Question:
Looking for posties with my body type...
Since I have recently been told that I will have to wait until Nov. for my surgery (I have been approved tho', wahooo!), I have plenty of time to just ask questions that aren't necessarily important- just curiousity type ones. Here is my post for the day- I am 5'6, currently weigh 312lbs. and am what most would consider "big boned". I am having RNY (lap). I would love to hear from those with close to the same body types and surgery. I know everyone is different, but how has your weight loss went? When was most of it lost and are you struggling to get those last pounds off? People are asking me all the time "how much do you want to lose?". I have no idea. Since I am big boned, I cannot see myself at 140lbs. I am thinking more around the range of 160-170lbs. I will be exercising as soon as I can. Did you work out and if so, how did it help with your lose? Did some types of exercise work better than others? Humor me, please! Thank you! — karmiausnic (posted on August 8, 2002)
August 7, 2002
Hello! I am in Charleston! My BMI was 50.1 when I had my surgery I am 5'4
and have always been considered big boned... but now I am not so sure.. I
started out wearing a size 28 and yesterday I bought a pair of jeans in a
size 12. I may have to take them back for a 10! I had my surgery April 01
and have lost 120 pounds. I am hoping to have a tummytuck in January if
insurance approves. I had a LOOONG period of plateau on the scale but my
body continued to change shape and I am loosing in numbers again. If you
want to chat more please let me know!
— Virginia N.
August 7, 2002
i am 5,4 and my highest weight was 298... i taugh i was big boned to but i
am not eheheh i have tiny arms and leg nom... i am 6 month post op, lost 76
pounds so far and wish to loose until i hit 135-140 pounds... you can see
pictures of my progress here on my personal webpage:
http://www.ossg.ca/rubriques/photo.htm good luck dear !
— carou1313
August 7, 2002
I also thought I was big boned. Now that I can actually see my bones,
wrists, ankles, collar bones, hip bones, I'm not so sure about that. I
think I just always wanted to think I was. I am 5'6" started at 307.
My rny was on Sept 7th 2001. I am now at 175. Was a size 28/30 (I am an
apple shape, darn it!) Now in a size 16 jeans and tops. My legs have
gotten extremely skinny but since I am an apple shape my tummy is the last
to go. If my waist was proportioned to my legs and butt I would be in a
size 10 by now! Bummer. All in all it has been an exciting journey and I
would do it again today! Good luck to you.
— MARSHA D.
August 7, 2002
Karen: I also am 5'6' I weighed 334 the day of surgery.(RNY LAP) by the
way. I am 54 yrs old . I am 3 weeks out of surgery aand my scales say 310
now. I go to the Doc on 8/13/02 can't wait to see what his scales say!!!!
But the the you have to keep in mind is that everyone loses weight at a
different rate. Remember if it's 5 lbs at least you're a loser. I'm
getting along great. I also start my exercise program at the gym on 8/13.
I wasn't very active before my surgery because of severe degenerative joint
disease and insulin dependent diabetic. Hope this improves as the weight
comes off. By the way I no longer take any diabetic meds. high blood
pressure meds. I haven't needed them since the day of surgery. Praise The
LORD. hope this helps GOD BLESS you Judy Fridley
— JUDY F.
August 7, 2002
I also always thought of myself as big boned. I had an Open RNY in late
May of this year and have lost an official 65 lbs as of Monday. I am
relatively well proportioned and have lost most of the weight in my legs,
hips, butt and stomach. Please keep in mind though that everyone is
different so you may lose slower or faster depending on your body. I try
not to live by the scale and don't even have one at home!
— MonicaR
August 7, 2002
GOOD QUESTION. I TOO AM 5'6" AND STARTED OUTR WEIGHING 302LBS. TODAY
I WEIGH 234LBS. MY OPEN RNY WAS ON 3/28/02, SO AS OF TODAY I AM OFFICIALLY
DOWN 68LBS. SOME MAY SAY THAT MY LOSS IS SLOW BUT AS LONG AS IT IS A LOSS
I AM NOT COMPLAINING. I NOTICED THAT I AM LOSING IN MY HIPS, BUTT, THIGHS
AND HANDS QUICKER THAN ANYWHERE ELSE. I STARTED OUT WEARING 26/28 AND AM
NOW IN A 20. THIS SURGERY IS AMAZING. I ALSO NOTICED THAT MY FEET ARE SO
MUCH SLIMMER. CAN YOU SAY WEEKLY PEDICURE AND A CLOSET FULL OF SANDALS?
GOOD LUCK ON YOUR UPCOMING SURGERY.
— donna R.
August 7, 2002
I had Lap RNY 9/17/01. I am 5' 5 1/2" and started at 274# (I'm 32
years old). Today I weigh 155#. I actually am big boned with broad
shoulders and a wide rib cage. I am wearing a size 10 in pants (some 12s)
but still a large in most tops. I am having to really work for these last
few pounds and I'm currently losing 4 to 5 pounds a month. My original
goal weight is 150, but I think I'm shooting for 140 - 145 now. I do
workout, but not as much as I should. I'm planning to start with a
personal trainer soon and hope that will help get the rest of this off.
Good Luck with your surgery! I'm sure you'll do GREAT!
— Stephanie S.
August 8, 2002
I am 23, starting weight 291 at a height of 5'5 (size 28 or 30). At 5
months post op I currently weigh 203 (size 14). My doctor says 160 would
be the perfect weight for me. I am average bone size and figure at 160 I
will probably be a size 7. Really, I would like to weight 145 but he says
that might be too thin. The most weight came off for me in the first 3
months, now I'm averaging about 10 to 15 pounds a month. In the first few
months I was working out everyday but now I exercise by briskly walking 45
minutes 4 times a week, which is not much exercise but I do tend to get
really exhausted, I think the effect of surgery has caught up to me.
Really take advantage of those first few months, the weight loss is
incredibly fast and you really want to be exercising. The first few months
will seem bad. All I could think about was the foods I was missing but
that all goes away and you realize food just isn't as important. Good
luck!
— Angie B.
August 8, 2002
Lap RNY 04/04/02...starting @ 5'5" 287lbs after surgery. As of today I
have lost 62lbs. I started in a size 20-22 where I see that most people of
that height and size wore larger sizes. I truly am big boned...I was not
really flabby before sugery, just BIG and SOLID. Now i am wearing 16's and
some regular 18's(not plus). In shirts I have gone from XL AND 2XL down to
regular LARGE. My exercising is sporadic at best, but what can i expect, I
did not exercise pre-op, so I will not all of a sudden become an exercise
fanatic...I am trying to do something (anything) atleast 3 times per week
so may it can become habit forming. Good Luck!!!
— Maria A. M.
August 8, 2002
Forgot to add that my goal is about 170lbs and my dr agreed that was a good
place for me. I cannot see myself any smaller. No one would recognize me.
— Maria A. M.
August 8, 2002
Dear Karen, You and I have very similar beginning stats. I started at
5'6", 314 lbs. I am 27 years old. One thing to also keep in mind is
where you store your weight. I am terrbily bottom heavy. My thighs,
butt... In any case, I am 5 days away from my 6 month anniversary and am
down 107 lbs. That puts me 39 pounds away from my goal of 168. These last
few weeks it has slowed...and I mean s-l-o-w-e-d. But basically I have
averaged a 20 pound per month loss. You can look at my profile to get a
clearer idea. But, ah...you never can tell. I've learned that our bodies
all have minds of their own , so to speak. I work pretty darn hard. I
still avoid simple carbs as a rule, I still exercise (slacked off for about
a month, but now back to several miles a day of walking). I find I really
enjoy walking. I am down to an average of a little over 15 minutes a mile
which is a staggering improvement over my pre-op speed. As I said, I am
all legs, so for me, walking is key. Soon, I'll start to do some more
muscle toning with weights - even at 27 I really quite flabby and loose.
Despite that, I consider myself a success and will try my best to stay this
way. Comparing yourself to others can be harder on you than anything else,
just try your best all the time and you will know how good,
"good" can really feel. My best wishes to you in your upcoming
surgery! It's going to be a fun journey!
— PaulaM
August 8, 2002
Hi. I was 5'6 320 on the day of surgery 6/26/01. Today I am 178 (down 145
pounds in 13 1/2 months). I was in a size 26/28 and today sit wearing a
size 12 Kasper suit. 14s are loose, 12s are a little tight. I also
thought I was big boned until I realized that all of my wrist watches are
on the last hole/rung. My hands and fingers and wrists indicate that I am
small boned so I can't wait to see what size I end up at. A lot of people
ask me my goal too. I'm shooting for 160 but people don't understand that
I've been fat all my life, I have no size 5 in a closet to point to and
say, "I want to get into that". I have NO IDEA what 160 will
look like on me. I have exercised almost since month one. I took about a
2 month hiatus but exercise at least 5 days a week now -- at a minimum!
Exercise helps me to tone and yes it does make a difference in how I feel
about myself and my confidence in knowing that I'll be able to maintain my
weightloss. Yes the wait will come off in that first year almost
regardless of what you do or don't do but you want to be sure that you are
setting up a routine so that you'll be successful during maintenance time.
I am a pear shape. I'd say I'm an 8/10 on top and a 12/14 on the bottom.
I went from a 42DD to a 38B. I absolutely love it. I have a lower stomach
"pouch" that could benefit from a tuck. Flabby arms and legs but
none is a huge deal to me right now. I am not struggling to get off this
last 18 pounds to get to 160...it is going slower than usual but I know it
is still coming off so no worries! Most of my exercise now involves the
lower body. I work with weights 3 times a week and can feel the muscle
tone...a great feeling! Good luck and God bless!
— Kimberly L.
August 8, 2002
Hi, I am 5'6 and weighed 341 on the day of surgery, 7-30-01, so I'm just
over a year out. I was always told I was big boned, but ignored that factor
when making my goal. I wanted to weigh 150 no matter what LOL. But now
that I have gotten down to where I can actually see my bones, I know that
my goal of 150 is insane. I have dropped 167 lbs, and I have re thought my
goal to be about 5 to 10 more lbs and that's it. People are already now
telling me that I've lost enough and that I look thin. I exercise and eat
right and my weight hasn't budged too much here in the past few months. I
have a feeling that my body is telling me that I'm done, which I can
totally accept. I feel like I'm on top of the world, so ten lbs could't
make it much better than this. I also had to consider bone density. My
surgeon said that my bones (leg) may be more dense from carrying all the
weight for so long. I have to agree on that because although I weigh much
more I am wearing the same size I did when I was in high school, but at 25
lbs heavier. Hope I helped here.
— Carey N.
August 8, 2002
Hi Karen, I am just under 5'9 & I weighed 350 when I had surgery over 2
years ago. By 6 weeks, I had lost 51#, by 3 months, 72#, 6 months, 120#, 9
months, 150# & at one year, 170#. (I have my log in front of me! :) ) I
pretty much held that weight (give or take as much as 10#) til I had my TT
about 4 months ago & I have lost another 15# since then. So I have
settled in at around 165#, which is exactly the goal weight my DR set
before my WLS. I was always considered big boned & I still am, even tho
my wrists are MUCH smaller than they were ( an amusing aside: I can SEE my
pulse in my wrists!). My bones are quite prominent now. I am NOT skinny or
even thin, I am "average-sized." But my hips, ribs, collarbones,
shins, etc are quite visible. Before my surgery, I was an apple (without a
doubt), but now I'm more like an inverted triangle, biggest in the
shoulders, arms, chest & smallest in the hips. I wear size 14 tops
& size 11 or 12 pants--comfortably. I may actually find a pair of 10s
that fit someday! :) I couldn't imagine what I would look like, either. It
had been so long, NO ONE knew how an adult me would look at normal weight.
I was quite happy 15# ago & I would have been fine had I stayed at that
weight, but I am glad I got those last pounds off. It really hasn't been
hard for me....at any step. The TT seemed to get my weight loss going
again; I don't really know why. I know I am eating less now than I was 6
months ago, but I'm really just eating what I want. I don't really know WHY
I seem to want less these days--maybe the summer heat...? I did exercise
fairly well & while I think it did help (certainly with firming up), I
think the weight was going to come off regardless. I followed my diet quite
well for the first year, which is when I lost the bulk of my weight, then
began experimenting more & adding more foods. I can now eat virtually
anything I want...albeit, still in much reduced amounts. But my eating
looks "normal" for a slender-ish woman most of the time. On a
date last night, I ate maybe half of a small salad & an appetizer order
of steamed clams. I was going to get key lime pie, but...didn't. :) I COULD
have, tho. I used a treadmill and did floor & weight-type exercises.
You might consider spending a few $$ & seeing a trainer about which
exercises would be good for you. I have a friend who's in fitness & she
helped me with exercises to do. I did that until I was able to be pretty
active...skiing, biking, skating, hiking, etc. I still treadmill now, but
not as regularly as I did. I still enjoy running up stairs instead of
taking the elevator & parking farther away so I can walk or jog, I get
my activities now in different ways than just "exercises." I'm
learning to water ski! I know it's not this way for everyone, but I have
really had an easy time of it, overall. I vomit occasionally; it's no big
deal AT ALL to me---SMALL price to pay. I hope this has helped....I
understand & remember how it felt when I was in your position... :) Oh,
I did have open rny...not lap. Not that I think it makes a bit of
difference.. :) It was lots of fun watching as my "underneath"
self emerged. I am 48 now, was 45 when I had my WLS & I feel 15 years
younger than I did before WLS. I can do ANYTHING!! :)
— Kathy W.
January 14, 2004
my wrist measures 6 1/2 inches so from what i looked up i have a large
frame. i am 5 4 was up to 308 i am 5 yrs post op open gastroplasty with
bypass i weight 168 been lower when exercising down to 150 plan on working
out again real soon laurie
— lauriegrizzard
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