Question about weight loss percentage

Hello,

      I finally found a WLS practice that takes my insurance, has a comprehensive team and extensive follow-up care to suit me.  Today was the information seminar.  Good stuff.

      Between what I've read online in publications and heard from the surgeons, a patient can expect to lose about 65% of their excess weight and that some rebound weight gain is to be expected.  With sixty-five percent of my excess weight gone it will still leave me in the overweight BMI category. 

       How do the veterans here lose 100% of their excess weight and maintain at the lower end of the healthy BMI category?  I am assuming they are two different approaches, but I could be wrong.  I also asked about maintaining a vegetarian diet post-op and was told there would be no problems with that at all. 

Hard work. Keto - high protein, low carbs ~ meat and some veggies diet. Definetly not vegeterian. 

Thanks for sharing your success. Can you please explain what you mean by hard work? I'm glad your chosen diet is working well for you! 

Hard work means exactly that.  It is very hard to maintains. It require always monitoring what and how much i eat. Every time i try to relax my diet i find myself gaining  weight. One week of not so clean eating may result in 5 lb gain that may take 2-3 weeks of monitoring, exercise, etc to get rid of the regain. 

My diet needs to be changing all the time.  What worked for me in year 1-2-3 was not working in year 4-5 or beyond.  As I am getting older,  things change, as is my body.  At the same time monitoring blood work, making sure i get enough the right nutrition is critical. Maintaning my muscles require proper proteins, minerals, vitamins and exercise.   

Add Stressful job that takes 50-60 hrs per week....and not much time is left.... Grabing just anything for lunch, snack, or dinner ous no longer an option.  Add shopping, cooking, and research what to do, taje, eat, and what is working or not.  

I used to be able to eat more fruits, veggies, but over the years, my body got very efficient in using every carb... Carbs for me = weight gain.  

Thanks for the explanation. 

I used a three prong approach with my surgery attacking the physical, OA helping with the psychological and spiritual and Wrigh****chers contributing some education, fellowship and support.

I was making a very expensive, life altering decision and PLANNED to make the most of it.

I put my head down and refused to give up until I reached my weight loss goal.

I saw my medical team regularly, putting my health at the top of the priority list.

I followed my weight loss with reconstructive surgeries that strengthened my resolve to maintain what I have achieved.

My husband and I take fitness-centric vacations now and hike and bike extensively to celebrate our good health.

Thanks for commenting. I like your planning aspect and how you put your health first, even when thinking about vacations. Good for you.

Kath, I lie the way you described your approach towards maintenance.  I also agree that OA (Overeaters Anonymous) helps with the emotional and spiritual side, since having the surgery doesn't change our emotional makeup or reliance on food to meet our emotions.  I also think exercise is a KEY component.  I find whenever something interferes with my exercise, I start gaining weight. 

For me personally, I wouldn't sign up for a program that is geared for 50% eventual EWL.

65% WL with some regain is about 50% eventual EWL.

Tight sleeve, strong aftercare with no expiration date with a surgeon that 90-100% EWL is common is how I have done it.

It is of my understanding that a post op vegetarian diet is much harder to do as the carb count will tend to be higher, protein lower and you minimize the restriction component of a restriction based procedure.

Not saying it can't be done..... you asked and I answered to what I know to be true.

frisco

Thanks for your input. There doesn't seem to be any standardized timeline for post-op. I've only checked out three practices. The first only required a year of post-op office visits and no classes or support groups. He supported of both a vegetarian and vegan diet. The second practice required five years post-op visits and mandatory support group attendance. I didn't pursue them further because I don't want contend with mandatory attendance since I never know what my work schedule will be like. So the practice I chose has a three year follow-up, weekly optional support, and a full range of pre-op and post-op class times. They also approved a vegetarian diet. It may be harder but it's doable. Transitioning to a vegan diet a year or so post-op might be more complicated. Not sure if I will cross that bridge or not.