My BMI is 23.7 and I have been there since for over 6 months now.

My body seems happy at this weight, I have relaxed my eating, trying to get my head around eating and thinking like a thin person and not like an obese person. After being in a diet and/or binge mode for 40 years, not easy.

My BMI is 26.1 (and has been for a few months) I am very VERY happy with that for the moment. My surgeon definately doesn't want me to lose any more. (As well telling me to stop losing and go back onto full fat everything, he told my hubby he is under orders to call immediately if I lose anymore, LOL) At the moment I am stable at 71kg but I would like to get into the "normal" range (67kg) and to my goal of 65kg eventually. I am confident that I will do so easily as soon as I start being "disiplined" again but at the moment I am enjoying "relaxing" under Dr's orders.

- Carrie :-)

PS... Rowdy, I started at 165kg too, so I reckon you did choose the right option xx

My BMI at the moment is 26.2. I am very happy where I am as I can eat and drink whatever and I am stable, can wear nice things and feel fantastic. BUT, I would like to be normal BMI so at the high end 59kgs at least. Apparently I can go as low as 46kgs and still be in the normal range. My waist measurement is still above the 80cm healthy range according to the tv ads. And my body fat at 35% is 10% over the recommended range so with these factors I will try to lose a few more kgs. Coming from where I was I couldn't be happier so the rest is just personal goals of mine to get myself the healthiest I can be.

I do think that others around us are not used to seeing us smaller and they have more of a problem adjusting to our new size as whenever I mention I would like to lose another 5-10kgs I always get the negative "you will look too gaunt and skinny". We need to do what is right for ourselves. Do keep in mind the BMI as at least then we won't be trying to aim for the lowest BMI and proving everyone right that we have lost too much. Mind you I did meet someone the other day who is my height and probably 10 years older and she was 45kgs and I didn't think she looked half bad. lol I don't think I have the will power to get down that far without effort. Too lazy lol.

Hi,

BMI is a hotly contested area amongst medics too- so it's not just sleevers who struggle with it! It is really a population based scale so it rates you against the norm for your country/culture and is skewed in many different ways. It does have a lot of evidence as a guide to basic healthy weight ranges but as many people have said it depends on body composition, height and many other factors.

Women and men's body fat differ. Body fat some say also differs for ageing.

So if you want to get a realistic and healthy goal for yourself you should look at:

Weight for height range ( again contested and some say badly out of date data)


BMI


Body fat/muscle ratio

One body fat guide suggests a normal body fat for women as:

20-29 yrs 23.1-28%

for men

20-29 yrs 18.1-23%

Others say 20 is a norm for all aged women.

I am in normal weight range, 27% body fat and have a BMI of 24. All things considered my health risks compared to pre sleeve are tiny.


You should consider genetic factors, like family history as these are the most reliable predictors for your own health.

I think also change of lifestyle will really affect your health and longevity. The skinniest mice live the longest- but are they happy?

Welll said Rowdy...

thanx guys
woohoo if every footballer overweight as per BMI...hope for me yet (and some of those footballers are pretty gorgeous!!! - don't tell my hubby I said that)

yer I think 75 - 80kgs is a great goal for me...then down the track I can slowly make my way down the weight scales if I need...

cheers

Wow well done Rowdy :)

To put things in perpective my surgeon told me every footballer in the AFL would be considered overweight using BMI
and we all know thats not correct so lots of things come into play when working out your "ideal" weight range.

I have big boobs and even after loosing all the weight that I have I still have big boobs as did my Mum, my granny and all females on my mothers side have. We all have had weight problems which is where genetics play a part.

My surgeon never set me a "goal" weight either but everyone is very happy at what I am lost and I am now able to
buy clothing in most shops :)

Ruth :)

Rowdy go with your heart, getting to 75 is a great goal and a more realistic one then the BMI in my opinion and you will look and feel fabulous... I think BMI is blah haha... says dr Sweets ha ha...

X

I need to be 63kgs to be at the very upper end of normal...oh my god!!!
I have started at 165kgs...can it be done??? ask I ask you, can it be done?
has anyone lost over 100kgs from a sleeve...my surgeon originally offerred a bypass...should I have taken this option??
anyway off track here
gotta love the BMI, I think I will have to settle for overweight at 75kgs...?

Coincidence, I was just putting this in my diary yesterday - I have to reach 74.5 I think to be at the very top of "normal".

http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmi-m.htm
Ideal BMI for anyone is between 18.7 & 24.9 = 6.2 is the difference ie 21.8 is bang in middle of "normal" BMI for us.
So
I calculated BMI for my height of 5'10" or 177cm and I need to reach
68kg to be 21.8 BMI. Then I remembered, Id calculated this before which
is why I put 68 in my ticker as goal weight!!! Grrrr.

Hiya,

Yes I agree, I think it is best to wait and see when we are reaching our goal weights...

All the best to everyone.

Sx

My BMI will be 29 which is in the overweight area, but my dietcian siad not to worry about that becasue i have lost so much weight the risks have been reduced dramatically to a miniscule level. So I will be happy with that. The next challenge will be to maintain the weight or go below.

I've just been playing around with the BMI calculator. I will be in the obese category until I reach 80kg. That is my surgeons goal for me! Rather surprisingly he is happy for me to be 'overweight'! I suppose compared to now that is better. It's all relative.

My goal is 70kg which is still in the overweight category. So, according to the BMI I should aim for 67kg to finally enter the top of the healthy category.

I think I'll just wait and see!

H Emily,
what is a DEXA scan??
sassysmum

Ooh can't wait to repeat my DEXA scan in August - will be right on a year since my last one, will be funny to see the changes.

I had a body analysis done in a thing called a Bod Pod.http://www.bodpod.com/ It is part of what my doctor does. It told me that I have a lean body composition even at 148.5lbs, which is a BMI of 24.5. So, as has been said here, the BMI is useful but not the whole picture.

Zoe

I am just going to see how I go, BMI aside I am 52 so will see if I can get a little more off but not take it too seriously.
I would like to get back to 65 though.

Life is good.
Hugs Gail

I am really honestly sick of people telling me I am "fading away" or "wasting away". No really, people, I just barely have a normal BMI at 24.2. Are we really so used to seeing fat people that a normal weight person looks too skinny? Or are they just so used to seeing ME fat that I look really different now?

Interesting discussion, Ladies and Gents!

Maybe BMI is not the most reliable test ! Maybe we should just see how we feel? After all, as we age, isn't it healthier to have a few extra kilos in case we get ill?

Has anyone's Doctor or Surgeon made a case for a low (normal) BMI?

Hey Tempest,
How do you reckon you would look if you lost another 11kgs, gaunt & too thin?? I think so?
Sx

I am supposed to be 57 to get a BMI of 23.5.

That is another 11 kilos so back to the drawing board :-(

Hiya, here is my 2cents ha ha...

I had a personal trainer once who was classifed as mobidly obese, really no hope for the larger really... He told me to bear the BMI in the back of the mind but concentrate on weight and measurements... it is very out dated.

I am 37 and short, however, if I was to get mid range healthy BMI, I have to get down to 58kg to have a 23.2 BMI... it has been a long time since I was that weight, however, I think I would look gaunt and too skinny (man I don't think I would ever say that) so I am just going to watch when I get down to around 65 and see how that goes... that would be 26 BMI.

So just have to wait and see, but I will keep it in the back of my head but bear weight, measurements and cloth sizes woo hoo...

Sx

I'm not sure what my goal weight or even Ideal weight should be.... it's been so long since I was either. I remember once being 77kg (many moons ago) after I had been sick, and I remember that I thought I looked awful ... maybe I just looked unfamiliar. And I remember the unflattering comments from the mudder .... "you're so skinny you look dreadful."
MY BMI (of 24) would have me at 64, I can't even visualize my left leg at 64?????
So I guess it's just weight and see ..... I don't even know what weight I would be, to be comfortable. This is such a learning curve!!!
So I don't know what weight to get excited about...
cheers all
sassymum

My original goal was 71kgs, which would have had me at a BMI of 26.4. I revised that to 67 - just to get to a healthy BMI of 24.9. (400gms to go!)

I am very fit and quite muscular, so don't look as though I am still overweight but technically I am. Surgeon wanted me to get to a BMI of 27 - that is when most risks associated with obesity related diseases diminish quite considerably.

I could afford to lose another 5kgs though - get me to a BMI of 23. I'd be happy with that :)