Goal weight seems a bit lower for lightweights

Statistically speaking, lightweights tend to lose more weight than heavyweights. We're more likely to get goal and stay there.

Really - I guess I would have thought that heavyweights would lose more weight. That is interesting, I've never thought of that.

Thanks!

They lose more absolute pounds. But less percentage of their EW.

For example, if I have 100 pounds to lose and you have 200, if you lose 150 pounds, you still have 50 pounds to go to be a normal BMI. But I only have to lose 100 pounds to be a normal BMI.

So I get to goal and you don't.

P.S. In this case, "you" is actually my neighbor who had gastric bypass and has lost a tremendous amount of weight but is still technically obese while I lost less pounds and am at a normal BMI.

Thanks!

WELCOME to our LW Board and Congrats on your future date!   Don't be surprised if you have to change your goal several times.  Most of us do because we dream of a certain weight but when we get there and the weight keeps droppping off we make a new goal.  Some of us get a little peaked looking for a time (even though we feel fantastic) so don't let that scare you into stopping to soon.  You will definitely have some bounce back and everything readjusts. 

Your Surgeon and NUTS plan might not be the same as our resident (successful) DSers so you might have to make some decisions and find out what works for you. 

I totally understand.  I was going to be thrilled if I got to 140.  Blew past it.  My surgeons goal was 130, blew past that.  So then 124 was normal BMI, past that.  The charts said 114 was an ideal weight for me and that seems to be what my body thinks also.  Who on earth would have guessed.  I haven't weighed this since high school.  This is an amazing journey.

I would have been happy at 150 until I got there and realized I could easily loose another 20..then I got to 130 and kept loosing..most likely you will get there..and it does take your mind some time to get used to it..especially getting over the negative self talk..was just thinking the other day while I was buying halloween candy and a man was looking at me "he is probably thinking that fatty doesn't need to buy candy" then I thought, um wait im not fat..maybe he is checking me out! So its all in time..its a fun journey :)

I have no numbers to back me up but anecdotally it seems that lightweights do tend to get lower then those who start out at higher BMI's.  I do seem to recall reading somewhere that WLS works better as far as reaching a normal BMI for lightweights but I can't remember where I saw that.
For me I knew that getting to about 120 lbs was possible because I have weighed that many times before when I was dieting and even after my first WLS.  I would have been perfectly happy at 150 lbs though.  The last time I lost weight before my revision I cut out refined carbs and could not get under 150 lbs (this was about 6 years out of my first WLS).  I was happy with the way I was eating and didn't feel deprived so I didn't really care and felt I would rather be a higher weight and stay there comfortably then have to diet all the time to get to a lower weight.
When I had my revision I set my first goal at 140 lbs, which put me right at a 25 BMI.  I have been told by people that I look my best at around 135 to 140 lbs so that was great.  I hit that at 6 1/2 months out and kept going and reached what I thought was my final goal of 120 lbs at 10 1/2 months out.  I figured I would just stay there since that was pretty much the lowest weight I remember being as an adult.  I was fine because it gave me wiggle room for the famous bounce back.
In the past when I have lost weight I would be able to maintain without making any kind of changes to the way I ate.  I just ate the same and stopped losing weight so I thought that would happen this time, too.  But when I hit 120 lbs and thought I was done losing I kept on losing.  I kept expecting it to stop automatically like it always had before.  I just figured that I was giving myself more room for the bounce back and it would bring me back to 120 lbs.  When I got under 110 lbs I started being concerned and started eating more but the weight continued to go down.  In the past, before WLS, I would maintain 120 to 130 lbs with about 1500 calories a day.  Now I am eating over 1800 calories a day and struggling to stay over 100 lbs.  At least I stopped losing.  I never expected to have this problem.  I really thought maintaining would be a lot easier since I had done it before, at least when I wasn't out of control with the refined carbs.
I still expect that bounce back as I am gradually able to eat more then I used to.  I am upping my calories to 2000 a day and I will see where that takes me.  Ideally I would like to weigh anywhere between 120 and 150 lbs.  My boyfriend would like to see me at the higher number and I know I looked a lot healthier there then I do now.  But I feel great, which to me is the most important thing.   My ultimate goal is to just find a healthy, normal weight and stay there long term.  I have never had any real long term success at maintaining.  I think the longest I ever stayed the same weight was a year or two.  If I could be the same weight and wear the same size clothes longer then that I would feel like a success.  I am just sick of the roller coaster.  I want to have a stable weight for once in my life.

(((Hugs))). I've read some of your other posts and know you have had some tough times. I am so glad that things are starting to turn around for you.

Lynn

I think this is such an interesting post. Like I said earlier, not really sure where I will end up. I cannot believe I will be 4 months out on the 6th!

Before my surgery I really struggled with getting any weight off at all, and actually having the surgery. When I spoke to the "medical" side of the weight loss clinic they said they would have my weight be around 150#, I'm 5' 2.5" about. When I had my last visit with my surgeon's PA she indicated they feel surgery is a success if BMI is less than 30. They do not believe much in BMI. My BMI this past week just went to under 30 which is exciting for me.

I've also said in previous posts, I started Weigh****chers for the local support and mainly to go to whenever I am on maintenance. I may have my goal there be 140 just so I don't have to pay anymore .

Thanks to OP and everyone for all the different experiences!

Lynn