How low in lbs would you go?

When I originally lost my weight, I started freaking out as I was zooming past 160. I started trying to slow my weight, but ended at 144. This time I'm not going to do that again, if I even have to worry about it, be cause losing is the easy part. Maintenance is a *****

That's a good point .. I didnt think about maintenance.

I am 5'0" and had a goal set of 125. When I hit 133 my surgeon said - I'm good with you where you are. I told him I was going to get to 125. I did - and even got as low as 121. I look and feel best at 122/123. I have regained to about 133 (I'm blaming stress due to caring for an ill parent and sugar) and would like to get back to 123 again. At 25 I was 133 - and it looked alot different than 56 with saggy skin. It's all good!

Sorry for your parent being Ill I bet you still look wonderful at 133 too!

The truth about weight loss surgery is that the most successful people never go into maintenance. They drop as much of the weight as possible. They look too skinny for a year or two. The body adjusts and fills out some. Some of the weight comes back. Twenty pounds is very typical.

At three years out, you will know what your lifetime goal will be.

Maintenance was something that Weigh****chers started. You would reach your goal and then start adding back the high calories a bit at a time. By the end of a year, most people had "maintained" themselves back to their starting weight and needed to start over. It is a great way for a company to make money.

I've never looked at "maintenance" like that. Thank you for the insight!

It depends on a lot of things including height and body frame. I'm 5'2" if I stretch and a small frame (although you never would have known that during all of my obese years). My initial "ok" goal was 160, "good" goal was 135 and "I wish I could do it, but I don't know if I'll ever see it" goal was 130. As of the morning I'm at 128. I'd like to lose another 5-10 lbs. so I have wiggle room for the dreaded regain I've heard so much about. I just passed my 1 year surgiversary and have my 1 year follow-up appointment next week. I'll see what the doc says also. I can't believe it's been a whole year already.

I think 160 would be perfect for me, although it crosses the line to overweight according to the charts. I would be happy with 170-180, even though 180 is sticking my toe across the line to obese.

I was at my healthiest at about 160 and my lowest weight when I was at 140 ... a "healthy" weight according to the charts .... I was overworked, underfed, and exhausted. I looked gaunt as well. (it wasn't intentional ... I was just putting in allot of hours at work and school.) Maybe its just me but the weight charts just seemed off for me for most of my life.