What did your doc suggest as a goal weight?

[laurigee 545]

I am shocked and disappointed at what I'm reading. Have we been so brainwashed that we actually think that reading a certain number on a scale determines our HEALTH!!! NO!!! It establishes your WEIGHT! Is a 10 - 20 pound difference mean the lighter person is healthier? Of course not! Does a person that falls within the guidelines assumed to be healthy? Apparently??! I have seen many people in my support group that are at their goal or below that have the most unhealthy eating habits! They have used the band as a starvation tool! Their skin looks like hell, you can see they have no energy, and have been losing their hair as fast as their weight! I, like everyone have a goal, however, if my body feels great and I don't fall between the "ideal" so be it! I'm not intimidated by a chart or a scale!

[dolphintattoo 96]

I discussed with my surgeon and based on MY history, BMI, activitiy level etc.. he believes 80lbs is what I should try lose in 18-24 months. That still makes me obese, but it's 80lbs less than I am today and he was fine with that.

[Rebecca Cain Salpacka 100]

Wow, i never expected this thread to go the way it did.

FIrst I want to thank Patty for having my back. I will say tho that i was not offended by Cheryl using the term obese, as I did say it myself, based only on what the BMI calculator says.

I also want to say that OBESE or not OBESE I want to be healthy...for me that means no high blood pressure, no heart conditions, diabetes, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, or any other condition that requires medication for treatment, and is directly connected to my weight. Of that list, I have APNEA, its a huge condition i know, and is improving with my weight loss...tho OSA may never completely go away as it isnt caused strictly by being Obese, but obesity does make it worse.

The only medication I am on is for my thyroid, which is not caused by my weight, but in fact contributes to my higher weight..as we are still working on getting the right dose.

Floriday, I never meant to sound like I was "settling" for being obese...i said i would be happy at 200 lbs, but i never said i would be the happiest or that I was going to just stop doing as i should when i reached that point.

The 200 is my first big goal that i want to reach...my small goal was to lose 75 lbs in one year...my highest weight was 357 on March 1, and I am currently 281..so I reached that first goal almost 5 wks early. my next small goal is to reach 100 lbs by my 1 year bandiversary...that is 24 lbs in just under 3 months...(4/26) with the proper discipline I know its achievable.

I have seen several people posts their ultimate goal (their final weight so to say) and the weights are clearly not within the "normal range" given on websites or by doctors....so this is what triggered me to post this question and see how many other doctors felt that those numbers arent necessarily the gospel of what weight people should be.

Thanks again for everyone's input, it is ALL very much appreciated.

[missybear 86]

My surgeon recommended the mid point of the healthy weight range BMI which is around 22.

I was also pleased to hear the same target from my trainer.

I've hit my mini goal to get into the healthy weight range and now 6 kilos off hitting my target weight.

[Blondie638 98]

This is an entertaining thread lol...

Just wanting to join in

[Pebbagirl 131]

150 would put me at a BMI of around 25 so that's my initial goal, then I'll reassess at that point.

[Nanu 60]

Floridays, I'm with you. I am 5'5" and my dr wants me at 150, which is on the high level of the normal BMI for my height. I would like to be 135. But, I am 62 and don't want to look even older and drawn, so will have to see. It's hard for me to see how I really look. People will say not to lose any more, but I'm still 15 lbs from 150. Guess, to them, I look different and like I've lost a lot. So far, right at 50 lost, but not at normal BMI.

[kll724 3,055]

You are young, I would try get under 200 lbs. I agree 140 is pretty good, but maybe too far away to put that as a goal, try smaller goals 1st best wishes!

[kll724 3,055]

Nanu, that is what my surgeon said to! I dropped to 140, and was told I was too thin and drawn, he wants me at 150.

[Sandra V 8]

I've set some different goals for myself. I'm 31 and 5ft tall. My starting weight was 222, 216 at time of surgery (I only had to do one week of pre op diet, 2 shakes 1 meal). My ultimate dream goal weight is 116, which is still on the higher end of "normal weight" for my height. But my goal for my first year is a loss of 60lbs which would put me at 156, the smallest I've ever been since being a kid. Ideally I hope that I can achieve the loss of the remaining 40lbs. It sounds so crazy to me right now to think I could ever be that small but when I achieve my first goal (I refuse to say IF, I have to believe in myself) , then I figure I will be able to achieve it by losing less than 3.5lbs a month the second year.

[Rebecca Cain Salpacka 100]

You are young, I would try get under 200 lbs. I agree 140 is pretty good, but maybe too far away to put that as a goal, try smaller goals 1st best wishes!

As i stated in my later comment, i am going to try and get under 200, but as my first HUGE goal, i set it at 200..that would be 157 lbs lost...

[Nanu 60]

Feel like I'm back in Jr Hi.

[B-52 7,113]

First, BMI's are not accurate.....they are Ok to a point, but that's it....

Body Fat % is the accurate thing to do....and that takes a special scale, very expensive....

I use one at the gym, and my Dr.s office has one...you stand on it in your bare feet, and grip metal handles with both hands....a small current runs throughyour body, measures impedence, etc, then gives a few different results....Lean Muscle mass, Body Fat %, Body Water content, etc.....

Every year at ths time, (superbowl) there will be a running back for one tof the teams, that will be the same height as me....but weigh 15-25pounds more than me....BMI's will put him as Obese...

But I doubt he has a oz. of fat on him, and I would not call hime fat, let alone Obese, to his face....and yet you will not find a better fit, healthy person - athlete....

Oh, back on topic....My Surgeon NEVER talked about goal weights....he focused on Permanent Lifestyle changes, and the body will adjust and balance out where it wants to be....with the band, your body will steadily loose weight, and there is nothing you can do to stop it since the band is running the show....

According to BMI's I am overweight...and yet..I have no excess body fat, and at my last appointment my Surgeon agreed and said there is nothing left for me to loose....but I am overweight, healthy and fit....

[sparkplug 106]

Everybody on here gets off the "real" subject of weight loss and accusing and slamming each other for their opinions. When I was in my 20's I stayed for a long time in the 110-124 range but that is totally unrealistic for me at 60 years old. I am happy in my size 10-12 range and off all meds. I believe people on here are just voicing their opinions and it should be taken as such. There is no need to slam anybody or insinuate anything more other than their opinion or knowledge. This is suppose to be a helpful place to come like I do every morning and if I don't like what somebody says, I move on to the next subject. We are all in this together and we need to put aside mean spirited remarks against each other just because we see things different. I myself do not believe in fills and have never had one and more than likely would never get one, but that is my opinion and anybody that says why did I get the band does not know what my circumstances are. People on this website said if you don't get fills, you should not get the band. Not true! All the years of dieting has made me very aware of my body and the band is the extra incentive for me to keep there.

[this sucks 557]

All drama and judgment aside...

I was very lucky because my Weight Loss Center does a body scan before surgery and then again at six months post op. if you want additional scans done, it only costs $65.

The scan gives you a REALISTIC goal weight based on YOUR body...not from a height/weight chart or from a BMI chart. It measures how much your lean muscle mass weighs-(which does change as you lose weight) and gives a reasonable goal weight specific to you.

It was an eye opener to me because based on my scan, I will never be able to be the weight that I, and the weight charts, thought I "should". My body wasn't built to be standard, as I'm sure many of us aren't.

Best of luck!