Has anyone got down to "normal" weight/BMI post gastric bypass?

[Nymea 87]

Hi there

I am having a gastric bypass on 16th August and looking forward to the positive changes that will come with it ... reduction or elimination of insulin, improvement of GERD, lowering of blood pressure, being able to move better .. maybe even less knee pain.

Of course I am worried about the outcome particularly since I also have a heart condition, although my cardiologist assures me I will be fine and my heart will even benefit from my losing weight. As a nurse I know I will lose weight but in the back of my mind I still have this nagging doubt. I suppose with all the failed diets in my 56 years I can't believe that this time it will work.

What I am curious about is whether it is possible to lose enough weight to get back to a "normal" BMI weight range. So I am asking if anyone here has managed it and if so what did it take to get there? For those who didn't quite manage normal BMI how close did you get?

I would like to get as close to what is considered normal for my height as possible. I am not expecting to make it all the way, and I think I can live with being just a bit overweight rather than morbidly obese but I really would like to have some realistic idea before I start. My surgeon hasn't given me a goal weight yet so I feel like I am swimming in a pool of hopes and fears. Unfortunately the fears are screaming the loudest at the moment. I do still have another appointment with the surgeon before my op so maybe he will tell me then. If not maybe I will push him on the subject.

[James Marusek 5,244]

Yes and it can happen fairly quickly. Here is my before RNY gastric bypass surgery photograph and one with almost the identical pose at 6 months post-op.

This is a short article I wrote about the experience. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

[Djmohr 6,965]

The answer is yes absolutely but you have to work hard for it. I am 21 months post op. I have lost about 150lbs and am currently at a normal bmi for my height. I started at 310 and am currently 160.

It took me longer than most because I had 3 major surgeries starting at about 9 months post op. 2 spine and one shoulder. This meant that after 9 months I had to control my weight loss specifically from diet alone after the initial 9 months.

Incidentally I never I a million years thought I could do it and was scared to death that I would really screw it up when I found out I needed a 3 level cervical fusion last June. I was scare I would gain it all back again because up to that point I had been doing about an hour of cardio a day and had lost about 100lbs up to that point. I had 50 more to go and let me tell you after the first 6 to 8 months you have to be truly diligent because things slow down. I lost at about 3 to 5 lbs per month after that reaching my goal early this spring.

You have to do your part but I am telling you if I could do it anyone can.

Best of luck to you and feel free to reach out with questions. I also have before and after photos if you click on my profile.

[freelee 128]

I had my one year anniversary June 16th and have lost 134 pounds so far. My dr never gave me a goal weight, but I still have about 10 more lbs to go to hit the normal 23.5 Bli. Mine has been a pretty classis year for RNY. Weight loss, stalls, weight loss. I am so thankful and happy that I will be in the normal range again.

Don't compare yourself to others, but, yes, it is possible.

[ElizabethA 5]

Hi,

I am almost 2 yrs post op and about 6 pounds away from my "ideal" weight for my height. However, this has put me into a normal weight range and I am no longer classified as overweight.. yay!

At the start of the process I never thought I could get to the weight I am at now - I have lost 220 pounds! I just wanted to get to what I would consider a "healthy" weight, not feeling exhausted when I had to climb a flight of stairs, being able to comfortably buy clothes or fit into a seat on a plane without feeling wedged in or being unable to lower the tray table.

It has been a long road, and as the other posts have said you need to work at it - but it is definitely achievable. I found my doctor didn't want to give me a goal at the start of the process as they know that everyone is different and so much depends on the attitude of the person. I think they also don't want to over whelm you with the amount of weight that you have to lose :-).

I definitely feel a lot better, all the health benefits you mentioned above, so much more energy. However, be prepared that if you have a substantial amount of weight to lose you are likely to be left with excess skin and you will not get rid of this with exercise. I have recently had a "circumfrential belt lipectomy" where they remove all the excess skin right around the stomach area, excruciatingly painful but worth it! took another 14 pounds off and I have a flat stomach for the first time ever!!! Looking forward to being able to get my arms and upper body done next year!

Best of Luck

[Daisee68 2,493]

Yep. I hit it at 1 year post-op. It is doable. Whether "normal" BMI is a reasonable goal or not has been quite heavily debated / discussed here. Not sure I buy into the BMI chart myself but I was happy to hit the top of it.

[Nymea 87]

Thank you for all your responses. I am 3 weeks post op now and have lost 6 kg since my surgery .. 11 kg all together including pre op diet. Yet in the back of my mind is still the fear that I will be the one who doesn't lose much at all. I am a nurse and I know that it is biologically impossible to not lose weight on my current calorie intake ( average of about 600 cals a day) ... but the nagging doubts still linger. I suppose it comes from always failing in the past. I would lose 5 - 10 kg and then stall and eventually it would creep back on. This time my stomach simply won't allow me to over eat ... at least not yet so I know I will lose more ... but I am afraid I won't.

[Luckygemnz 12]

One year post op...now reached "normal" BMI after losing 44.5kgs. Importantly my health has improved immensely. No regrets and I'm 60yrs old.

Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

[DeletedMember 715]

@@Nymea How is your progress now that you're around 3-months post-op?

I just reached a "normal" BMI myself this week (about 7 months post-op, and 8.5 months after starting pre-op diet). I started at 333lbs (151kgs), and was 159lbs (72kgs) this morning.

[Nymea 87]

@ Hi thank you for asking. You have done amazingly well ... congratulations on hitting "Normal" BMI. I bet that feels amazing!

Not sure how long ago you posted .. I have been busy and not checking here much ... but I reached 22 kg lost this week. I still have another 17 kg to go to be in the normal BMI range, but I am very happy with the loss so far.

Eating and drinking can still be a bit hit and miss at times - but I am adjusting and take the ups with the downs now. The best thing for me is that I came off insulin a week ago. I still need tablets for my diabetes, but considering I have been on insulin for 30 years it is so freeing to be able to say goodbye to it. I am hoping that by the time I reach a normal BMI I can say goodbye to the tablets as well.