what you mention will occur at some point. After which additional loss would require an even more restrictive diet and exercise which could be difficult to maintain. So I will continue with my mini goals and see where this heads.

Chrispy

I started at 355, they had me getting down to 210-245ish.  According to my scale at home (I use one that measures BF%) I was thinking my BF% was about 25-27% at 205ish.

I went and had test done at my doctor, still using Bio-Impedence, and my true lean weight was actually only 142lbs (at 5'9") which was less than I thought.

Said all that to say... you can pass their goals!  I am currently 195ish, but that was after creeping back up to 205 and then doing Whole 30 (Paleo diet) for 3 weeks or so, dropping as low as 189.8.

The surgery will get you "most" of the way, but based on the thousands of patients in our program, it does not seem to get you ALL the way.  So no worries about the weight loss "not stopping."

Ideally, under 20-22% BF would be best, but we really have to start the transition from defining ourselves by the number on the scale and instead, by other factors!

What can you do now vs at 440?  Run?  Bike?  I started running last year at 235lbs by accident really.  My nephew was on his bike and was "running" with him up and down the sidewalk and what do you know...it did not totally suck!

You CAN lose more weight but the longer you go, the MORE it will be about getting in the RIGHT foods and exercise.  (Congrats, we are now like all those OTHER people!!)

Losing that last 10-20% of bodyfat / excess is pretty tough.  I know several of us have discussed this before and come to realize that we are not defined by even the BF%.  BUT, if you are using a 'number' BF% is the one to have measured and use.

 

So, final goals... you mentioned 240lbs, ok, I see that, so what are your OTHER final goals?  5k?  Sitting in an airplane seat comfortably?  Riding a roller coast without worries?

My challenge to you, what have you put off thinking you would / could "never" do x y or z... (or didn't "want" to....because you knew you couldn't!?)

Things I have tried this year:

Scuba Diving, Mud Run5k (x 2), Road Course 5k (x2), 10k, Hiking 7 miles to a lookout I had ignored for years.  Roller Coasters, sitting comfy in the seats at movies, basketball arena, riding my mtn bike, canoeing.

What are MY goals currently / things planned?

Marathon (Oct), Parasailing (Nov)....

 

Sam thanks for the response. I appreciate it. See my notes in the post below.

Chrispy

Solid post Sam, thanks for that! Are you sure you don't do this for a living?  :-)

It was a good post

Had my follow up with the surgeon today, just two months shy of my 3 year surgery anniversary. Overall health good, labs good, but low on vitamin D. Going to add that to my supplements. Biggest news is that I officially reach my first min goal of being at my lowest weight post surgery weighing in at 261.1. My last recorded weight with him was 265 at the one year anniversary. This puts me at 35lbs or sol lower than when I refocused on the plan. So I don't mind saying this is a HUGE accomplishment for me.

Next up is my general surgery goal of 240, and that is what I will focus on. Based on the new metabolism I am sporting I will continue my work outs and NUT approved meal plan and see how far I can take it. He believes with my frame size etc 220 is possible. Going lower may cause me to reach the floor of my potential weight loss and will require more work. I'll deal with that when the time comes.

My plan is simple and is likely similar to the advice all of us are given post RNY. I will continue monitoring water intake including water loading before meals as well as limiting my drinking of fluids between meals and no sooner than about 90 minutes after each meal. The meal plan it's self is to target 60 grams of protein while eating balanced meals according to the RNY food pyramid. No more than a cup and a half of food at a siting, eating my meals over 15 minutes etc.. Calorie intake seems to range between 700-900 calories per day.

I think the biggest challenge has been getting my head around the low calories. I am a believer though since I have seen the weight drop off at rates equivalent to post RNY. So far I have seen a steady drop on average of .40 lbs per day. Lots of ups and downs while my body mobilizes the fat etc and I have gained muscle mass. I will keep recording as honestly as I can and keep you guys posted.

It seems to me that in general we all fit into three general categories post RNY.

-Those who follow the plan from the get go and reach goal sooner
-People who stall after the honeymoon because they either do not know or choose not to know how to go further (I'm in this category)
-Folks who go back to the old habits more completely and slowly creep up in weight until they are truly emotionally spent and discouraged (this was almost me)

How I got to this point (and probably kept me in the second category) is that I have been involved with post op support groups the entire time. I've seen people in all three categories come and go. I was not willing to just let it happen. I kept asking why, why, why uncovering my own motivations, habits and behaviors along the way.

IMO the biggest misunderstanding I observed was that many believe that there is a floor to weight loss, which there seems to be (this makes us feel better). If I follow the plan that floor is not 100 lbs overweight at 40% BF.The time will come when I hit my lowest achievable and sustainable weight loss. I will reach that level by working the plan.

Thank you guys for continuing to post and for the inspiration!

Chrispy