Repost: Do Lightweights lose slower? OR It's not POUNDS, it's PERCENTAGES!

I've seen several people wondering this...some might, don't get me wrong but in general we lose as fast or faster than our heavyweight brethren.

We need to stop comparing ourselves to the heavyweights...which is really hard on the surgery boards when they say they've lost 100 lbs in 6 months and we are "slowly"  down just 50/60 lbs.

Remember tho, we ARE lightweights...we simply do not have as much to lose.

When thinking you aren't losing fast enough, read this...and if necessary, read it again and again.

It's not POUNDS, it's PERCENTAGES!

by Carolyn M.

Two people, both 6 months post-op. One has lost only 63 pounds and feels bad about her "slow" weight loss. The other has lost 96 pounds and thinks she's doing great.

They are both wrong.

Person A had only 105 excess pounds, so she has already lost 60% of her excess weight. She is actually ahead of the game at 6 months out and is on track to lose it ALL.

Person B had 265 excess pounds. At 6 months out she has only lost 36% of her excess weight. At this rate, she will end up retaining 28% of her excess weight, enough to keep her in the obese category.

See what I mean? Don't compare pounds to pounds, that's like apples and oranges.

Percent of excess weight lost: pounds lost divided by total excess pounds
Use a BMI of 25 as a goal weight

On track to lose it all is 25% lost after 2 months, 50% after 6 months, and 80% at one year.

Please note: These are averages. Your mileage may vary.

Even the medical community tells lightweights they will lose slower. Are they getting rate and amount confused?

--gina

I think so. There is a thread on a DS FB page where they wanted to know how much people had lost by three months. I had about the same loss in lbs as most but far exceeded others in percentage lost.

About 40 lbs at three months put ME at over 70% of EW, same loss on a heavyweight ranged from 14-25%.

On track to lose it all is 25% lost after 2 months, 50% after 6 months, and 80% at one year.

I refer back to these numbers often.  It put it into perspective for me.  When I see people commenting on the 100 lb they lost in 6 months, I now look at how much they weighed, what their goal weight is, height if they give it, male/female - because it puts it into perspective for me.  I don't feel disappointed, or wonder if my DS will work for me any more. 

I lost 50% of my weight in the first 2 months.  I'm way ahead of schedule, and I don't need to stress over it any more. 

Thanks for this. 

It does help when it SEEMS that someone is doing so much better...when in reality, we may be doing FAR BETTER! And most of us will lose every bit of our excess weight whereas a heavyweight may never lose all their excess.

This is sOOOOOOO good to hear because I have been freaking out. A girl in my fb group for wls had surgery two days after me and has lost more than double what I have but has about double the weight to loose. Dr said I have lost 10% at 10 lbs so I guess that means with each pound is a percent. I am at 13.4% right now at 13 days out :D I guess that isn't bad right?

You are doing just fine...

At three months out, I had lost just over 40 lbs. I had lost over 70% of my excess.

At three months out most of the heavyweights on a FB group for DS'er's that I belong to had lost the same 40 odd lbs but it was only about 15-25% of their excess.

FAIR WARNING...you are coming up on the INFAMOUS three week stall...do NOT freak out. Just keep going and the stall will break.

Thank u that's good to know!!! Maybe I should hide the scale for a few weeks

Really good to see these numbers.  I'm 2 months and 1 week post op and about 4 lbs away from being at the halfway point, but...I don't know that my weightloss by numbers has been as stellar as other peoples.  I've "only" lost 36 lbs since surgery.  Good to know I'm ahead though!

Given your height and starting weight, you had exactly 100 lbs to lose to reach normal BMI (178)

You've lost 36% of your excess weight...not a bad place to be at 9 weeks out.

It's hard not to compare ourselves to others on the surgery forums...but remember, they usually have FAR more excess to lose to begin with. But as long as people focus on the numbers and not the percentage, it will always favor the heavyweights. Percentage favors the lightweight tho.

Liz