I am 5'8" and 185lbs (40-45 lbs overweight)

[kt_999 0]

Jacqui, I am loving your attitude and everyone elses on this matter. I have my first appointment with the surgeon on April 2nd and with a BMI of 35, there's no nice way to put it... I look fat,I feel fat, I am fat!

I am in Christchurch, New Zealand and my doctor had a bit of an issue referring me to begin with but after I explained to him my many failed attempts at dieting and my misery over the fact that everytime I loose weight I put it back on with another 7kgs or so he finally agreed... only wish I was in Oz so that I could've started down this track at BMI = 30!!

It is not a decision anyone takes lightly and it's a very personal journey... surely we are capaple of deciding if we need a gastric band or not!?

KT

Pre-band

[Marsene 0]

I am getting banded in TJ on Thursday. I am 5'8" and weigh 196. That puts my BMI at 29.8 . My starting BMI was 31.5 but the preop diet has me in the not technically obese range. I am still getting banded because I 've lost 50lbs several times. I keep it off for a little while -up to a year- and then gain it back. If I look around at my family there are quite a few people that are would qualify for bands no problem. I decided that I didn't want to wait. I want to get control back now. I have arthritis in my neck and back and carrying around this extra weight is making it worse. I know there are risks involved but walking around with 70lbs of excess weight is a risk too.

Marsene:clap2:

[Fauxnaif 1]

I'm 5'8" and I know I would be too thin at 130 pounds-- I have a large frame. I don't think I would want to go lower than 150 pounds, not in order to still be able to have a lot of energy and muscle and so forth. So these are things to consider. Also the surgeon will need a five year or so history of failed diet attempts, etc.

Yeh I am 5' 9" and I know I would look horrible below about 160. It does depend on frame. I don't know many people who are as tall as the OP and weigh that little unless they are major athletes. Personally, I think your (OP) goal is too low. I would tweak my diet if I were you. Are you willing to become a vegan or almost-vegan? That would be much less radical than surgery and you would almost be guaranteed to lose enough weight to put you in the normal range.

Veganism for Weight Loss

[Fauxnaif 1]

my GOAL weight is 180 and i am 5 9ish ...

Yeh, hello. Same height as you and my goal was 185. I hear you.

[Jachut 487]

It TOTALLY depends on your frame. 185lb is overweight for 5ft 8, its well above the top of the healthy weight range.

I'm five 10 and I look and feel best at around 154lb. Its perfect and its smack int he middle of the healthy range for that height. I still have curves at that weight - its not skinny at all for me. I'm 180 at the moment, and I have a muffin top going on, flabby backside, I've got plenty more to lose.

I think it also depends how obese you've become, it seems to me that at the top of your weight journey, its extremely hard to see a "normal" weight at the end of it. Everyone seems to say - oh the charts say I should weigh "x" but that's ridiculous, I'm shooting for "y".

There's nothing too skinny about being in the right range for your height!

[Marsene 0]

I totally agree. I am 5'8 and 140lbs is a reasonable healthy weight for my height. When I was younger, before kids, I weighed 125 - that was a little too thin, but natural for me at the time. Now Im at 194lb and I don't feel like myself anymore. I have little health issues creeping up that I don't think I would have at a lighter weight.

Marsene