half way to "my" goal but doc says unrealistic --VETS?? (x-post to main vsg)

hi guys,

anyone had this conversation?  i'm half-way to my goal of basically cutting my weight in half and getting to 130.  i've told the doc and he's been perfectly nice about it, but they're telling me that i'll probably get down to 170 tops and then maybe gain about 10 lbs back by 5 yrs out.

i'm trying to be realistic.  i don't want to let go of my goal.  i physically feel ill staying in the 600-800 cal range and have been told 1000-1200 is preferable and will still allow me to lose weight.

i guess i'm confused!  i suppose i should be more hard-core, but think as something that i could maintain that's just not realistic.

open for any feed-back.  thanks!!!!!!

I hear you! My doctor told me I would make it to 260 and the rest would be up to me. I hit 269 on my 1 year mark. I have struggled to lose since then and got to 249. I exercise an hour every day, I eat 800-1000 calories and less than 40 carbs with 100 g protein, 80+ ounces of water.
My Nut says to increase my calories to 1300 for 3 weeks. I am afraid to do that! It is so hard to lose and if I gain I will freak!
I will be interested to see the responses. Are you still losing?

Hi guys.  I was never a real heavy weight, so take this for what it's worth.  My doctor told me I'd be lucky to land at 160lbs.  When I hit 140 he said I was done and would level out and maybe regain.  I'm now 120 and have been as low as 117.  I think that as long as you stick to the plan, you'll keep losing.  I have noticed that if I increase my caloric intake to maybe 1000-1200 cals for a few days (it's hard to do) that the weight starts coming back down, then I go back to about 800-1000 for a week or so.  Hang in there.  Your only done losing when you decide it's so.

I say aim for your own goal and get as close as you can. My surgeon told me I wouldn't get to the goal he set because I was a slow loser and missed the milestones he set. Then I got to his goal and he said you look great, you are done. Then I still kept losing while I found the right point. Lost another 15 before leveling out. Surgeon thinks that its just fine.  So go for what you want to be.

Regarding the calories, I did stay at 600 to 800 for my entire weight loss phase and now maintain on about 1200. I just don't burn up much. So if you feel bad you might want to add more calories but make sure its mainly protein. You might need to eat more frequently.   GL   Diane

My surgeon said I would be a success at 175 pounds.  I guess that would fit as success with the reports they have to do for Kaiser.  I got to the 160's at around a year and really thought I was done.  I was eating good and exercising.  I thought about calling goal but then realized that even if I did that, I would still track my food, hydrate, take all my vitamins, exercise and eat as healthy as possible.  So really nothing would change.  These last 15-18 pounds have been tough but they eventually came off.  Slowly, but who the heck cares, they're off.  I know that i need to stay at aroiund 800 calories to lose, so it's all about how we chose those calories.  Protein and veggies has always worked best for me.  Things like fruit and I don't shed an ounce.  See if you can tweak what you eat so that you're feeling better.  Keep the quality high if you can.  For me it's really all about being honest about what's going in my mouth. 

If you have a goal, why give it up?  Why not just keep taking it one day at a time and going for what will make you happy.  At some point you might decide that you're happy where you are, but that's not today.  So keep doing all those things that brought you this far.  You've done great!

This is my take on it as someone who is very goal-oriented:

Some programs take the approach of never expecting their patients to lose more than the average EWL. They call this "being realistic." Other programs have high standards and try to get their patients to lose as much as possible. Guess which programs have better results overall? Yep, the ones with high expectations.

What I have learned in life is that, if you want something, you need to set a goal and then figure out how to get there incrementally. When I set goals for my triathlons, I always set 3 goals -- one I can make easily, one I think is reasonable and one that is a bit of a stretch and requires more than good effort, but maybe also a bit of luck. That way, I have a range of outcomes that are acceptable to me.

Another way to look at it is: reach for the stars and you'll at least get to the moon.

When I had my sleeve, I didn't see any reason that I couldn't ge to a normal BMI. I was starting at around a 40 BMI, not 60. I always lost weight well on conventional diets; I just couldn't keep it off. I had no medical conditions associated with weight gain such as PCOS. I knew, once I lost weight, I'd get more active. So my goal was to get to a normal BMI and then decide if I needed to lose more. My surgeon completely supported me and said suggested 115-130 as a goal range. And I did it.

However, a large portion of why I got to my goal was that my surgeon pushed me in the beginning when my weight loss was slower than it should have been. If he had been telling me to be realistic and not to expect to lose more than 67% of my excess weight (the average), I think I wouldn't have exercised so much and probably wouldn't have become an athlete and I might not have lost all my excess weight.

That said, with weight loss surgery, it's tricky because it's not only about things under your control but also up to your body. If surgery lowers your set point to a normal weight, your body will fight to stay that weight. But, if it only lowers it so that you go from SMO to Obese, getting lower is going to be a major fight. So, for those people, just assuming they will get to a normal BMI is not realistic. 

I think what you have to ask yourself is what is there about your situation and you that would allow you to have a better than average outcome. The lower your BMI when you got WLS, the younger you are, the more you work out during the weight loss phase, the better you lose on conventional diets, etc., the better your chance of losing the vast majority of your excess weight.

Also, I don't think the choices are keep calories to 600-800 or jump up to 1200. As I got more active, my surgeon had me up my protein. And that would up my calories. But not to 1200  until I was almost to goal. I started around 700, then up to 800, then 900, etc. You need to eat enough to have the energy to get through your daily activites but anything over that just slows your weight loss. If you can get by on less, why not do it? The faster you lose your weight, the more likely you are to get goal.

My doc told me I'd get to around 160~170. In the back of my mind I knew I wanted to get to 135. I always kept this goal in the back of my mind while I was losing. Now that I'm there I'm trying to decide if I want to go lower. I want that trim athletic look, not thin and scrawny! I think you can get to whatever weight you want as long as it's realistic for your body.

I always lost weight in the past when I tried, and just like Mac, I always gained it back. I had my metabolism tested when I was 7 months out and they told me my resting metabolic rate was only 900 calories. It scared the hell out of me because I knew I would eventually be able to eat more. I researched how to increase my metabolism and eating 600 - 800 calories was NOT on the list! I personally don't believe it's necessary to eat below 1,000 calories a day, but that is based on my own experience, MY body, and MY desire to not sabotage my metabolism for the rest of my life.

I don't track my calories, but when I do I'm usually around 1500 a day. The only way I can get there is to include nuts, protein shakes, and full fat cheese. I aim for 100-120 grams of protein a day and it's a struggle to get there.

Good luck finding what works best for you!

Jen

Hugs! You are doing AWESOME!

Based on my sleeve, I know it is a powerful tool when used with our powerful brains and willpower.  You can take this as far as YOU want to go.

I do believe you can get to YOUR goal no matter what anyone says.

I was around 400 - 600 calories for the first few months but not by choice - I think it's too low UNLESS you feel good and you say you don't.

that said, it's probably too soon to give up the goal you have in mind, might as well go for it and you can revise later if you feel it makes sense. you know yourself better than your doc does after all.

I honestly think protein and some other variables are more important than calories, I really do. your metabolism is not a machine.

Ann- honestly, the only discussion I ever had about a goal weight was at the 1st appointment and I said "165 sounds good." No one batted an eye. (I started at 263). I haven't brought it up again and no one mentions it at my appointments. Dr. Long never predicted what I might lose or regain. At my last appointment, I weighted in at 159 and he was very pleased, said to keep doing exactly what I have been doing. That was on 25 June.

I revised my goal to 145 in March, then I revised it again to 140 in May. I hit 145 today. I think I may try for 135, just to give myself a 5 pound cushion while I figure out maintenance.

I would just keep your goal of 130 to yourself. Keep doing what you are doing, or whatever makes you comfortable. You have made such progress so far. You should be very proud of how far you have come!