Anyone else surprised by their target weight?

[Amanda2008]

I'm only 5'3" and Dr. Miranda suggested I should be around 160 or even 170! That's a drop of 100 lbs, but still, I was thinking I need to be around 130.

Whenever I've dieted as an adult, I've always plateaued at around 170. Was she being conservative with me?

I know it's early on but just wondering if anyone else was surprised by what they were told their weight should be.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

[mona-camille]

I'm only 5'3" and Dr. Miranda suggested I should be around 160 or even 170! That's a drop of 100 lbs, but still, I was thinking I need to be around 130.

Whenever I've dieted as an adult, I've always plateaued at around 170. Was she being conservative with me?

I know it's early on but just wondering if anyone else was surprised by what they were told their weight should be.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Well, it kind of depends on how many times you have gained and lost over your lifetime. I learned something really fascinating from my fill doctor. See, when you gain weight, your bones also gain weight. They need to grow bigger and stronger to help hold up your heavier body. You can lose fat, but you can't lose bone, so you will always have more weight on you because your bones are heavier. So, the longer you are heavy, the more bone growth you will have. So the doctor said (for me anyway) since I am 49 now and spent so many years heavy, I'll never be 130 again. Just not possible.

They also have this neat scale thet weighs your fat, bones, water etc. and can weigh them all separately. Mine goes like this, I am 5'3 and out of all my weight, 149 pounds are nothing but skin, organs and bones. Since everyone must have a little bit of fat in them, my target weight is 155. In fact, it isn't possible for me to weigh less than 149 no matter how much I diet.

So, thats what I was told and I find that very interesting because it means those weight tables aren't accurate for every person. And kind of makes sense now that those weight tables say you can weigh a little more each decade of you life. Because everyone's bones get heavier throughout life. Pretty neat huh?

[Amanda2008]

Oh wow, was that what that funny scale was in Dr. Miranda's office? It was like a bath mat...

My friends are shocked (or good actors lol) when I told them I weighed 265. Dr. Ortiz also told me I carry it well. Maybe I do have really heavy bones. I know I also have a lot of muscle underneath my fat in my legs, because they are really strong.

I also think I might need a good colon cleanse in case I'm hiding 20 lbs of gunk in there...

[BrandNewDawn]

Dr. Miranda never gave me a target weight and I did not think to ask for one. If yours is 160 at 5'3", I wonder what mine would be at 5'7". I originally wanted to get down to 135 but I adjusted that up to 145 after reading so many other posts about higher weight maintenance goals for formerly obese people and now I'm adjusting it up to 155. When I was younger, my body liked that weight and now 155 is in the healthy range for my BMI and no longer considered overweight. I would still like to be 145 but I am going to wait until I see what 155 looks like to decide.

I find that information about heavier bones really interesting. I have always heard that women begin to lose bone density at age 35 and that is why we are supposed to take calcium supplements and exercise regularly. But my friend who is doing one of those liquid protein diets (Optifast, I think) said her doctor told her to she would not be able to get down as light as she once was either. That it just was not possible. And that was about heavier bones and muscles too.

I have spent my whole life being "hung up" on being the right "size" and the right "weight" so it is hard to admit that I may have to settle for a higher number but I guess it will be what we look like at that higher number that really matters and I have learned over the years that every clothing manufacturer has a different idea of what a "size" is. I bought a pair of size 16 pants a few days ago and I think I could probably fit into a size 14 but I still cannot get into my size 18 pants from 10 years ago. Part of it is the fabrics are stretchy now and that 10 year old denim is not and the "cut" is different now too, much more relaxed. So, in one way I'm totally jazzed I could wear a 14 and totally bummed I cannot get into the size 18's from 10 years ago.

Such is life I guess, but I digress. My point is (did I have a point) I think you will just have to wait and see what you look like. Nothing is written in stone. Other posters on the forum have talked about adjusting their goals up or down. Some are on maintenance now. There is so much great information on here.

Anyway, HAPPY THANKSGIVING

[Musiclover]

I'm only 5'3" and Dr. Miranda suggested I should be around 160 or even 170! That's a drop of 100 lbs, but still, I was thinking I need to be around 130.

Whenever I've dieted as an adult, I've always plateaued at around 170. Was she being conservative with me?

I know it's early on but just wondering if anyone else was surprised by what they were told their weight should be.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

I am 5'4" and Dr. Miranda gave me a suggested weight of 162 but I thought that was the weight we could be just by having the band. I have already passed that number and definitely still need to lose more but I realize that I can't just rely on the band at this point and need to exercise more.

[MrsParris]

I am 5'3" and Dr. Miranda told me between 150-168lbs. I am aiming for the low end.

Kimberly

[ckiki]

Wow, I am kind of scared to see what my goal weight will be at 5'11 1/2..YIKES! I know that before I got pregnant I was like 180 (which was over 11 yrs ago), and even then I was a little on the chunky side. I was hoping to get to 160 or 170. I am definitely a big boned girl and I also have a lot of muscle. So I guess I'll see.

[determination]

Happy Thanksgiving!

One of the things I love about this forum, is all of the discussions of so many experiences. I too have not yet had my surgery. There are so many questions to ask and I think I have better write these down so that I don't forget to ask the many Doctors. I am 55yrs old and 5' 4'. I imagine that my suggested weight will probably also be around 160-170lbs.

To all of you younger gals. You are so lucky to have this chance now and to not have to wait till you are my age. No matter our ages we all seem to have the same desires, challenges and goals. Here is to all of us, to weight loss and a healthier and newer you.

[Trav]

Keep in mind, Dr. Gaby wants to make sure that you're healthy, after all, it's her job. However, it's important to set an easily reachable goal, and then if you feel like it, set another goal. Remember she's trying to get you healthy, and a loss of 100lbs is definitely a healthy goal to achieve, and reduces your risk for co-morbidity associated with obesity. (Obesity is such an ugly word in my book.)

That being said, shoot for that goal, then if you get there and you're happy fine. If you still want to get that "*barf* am I pretty yet?" look, then feel free to adjust that goal.

When I set my goal, I didn't need any help, I said 180-190, I got no argument...even though I've weighed as little as 159, 180-190 is realistic, and though I'll be a little on the chunky side, it's a healthy weight for me.

[nothereanymore]

I can weigh more now than I did before and be smaller, (I think Mona is right on our bones are heavier after being obese for so long) in addition many of us get into exercise and we're building muscle which is heavier.

I’m 5’6” and I like myself between 145 and 150 best, I do want to get lower than 145 with exercise to see how much body sculpting I can get into. My weight changes now – up and down between 10 pounds, at times I’ll get as high as 155– it use to bug me since I really don’t eat all that much, but I think that’s just the way it is now. No matter what I can put on clothes and look and feel great – that’s what counts. At 150 I can wear size 6 pants, 8/10 tops which I find odd, my son's girl friend is a 6 and borrows my cloths and she weighs under 130 pounds - she only an inch shorter than me.

I think the best thing to do is to not look at your weight, which is hard for me right now - I'm trying to get over it and just look at your body, the size and overall health of it, measure that by how active you can be. I get that you have to do it when you’re really focusing on the weight loss but at some point I think to be healthy, we need to stop focusing so much on it. I believe its part of what got me to being obese in the first place - just being so focused on the number of the scale and letting that affect how I felt about myself.

Best,

Lisa

[125ne1]

Hi everyone! I am a newbie. I have my surgery date set for December 22 with Dr. Martinez. I was reading through your posts regarding target weights. I found it very surprising! I have been a yo-yo dieter since I was very young. Fought with body image issues for as long as I can remember. Just in the past year, my weight has gotten out of hand. I weigh more now than I have ever weighed--even 9 months pregnant! I imagine some of you will think I'm crazy. My BMI is between 30-31. The problem is not that 30-31 is really bad--it's the fact that I keep gaining at an alarming rate! I don't want to wait until I've let it get up to 35 to 40! That being said, I wanted to get down to 125 pounds; I am 5' 4.5" tall. I would think that 150-160 would not be a good target weight for me--I think that I will stocky at that wait. That's not what I want.

Do the OCC offer any counseling on body image issues? Maybe that's my biggest enemy! Any comments are welcome.

[jhawkchick75]

I was really glad when Dr. M told me she'd like me to aim for 145. I have been close to that weight before and I know it is doable. When I went to WW, I always got so frustrated b/c I could never get to lifetime and then I would quit. Well, the problem is they relied solely on BMI and mine says I should be between 119 - 123 and I will tell you there is absolutely NO way that will happen! I am curvy naturally and big boned and am also very chesty and when I lose weight they don't get any smaller. But 145 is very doable and helps my motivation a lot.

I've never heard of OCC having any counseling, but if you look in your area many places do and I think that is a great idea. My fill place has stuff and I'm going to take advantage of it.

Hope you all had a great turkey day!

[BrandNewDawn]

Frame size can make a difference for a weight goal too, as well as your level of fitness. I have a large frame (although I would never admit that when I was younger) but I was always using those old metlife tables for the small frame therefore the lightest weight even though I was active and made a point to exercise. I also think, like Lisa, that focusing on being a certain number on the scale or a certain size and never being happy with even a reasonable weight got me into this mess in the first place. That and being competitive with my older, naturally thinner and smaller framed sister.

I am 5'7" so with my large frame, I hope I will look good at 155. If I'm still not happy, I can try to lose more. Ultimately, our goal weight is up to us. Dr. M. is not going to recommend something unreasonable.

[vangirl]

This is really interesting. I'm 5'0, and my pre-op weight was around 251. Dr. Miranda told me she wanted me to get down to about 160-170, which I thought was high. For my height, I've always thought I should be around 115 or less, but the point about bones, frame size, etc. is a really good one. It's frustrating that people in the weight loss industry rely solely on BMI and don't consider these things that makes weight loss an individual thing. I'm a naturally curvy and likely heavy-boned person, so I probably never would have been able to be at my 'ideal' BMI weight.

[Guest erinmohr]

This is really interesting. I'm 5'0, and my pre-op weight was around 251. Dr. Miranda told me she wanted me to get down to about 160-170, which I thought was high. For my height, I've always thought I should be around 115 or less, but the point about bones, frame size, etc. is a really good one. It's frustrating that people in the weight loss industry rely solely on BMI and don't consider these things that makes weight loss an individual thing. I'm a naturally curvy and likely heavy-boned person, so I probably never would have been able to be at my 'ideal' BMI weight.

I have a "high" goal weight too. I think it depends on your weight. I think we are given the healthiest "highest" goal so we do not get discourage. It doesn't mean we will not lose any more then that, but it keeps us motivated and makes at target a little more realistic and in reach.

[GirlBarb]

Hi, I am 5'6" and 55 years old. I weighed in on surgery date at 207. I am about 172 and fit into size 10 stretch jeans. Dr Miranda put me on her fancy scale and said I should weigh in the low 140's.

This was a surpise for me because I have been told by multiple doctors that I will never be a thin person.

b