Equation/calculator to assess post-op progress?

[PolkSDA 116]

I realize there's unlikely to be a one-size-fits-all equation to measure one's weight loss progress objectively, but are there any guidelines, i.e.:

With a starting weight on date of surgery of N, if I am weight Z at X days post-surgery, am I on target, ahead of schedule, or behind schedule?

In other words, where am I?

My medical team really hasn't given me any guidelines.

When I entered the assessment program in June of 2019 I was 382. I was 337 on date of surgery July 13, 2020. So 6 weeks post-op I'm now at 311, a subsequent loss of 26 pounds since date of surgery, and a cumulative loss of 71 pounds since start of journey.

I know that I'm prone both to diet cheating and being lazy, so I like to keep a bit closer tabs on progress than others might need to, so if I see myself falling behind, I know that I need to go back to shakes & Soups for a while and/or get off my fat *ss and go for some extra walks.

Thanks.

[catwoman7 11,212]

I'm not sure this kind of thing would be too helpful, because people lose at all different rates for all different reasons - age, gender, metabolic rate, starting BMI, activity level, whether or not they lost weight prior to surgery, how closely they stick to their plan, etc. I was a slow loser from day 1, which some very insensitive medical resident pointed out to me - showing me a chart of where "most" patients are at point X, and pointing out how far behind the curve I was. It really bothered me because I stuck to my program about 99% of the time that whole first year. What else was I supposed to do? Change the fact I was female and post-menopausal and had a pokey metabolism rate? Luckily, I resolved to prove the jerk wrong and ended up losing 100% of my excess weight, blowing pretty much all the other patients in my co-hort out of the Water. But I could have responded the other way - thinking I was a failure, and thinking that he'd just confirmed it.

as long as follow your program and your weight trends downward (allowing for the occasional stall along the way), you're good.

[NovaLuna 710]

Like mentioned above, everyone loses at different rates. It has to do with age, starting bmi, metabolism, etc. I was 32 when I had my surgery and I turned 33 last month. I was 321 on my surgery date and had a BMI of 51.8. I lost 23 pounds the first month ( 19 the second, and then 18, 17, 7, 8, 10, and 7). I'm a slow loser, mostly due to my hypothyroidism. And having my meds adjusted twice already. 26 pounds is really good. Be proud of yourself as you're on track

[GreenTealael 25,360]

6 hours ago, PolkSDA said:

With a starting weight on date of surgery of N, if I am weight Z at X days post-surgery, am I on target, ahead of schedule, or behind schedule?

The only two things I've seen similar to what you are asking for (but only compares you against your possible progress) were in MyFitnessPal and Happy scale. They estimate where you may be (weight wise) in the next week or month based on your own metrics

Good Luck ♥️

Edited August 29, 2020 by GreenTealael

[ChubRub 1,702]

I like this calculator:

https://www.losertown.org/eats/cal.php

[Arabesque 7,259]

So many factors affect the rate of your weight loss as Catwoman7 said. Comparing yourself to others can mess with your head a lot. My friend’s daughter had sleeve surgery 6 weeks after me. She had exceeded my weight loss 4 weeks later. She is about 30 years younger & was considerably heavier than me to begin. It would have been very demoralising if I was competing against her.

I tracked my weight loss in the My weight app. It’s just a simple way to record your weight only. I loved watching the downward trend on the graph - it was motivating & rewarding.

As long as you keep to your plan & you’re losing weight you’re winning.

Good luck.

[bhrobins 66]

I agree with others that everyone loses at different rates and schedules.

Having said that, though, my stats are very similar to yours so I thought I'd share. 48 yr male, 6' 2", HW 382. SW 309, Sleeve on 5/18/2020.

At 6 weeks out, I was down 23 lbs. Now at 15 weeks out, I'm down 52 lbs. Averaging about .5lb/day so far, but I am slowing down.

Currently eating 850 cals/day with 100+g Protein. Walking 4-5x/week for a total of ~6-8 miles.

Keep up the program - hydrate, Proteins, light exercise - and it will work. You got this!

[tarotcardreader 196]

On 8/29/2020 at 6:30 AM, PolkSDA said:

I realize there's unlikely to be a one-size-fits-all equation to measure one's weight loss progress objectively, but are there any guidelines, i.e.:

With a starting weight on date of surgery of N, if I am weight Z at X days post-surgery, am I on target, ahead of schedule, or behind schedule?

In other words, where am I?

My medical team really hasn't given me any guidelines.

When I entered the assessment program in June of 2019 I was 382. I was 337 on date of surgery July 13, 2020. So 6 weeks post-op I'm now at 311, a subsequent loss of 26 pounds since date of surgery, and a cumulative loss of 71 pounds since start of journey.

I know that I'm prone both to diet cheating and being lazy, so I like to keep a bit closer tabs on progress than others might need to, so if I see myself falling behind, I know that I need to go back to shakes & Soups for a while and/or get off my fat *ss and go for some extra walks.

Thanks.

Yes lets science the hell out of this. Somebody needs to create the calculator and maybe its you ✊🏼

[billho 245]

On 8/29/2020 at 9:00 PM, ChubRub said:

I like this calculator:

https://www.losertown.org/eats/cal.php

This is cool. I put in my numbers when I started a 1200 cal diet back at the end of July and it nailed it down to the week where I am now.

[waterwoman 179]

There is value in measuring and tracking what we can control, but no value in measuring what we can’t control. Why not track food and exercise? And Celebrate the days you stay on track.

[jdmcardle17 1]

I found this. Hope it helps

Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

[The Greater Fool 2,025]

As several people have said in different ways that people differ. We need to learn this simple truth.

I was fortunate(?) that I was too large to fit on a scale. As a result, I only got a weight at each monthly follow-up.

Even then, I learned the scale didn't always reflect my progress (or lack).

The scale didn't know if I was eating correctly or not. If I was exercising or not. If I was happy or not.

I looked at my journal to verify this: My first month, I lost 41 pounds, next 3: 20, 19, 20 pounds. The 5th month I lost 8 crumby, miserable pounds. It was confusing. I felt defeated. I was doing all the same stuff, what went wrong? I was scared (as many folks report) that my weight loss was stopping well short of goal. This was all in the 15 minutes I was waiting for the Doc.

Doc looked and said "Great! Any issues? Still following plan?" I expressed all my anxiety above. I got a kind but firm talk about how scales lie. At my weight, day to day fluctuation could be dramatic. It's the trend that is important.

He also expressed that tracking food, calories, carbs, exercise was a trap. Our inputs today may not influence our weight for 3-5 days. So looking at our weight change today then looking at yesterday for why is natural human boneheaded wrong attribution of cause and effect. Worry about following the plan, day in and day out, and you will find success, because success is about how you feel, not numbers on a chart or scale. He said that unfortunately, too few people listened to this and made themselves miserable. The next month my weight loss jumped back up to my 2nd highest monthly change. I didn't change a thing.

I liked my Doc, Supportive and he kicked my ass when I said or did something stupid.

I also know, as he knew, people are people.

Tek