Question about Goal Weight...Confused

I want to preface this post with stating I don't know exactly where I need to be.  When I first meet with the surgeon he said that based on how I look, body frame I guess, that he doesn't see me as needing to get all the way down to the normal range.  I couldn't tell you the last time that I weighed what would be considered normal at my height now.  The Dr said he thought something in the low 200's would "look" good on me but according to all of these calculators, I need to get to approx 175 to be a high normal.  I don't want to put the cart before the horse, but where I am coming from with this is I plan on working toward my sleeve at 100%.  Doing the calorie counting and exercise and tracking everything.  I guess in a way I'm concerned that I may lose too much and not look healthy, but at the same point I want to become healthy with my weight loss.  I don't know if this makes any sense or if I'm just worried about things that don't really matter.  I go to get the surgery scheduled tomorrow and I am writing down a list of questions I want to ask him.  Picking more of a solid goal weight will be one of those for sure. 

So I guess my question to you all....am I completely nuts to be concerned with this?  Did you find yourself in the same boat that I am now and just confused?  I have always been "Big Dave".  I never thought of myself as normal Dave.  Maybe it is just some of the pre surgery emotions coming into play, but I really am struggling with wrapping my head around this. 

Just so you know my current stats.  35 y/o male, Highest Recorded Weight 312, Initial Consult 306, Current 293.  I am approx 5'11". 

Goal weight i beleive is a mystical number. Before surgery my surgeon and nut both set my goal at 175. On my last visit, 2 months post-op they revised it and said 190. So i am 1# from goal according to them. i feel great and I'm in the best shape in twenty years. The thing is I'm not ready to stop losing yet. I want to see where I feel the most comfortable at, then make adjustments. So as of now I'm sticking with the original goal.

I am right there with you Dave. I was just in for my 8 week post op visit. The NP told me to slow my weight loss and be ready to stop at about 200 pounds. I just followed up with the NUT yesterday. She stated that the NP was just going by the average results of what to expect with a VSG and she agreed with the NP. I plan on continuing my weight loss until I feel I am at a healthy weight and one where I look and feel good. I did not have major surgery to stop at what is considered to be average. This would in my thinking be just as bad as aiming for any particular BMI based on my height alone and not considering how I look and feel. Personally, I plan on targeting the high end of the BMI scale for me (that would be around 160) and as I come down from say 190, simply check in with my family and my mirror to see if a particular weight before that looks and feels right. Unfortunately, if there is a foolproof identifier for a weight goal out there, I have not seen it.

I would say you have done awesome so far Chris.  I'm stoked about the fact I may be down in the 240's 2 months after surgery....not going to be upset if I'm not, but just knowing that is a possibility.  I can't believe I'm saying this though, but I am looking forward to being able to exercise more.  I am doing some cardio on the ellpitical, but what causes me the most stress isn't getting winded, but my muscles around the knees, feet, legs, back just aching.  I think it is the extra weight that I'm packing on and trying to do it. 

On the slowing your weight loss....are they wanting you increase calorie intake?  Seems with my doctor, I will still be in a limited diet at your stage. 

I have a goal of 220, but I know I will reassess at that point. The lowest I can remember as an adult was 209 and I was a lean, mean fighting machine. When I get to 220, I will have a body fat test done and then I have a decision to make to get a number I can live with. I carry a lot of my fat in my hips and stomach. My decision will be driven in part by how much is still there. The numbers for me are not so much about how I look, but how healthy and what percentages of fat and muscle I have on my frame. Don't sweat it. When you get down to the goal, recalibrate and go from there. It's all going in the right direction, right?

Good luck!

That's what my goals are.  I think this thought of "goal".  Maybe I don't need to look at a set number but rather a healthy lifestyle and something my surgeon, nut, myself and family can agree on.  God knows I'm ready to take off this fat suit though.  LOL.

Goal is or can be a very personal thing. My goal weight leaves me still above a normal BMI, but as far as I'm concerned I'm at 100% EWL because I do not conform physically to the BMI charts. I'm 5'7" and to be at a normal BMI I need to weigh 159. I have never weighed 159 as a mature adult and have no plans to in the future. My current goal weight is 170. Here is a picture at goal. I have come to see that I don't need to lose another 11 pounds to be "normal".

No, you are not nuts to be concerned about this. There is so much talk on OH about getting to a normal BMI by so many that I felt like a failure not getting to a normal BMI or at least to my original personal goal weight. It was a process and it took input from valuable and trusted friends - both VSG friends and my close personal RL friends. I finally came to understand that where I was was a good weight. My body fat was 18% and that was pretty darn good for a 48 year old male.

People say you will know when you are there. I tend to agree. Your goal weight is what you have to live with and maintain for years to come. It is the weight at which you must be healthy and happy. You will know.

Hope you find this perspective helpful.

Thanks.  This is pretty much what I keep telling my self in my mind.  That hopefully when I get there I will know it.  I do plan on increasing my activity level so I'm thinking as long as I am comfortable and healthy I am successful.  I really think it is the whirlwind of emotions that are getting to me.  One thing I look most forward to is being able to walk 18 holes of golf without feeling like I'm going to die.  I played golf in college, and granted I was still bigger then, I could walk 36 holes a day with no problem.  I want to get back to being able to do that and really am looking forward to this summer when that may be a reality instead of a pipe dream.

Thanks for your feedback, and I would say you look very healthy and not above normal.  Congrats on your success and I look forward to enjoying it myself. 

Right there with you man.  I'm a bit taller than you and I'm resetting my goal to about 180.  I'm going to try that on (with a 5 lbs upper limit before pulling an Elina) and I think it will be fine.  I'm already below the lowest weight I've ever had.  I have a long torso and I don't think I will need to go any lower than 180 to be OK (doctor and surgeon agree).  Even now, at 196 I'm wearing mediums and smalls with a pants size of 34-36 depending on the brand.  I just bought 32s and figure that will be my landing zone.  Of course, I reserve the right to revisit my decision once I get there... I'm tricky like that.

Pulling an Elina ??!!   First, I am used as a measuring device be sleevegirl, who measures her weight in Elinas lost, and now this? 

You made me smile when I read your reply.  :)