LONG Post: How did you pick your goal?
I knew i wanted to have a normal BMI - that was my first goal - when I hit 133 my surgeon told me he was good with that...but at that point I wanted to be 125 - why? I have no idea, it was just the number in my head that was where i wanted to be. I got to 126.6 and was stuck there for a while and eventually got the scale to move as low as 122.6. Now I freak out if it goes about 123.6 because I want that buffer up to 125. Realistically, I probably don't look any different to anyone else at 122, 127 or 130...However, once i went under 125, size 6s fit well and I liked that too. I think you need to assess as you go, and like Tracy said, you may not feel thin - i still look down and see a big stomach, but when I catch a glimpse in a reflection at work, i look small. I have also asked my family to let me know if i start looking too thin - so far no one has said so, lol.
VSG on 04/28/2014
I'm 5'4" and I have a lot of goals. Here they are!
(3/20/14) 291 - Extremely Obese BMI
(4/29/14) 269 - Fifty Lost/25% EWL
(5/17/14) 260 - Driver's License Weight
(8/2/14) 233 - Obese BMI
(9/12/14) 219 - One Hundred Lost/50% EWL
(11/25/14) 199 - "Onederland"
(4/28/15) 180 - Age 18
174 - Overweight BMI
169 - One Hundred Fifty Lost/75% EWL
159.5 - Half the person I used to be
150 - Start the Plastics Countdown
145 - Normal BMI
120 - 100% EWL (based on Ideal Weight calculations)
My surgeon told me that his goal for me was around 180. Which is where I am today, yay. But that's not my goal. I got really curious about "excess weight" and figured that it had to be based on an actual ideal weight, not just someone's own goal. So that's where I came up with the 120 for 100% excess weight loss - ideal weight calculators.
But, really, from here on out, it's just a matter of waiting and seeing. I really have no idea what I'll look like or how I'll feel. I know I'm not ready to stop losing weight now, that's for sure.
(Your "gut" is likely a skin thing - it might not go away without plastic surgery.)
As for people saying I'm too skinny? Thankfully that hasn't happened yet for me. When it does, I'll have a script in place which is something like, "That's really sweet of you to say! Did you catch the latest episode of Mad Men?" I.e., I'll thank them, since they're trying to be nice, and then change the subject. If you repeat this enough times, people will start to get the hint that it's not a topic that's up for discussion.
VSG with Dr. Salameh - 3/13/2014
Diagnosed with Binge Eating Disorder and started Vyvanse - 7/22/2016
Reconstructive Surgeries with Dr. Michaels - 6/5/2017 (LBL & brachioplasty), 8/14/2017 (UBL & mastopexy), 11/6/2017 (medial leg lift)
Age 42 Height 5'4" HW 319 (1/3/2014) SW 293 (3/13/2014) CW 149 (7/16/2017)
Next Goal 145 - normal BMI | Total Weight Lost 170
TrendWeight | Food Blog (sort of functional) | Journal (down for maintenance)
I don't really have an end goal weight chosen yet. I know what I thought I wanted to aim for (165lbs) and what my surgeon thinks I should aim for (150lbs) but I really don't know where I will end up. I had a bodyscan done before surgery and know how much of my weight was lean muscle versus fat, and I had used my lean body mass to figure what my weight would be if I kept that and added 20% to account for bodyfat, but I know that I will lose muscle as I lose fat, so my surgeon's goal might actually be closer to a healthy weight for my new body than what I had originally figured out. I do plan to have bodyscans done every few months just to track my progress, either by purchasing a scale that measures bodyfat % or by paying to have the scans done at my nutritionist's office.