The Lies & Myth of Goal Weight

From: [email protected]

 

Few patients will ever reach goal weight.

There you have it. Numerous studies suggest that fewer than 20% of patients achieve goal weight. My work with patients of all gastric surgeries for weight management suggests the same thing. In fact, it is fairly common for me to meet someone who introduces themselves saying, "I'm one of those people who never made it to goal weight." Here is what you need to know about goal weight so it will cease to be a barrier to your pursuit of overall health.

 

Know This Truth: It is the random method of determining goal weight that is flawed; it is not the patient who is flawed.

Goal weight is a random data point set arbitrarily with reference to standardized tables that are irrelevant to an individual's health history, age, co-morbidities and genetic profile. In most cases the goal weight creates unrealistic expectations for the patient. When patients do not achieve this random point of measure called goal weight they consider themselves a failure and "one of those people." Patients become hopeless and frustrated. These feelings almost always lead to rebound weight gain.

 

Why do we use weight as a measure of health?

From the time of our birth when proud parents happily announce our weight and height and throughout our life these two data points (weight and height) are used to assess our health. The reason? Cost and convenience. Collecting these two measurements is easy and cheap. Most medical professionals agree that the current standards for body weight measured by weight in relation to height (called BMI-Body Mass Index) does little to reflect disease risk, identify body fat, and in general presents a misleading argument for overall health. In reality, the most these data points reveal is change over time without indicating a decline or improvement in health. Yet we are encouraged with weight loss surgery, and by conventional diet programs as well, to focus on a goal weight and BMI that may have very little to do with the health of our body.

 

Today we go beyond goal weight to help you achieve better results that are health focused.

Please join me with an open mind as we look at goal weight as it is used by weight loss surgery patients. Bear in mind that I'm not anti-goal weight. I am simply sharing the knowledge I have collected in building my understanding of how such a tight focus on goal weight results in difficulty and disappointment for many patients. As you read with an open mind add this knowledge to your personal experience and understanding. You are a powerful person. Harness your strength and intelligence as you engage in the pursuit of  better health and better living with weight loss surgery.

 

- We are all so much more than the bottom line measured by the bathroom scale.

 

Love it!  I've always hated those charts and more so now that it seems they lump everyone into one category.  If you're 5'2 you should weigh 110lbs no matter what.....wrong!  Some people, me included, would look sick at that weight.  It's not one size fits all and not all "thin" people are healthy.  I have a cousin who is probably below her chart weight and has higher cholesterol than me! 

Neither my surgeon or my dietician set a "goal weight." I merely picked some number to put on a ticker to see something move when I lost weight. Right or wrong for me to do, I just wanted to see some progress in front of me since I can't often tell as I am losing the weight.
My dietician says they don't set goals, don't count calories, carbs, sugars, etc. Stick to the eating suggestions in the handouts that they gave and it will happen. Most important would be actually measuring the food!!
So far so good for me!

I like this. Support reality!

I am the one who set my goal weight not my PCP, NUT or surgeons. I have purposely set my goal weight at an almost unattainable figure. I do not ever want to say to myself, hay I made it now I can relax and live my life. If I live my normal life, I will be fat again. I don’t expect to ever get to my goal weight and to be honest I always want to be striving for it. I never want to say to myself or anyone else, “Oh I am happy with my weight now". That is normally a cop out because people have just given up the fight. I see plenty of folks here on this page who by my estimation are still over weight and say they are happy with the way they are. I wonder, I really wonder, if that is true or just the way of making themselves happy and justify themselves. A lot of old timers (people at their goal for a long time) don’t share much about themselves, no mention of what they weigh now, how tall they are, no BMI no Blog or up to date profile. They say they are at their goal, and happy the way there are, but what was it? I wonder.
So goal weight is just a number, but you have to be honest not so much with others but with yourself. My goal weight is a BMI in the normal weight range. Specifically I am 5’9" and I want to be 165lbs. That is my goal. That is what I  weighed when I reported for football practice in college a half a century ago. Pretty unrealistic isn’t it? But it is going to be fun working toward it.     

Even though I am not at a goal, I must disagree with you. I believe that maintenance is going to be our greatest test. I have lost successfully on many diets throughtout my life, but maintenance was always my greatest struggle. I feel we can be satisfied at a particular weight even if it is not within what the charts say is a normal BMI. I have a ton of hanging skin....lost the beauty (what little I had) of youth but I can tell you, I am thankful each day that I have greater mobility. 

I agree that we cannot become complacent ...but keep ever vigilent so we do not slide back into old habits. For myself, if I did not feel victorious at whatever number my body seems determined to hold,  that is what would cause me to feel failure. If the opposite works for you..more power to you. We all have to find what works for us. Striving for an impossible goal is not what would work for me. 

No one has set a goal weight for me.  I have thought of what I want.  I know I want to not be labeled "Obese" anymore and "overweight" would be nice to see gone also. 

I agree with everyone. I have a reasonable goal but I realize that as you age you naturally gain a little. I am aware of calories but i don't count, I am aware of quantity and go more by that and watch out for high carb foods. So far it has been working. I am now down to needing to loose 10 or 15 lbs and I judge that more by the extra fat that I can see in areas that have always been problems. If I substract 10 or 15 pounds to account for extra skin I am almost on my goal. If I can lose it fine but I don't want to gain any for sure. Now that fall is near, I will get back to the gym and tighten everything up again. A good BMI will be my final goal.

Thanks for the information.

My ultimate goal was good health.  The weight was a number I once weighed years ago, I doubt I will ever get there again.  Since I am coming up on 3 years since this surgery, health is wonderful and with that said, I am vary pleased. 

Yes, absolutely. I agree wholeheartedly. thanks for sharing