Advice On Realistic Goals

[dragongrl75 2]

So I finally have a surgery date of Feb 7th....I was told I don't have to do a liquid diet at all prior but I think I am going to anyway just to get my body ready for this. My question is I have been hanging around here a looooong time and am trying to figure out if I am being realistic.

I am currently 299/301ish depending on the day.....I am hoping to lose 20-25lbs per month after my surgery and am hoping I can be at or very close to my goal weight of 140 by Aug 21st. That would mean I need to lose 150ish lbs in 6 months. Is that pushing too hard?? Should I lower it some? I am so excited for my new life that maybe I am being a little too gung-ho....lol

Appreciate any and all input....

[former_vbg 198]

I'm just going to give my opinion on this. First, I think it's good to have aggressive goals. I think it helps keep people motivated and stay on track. However, setting too high of goals without giving yourself permission to modify your goal along the way may be setting yourself up for failure.

I'm not saying it's not possible to reach that goal, but it is pretty aggressive. I had really hoped to meet my goal within 6 months, but I had almost a 2 month stall (months 4 and 5) and it became very frustrating. I realized that I wasn't going to meet my final goal within 6 months, but knew that it would just take me a little longer.

Everyone is different, there are a few people that report not really having any or many stalls, but since you have been on here for some time, you have probably read about many people who have. The most common stall being at about the 3 week mark after surgery which I think has more to do with transitioning from the pureed foods to regular foods. Your body will be adjusting to these changes and as a result, your body will sometimes hold onto the weight longer than you want. If you stay true to the program, you will likely still be loosing inches.

I guess my suggestion for you is to go ahead and keep that original goal, but be willing to tell yourself that its ok if you don't make it in that time frame. You will know after about 3 or 4 months how things will start to work in terms of your weight loss. You have probably also seen people talk about the "honeymoon" phase which for some is 3 months, others 6 months, etc. Again, each person is different. Just learn to listen to your body, do your best to stay on track, but don't beat yourself if you get side tracked once in awhile. We are human, and while we have to learn to use the surgery as a tool, unless you live under a rock, there will be times when you are in work or social situations where food choices will make it difficult to stay on track.

You will do great, you have a great attitude and I'm certain everyone here will be available for support as you need or want it.

So I finally have a surgery date of Feb 7th....I was told I don't have to do a liquid diet at all prior but I think I am going to anyway just to get my body ready for this. My question is I have been hanging around here a looooong time and am trying to figure out if I am being realistic.

I am currently 299/301ish depending on the day.....I am hoping to lose 20-25lbs per month after my surgery and am hoping I can be at or very close to my goal weight of 140 by Aug 21st. That would mean I need to lose 150ish lbs in 6 months. Is that pushing too hard?? Should I lower it some? I am so excited for my new life that maybe I am being a little too gung-ho....lol

Appreciate any and all input....

[wishes 125]

I stall out for two weeks then drop a few pounds. Stall, drop, stall, drop. It might be a little aggressive, but hey shoot for the moon and even if you miss you will land among the stars. You will lose weight with surgery no matter what, just don't be disappointed if you don't lose it all in 6 months. I am a little less than 60 pounds away from my goal of 120 and even if I lose a little more than a pound a week I will be there in a year, and with the sleeve I know I will get there.

[Lissa 2,631]

I personally think you're a little too optimistic. Some of the higher BMI people lose that kind of weight in six months, and some of the guys, but I've seen very few people that are "only" (sorry best word I could find) 300 pounds lose 150 pounds in that time frame. For reference, I started at 352, lost 13 pounds pre-op, and have dropped another 68 pounds since surgery 4.5 months ago. 81 pounds is a fantastic loss, IMO, but it has slowed down a bunch since the first month where I dropped 27 pounds.

Realistically, depending on what you lose/lost pre-op and how that first month goes, you should make it to 100 pounds lost in about six months or so. Besides, losing a little slower helps (some) with the skin issues, as in it doesn't look quite as bad, so there is a benefit to it.

Now, you may LOOK like you've lost 150 pounds at six months, depending on your exercise levels. Even though it weighs more, muscle looks better in clothes than fat looks!

[circa 333]

I think setting hard and fast goals can be self-defeating. What is your reaction going to be if you don't lose that much each month? What happens when August 21st comes around and you're still 25 or 30 lbs or more - or even less from that goal? Its important to set goals, but make them definitely reachable. Sure, its great to have something to work toward, but don't make it something that may work against you.