Goal weight versus Ideal body weight
Your ultimate goal shouldn't be a number on the scale, but finding a place whre your body can be healthy and happy. As for a realistic number on the scale, it depends on which form of WLS you have. I'm just geussing you're getting the RNY, so---take your total excess weight, multiply that by 75%, and that's about how many pounds you can reasonably expect to lose.
You know, it all depends. Some people go for a normal BMI. I think it really depends on your own body.
My IBW would be 120-140. (I'm 5' 4") At #148 I was a size 4 skin and bones and my BMI was still overweight!. My TT removed 4 inches of hanging skin but it weighed only 1.5#. If you look in my pics there is a picture of the bones sticking out in my chest.
I looked much better around 155# and a size 8.
Perhaps shoot for a size or a look, aim for 160# then see how you look and feel. Weight is just a number but it can cause fixation.
Good luck in your adventure
Pup
My IBW would be 120-140. (I'm 5' 4") At #148 I was a size 4 skin and bones and my BMI was still overweight!. My TT removed 4 inches of hanging skin but it weighed only 1.5#. If you look in my pics there is a picture of the bones sticking out in my chest.
I looked much better around 155# and a size 8.
Perhaps shoot for a size or a look, aim for 160# then see how you look and feel. Weight is just a number but it can cause fixation.
Good luck in your adventure
Pup
I wouldn't and I didn't.
Ideal weight is based on what insurance tables (which are out of date) think about how your height and weight should go together. It's basically a BMI type calculation.
Your surgeon's estimate is based on how much of their excess weight most of his patients lost. It tells nothing about how much YOU will lose.
I tend to focus more on body fat percentage. After being obese for a long time, I developed very dense bones which is great for my health, but means I weigh more than someone my exact measurements but with less dense bones.
If I lose weight, I don't want to lose any of that density, I only want to lose body fat, so for me, although I post my weight range, it's all about the body fat percentage. Right now I'm at 20%, which is excellent for a 57 year old woman who is not an athlete.
Best of luck figuring out how to handle this - it's a real trip!
Ideal weight is based on what insurance tables (which are out of date) think about how your height and weight should go together. It's basically a BMI type calculation.
Your surgeon's estimate is based on how much of their excess weight most of his patients lost. It tells nothing about how much YOU will lose.
I tend to focus more on body fat percentage. After being obese for a long time, I developed very dense bones which is great for my health, but means I weigh more than someone my exact measurements but with less dense bones.
If I lose weight, I don't want to lose any of that density, I only want to lose body fat, so for me, although I post my weight range, it's all about the body fat percentage. Right now I'm at 20%, which is excellent for a 57 year old woman who is not an athlete.
Best of luck figuring out how to handle this - it's a real trip!
Rebecca
Circumferential LBL, anchor TT, BL/BR, brachioplasty 12-16-10 Drs. Howard and Gutowski
Thigh lift 3-24-11, Drs. Howard and Gutowski again!

Height 5' 5". Start point 254. DH's goal: 154. My guess: 144. Insurance goal: 134. Currently bouncing around 130-135.
Circumferential LBL, anchor TT, BL/BR, brachioplasty 12-16-10 Drs. Howard and Gutowski
Thigh lift 3-24-11, Drs. Howard and Gutowski again!


Ideal body weight is a BMI of 22.3 (don't ask me why). Are you 5'7"? I calculated that from an ideal weight of 143.
On average, folks who've been obese a long time have larger frames and more muscle mass than folks who haven't carried 100+ extra pounds around with them, so it's a little harder to hit ideal weight and many of us would look skin and bones. Not all though, some with genetically very small frames get below 22.3 and look fine.
I'm 5'8 1/2, but all my stats are figured off 5'8". For me:
Ideal weight is 147 lbs (BMI 22.3)
Normal weight range is 122-164 lbs (BMI 18.5 - 25)
I'm 152 lbs (BMI 23.1) and I look a little scrawny up top. I could lose more (I actually haven't stopped losing completely) but I'm fighting it because I don't want to be any thinner. However large bone structure runs in my family and mine is huge. Someone my height with a smaller bone structure might want to get down to 147 or below.
I'd suggest deciding exactly what you want to do when you get closer. Nothing is written in stone.
On average, folks who've been obese a long time have larger frames and more muscle mass than folks who haven't carried 100+ extra pounds around with them, so it's a little harder to hit ideal weight and many of us would look skin and bones. Not all though, some with genetically very small frames get below 22.3 and look fine.
I'm 5'8 1/2, but all my stats are figured off 5'8". For me:
Ideal weight is 147 lbs (BMI 22.3)
Normal weight range is 122-164 lbs (BMI 18.5 - 25)
I'm 152 lbs (BMI 23.1) and I look a little scrawny up top. I could lose more (I actually haven't stopped losing completely) but I'm fighting it because I don't want to be any thinner. However large bone structure runs in my family and mine is huge. Someone my height with a smaller bone structure might want to get down to 147 or below.
I'd suggest deciding exactly what you want to do when you get closer. Nothing is written in stone.
Highest weight: 335 lbs, BMI 50.9
Pre-op weight: 319 lbs, BMI 48.5
Current range: 140-144, BMI 21.3 - 22
175+ lbs lost, maintaining since February 2012
I discarded the ideal weight, and instead, aimed for a clothing size. My friend was the same height as me, and the body type I thought (or hoped) I had and decided her size was my goal. I think I'm officially mildly overweight by the BMI scale, but by the ladies dept, I'm right between an 8 and 10, which to me is absolutely perfect.
Valerie
DS 2005
There is room on this earth for all of God's creatures..
next to the mashed potatoes