50-60% Excess weight loss in 2 years

[Fluffnomore 1,235]

This is one of those crazy things. I think when we see what everyone is doing here it can skew how we feel about our own successes. At my last appointment (around 6-7 months post-op) the PA told me that as far as the practice is concerned, I am now a success story, with just about 70% of my excess weight loss to get to their goal of 160. My personal goal is to get as low as I can go, but at almost 9 months now, the weight is really moving slowly. Everything people say is true: my body still shifts around, my life is 100% better and healthier, I can't believe what I can do physically, and for the MOST part I am enjoying the way I look. My personal goal is 150; my stretch goal is 143 (100 pounds.) Will I get there? I don't know…I hope so. Right now it's a constant dance of figuring out what kind of workouts work for my body and make me feel good. Experimenting with what and how I eat. Trying to be patient when the scale doesn't do exactly what I think it should be doing. I think that is because a lot of what we believe, we still base on "conventional" wisdom, and that doesn't really cut it anymore. For example, keeping my calories steady and burning 3500 extra calories in a week does not automatically lead to a pound of weight loss. We want to quantify and be in control, and I'm squarely in the phase where I have to just do the right thing and trust.

It's a trip, isn't it?

[Jim1967 3,569]

Everyone has already said it in regards to averages. All walks of life make up statistics and averages that everyone throws around but your not a statistic. You are an exception to the rule! Choices you make will dictate the life you lead period. Any surgical option you choose will merely be a tool on that road of life. I know a few people who had some form of weight loss surgery and failed but it was not because of their surgical choice but because they never got their head on straight. Sure most lost the weight but the weight loss was temporary because the lifestyle change was not implemented.

My Wife knows this person who had gastric bypass and two weeks after surgery he was blending crab rangoon to get his Chinese fix. He just had to have it like it was a drug. This is true story...

I'm not trying to scare you or come off like a preacher but it really is hard work. Anyone who ever said this is the easy way out clearly has never dealt with obesity.

Anyway, I am a band patient and I started with a BMI of 79 at 488lbs. First 38lbs was on my own and the band helped me with the rest. I have lost over 300lbs but I am still not within "normal" BMI range but I am OK with that and I so much happier now than ever. I have my life back.

Good luck with whatever decision you make. Getting hung up on numbers is going to make the road even longer. I stepped on the scale daily and I had a lot of miserable days along the way because of a number on a scale.< /p>

Jim

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

It is important to recognize that we are all different and you shouldn't compare to others. Find your OWN success - that is the key.

The advice my NUT gave me was both very simple and very hard.

Eat small quantities - always. Keep the HABIT of small portions even as your ability to eat more at once expands over time. Eating small helps you keep from desiring more. Eat till lack of hunger, do not seek out the feeling of "full". That took a LONG time to make that mindset shift. She told me that was the number one success factor she had observed, followed closely by avoiding "grazing"

Protein and veggies should be the heart of your eating. No junk food, no fast food and no processed food on a regular basis (I do sometimes have unhealthy food, but it is the exception, not the rule) I am quite carb sensitive so even in maintenance I really watch carbs.

I can't help but notice that if I am not hungry for a slice of turkey... maybe I am not ACTUALLY hungry - right? I can eat a slice of bread anytime, hungry or not.. since carbs are like crack to me... I will eat it even if I am not hungry.

Stay active. Change up your fitness routine as your body becomes very efficient if you keep doing the same thing.

Bottom line - keep working the sleeve the same way as the early months. The losses will slow down, but it doesn't matter... just keep working it. I use the scale to monitor my progress (and maintenance) but for many people tracking food is critical to success. Find what works for you and KEEP DOING IT. When it stops working, look into logical changes - mixing things up.

It's simple, but hard to keep doing it. I figure i don't have much of a choice though...

Cowgirl - what advice did your nutritionist give on how to beat the averages? Would love to be as successful as you! Thx

I asked the nutritionist how to beat the averages.

Don't know why you can't beat them too. It's not easy or even fast but it's possible.

[thesuse2000 698]

Thank you cowgirl!! That was really helpful, especially the bit about eating till satisfied, not full. I know that I may not achieve the same success as you, but I want to aim for that, and if I seem to settle at a higher weight while I'm doing as much as I can comfortably maintain, I think I'll be able to happily accept that.

[PrettyThick1 1,860]

Statistics schmatistics...I was told it would take me 24 months to lose my excess weight with the band, faster with the sleeve. I went with the band and have surpassed my goal weight by 12 pounds in 1 year and 20 days, met my goal in less than a year. Go with the procedure you feel most comfortable with and put your faith into believing you've chosen right and it's going to work to your satsifaction.

Edited July 9, 2014 by PrettyThick1

[Wallflower7522 328]

I'm an rny patient, 4 months out. I've already lost more than 50% of my excess weight.

As others have said, I wouldn't worry as much about those numbers. Those are averages. My surgeon actually said 60-70% of excess weight with in the first year.

[Vixynne 695]

Hi, Jade---I'm just over the 1 year mark from being sleeved. All my stats are below in my signature, but I have lost over 90% of my excess body weight in a year. I think, like almost EVERYTHING to do with this surgery, from what our surgeons have us do with preop diets, NSAID advice, post op food schedules, etc., etc., etc, your mileage may vary. We're all different. If you really work hard at following your doctor's guidelines, eat accordingly, become more active, can you still only lose 40% of your excess weight? Probably. But are your numbers most likely going to end up being a lot higher than that if you DO follow the guidelines and move more? Yes.
My doctor said (those must be the three most often used words in the forums, don't you think?) that there's no reason weight loss HAS to stop at a year out, or at 18 months out. If I'm willing to really push myself, I could lose as much as I want to lose. Easier said than done, yes. But doable! Other factors can affect it--like thyroid issues, just for one example. If you give this everything you've got and reach out to your medical team if you aren't progressing like you want to, then there's going to be NO stopping you until that goal is under your (much smaller) belt.

[JeanZ_RN 378]

Think about what an average is. Put 100 WLS patients in a [virtual] room, each of whom had the surgery a year ago. Find out what % of their excess weight each has lost. Add all 100 results, and divide by 100 to get the average.

For the result to be 60-70% (or whatever the latest study says), there have to be many of the 100 who lost a higher % than that, and there will be many who lost less than that.

Your result will be determined in large part by how closely you stick to your surgeon's/NUT's recommendations, and how determined you are. Another factor, as other posters have said, is what life throws at you while you're trying to stay on plan.

I'm determined that I WILL get to my goal weight -- which I chose, BTW; it isn't something my surgeon determined. I think I'll be able to do it within 12 months of surgery, but even if I don't, I WILL get there eventually ... lord willing and the creek don't rise . Assuming I do make it, I'm going to be one of the 100 who will skew the results toward a higher percentage. But then I've been VERY fortunate that life has not thrown me any curve balls so far.

And as another poster said... even if I don't lose any more weight from this day on, I'm still VERY happy I had the surgery.

Best wishes!

Edited July 9, 2014 by JeanZ_RN

[terry1118 1,274]

It is important to recognize that we are all different and you shouldn't compare to others. Find your OWN success - that is the key.

The advice my NUT gave me was both very simple and very hard.

Eat small quantities - always. Keep the HABIT of small portions even as your ability to eat more at once expands over time. Eating small helps you keep from desiring more. Eat till lack of hunger, do not seek out the feeling of "full". That took a LONG time to make that mindset shift. She told me that was the number one success factor she had observed, followed closely by avoiding "grazing"

Protein and veggies should be the heart of your eating. No junk food, no fast food and no processed food on a regular basis (I do sometimes have unhealthy food, but it is the exception, not the rule) I am quite carb sensitive so even in maintenance I really watch carbs.

I can't help but notice that if I am not hungry for a slice of turkey... maybe I am not ACTUALLY hungry - right? I can eat a slice of bread anytime, hungry or not.. since carbs are like crack to me... I will eat it even if I am not hungry.

Stay active. Change up your fitness routine as your body becomes very efficient if you keep doing the same thing.

Bottom line - keep working the sleeve the same way as the early months. The losses will slow down, but it doesn't matter... just keep working it. I use the scale to monitor my progress (and maintenance) but for many people tracking food is critical to success. Find what works for you and KEEP DOING IT. When it stops working, look into logical changes - mixing things up.

It's simple, but hard to keep doing it. I figure i don't have much of a choice though...

I agree about simple carbs being like crack... they have always been my weakness. I know this about myself so I choose to forever go without them. Others may be able to have a little taste and no more but not me! I'm like an alcoholic who can't have just a 'little' alcohol. I have to abstain COMPLETELY! I am VERY okay with that - being thin (and healthy) is SO much more satisfying!!!!! :-)

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

There is a massive !! amount of wisdom in this thread.

Thanks to each of you for sharing what's working well for you. You're all my role models.

Ann

[DLCoggin 1,788]

Ditto to on the carbs! I could have gone the rest of my life and never missed sweets. But carbs - that was a whole 'nother story. Surprisingly though, I eat very little carbs these days and with a few exceptions, I really don't seem to miss the carbs as much as I expected to. There are "those" days, but not too often. It is truly astounding how your priorities, and your perspective and your life changes following surgery. It's very difficult for anyone who hasn't experienced it to understand how amazing the changes really are.

Edited July 10, 2014 by DLCoggin

[cutiecake 178]

Thanks y'all for this very inspiring thread! I loved reading all the responses, and only hope I can soon add on to a positive thread like this with my experience and knowledge! I'm on my way. Good luck all!

[deedeemuffin 346]

Everyone truly loses differently. A lot of the posts that you see on the boards are from people who have had above average success rates. I would say that I am someone who is a little more average. I am a year and a half out from surgery & have taken off 50% of my excess body weight so far. As you can see by my stats & ticker I was at a higher starting weight than a lot of people as well.

My experience was that for the for 6 months after my vsg it was like the weight melted off. 100 lbs. in 6 months. I thought that I would be to my goal weight in no time. Then it was like I hit a wall. Now if you look at my other posts you will see that I struggled. Struggled with getting in Protein. Struggled with avoiding carbs. Struggled with exercise. Struggled with what a drastically different lifestyle being sleeved is. I even gained back about 10 pounds. I did not do "everything right".

It took me about a year to really revamp my lifestyle and find out what works for me to lose weight but feel balanced. I am down 120 lbs with another 122 to go. I am now losing consistently at about 2 lbs a week for the past 12 weeks. I have no doubt that I will get to my goal weight. It might not be as quickly as other people have, but I will still get there.

So, my 2 cents is that the sleeve is an invaluable tool. Even if I was not still losing weight, the weight that I have lost already has changed my life. My health has improved dramatically. I actually went hiking last weekend! It might be literally 3 years after my surgery before I get to goal, but so what?

None of us gained our weight in a year. We're not all going to lose it in a year. Is it possible to lose all of your excess weight? Yes! Is it possible to lose it quickly? Maybe. Will you regret surgery if you ONLY lose 50-60% of your excess weight? I doubt it. It is sincerely life changing. Best wishes to you & I am sure that you will make the right decision for yourself.

[Nicey2u 228]

I lost 20lbs pre op... Wa sleeved 4/23... Started at 250 on DDay... Have lost 44 pounds I am now 206! It seems to be coming off slowly but in retrospect it's pretty fast! I don't exercise much... Treadmill about 5 times about 30 to 45 min each time but haven't done anything hard core yet. Not sure if this helps... Good luck!

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

Deedee makes excellent points. I would add that it applies regardless of % of excess lost ... meaning that is how regain happens. Weight Melts off fast and then the demons resurface. I basically stopped losing when I got to about 190... took effort and focus and time to lose the next 50#