Question:
Has anyone not met their weight loss goals post-op & regreted the surgery?

I was just wondering if there was anyone out there who had not met their goal for weight loss. Also did you regret having the surgery due to this? If you did meet your goal weight how long did it take you to get there? Thanks!    — Allison T. (posted on June 19, 2002)

June 18, 2002
I was surprised at the strong, immediate response I had inside when I first read this question. I am only 7 weeks post op and have lost 43 pounds. Already I feel so much better, both physically and about myself. My response is that I am very glad I had this surgery. If I didn't meet "goal" pound-wise, I have met my goal of taking better care of myself, being aware of food and its place in my life, and feeling good about taking charge in my life!
   — Brenda A.

June 19, 2002
It helps to have realistic goals. We need to keep in mind that WLS is concidered successful if we lose 65% of our excess weight. I have said for years that I would be happy to get below 200 lbs and stay there. I'm at 175, would like to lose 50 more pounds, but even if I don't lose another ounce, I'm thrilled with what WLS has done for me. Some people blame every problem they have on being MO. The size of our body or even good health are not magic keys to happiness. Someone who goes into this with unrealistic goals of how they will look and feel after the weight loss is bound to end up disapointed.
   — Bobbie B.

June 19, 2002
I have to agree with Bobbie on realistic goals: If you have been overweight for many years you have built a lot of muscle just from carrying your own excess weight! If you look at before and after pics you will notice that even though some of the weights still hover in the 160-180 range (which SOUNDS high) the people look AWESOME and don't look as if they need to lose any more weight. I was aware that I had more muscle mass, so based my goals on percent body fat (normal being 22-27% for women--my starting number was 54%). I am now at 24% and wearing a size 8 at 130 pounds. I wore a size 12 years ago in high school when I weighed 115 pounds (57% body fat!). Don't go by the insurance company charts--they have me at something ridiculous like 105 pounds at which I would have an unhealthy amount of body fat. BTW I reached my top (27% body fat) goal in 7 months and my current weight in 10 months.
   — ctyst

June 20, 2002
Hi there, I reached my goal weight today...it has been one year and one week since my surgery. I would do it again in a heartbeat. We do have one lady in our support group who said she wanted the surgery reveresed - she is only two months out and she wasn't really clear as to why she wants a reversal. Good luck!
   — jkb