Question:
Who set your goal weight - you or your surgeon?

I see so many post on people reaching their goal weight and some goals are set high and some are lower. Take me as an example, my surgeon has set my goal for 200lbs. (I'm 5'8"). Now I know that this is not a healthy weight for me and that according to charts, I should be between 140-150. I did weigh 150 many moons ago and felt great, therefore my goal for myself is 145. But what I really want to know is who set your weight goal and was there a big difference between your goal and your surgeons? If so, was it difficult to reach your chosen weight? Seems like this surgery could be modified to bring us closer to 100% excess weight loss. Thanks in advance.    — Kathy C. (posted on September 2, 2003)

September 2, 2003
I set my goal at 140, and I'm 5'6". My surgeon says that's attainable. I presently weigh 291.
   — Susan M.

September 2, 2003
My surgeon sets goals based on your BMI. He takes the weight that would get you to a normal BMI (of 25 which is the high side), and uses that for your goal weight. For me it was around 155 at 5'6.5". I set a goal of 139 as I was that weight once for about 5 minutes in high school. I met his goal, but didn't meet mine. I look OK at 155 though, and wear a size 8. I found I had to work pretty hard to get those last 20 or 30 pounds off. The surgery doesn't do it all, but it makes it possible. If I got to 139, I'd probably be a size 4 or 6 which I think would be too small for my height/build/age (and wrinkly face). BTW, the surgery can be modified to increase average amount of weight loss (for example, making your bypass more distal) but the higher the average success, the higher the risk due to malabsorption, and the more careful you have to be with supplementation. Talk to your surgeon about your options. In general, the more you have to lose, the more "drastic" the procedure they recommend.
   — mom2jtx3

September 2, 2003
Goal weight I initially started at 5'9 294 pounds. My goal was 185 my surgeon said 165, I initially laughed at the thought of being that small. But as of today almost 14 months post-op I am 166 pounds. Who would have thought??
   — HelpMeRhonda !!

September 2, 2003
My surgeon has set my goal, my insurance company supplies him with the chart that he should use, and he sets the goal from that. I started out at 331, I am now one day from 4 weeks and weigh 304. My goal is 150 lbs.
   — cindy

September 2, 2003
When I asked my Dr about a goal weight his answer was not a number but that we will see as time goes on what is the comfortable weight for my body. Actually, I really like that answer now, at the time I thought it was a dumb answer and I wanted specifics. As I read posts and see the disappointment and frustration others are experiencing in regards to reaching a particular goal, or hitting plateus, I am glad he wanted me to see what was right for me and my body. The idea I had in mind was 140, I am currently 145,(5 feet tall) at 11 months out. I started at 260+ . I am keeping my options open at this time. I guess I am glad I am not set up to "fail" at this if I had set a goal that is too low for me or not realistic it would be hard to deal with.
   — **willow**

September 2, 2003
I've always used the goal weight that I set for myself based on being that weight when I got married 8 years ago and liking it. My surgeon set the goal 10 pounds lighter and in accordance with the BMI/insurance charts, which I believe are way too low and not based in reality for formerly obese people whose bones weigh heavier. I'm 2 pounds from my goal and very happy where I am at. Its better to set a realistic and obtainable goal weight, especially if you have been there before. If not, try for a size rather than a weight. Say a size 12 (national average)-you can always modify when you get there, but if you set the goal too low then you may never get there and instead consider yourself a failure when in reality, the goal was too low to start with.
   — Cindy R.

September 2, 2003
I was wondering that too, 2 weeks ago I was at my pre admission class and the guy doing the class said that in the 2 years he worked at the center only 3 people has made their ideal weight, now for me, my goal is my ideal weight 137lbs. so i would say for me , I set the goal! they told me where i should be and that sounds good.!! Good Luck
   — kelkel319

September 2, 2003
My doctor said that he sets a goal not to go below a BMI of 24 as he feels we will look emaciated after that. That puts me at 5'7" and 150lbs. I am happy with that goal although, I am now only 5 months post-op and have lost 105lbs...only 25lbs from goal so I think I am going to be one of those emaciated WLS patients. Good luck! Denise 280/175/150
   — denisel

September 2, 2003
I set my goal for 100% of excess weight which means for my 5'3 1/2 height I should weigh around 129 or 130. I never could get to goal. Started at 319 and for one day got down to 158.75. My weight goes from 162-164. My surgeon says 70% is average and to QUIT LOSING!???? I got to 84% loss... and I believe my body wants to settle for 81%.
   — Danmark

September 2, 2003
Good answer Cindy! I'm tempted to say "what she said," but instead I'll just tell you my doctor never discussed a goal weight for me, and I forgot to ask about it when I was there. I've heard from others that his office does tell patients what their goals should be. I think I would have probably been harder on myself than the doctor anyway. I did set my own goal, but I think waiting to see how things look when you get down is a good idea. I agree with whoever said some charts are set far too low. Not just for us WL people, but for people in general really. The Metropolitan Life supposedly says ideal for women is 100 for a five foot woman, and then 5 pounds for each inch after that. With someone short like me that's 103, and when I got to 128 a few people were already saying not to lose anymore. I've only heard that one other time in my whole life, and boy is it a thrill to hear. :o) Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide will be the right weight for you. I wish you well in reaching goal. S
   — sherry hedgecock

September 2, 2003
In medical terms, WLS is considered successful if the patient maintains a loss of 50% of the excess weight at least five years post-op. Now, that doesn't mean that it's not possible to maintain a loss of more weight, but know that, in general, we are not expected to get to the insurance chart weight. After three months out, my surgeon said he believes I can lose (and maintain) 65% to 70% of my original excess weight. I would like to lose 80% to 85% of the excess, but I realize that might not be realistic. I also want to live a life. Being overweight was a miserable way to live. I don't want to trade that for being miserable to maintain a low weight. I've lost about 55% of my excess weight at five months out, and reached my health goals at about three months out. I figure anything else is gravy (pardon the food reference). I agree with earlier posters who say don't set yourself up for disappointment by setting a goal that's too low. Also remember that there are many other ways than the scale to measure the success of this surgery (health status, feeling good, looking good, fitting into normal sized seats and seatbelts, being able to buy clothes, enjoying social activities, participating in life, etc., etc.). Those are much more important to me than a number on a scale.
   — Vespa R.

September 5, 2003
My doctor let me set my goal weight (130). After getting there and passing it, I decided I liked 125 better.
   — Patty H.

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