confused...

I had my one on one dietitian appointment today... she asked what my goal weight was and I said i would love to reach 170 which i think is a good goal weight for me. She looked at my chart and then said that it may not be attainable. She seemed to be the only one who thinks so. all my other appointments that I had said sounds like a great goal and were positive about it. She really wasn't positive it seemed like I said my goal weight was 100lbs.  So just curious if anyone who started in or around my Hw:370 has lost the weight and met there goals or lost more then they thought. or is it true my goal weight of 170 is untouchable?? I am confused.

HI Nikki,
From my understanding (and not personal experience), the nut/diet. try to set more realistic and attainable goals for us to reach. The surgeons tend to consult their chart and tell you what your BMI should be according to the textbook.  I am not sure if the nut/diet. was trying to destroy your dreams, maybe just trying to lower your expectations in the event that you don't reach this target weight. 
Truthfully, in my first surgeon appt. when he told me my ideal weight should be 160#, I cried.  At that moment, I realized that I had to drop over half of my size.  It was startling.  It seemed bloody impossible.  Today, 2 months post op, it is not as overwhelming and maybe even attainable...realistic, who knows?
Please don't let today's findings discourage you.
Best of Luck in your journey!!
TT

Thanks John. I have to admit I was a bit taken back. I will definitely look more into this and what a good target weight should be for me.

Often they will make a goal VERY attainable for you, but if I were you, I'd shoot for the stars, because with a lot of help from your tool, and following the rules to a T, getting your exercise, protein, vitamins, water etc., there's no reason that you can't get to exactly where you want to be!

All the best!

You are considered to be a weight loss surgery success if you lose 70% of your excess body weight. That doesn't mean you can't lose more.
My surgeon told everyone that those last pounds will only come off in the gym.
Don't let anyone discourage you. Just follow your program and you will be successful.

Linda

You're actually considered a success if you lose 50% of your excess weight. The average excess weight loss for RNY is 65% and for VSG is 55% each at 5 years out.

Hi Nikki,

As others have said, the nutritionist was trying to ensure that you did not become upset if you didn`t reach 170. 

My nutritionist in Ottawa, had indicated that the goal weight question on the form was kind of a trick question.  She calculated my excess weight and then a certain percentage of that.  This is the magic number that they would consider me to be successful.  She also told me that if I had not been at the lower weight as an adult, it may be even more difficult to reach it.

I wasn`t discouraged by this news nor disheartened.  This will be uncharted territory for me as all my previous weight loss attempts did not have such a marvelous tool to go along with it.

All the best in your journey.

Judy

I agree with what the others have said. They want you to be successful, and therefore set a lower goal than you might want (lower in terms of pounds lost, i mean). You have whatever goal you want, and fight to get there.

She's right, in that its going to be more challenging to reach that goal of 170, than it would be a goal of 200. Don't sweat it, have whatever your goal you like, and freaking prove her wrong!


GOod luck, Nikki.

Nothing is impossible, but some things may be harder than anticipated. I'm sure she was trying to be realistic and trying not to give you unreasonable expectations, as I'm sure some people have been disappointed. But what the nutritionists comments don't take into consideration is your personal determination.

Figure out what the top number for a healthy weight at your height would be, and then minus it from your weight at the time of surgery. Then figure out what 65% of that number is. That is the amount of weight loss that is average with the RNY. Minus that number from your surgery weight and you'll discover what the 'average outcome' weight for you would be. Are you happy with that number? Are you not happy with that number? To get below that number will require you to beat the average, meaning it will require more work than the 'average' RNYer to get there. I hope this is helpful.

Good luck.

The goal is to get where you feel most comfortable, not a number.  The 'chart' is biased (IMHO) because it doesn't take into account your body type/build.  For example, I am 5'9", but my body type is 'large', so I know that I will never be 160 lbs.  1) My body type won't look good at that weight, and 2) at my age and after 2 kids, it's not practical.  The goal I have set for myself is between 175-185.  That's realistic.

At my 6 mon check-up (at St. Joe's Hamilton), I asked about a goal weight, and was told that they don't give you one because it can set you up for failure if you don't acheive that (even if you're feeling and looking great).

I would say just go with what feels good for you when you get to that point.  For now, just concentrate on one thing at a time.

Good luck!