Can anyone explain this?

I heard from the Bariatric Center that RNY on average helps you shed 60% of your excess weight.  How come it seems like many people on this board (including myself already) are above that?  I know 60% is an average and many people are above or below 60%.  Is the 60% based on people a year out, 5 years out??? Does this consider the "bounce back" weight?  And does it also consider how heavy you were when you started?  Seems like these are all factors and what you lose is so individual.

I think some people are above average, some are below average.   I have lost 100% of my excess weight, my friend has lost 90% and another friend has lost 70%.  Same program and surgeon for all of us.  So our average is 260/3 or about 86%.  Someone that does not work their tool might only lose 40% or even less.  And that number thrown into the mix brings the average way down.

I had always heard the average was 70%.

 My surgeon showed us statistics from 5+ bariatric surgery centers of excellence with thousands of patients in each center and the stats were more in the 70-80% range... 


I think it just depends on where they get the stats...

I did notice when reading a lapband pamphlet....the lap band pamphlet gave the highest end stat for lapland and the lowest end stat for all the other surgeries......so .....(grain of salt there)......

I trust my surgeons stats he gave us because they do all 4 types at his center (lap, DS, RNY, and sleeve..although my surgeon himself refuses to do bands at all..the other two surgeons will do them if you really want one)......he very much talks about how everyone is different and what is right for one person isn't necessarily right for all

And he had the stats from very reputable centers with thousands and thousands of patients....

I was told by my surgeon at UofMICH that it is an average of 70% of excess body weight.  So that is going to depend on your starting weight and your ideal weight and I would believe your overall health.  So, they way I understand it is if say we both should weigh 150 ideally, but one of us starts at 275 and the other starts at 375, we are going to possibly have different end results and therefore the need to use the word average as we won't all do the same.

I also believe, as someone else posted, it depends on how well you adhere to the program.  Not only using your pouch/tool correctly, but how much you excersize.  My surgeon couldn't emphasize enough that the greatest long-term successes made total lifestyle changes in food and activity both. 

Good luck on your journey,
Paula