Confused About Expected Weight Loss

[Cathy Mettille 8]

I keep reading the expected weight loss percentages per each of the different procedures. So if you are only expected to lose 65% of your excessive weight, what keeps you losing to lose to your goal or healthy weight. Wouldn't you be following the same eating plan from the time you start eating solid foods again? How do you get rid of the remaining 35%?

[Missytee 138]

That's a good question. My doctor said he doesn't see me getting under 200 pounds. I'm currently 300. Go figure!

[jenique 26]

I keep reading the expected weight loss percentages per each of the different procedures. So if you are only expected to lose 65% of your excessive weight, what keeps you losing to lose to your goal or healthy weight. Wouldn't you be following the same eating plan from the time you start eating solid foods again? How do you get rid of the remaining 35%?

You are expected to become more active when you start losing weight. Those who do will eventually hit their goal weight. Those who don't, end up only losing the 65%.

[travelergirl 142]

There are some people that despite the procedure keep eating poorly. The WLS is not a cure. So the statistics show that.
Long term success and losing more than 65% will come down to the person and their food choices and the activity they add to their life.

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[Berry78 4,261]

It's the luck of the draw. 65% is average, which means some lost less, others more.

Personally I think it is that the surgery won't reset our set-points all the way down if we are more than 80-100lbs overweight.

So the surgery can do x-amount, and the rest is up to us. Many of us get bored with the constant battle, and at some point the effort isn't worth the payoff, so we stop. It's not wrong, it just IS. And that's ok.

The fat rats could lose it all and keep it off, but they never were double and triple their bodyweight.

[Introversion 1,876]

The 65% statistic includes every sleeve gastrectomy patient regardless of whether they lost 100% of their excess body weight (or only 20% of their excess body weight).

65% is the average...it doesn't mean you'll lose 65% of your excess body weight. You may lose more. You may lose less.

For instance, those who lost 100 percent of excess weight are pooled with average losers who lost 60 to 70 percent of excess weight, as well as poor responders who lose far less than 50 percent of excess weight. When all has been tabulated, the result is 65% excess weight loss with the sleeve.

Said differently, a person like me who reached goal weight and lost nearly 100 percent of my excess body weight is placed in the same statistical pool as the woman who only lost 25 pounds with her sleeve since she self-medicates her undiagnosed depression with red velvet cupcakes and Coca-Cola all day.

Yep...there's a hell of a lot of disordered eating in the bariatric surgery population. People whose heads aren't psychologically in the game suffer from poor results and regain.

[Greensleevie 451]

To be completely honest, the 65% almost all happens because of the sleeve. People don't realize during the early months, you really can pretty much eat anything and still lose weight due to the sheer lack of calories you're consuming. The rest of it then depends on diet, activity, etc. Our bodies tend to get complacent and get used to the lack of calories, causing a lot of people to stop losing. That's when you have to use a little science and tweak things to figure out how to get the scale moving again.

[momislosingit84 59]

I personally think the 65% is only if you rely on your sleeve and not put in the work. If you work out and use the sleeve as a tool I have seen many people lose way more than just 65%. I personally am 9 months post op VSG and am only 25 lbs from my drs goal of 150. I was 298.6 at my consult 4/11/16 sleeved 11/22/16 and now 175.

follow me on Instagram @sleevedsummer

[dreamingsmall 1,125]

I was told 80% excess weight. I'm in the uk
He said he doesn't want me under 28 BMI that that's what he is and he is healthy that I'll look gaunt... sw 244 cw 216 6 weeks in gw -135 I'm aiming for normal BMI despite what he said. I'll just keep working at it
when weight loss slows

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[dreamingsmall 1,125]

I was told 80% excess weight. I'm in the uk
He said he doesn't want me under 28 BMI that that's what he is and he is healthy that I'll look gaunt... sw 244 cw 216 6 weeks in gw -135 I'm aiming for normal BMI despite what he said. I'll just keep working at it
when weight loss slows

Sent from my Swift 2 using BariatricPal mobile app

It's the luck of the draw. 65% is average, which means some lost less, others more.
Personally I think it is that the surgery won't reset our set-points all the way down if we are more than 80-100lbs overweight.
So the surgery can do x-amount, and the rest is up to us. Many of us get bored with the constant battle, and at some point the effort isn't worth the payoff, so we stop. It's not wrong, it just IS. And that's ok.
The fat rats could lose it all and keep it off, but they never were double and triple their bodyweight.

Sorry I was told I'd lose 80% not what the average is.

Sent from my Swift 2 using BariatricPal mobile app

[Berry78 4,261]

My doctor doesn't make predictions for his patients, so I have to go searching for statistics Even at 80%, it's not 100%. We see sooo many posts.. "how do I lose these last 20lbs?".

I'm just mentally preparing for the scale to stop at 20-30lbs over ideal BMI. C'est la vie!

[ZinNH 173]

My doctor said the average is 65%, but that for a revision (in my case, from lapband to sleeve,) it's more like 55%. He said in their practice, their patients tend to be above the averages though. He didn't give me a goal weight (yet.). After being over 300, I'd be thrilled to get down to 200.

[Julie norton 2,850]

It's the luck of the draw. 65% is average, which means some lost less, others more.

Personally I think it is that the surgery won't reset our set-points all the way down if we are more than 80-100lbs overweight.

So the surgery can do x-amount, and the rest is up to us. Many of us get bored with the constant battle, and at some point the effort isn't worth the payoff, so we stop. It's not wrong, it just IS. And that's ok.

The fat rats could lose it all and keep it off, but they never were double and triple their bodyweight.

Ditto this. Be happy we got healthier. Not just a number!!! I've been at this post wls 10 years. And it is rare to lose it all and keep it all off. Some do. Most of us just do way better than before and it is all relative to where you start

[Missy161 395]

My plastic surgeon said I'll hit a 2. - 3 month stall and that's when I should come back regardless if it is at goal or not, donuts probably very common. I think the surgery is a tool and we have to put in some hard work whether it's food choices or exercise or both to be most successful. So, if you want to get to 100% of your extra weight you can do it! You just have to be very deliberate. I saw my pcp a few weeks ago. My goal set with my surgeon is 135. I'm large busted. I haven't seen 135 since 17. At 29 I was 155 and a size 10 and felt great. My pcp said 150-155 is a more realistic goal for me. So, I'm shooting for 135, but think I'll be elated if I hit 150.
I checked an age and gender bmi site yesterday and i think 150 was a good bmi for a 55 year old female my height. It said at 135 that might be too low, even though the traditional chart says 135 is perfect. It's all relative. I don't think a chart can capture us. I think we need to see how we feel at a certain weight.


Mich W
Hw 223, SW 217 CW 191 GW 135

[KartMan 58]

I keep reading the expected weight loss percentages per each of the different procedures. So if you are only expected to lose 65% of your excessive weight, what keeps you losing to lose to your goal or healthy weight. Wouldn't you be following the same eating plan from the time you start eating solid foods again? How do you get rid of the remaining 35%?

It's BS, it's statistics. The 65% comes from the average weight loss of the entire population in the study. Some people work the tool, and some don't. If you put in the work, there is no reason to believe you can't lose 100% of your excess weight.

I had LapBand in 2009 and lost all of my excess weight (about 110 lbs). I didn't actually start exercising till I was at about 80% from goal, and frankly not even a lot at that point. The most important factor was watching what I ate, because it is definitely possible to cheat. I kept the weight off for years too, it was only recently that my band failed that I started to gain weight.