Figuring out a realistic goal weight

[SmilinsShrinking]

I have been overweight all my life. When I was in high school, I played premier soccer year round 3-4 times a week between practices and games, varsity high school sports 5 days a week, drill team 5 days a week and I was still 180-190 at the time.
I went to college and gained a bunch of weight and in the last 20 years I've been on diet after diet... weight watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, Lapband... hcg drops... you name it. I've done it. I've lost 470+ pounds in my lifetime.

So here I am, 8 weeks away from having a revision to DS (holy cow am I excited!) How do I decide what is a realistic goal to aim for? Do I go by the BMI chart? I can't imagine being 140 pounds. I think I was in 4th grade the last time I weighted that little.

I do have a long list of non scale goals that I'm aiming for.. but I'm guessing it's good to have a weight goal too.

Any suggestions?

 

[DSRIGGS]

Personally I don't believe in goal weights with the DS because I believe we end up where the DS takes us. If you want a goal number go to a BMI calculator site and enter your height and see what weight puts you at a 23-25 range BMI and that is the baseline for a healthy goal weight in my opinion.. I am 6'2 and as of yesterday i weighed 186 lbs, so that puts me at a 23.9 BMI and I could stand to gain 10-15 lbs of muscle.

Just an idea

 

[CaraOC]

I have been overweight all my life. When I was in high school, I played premier soccer year round 3-4 times a week between practices and games, varsity high school sports 5 days a week, drill team 5 days a week and I was still 180-190 at the time.
I went to college and gained a bunch of weight and in the last 20 years I've been on diet after diet... weight watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, Lapband... hcg drops... you name it. I've done it. I've lost 470+ pounds in my lifetime.

So here I am, 8 weeks away from having a revision to DS (holy cow am I excited!) How do I decide what is a realistic goal to aim for? Do I go by the BMI chart? I can't imagine being 140 pounds. I think I was in 4th grade the last time I weighted that little.

I do have a long list of non scale goals that I'm aiming for.. but I'm guessing it's good to have a weight goal too.

Any suggestions?

I never set a goal weight. My only aim as to be less than I was. Every pound off is a bonus because I KNOW not one of those pesky little shits is going back on!!

 

[southernlady]

So here I am, 8 weeks away from having a revision to DS (holy cow am I excited!) How do I decide what is a realistic goal to aim for? Do I go by the BMI chart? I can't imagine being 140 pounds. I think I was in 4th grade the last time I weighted that little.

I do have a long list of non scale goals that I'm aiming for.. but I'm guessing it's good to have a weight goal too.

Every pound off is a bonus because I KNOW not one of those pesky little shits is going back on!!

I had several goals in mind. Now, keep in mind, I was only 68 lbs over normal BMI. I weighed 203 when I started this
My first one was to weigh less than I did when I married. (189) Nailed it.
Second one was to weigh less than I ever had as an adult. (147) Nailed it
Third was to reach normal BMI by the charts. (145) Nailed it and that was only 7 months after surgery.
Fourth was to keep going as long as I could. I kissed 121 for 10 seconds at 16 months after surgery.

I KNEW it wouldn't stay that low and honestly I looked horrid at my lowest weight. I have climbed back up and look best between 135-145. Right now I am back at 147 and altho I want to lose about 5 lbs, I am not yet willing to buckle down and get rid of all my wrong carbs.

I NEVER, in any realistic way, DREAMED I would be in the 140's. But I am. But NEVER, EVER in my wildest dreams thought I would see the 120's.

@CaraOC Yeah, okay.....

Be prepared for bounce back. It is about a 90% certainty it will happen. Which is why many of us tell people to keep losing in spite of "looking like you are way too skinny" in the first couple of years. As long as your labs are fine (Scott was the exception to that rule), do NOT try to stop the loss while you are losing.

 

[harrietvane]

Mine is 'top of a healthy BMI', and was in my mind before I came here. Hearing what others have said, though, and my surgeon's comments that he would expect me to get into the 60kg region, I will see where it takes me.

 

[DianaCox]

http://bariatricfacts.org/threads/realistic-goals-and-personal-responsibility.934/

 

[harrietvane]

I was trying to remember the name of that post, @DianaCox. I do always have in the back of my mind that for everyone who 'exceeds', there's got to be someone offsetting by not hitting the average.

 

[DianaCox]

The DS has the best long-term EWL maintenance of all the WLSs. But the average long-term EWL is 75%, not 100%.

I'm at around 182 these days. I started at (highest I can remember seeing, no preop diet) 293. The top of my "normal" BMI (= 25) is 150 (I'd be thrilled ... but haven't seen that since 11th grade). So my excess weight was 143 lbs. At the moment, my %EWL is 111/143 or almost 78%.

I may not be normal, but I am average! And at closing in on 13 years out, and 63 years old, and not being very fit at all (trying to fix that), that doesn't suck.

 

[Munchkin]

The DS has the best long-term EWL maintenance of all the WLSs. But the average long-term EWL is 75%, not 100%.

I'm at around 182 these days. I started at (highest I can remember seeing, no preop diet) 293. The top of my "normal" BMI (= 25) is 150 (I'd be thrilled ... but haven't seen that since 11th grade). So my excess weight was 143 lbs. At the moment, my %EWL is 111/143 or almost 78%.

I may not be normal, but I am average! And at closing in on 13 years out, and 63 years old, and not being very fit at all (trying to fix that), that doesn't suck.

READ this again. It is NOT likely you will lose all your EW. And bounceback is real. Almost everyone gains some back.

Rather than having a goal, just lose as much as possible as fast as possible. When you reach that perfect weight, lose 10% more for the bounceback!

 

[Elizabeth N.]

I never had a weight goal. To me the scale is a crazy-maker. I went first by health and fitness improvements, and secondly by clothing size changes.

 

[duh_Mom]

I have not really set a goal either - hell, I am happy right where I am today. My tracker goal is set at top of 'normal' BMI but honestly know 100% EWL isn't real. I agree with @DSRIGGS - your DS will take you to where your DS is... not sure how in the hell to stop losing anyway. I won't eat any different that I am today. If I add carbs, I don't like I how I feel so not even sure at this point how to stop losing, so still in it for the ride and will take what the DS gives me.