Okay Vets- Goal weight and maintanance questions

Everyone keeps asking me about my goal.  This is an area I am unsure of.  If I had lost weight via diet and exercise, I would be at my goal.  I have never discussed a goal weight with my surgeon.  I had set a random goal for the top of the normal range of my BMI.  I really don't buy into that silly chart anyway.  It still thinks I am obese. 

I see most of the lightweights around here weigh less than I would have imagined possible for myself.  I am not opposed to being a size 2, just not sure its feasible for me.  I also want to be somewhere that I can realistically maintain.

Just wondering how you chose your goal? 

And then can you share your insights and experience with maintaining?  Challenges etc? 

Also did you have a bounce back and if so, how much? 

When did you know it was safe to invest in a new wardrobe?

Thanks!

I choose the weight that would put me at a normal BMI. I have also been at that weight and I feel good at it. I have not changed how I eat yet. I will continue to lose weight until I either stop or I feel I am at my best weight, if that makes sense. I don't know a lot about maintenance even though there were periods in my life that I was at a stable, low weight. I was just able to eat comfortably without feeling like I was dieting but I had some discipline. I was not eating refined carbs at that time but once I decided to add those back I started losing control again and gaining weight so that is why I am staying away from them.

 I love being a size 2  or a size 0  or a size 4 ... and I am still absolutely amazed when I try on  something " tiny  " or " aspirational"  from before  my surgery and it hangs on me  lol !  

I think goal is  what Ur body decides  it wants to "land " at and  also where  U feel comfortable  restricting Ur food intake at   and Ur exercise level at realistically long term....  

people  who get PS  end up with  lower  end weights than  people  who dont because many of the  hormone  producing  ( and hunger  inducing )  empty fat cells get  permanently removed .

if U are younger  Ur setpoint  may be temporarily  lower than someone older 's  though it will  creep up in time ... with age 

if U learn to accommodate  Ur body  and Ur eating preferences  rather than fighting them and  binging and " dieting "  in cycles  I think  you  will end up with a slightly lower setpoint 

if U make  enjoyable movement a part of  Ur everyday life  U will have a much easier time staying at goal  ( taking the stairs  rather than the elevator , parking  farther away from the store in the lot  "to protect the car "  , just going for a walk after meals  to clear the lungs and enjoy the fresh air ..)

I think the  main  and most important thing is  to enjoy this  new life  .... if U can do that  U will KEEP it  .   Many  people  , believe it or not , get REALLY depressed post op .  They just don't know what to do with themselves without  massive quantities of excess  food ..  and they end up putting the weight back on .  So its  about finding a nEW and Cool and stimulating LIFE .  

My surgeon also did not discuss a weight goal with me, initially.  He asked what I wanted to weigh - I said 150 and he looked at me funny but didn't say anything.  I said that because when i was 35 I weighed 150 and thought I looked great.  Weird how that happens...

When I got down to 132 he said "I'd like to see you at 115".  I about choked - I said "how about 125?  he said ok.  I also weigh less than I ever though I would.  I hit 121 at one point.  Really??? Now I'm at what I was in high school - and I thought I was SO fat then.... *sigh*

Its funny because when i hit 125 I STOPPED.  Took 4 months, I lost 3 more lbs and stayed at 123 for a year - and now have bounced up to 131 or so.  While I still look good, I feel better at 125 so I'm on my way to getting those 6 lbs off. 

They say to plan for a5-10 lb bounce back.  I can vouch for that (especially if you let carbs creep back in).

Otherwise, I don't have any true-and-tried maintenance advice.  I'm still working on it!

Wardrobe?  I bought clothes all along...   Not everyone stops losing when they hit their goal, so when you maintain for 3 months or so you'll k now its safe. 

My surgeon did not set a goal for me. I picked it because it would put me in a normal BMI, even though I kind of think the BMI chart is BS sometimes, and because I have been that weight and liked it. I can't see myself maintaining below 135, but you never know, and I guess I will see what happens when I get there. :) I will say, though, I've never been a tiny girl. I am built big, with big thighs, a big butt, etc., and even when I was thin, I was curvy, so I'm kind of like you in that I don't think size 0-6 will ever happen for me. I'd be supremely happy at an 8-10.

Abby

My surgeon never told me what my goal weight should be, nor how much excess weight I had to lose.  When I went for my 3 month check up they told me I had lost 67% of my excess weight and at my year check up that I had lost 113% of my excess weight, when I asked how many pounds that was they wouldn't answer, tres frustating!  LOL

Anyway, I digress, I chose a weight that I had been in the past that I felt I looked okay at.  My lowest adult weight the last time I lost a significant amount was 108 and that was way too low for my height, I was a bone rack.  I felt and looked much better at 120ish.  My plan now is to try my best to maintain between 115-120.

I'm only a year out and I haven't had any bounce back yet, and I'm dreading the day it may come.  

I would wait until you are almost a year out before investing in a new wardrobe, I made the mistake of buying a lot of pants in size 6 back in the summer thinking that would be my ultimate size but now they hang off me.  

I recently started exercising a lot more and my weight has remained the same but my body shape is changing and now my 4's and 2's  are too big as well.  Good thing I have a lot of belts!  LOL

My surgeon didn't give me a goal.  He did say that reaching a 30 BMI would put me in the success category.

I picked a goal of 149 because that would fulfill a life time goal of losing 100 pounds.  I want me one of those shiny apples that others are sporting around here.  At 60 years old, I will be happy at that weight.  Well, almost!  My WW Lifetime weight goal is 146 right now, so I really want to get there so I can stop paying for the meetings.  I'd rather spend it on clothes or travel.  :)

New wardrobe?  Heck if I know.  I'm still dropping clothing sizes so I'm delighted when people give me clothes.  The one thing that I do buy new now are cords for work and jeans for play.  I love goodwill for good finds in the sweater and coat department.  It's amazing what people donate!

Have you checked out the Vertical Sleeve Gast. Maintenance group?  You might like to go check it out because it's all sleeve related.

Just wondering how you chose your goal? 

I chose a number near the top of my BMI range and it was a weight that I was at about 18 years ago. I was only there for about 5 months, and then I quit smoking and gained 10 lbs.

My surgeon's goal was too high, but within the bariatric success range. We settled on 130, but my goal was always 120. I hit that goal about a week ago and now, I am aiming lower. I saw my PCP yesterday, and he would like to see me get down to 110, since I am only 4'11. So, my goal has been revised to 110.

And then can you share your insights and experience with maintaining?  Challenges etc? 

I'm not there yet, and maintenance scares me, because I have never been very successful at maintaining in past years.

Also did you have a bounce back and if so, how much? 

I'm not completely sure what bounce back is all about. Is it metabolic or people returning to former eating habits? I plan on asking this question at my 6 month visit next week.

When did you know it was safe to invest in a new wardrobe?

Last week, when I thought that I had reached my goal, I went out and bought some clothes, but I am going to return some of the pants, because if I lose another 6-8 lbs, they will be too big. Tops are more forgiving, so I'll keep them. I also bought some new bras, but I may return two of them, since I'm sure my boobies will deflate even more with another 6-8 lbs gone.

So, as you go down, buy the minimum and many ladies use thrift stores, which helps to defray the cost.

Even if you may not losing much poundage, you are most likely losing inches and your clothes will fit differently and you may need a new size. I've been using weights and this has really taken off the inches and made a huge difference in how my clothes fit.

I decided to chose a weight well inside the normal BMI for my height. Normal being between 18-24.9 BMI. Anything 25 and over is considered overweight, and at 30 you are still considered obese.

Right at this minute I am at 30.5 BMI and still considered obese. I weight 175. I have 4 lbs to lose to get OUT of the obese catagory. At the rate I am losing I suspect I will see that in the next ten days easy. But then again I could hit a stall and spin my wheels for awhile, LOL. Dh did at about 5 weeks.

But that is how I chose my goal. My surgeon didn't even mention one, neither did nay of his office. My PCP asked what I was aiming for and I told him. He wrote it down and agreed that was a doable goal for me. But I figured about in the middle - minus about 5 lbs for some bounce back once I hit my goal. I figure if I get to 120, I can go back up to 125 and not feel like I've regained too much.

Liz

Thanks for the replies.  I too am scared because I have never been a successful maintainer, I have always lost pretty easy but maintaining never worked for me.

My lowest weight was 142 in high school.  That was a good weight for me, but would still have me classified as overweight.  Once college rolled around I was not able to maintain it.

I am at my lowest adult weight in 2003 right now which i only maintained for about a week stopped doing low carb and ballooned up.


Lover of cats, I am like you so close to being overweight.  I was hoping for it this morning, but it may not come for days or a week.

I will check out the VSG maintanance group, Lee.  Thanks for the tip.