realistic weight-loss expectations, question for older veteran female

[onestepforward 0]

I'm a 51 year old female, 5'3", 320 lbs. If my calculations are correct, with the surgery my weight loss will take me down to around 200 (2/3rd's of excess weight.) I will still be over weight. 135 tops the scales for average weight for my height.

I'm reading that for life, I will be eating about 1 1/2 cups of food a day. If I eat more, I'll be sick.

I thought I would loose more weight. I was hoping to at least get to 150lbs. With 1 1/2 cups of food a day, how is it that I won't be "very thin"?

[DestinClair1983 72]

You can definitely reach your goals and lose 100 percent of your excess weight, but it will require dedication and hard work, sticking to your nutrition goals such as adequate Protein intake, adequate caloric intake, Water, etc, exercise. I believe that the average 66% excess weight loss you mention includes people who lose all their excess weight and those who either lose very little or regain because they don't stick to the plan. It's all about adhering to your nutrition plan and exercise because if you do, there's no doubt in my mind that you can lose ALL of your excess weight.

[DLCoggin 1,788]

Well I don't qualify as an older veteran female but I've got two out of three covered. Lol. I'd just like to second what Destin said. The numbers you read are averages which simply translates into "some lose more, some lose less." It does not translate into you "can't" lose whatever you want to lose. I started at 285 with a BMI of 35. Today I'm 153 with a BMI right around 22.9 and my weight has been in the 151-156 window for over a year and a half. There's absolutely nothing special about me. No big red S on my chest. You don't have to go any further than this forum to read lots of stories of folks who have accomplished even more - much more.

P.S. I was 62 when I had my gastric bypass - age is not a factor.

You're gonna love the new you!!

Edited April 8, 2014 by DLCoggin

[onestepforward 0]

I appreciate everyone's comments. I can tell the support on this site is going to be awesome! I attended the nutrition and excercise class yesterday and learned that my circumstances may limit me to the sleeve bypass surgery. Not really the choice I was looking at.

I'll continue to post my journey and seek your support.

We may laugh and we may cry, but together we will succeed.

[QuickDraw 9]

Thanks so much DL for this encouraging post. I'm 65 and in the process of satisfying insurance(aetna) and my MDs requirements. At 5ft and 265 my BMI is in the 50s. Regardless of what the insurance decision is (tho I expect a "yes"), I will continue to lose weight in preparation for surgery and to keep positive outlook. It is so good to hear that a person of my age group is having such success!

[girlofsteel 1]

I'm able to eat 1-1.5 cups of food per meal, which my nutritionist says is normal for fully healed pouches. So maybe the per day part was a mis-communication?

[hollmon 5]

I would like to know if u still attend support groups?

Do your groups focus on vets? Those of us who r a year or more ou?

If not what what topics would you like to see discussed?

Is your support group lead by a peer ( someone who's been there)

Thanks for you replys

[carol Harlow 1]

I was about 320 when had my gastric bypass in 2000. I am now about 185 and am comfortable at this weight. I would of course love to be at 150 or even lower , but do not want to even think about cutting down on my eating to lose more weight. The thing is when you have a gastric bypass, after the first several months, you actually feel full after eating just a small amount . I have heard of people who have initially lost the weight and then gained it all back. I cannot imagine how painful it would be to over eat massively after having the gastric bypass surgery. I lost 140 pounds the first year after my surgery. If you want to have a decent quality of life as you age, you must lose weight and from what I have been taught, weight loss surgery is really the only way to do it.

[jacileggs 402]

I am 6 months post op gastric bypass. In my experience with my clinic I have lost 80% of my excess weight so far. I plan on losing the rest of it also. A lot of people do lose more than the average. That's why it's an average. It depends in you and your commitment and dedication.

[Baconville 578]

I'm a 51 year old female, 5'3", 320 lbs. If my calculations are correct, with the surgery my weight loss will take me down to around 200 (2/3rd's of excess weight.) I will still be over weight. 135 tops the scales for average weight for my height.

I'm reading that for life, I will be eating about 1 1/2 cups of food a day. If I eat more, I'll be sick.

I thought I would loose more weight. I was hoping to at least get to 150lbs. With 1 1/2 cups of food a day, how is it that I won't be "very thin"?

I am a 49 year old female. I am 5'2" and my high weight was 331. I was able to lose 40 pounds prior to surgery (RNY on 6/25/13), so my surgery weight was 291 pounds. I had the exact same concerns and my goal weight was 150 pounds as well. The surgeon told me that he thought I would "bottom out" at 180 and that anything beyond that would be up to me.

I was determined to make this work, and get to at least the 150 mark. I am happy to report that my weight this morning was 127 pounds (my range is to maintain between 125 - 130). I have a normal BMI for the first time in my life!! It has taken work. I belong to the YMCA and work out nearly every day. I also do about a 2 mile walk nearly every day on my lunch hour. I have followed my clinic's plan as carefully as possible. I use MyFitnessPal.com to track everything I eat - even now that I have reached my goal weight. I also have a FitBit Flex that helps me track my activity and I really try for at least 10,000 steps every day. On my off days I still try to hit at least 5000 steps.

I am not a work out fanatic - I actually hate exercise! I love to eat, love my carbs, love ice cream - non of that has gone away, and I have indulged on special occasions. I have lost a total of 205 pounds. I feel FANTASTIC! I had my one year visit with my bariatric doc a couple of weeks ago and she said that I can count myself as being among the 5% healthiest Americans. I take no prescription medications.

My point is that if I can do this, anybody can do this! I NEVER dreamed I would reach a normal BMI and would have been thrilled to stop at 150 pounds, but the scale kept moving for me, so I kept going. Set the goal YOU want and go for it. You just don't know where this journey will take you, but I guarantee if you do the work it will be at a better place than you are at now!

Carol

[Baconville 578]

I would like to know if u still attend support groups?

Do your groups focus on vets? Those of us who r a year or more ou?

If not what what topics would you like to see discussed?

Is your support group lead by a peer ( someone who's been there)

Thanks for you replys

I do attend my clinic's support groups when my schedule allows. I think they are very important to keeping me motivated and connected. We have two - one is for pre-op and recent post op patients, but vets are encouraged to attend. It is let by one of the clinic psycs and normally has a speaker. I always learn something new, and it is nice to be able to offer advice to those just beginning the process, so I really like to go. The second is for vets and is led by one of the clinic nurses. There is always a topic that is relevant to vets and I always get a lot out of the meetings. We cover everything from nutrition to exercise to keeping motivated. This group is much smaller, but I also find it very beneficial.

We were told that the long term success of patients that participate in support groups is significantly higher than those who do not participate. I am determined to give myself every tool for success. It is therefore worth to me to spend the couple hours a month to attend.

Carol

[Mommaslp 10]

So often we get hung up by the numbers on the scale that we lose sight of the bigger whole picture. I didn't have a goal end weight. My goal was to be healthy. I didn't care what that looked like in terms of the numbers. I stayed the course, did my workouts, drank my Protein, avoided white carbs, made sure I stay hydrated and when my body found it's own comfort zone I stopped losing. I'm now 18 years post-op and keep my weight within a 10 pound range. I still need to follow the same rules to maintain as I did to lose. It is a lifelong process but don't let "number" get in the way of being healthy. Our mental health is just as important as our physical health. Good luck!

[Baconville 578]

So often we get hung up by the numbers on the scale that we lose sight of the bigger whole picture. I didn't have a goal end weight. My goal was to be healthy. I didn't care what that looked like in terms of the numbers. I stayed the course, did my workouts, drank my Protein, avoided white carbs, made sure I stay hydrated and when my body found it's own comfort zone I stopped losing. I'm now 18 years post-op and keep my weight within a 10 pound range. I still need to follow the same rules to maintain as I did to lose. It is a lifelong process but don't let "number" get in the way of being healthy. Our mental health is just as important as our physical health. Good luck!

18 YEARS of being able to maintain!!! That is wonderful! You are an inspiration to me. I am just a year post op and have entered maintenance. So far I am succeeding, but there are days that it is really a struggle. I think time will give me more confidence that I can be where I am now for the rest of my life. Thank you for posting!

Carol

[ladypoohbear 123]

I'm 1yr. 5 Mon. Out and so far lost130 lbs. With 7 more to go. Awesome transformation. I downloaded my fitness pal app. And enter all food and exercises. No cheating....oh and by the way I'm 54 yes. Old

[tamg26k 479]

@@Baconville

I just ran across this post and your weight loss is truly inspiring. Congrats on being a 5 percenter!! I hope to one day have results that are similar to yours!

p.s. love my fitbit!