Home Invasion, Weight Loss, and Goal

Things in my world have been very interesting lately.

Last Wednesday night, myself and the couple I live with were the victims of a violent home invasion. Two men burst into the home while we were there, violently subdued us (the man of the house is still in hospital), duct taped us, and robbed us. We were afraid for our lives, and honestly, I knew it was the end...only it wasn't, thank God.

An event like that provides sudden, profound clarity, whether you're looking for it or not.  Suffice it to say, in the intervening time, I've been reflecting a lot. Nothing earth-shattering to share here, really, but it's helped me to realize 1) I'm truly at peace because though I didn't want to die, I was ok with it in that moment and 2) I truly believe the philosophy I spout about crisis breeding growth.

Anywho...the upside is....my scale hadn't been moving lately, in spite of my strict adherence to plan. Now I've lost nearly 10lbs this week and hey, I'll take it any way I can get it as that puts me just a bit over 2lbs to goal!

GOAL...that pie in the sky number I never REALLY thought I'd reach. Who frickin' knew? lol

So here's the deal. 160 was my goal. When I last saw my surgeon, they went on and on about how I'd reached THEIR goal for me and 160 was unrealistic given my excess skin. My response was " watch me get to 160, regardless of what you say!" Now that I'm nearly there, I'm thinking of dropping it to 150. The BMI chart has me overweight until I reach about 156. I'm 5'6" tall, mind you. And oh, btw, I now wear a size SIX which still totally amazes me. It's like, on what bloody planet am I inhabiting that *I* can wear a six???

So here's my question...or the lot of them...

1). If I change goal, should I update my ticker or just leave it as it is to reflect my original goal?

2). How to I decide whether to change my goal? Everyone is saying I've lost enough, but....

3). How do I know when enough is enough?

4). When I start maintenance, my understanding is to add about 100 cals a day of healthy fats, or nutrient t dense foods until I find the right balance, is that right?

Thanks in advance for your insights and responses. This place, and you all, have made all the difference to me along the journey!

 

So glad that you are alright; I can't imagine the trauma you have just gone through with your friends; hope everyone continues to heal physically and mentally.

I am 57 (soon to be 58) and am 5'5" --my surgeon/team did not have goal wts and only told me to expect to lose 70% and they would be happy; I wanted to lose 100 % of my excess weight and I hit my personal goal of 135 in May 2013 started to add in calories, healthy fats, nuts, fruit, veges and have continued to lose down to 125 -- have been maintaining within 2 pounds for many weeks now as I continue to increase calories; now getting in 1200 to 1400 a day; with emphasis on protein first.

How to know when enough is enough? I based it on how I feel in combination with BMI chart.

I don't want to lose anymore weight and hope to balance out 125-130

I didn't change my ticker

Maintenance is fun and challenging as I am still working my way through the process and know it will be a lifetime of being "mindful" of what I am doing. I track my food daily and weigh daily.

I feel really good and am very grateful for the gift (VSG) I was allowed to have,

Take care, Barb

 

 

 

 

First of all, OMG!   When I read the title of your post I was certain you didn't mean a true "home invasion" and was curious what the punch line would be.  I hope you are taking care of yourself emotionally and understand that this was a big, ******g deal!   So glad that you're OK. 

Now, on to goal.   So excited for you!   I'm close but don't intend to change my ticker even though I think my final goal will be lighter than 135.  

I used the BMI chart to help me figure out an initial goal but now I'm focusing on body fat percentage, a much better indicator of overall health and fitness.  I went through underwater body fat testing a month or so ago and will do it again once I reach 135 lbs.  Hoping to reach "normal" body fat of 25%.   Don't want to really drop much below that unless I can get a whole lot fitter (and that's going to take a lot more exercise than I'm doing right now).   I don't think super-lean looks good on women in their 50's. 

Setting your final goal and knowing when to say "enough!" is a very personal choice.  Don't listen to others - listen to your body, assess your personal fitness level and do what feels right.  Pick a goal that seems reasonable to YOU and you'll quickly figure out in maintenance if it's something you can maintain. 

Best of luck to you!

Wow what a scary thing to go through! Glad you are okay.  Florida has victim advocates that will help through the whole process assuming they were caught. They will even attend the trial with you.

My two cents would be go with YOUR goal.  My surgeon's goal was different than mine also. I also wanted to be in the "normal" BMI.  For me that never happened I came close.  But I wish I had really pushed and went lower.  Statistically there is regain so if you go a little below then if there is regain you are at a good weight and probably close to your surgeons goal.  Not trying to be negative about regain but it happens. Four of my family members have had WLS and we all regained some.

Gosh, I am so sorry you had to go through that, but I am glad your all right as well.  I think you should listen to your inner voice, it will tell you when you have lost enough.  You know the scale and the BMI are just arbitrary numbers.  When the scale isn't moving, many times you can still be losing by measuring yourself.  The other thing is that you have been through some major trauma and I think stress causes your body to create cortisol, which attributes to belly fat, I believe I read that.  So don't worry that the scale isn't moving, as you start to get back in a routine and your body bounces back, I think your weight loss will return.

wishing you well,

Smiles:),

Lisa

I am so glad you are ok and hope your friend will be ok.

My son was a victim of a home invasion back in February while away at college. Two men burst into there apartment of campus and robbed them. My son was shot in the abdomen and had to have two surgeries because the bullet hit his liver.



Thank GOD he is alive and doing well. I was the worse phone call to get as a mother!

Go with you goal! If you feel comfortable with it, do it!

I am sorry for what you went through!  Thank God you're OK!

My question is, if a size 6 is overweight, do we need to change sizing or change our idea of what is overweight?  What size do "healthy weight" people wear?  i always thought size 10 was a size for perfectly healthy weight people to wear.  Have the sizes changed that much over the years?

Sizes have changes A LOT. I now wear a 4/6 but my wedding dress is an 11 from 27 years ago. I weigh about the same now as I did then and it fits me fine. So yeah sizes have changed quite a bit.

Laura

I wouldn't base anything on clothing sizes since they are so inconsistent.  Additionally, all bodies are different, so what is one person's overweight might be another person's perfect.

I'm so sorry about your ordeal the other night and so glad you survived!!

Secondly, congratulations on hitting your new goal!  I personally think that size six is awesome, especially on someone who is 5'6".

Re the ticker question, I updated mine after I hit my initial goal (surgeon's) because I decided on a new goal, which I've once again met.  (I decided I wanted to lose more than half of my excess weight, and I did.)   I am trying to get down to the top of the "normal" BMI range, but my body doesn't seem to want to cooperate in that and give up those last ten-or-so pounds.  I decided not to change my ticker, but rather to post total pounds lost and current weight as changeable text underneath my ticker, should anyone actually care to know besides me.  :)

I'm struggling with ultimate goal myself, so I can't offer any wise words.  My total weight includes my acres of excess skin, so I frankly don't know what I should be aiming for, either.  I'll be watching your thread to see what words of wisdom and advice appear.