Question:
Goal Weight to high?

I saw my Dietician today and we talked about my goal weight. I am 4 months post op and have lost 63lbs. She said that my goal weight should be around 175 because I have 139 lbs of muscle. That sounded way to high for me as I am only 5'2 and started out at 313. Has anyone else been told a goal weight that high? I am concerned that it should be lower. Thanks for your thoughts on this.    — Tami S. (posted on December 1, 2003)

December 1, 2003
My goal weight as deterimned by my surgeon was 190. I am 5 foot 4 inches and started at 306 lbs. Remember that a goal weight is not supposed to reflect your 'ideal' weight. It is supposed to reflect an ideal weight loss situation according to your surgeons expectations for you. For example- many surgeons consider a loss of 80% of your EXCESS weight to be successful, some consider lower numbers like 70 or even 50%. My surgeon (I think) considers a loss of 75% of your excess to be success. So at 306- using an ideal weight of 150 lbs (doctor determined this- don't know where it came from- probably some chart somewhere)That would make my excess 156 lbs. 75 % of that is 117 lbs, which would bring me to 190 lbs. Make sense? Every doctor has a slightly different way that they calculate this, so you should speak to yours about it. Have I sufficently confused you? Having said all that...I made my personal goal lower than my surgeon, knowing that I would not be happy at 190. I set my goal at 156. Four pounds to go...and we'll see if I'm happy there! Good luck to you.
   — LMCLILLY

December 1, 2003
My starting weight was 290, and I'm 5'5". My surgeon said he would call the surgery a good success if I maintained a weight of 190 pounds. At 8 months out, I hover a little under that, and am still losing, so suspect I'll end up weighing under that initial goal, but I know I'll never get near the insurance chart weight of 134, and I'm OK with that.
   — Vespa R.

December 1, 2003
Tami, It depends on what surgery you have. A successful RNY post-op (statistically speaking) will have lost and maintained a loss of 50% excess weight at 5 years out. See http://www.gr-ds.com/forpatients/Comparison_Html.html for more information. Blessings, dina
   — Dina McBride

December 1, 2003
I find this odd... my surgeon told me my goal weight would be whatever put my BMI between 22-25 (150 lbs would put me at a BMI of 25). I started out at 5'5" tall, and 291. I'm currently down to 177 currently with 27 lbs to go to goal. However, I have had people tell me if I lose another pound I'll look gaunt (currently in a size 8-10 jeans depending on the manufacter). I find that weird at 177. The doctor I work for told me to have my surgeon check my body fat percentage to find out if I have a large percent of muscle mass. I went off on a tangent, I'm sorry. I would find out what your BMI should be and shoot for the stars. You've been through too much to short change your goal. God bless you!
   — Happy I.

December 1, 2003
I'm just taking a guess here, but a general rule of thumb is that the surgery is considered a success if the patient loses 75% of their excess weight. So, the dietician's goal weight of 175 would mean you would have lost 138 pounds. I don't know your actual ideal weight, but say for a 5'2" woman, it's 130. That would be an ideal loss of 183 pounds. So, that 138 pounds is 75% of your excess weight. I really don't know if that's what she was thinking, but if so, makes sense to me. Also, I'd rather see her underestimate your potential loss than overestimate it, and set you up for disappointment if you don't reach that number.
   — Leslie F.

December 1, 2003
A goal weight should be what YOU personally will feel comfortable at. For some that translates to a size 4-6, for me a 12 and others a 16-18. My goal weight is 200 lbs which my surgeon agrees with wholeheartedly. He said an ideal would be 180's but even as high as 220 would be good for me. I am 5'9. I'm 45 lbs from 200 right now and have lost 197 lbs, so I'm the great majority of the way there. My goal is to get as close to 200lbs as I can get before PS in Feb and then whatever weight I end up at after PS, will be just fine for me. 175 initially seems high but like she said you have a lot of muscle mass, which is the same case with me. I'm wearing 14-18's at 245. I pack it in well! I'd shoot for the 175 and then you decide if that's where you want to stop or not. This is no ones journey but your's and you have to live with your body when it's all said and done. Congrats on the 63 lbs and keep up the great work!
   — zoedogcbr

December 1, 2003
The others are right in that what is considered a successful surgery is 75% of your excess weight lost. So, 175 might be that percent. However, an even better way to determine a goal weight is to determine what size you want to be for your body frame and age. I'm 5'3, with a medium frame and decided a size 10 was good enough, so I settled at 147, small tops and size 10 on the bottom. Could I be 130 and a size 6-8. Yes, easily, but I love to eat. Keep in mind that the less you weigh, the less calories you can take in to sustain it. Being a size 6 might be cool, but not if I have to cut 300 calories a day or more from the menu. This might not sound difficult at 4 months post-op but wait until your 2 years out and can eat oooh so much more with a pre-op appetite!
   — Cindy R.

December 1, 2003
Most Dieticians don't know anything. They count on charts and relatively outdated information to give you the facts. I know, you would think a person who has had weight loss surgery shouldn't be judging a so called professional, but I'm a former educator in the health field and the one thing I've learned is that Dieticians are clueless. You have every right to question why a 5'3 womans goal weight is so high...because you should be weighing between 115-140 depending on your bone structure and what you feel good at. 175 is way to high, unless you are a body builder. That's my two cents.
   — barbsbasic

December 1, 2003
I am 5'2, my dietician said my goal weight should be 140. The charts I have looked at and the one here at ObesityHelp.com says my ideal weight is 126. As long as I hit 140 I will be happy. About 12 years ago I got to 145 and was almost in a size 6. I think wieght also matters with age, not just bone structure, of course that is my opinion. LOL
   — TheresaC

December 1, 2003
I'm 5'2 and started out at 248. I now weigh 125. It's a great weight for me. I agree with the previous posters, don't listen to the dietician!! Your body will know when to stop losing weight. At 175, you would still be considered obese.
   — Patty H.

December 1, 2003
I would suggest getting to 175 and taking it from there. That number is probably what would make you a statistical success in your doctors eyes but by no means must be where you stay. Take advantage of the next few months and get off as much as you can in the early stages when it is the easiest. Goal weight is all about how you feel, not about the exact numbers. You weighed over 300 pounds! That is a lot of weight for such a little lady. You may feel wonderful at 175 or you may feel that you have it in you to lose more. Either way you will be so much healthier and freer. I am constantly hearing how skinny I am and that I should lose no more but for me I have chosen to lose 10 more pounds. It is all about reaching our own personal comfort level. Lap RNY 1/15/03 277/156/150ish
   — Carol S.

December 1, 2003
I,m 5,3 and wt was 230 before surgery. My doctor never gave me to goal wt. to get to. He just advise me to walk a lot he said that it would help in my wt. loss. I was just thrilled to be at 150 but my body made its own adjustments. Your body will adjust on its own also. 230 -102 > 128 now
   — charanewme

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