VERY VERRRRY Discouraged

Hello,

Please do NOT be discouraged and feel down about what your Dr. told you.  You can definitely lose more if you set your mind to it!  My surgeon says for RNY the 'average' patient will lost 70-75% of their excess weight.  These are statistics and the percentages that they use to catagorize a patient as a success.

Here is my story.  I strarted out at 304 pounds at my hightest.  I set my goal for 150 lbs but lost all the way down to 138 lbs for just over a 160 pound weight loss in 13 months. 

I have three kids that had surgery this past year.  Their ages are 23, 21 and 19.  My daughter (23) started out at 271 at her highest.  She is exactly one year out and is down to 150 for a loss of 121 lbs.

The two boys had surgery in December (5 months out) and they are each down over 135 lbs!! 

You can definitely lose more than 1/3 of your weight.  Set a goal for yourself and work hard at following the rules and exerising and you wil be surprised how much you will lose. 

Good luck to you!

Nan

Oh sorry guys...I am having RNY. I can't seem to figure out how to make it say it under my avatar.

I don't know how much you will lose. There are ways to increase your success and it sounds like you are researching that. I started at 378. Today I weigh 200 on the nose. For me, that's a goal weight. I exceeded my doctor's expectations. I'm happy right where I am.
There are things you can control and things you can't. Learning the rules, following your plan, exercise...all things you can do to help you be successful.
Deb T.

Pre-op I started at 394. The morning of surgery I was 359. That was June 7th 2010. Today I weigh 220 and am still losing. As long as you work at it, you will see the results. :)

I'm gonna sound like your grandma (and I'm old enough to be)- losing weight and being at goal isn't gonna make you happy, or make you like yourself.

The RNY really will be a lifelong "tool."  The real work is in changing your thoughts about food.  Using food to fuel and nourish your body - not using it as your drug of choice when you're happy, mad, bored, frustrated, depressed, lonely - etc.

We can't be successful if we think we will lose weight and THEN go back to eating whatever we want.

This is a tough journey.  It is difficult to "rethink" and "relearn" and develop new attitudes.  Many of us do it, but it isn't easy.

The first year - we lose without as much effort.  Most of us don't have much of an appetite.  Food often makes us sick.  We start with much determination to follow the surgeons plan.  It is motivation to keeping seeing the numbers on the scale go down.  But then after this "honeymoon" period of 12-18 months - it becomes much more difficult.

People don't notice us as much, the scale isn't going down, down, down.  "Wherever we go - there we are" is a great quote.  If I used to "eat" to make myself feel good - I will still want to do that.  If I start allowing simple carbs (calorie rich - nutrition poor) back into my eating plan, I will become addicted to them all over again.

I am at goal, but I still have a food addiction that could, if I allow it by poor personal choices, take me back to being morbidly obese.  I have to face that reality every day.

You can do this.  It is a choice.  You need to make sure that this right for you.  It is major surgery that comes with no guarantees.

I'm being serious because, if you were my granddaughter, I would want you going into this being prepared.  I don't want to be a Debbie Downer.  I am a success story - a miracle.  I work hard at staying on a pretty strict eating plan.  I feel wonderful, but food no longer is in control.  I use healthy clean food for fuel and nutrition.  I've found other ways to deal with my feelings.

I wish you the best.  Come to OH with any questions.  My friends on OH have been a great support and motivation for me.  God Bless.

Penny - very well said!!!!  I couldn't agree more!

 My surgeon told me that losing 50% of your excess weight was considered successful.  I think that may be long term, like 5 years out.  He told me that I may not lose any weight with my revision.  I think they just don't want you to have unrealistic expectations.

I began to look into weight loss surgery at 350 pounds
I had surgery at 293

I got down to a low of 146, currently fighting a tiny bounce back, so I'm around 154 (which is my goal weight )

Your doctor does not have a crystal ball.  He cannot tell you exactly how much you will or will not lose.  My highest weight was 339 and now I weigh 140.  I have maintained my weight for 18 months now.  I know people who have followed all the rules and have gotten to goal.  I know people who have followed all the rules who have not gotten to goal.  Sometimes it's a crap shoot, but you still need to do all you can do to maximize your loss. Good luck!!

Laura