Poll: Those that made goal vs. those that didn't

I'm trying to wrap my head around what the difference is between the people that have made goal vs. those that haven't, like myself. I want to know if you feel it is your habits or your body that got you to goal. Are you just one of the lucky ones who had weight drop off like crazy or do you work hard with exercise and eating well. And for those of you who haven't made goal, can you attribute it to any shortcomings in your program like drinking with eating or starting back to eating sweets, etc. Do any of you feel as if you are working hard and working your tool and should be closer to goal than you are?

Regardless, I think we are all successes in our own rights. To have the chutzpah to go ahead with the surgery and attempt to change our lives for the better is surely something to be proud of!

Thanks for your responses!

Denise

I did make my goal--actually both my goals- my 1st goal was 170, my second was normal BMI < 154. I am 5 ft 6. I do follow the rules- don't eat and drink, get at least 80 grams of protein a day (surgeon says 60 but I don't think that's enough), and I ate extremely low carb till I hit goal--I did eat fruits and veggies (more fruit) but I only had 1 serving of other carbs most days- I have increased my carbs now that I hit goal. I also have been faithful working out since about 2 months out- I swam 4 days a week till I lost enough weight to try other stuff--at 8 months out I started 1 spin class a week and 3 weight training, since 11 months out I do 2 weight training (got quicker and do same exercises in shorter time) and 2 cardio. I think the weight training has made a big difference in my actual size since I weigh more than most people who wear my size-including non-ops.

The other things that I have done that really helped is listened to my body and it's cravings which means some days I eat more and some days I eat less but this has to be a lifestyle for me and not a diet. I have to be able to live this way forever!

I will say that I do think some of making goal or not has to do with your body and the weight it wants to be from my observations here on OH for 14 months!

Hi Denise...
Yes, I made it to goal. Did I have to work at it? Not really. Plain and simple, I think I was lucky.
I listened to my body and quit eating when I was full.  One other thing I did and continue to do is never eat more than 8 grams of processed sugar per serving. Now that doesn't mean I don't over did it on other things, I just don't do it on sugar.
One other woman on OH and I have become good phone friends now and our surgery dates were just a week apart. She said the same thing. She got to goal and we pretty much followed each other and got to goal around the same time.  The one thing is, I think if it would've been harder maybe I wouldn't be struggling with making better choices now. Before I would lose weight no matter what I did. Maintenance is very hard!
Nora

Hey Nora!! Now I gotta say I love your honesty. And that is precisely what I'm trying to learn about this issue--is it luck, habits, heritage? Different for each person I'm sure, but interesting to me nonetheless. I will pray that your maintenance is not a chore. You've come so far!

Thanks for your response!

Denise

Are you still doing your tennis?  I remember you saying how much you love that and you had started it not too long after the big weight loss started.
I am so much wanting to get back to the gym...my muscles are sore and I havent been doing anything due some major health issues

First of all, people have different ways of choosing their goal. My goal was to have a BMI under 25.  I also weighed 140 in my mid-20's, which was a BMI of 22, so that was the goal weight I chose for myself.  For some of us, it's not realistic to try to weigh what we did when we were young, but for me, it worked.  I dropped weight steadily until month 14 when I reached my goal weight.

I never tracked my food, but I did watch what I ate and counted protein grams in my head each day. I did not do any sort of exercise until month 7, but I did start exercising regularly then and still do.  I do not drink with meals.  I do not drink sodas.  People I personally know "in real life" who do these things have gained back a significant amount of weight, so I definitely avoid these two things.

I have maintained now for about 16 months.  I still weigh myself everyday.  If I'm up a few pounds, I cut back to get it back off quickly.  I know I could do a lot of damage if I did not keep up with it this way.

I wonder if we were thin as an adult if somehow our bodies remember that and that somehow makes it "easier" for some of us to get to goal.

Laura

 Well, that's an interesting question.  TECHNICALLY speaking, I haven't made goal (and am pretty sure I will never will).  My body seemed to stop losing weight at 145-ish at about 7 months, but I still proceeded to lose another 2-3 more dress sizes.  I never imagined I would fit into a size 6 on a regular basis (and most people think I wear even smaller sizes!)  So, it's only fair to say that I have been very successful with my RNY.

While I am always conscientious about what I put in my mouth, my eating is far from perfect.  On the other had I have really embraced the activity side of weight loss.  I'm a teacher and when I'm off of school in the summer I walk about 2 hours a day and I still try to fit in at least an hour even when I am in school.  I do ballet once a week and even agreed to be in the adult number my studio's recital next month.  I also do pilates at least once a week and most of all, I was a figure skater growing up and have gone back to that as well.  Somehow landing an axel again at 29 and trying to land a couple double jumps is serious motivation to do everything else right.

I'm of the opinion that you should focus on your strengths so think about what you love most and REALLY embrace that, while doing the best you can with the rest.  For me it's not just exercise but the kind of exercise I do that keeps me going.  

Anyway, that's my opinion and although I'm just hitting that bounce-back danger zone time-wise, it's worked pretty well for me so far!
-Gillian

Wow!! You are an inspiration!! I love all of the activity you speak of. That really is a huge part of this process isn't it--getting back to living and loving moving our bodies. So happy for your return to your childhood love--isn't it wonderful to love what you are doing that also just happens to be exercise!!

Congrats to you for embracing the process. Continued success to you!

Denise

I would caution EVERYONE about this whole "making goal" thing and placing too much emphasis on WHY someone might not have reached their goal weight.  As a counselor, I have seen FAR too many people -- both WLS folks and people trying to lose weight without surgery -- who set themselves up for failure by picking a goal weight very arbitrarily and picking one that is probably not realistic.  A "goal" can be a great motivator, and I KNOW that Denise asked the original question in a positive way, but I fear that some people who never made their goal will read this and begin (probably not for the first time) feeling bad or mentally beating themselves up for some perceived failure on their part for not reaching that arbitrary number...

Lora

Well this is one of those days that I probably shouldn't hit the reply key, but I'm going to anyway. I have to be perfectly honest when I say that I truly do not think that this post required a word of caution regarding its potential negative impact. Because if this question needs a disclaimer, so does every thread that speaks to how fast someone is losing since those are equally likely to bring up feelings of perceived failure or shortcomings for those that don't lose as quickly. With all due respect, because I do respect you and others that have responded, but I think there has been a bit too much reading into this question. I think most of us are intellegent enough to know if we've been arbitrary with our goal setting. To me, "goal" is a very subjective thing and I, perhaps wrongly, assumed that people would take whatever their goal was, whether it was to be a certain weight, body fat percentage, BMI, or to be a marathon runner, and respond to me based on whether or not they met that goal. I do feel badly for people that just pick an arbitrary, unrealistic number as a goal or have one imposed on them by a doctor because that can set one up for feelings of failure. But my question would have allowed for people to speak to that as well. They might read my question and as they look further into and ponder why they've not reached that goal and decide they have been unrealistic with their goal. They might have that moment of clarity as a result of my question. The may come away saying, "Well, I picked an unrealistic, arbitrary number and didn't meet that goal and here is my life lesson from that and here is how I'm going to change it to feel more positive..."

So yes, some people who never made their goal may read this and begin to feel bad, or they may read this, and some of the responses, and see where they might make some positive changes to be able to continue on this journey toward whatever their chosen goals may be. Without goals we have a tendancy to wander aimlessly, so perhaps the word of caution should be about realistic goal setting vs. not wanting people to look into why they aren't getting to where they want to be in their weight loss journey. Unfortunately, introspection is not always comfortable, as I am sure you are well aware. I'm sorry if my question has caused anyone to feel badly, but as I sit here about 40 pounds, 5 BMI points, and 10% body fat away from my goals, I wanted to see if there was any common thread that ran among those of us that are still aspiring to improve our weight/body fat/BMI/strength, etc.



Denise