Has anyone hit a goal weight in the 19-25 BMI range after large (75lb+) weight loss?

[hypnosisguy]

Though I've never had bariatric surgery, I've followed the literature on it, mostly because it is a wonderful source for studies of populations that lose large amounts of weight and keep it off for a period of years. For example, one important result is that losing weight does seem to have large health benefits that people always suspected it would. We all knew that being normal-weight all our lives is healthier, but it didn't necessarily follow that losing weight to get there would give the same results. Happily, it turns out that losing weight is good for you!

However, one disappointing result of these studies is that maximum weight loss seems to be limited for bariatric surgery patients. For example, see Weight Loss Prediction after Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. The easiest equation to use there is Minimum BMI = Initial-BMI * 0.43 + 11. It also links a calculator that can be used to get predictions.

With GLP1s, I notice many more people writing about losing weight than are talking about maintenance. There are different explanations for why that might be. But it does make me wonder if Maximum Expected Weight Loss with glp1s is likely similar to that Initial-BMI * 0.43 + 11 equation for different starting BMIs (calulcated in the following table). If this is true, I would expect to see people getting somewhat close to their predicted BMI and then plateauing, even on large doses of GLP1 drugs.

Starting BMI	Predicted minimum BMI
50	32.5
45	30.5
40	28
35	26

 

[GroundBison]

I went from a BMI of 46 to 21/22 after bariatric surgery (-156 lbs). Drifted up to BMI 24ish after ~5 years and used tirz to get down to my current 18.5/19. Not sure if I could have lost that much on tirz alone.

 

[DwightTheDelight]

I was able to hit a high 26 BMI from a starting BMI of 54 or 444.8lbs > 209.8lbs. I think I'd be 200 or so with skin removal on my stomach. I'm super motivated and have been almost the entire 700 days on, but at the same time I feel a bit lucky, because my wife and mom weren't able to continue losing down to their goal weights and have actually rebounded a bit from their low weights - about 20lbs each, despite still taking their shots.

 

[keangkong]

Though I've never had bariatric surgery, I've followed the literature on it, mostly because it is a wonderful source for studies of populations that lose large amounts of weight and keep it off for a period of years. For example, one important result is that losing weight does seem to have large health benefits that people always suspected it would. We all knew that being normal-weight all our lives is healthier, but it didn't necessarily follow that losing weight to get there would give the same results. Happily, it turns out that losing weight is good for you!

However, one disappointing result of these studies is that maximum weight loss seems to be limited for bariatric surgery patients. For example, see Weight Loss Prediction after Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. The easiest equation to use there is Minimum BMI = Initial-BMI * 0.43 + 11. It also links a calculator that can be used to get predictions.

With GLP1s, I notice many more people writing about losing weight than are talking about maintenance. There are different explanations for why that might be. But it does make me wonder if Maximum Expected Weight Loss with glp1s is likely similar to that Initial-BMI * 0.43 + 11 equation for different starting BMIs (calulcated in the following table). If this is true, I would expect to see people getting somewhat close to their predicted BMI and then plateauing, even on large doses of GLP1 drugs.

Starting BMI	Predicted minimum BMI
50	32.5
45	30.5
40	28
35	26

With current medications and weight loss surgeries, people generally lose more from surgery. I suspect as medications continue to improve, there will be less need for surgeries.

 

[ruisenor]

I dropped from 243 and ~40% BF to 165 and 11% BF, currently holding at 172 for 3 months on maintenance dose of Reta. I could have continued loosing but hit and exceeded my goal weight.

 

[hypnosisguy]

I dropped from 243 and ~40% BF to 165 and 11% BF, currently holding at 172 for 3 months on maintenance dose of Reta. I could have continued loosing but hit and exceeded my goal weight.

What's your height? Just so I can compare to my BMI numbers. And I'd also be interested in what your maintenance dose is.

 

[lessthanhalf]

I have not read much of the literature on bariatric surgery, but have read a lot of papers on GLP's. I think the research would agree that most severely overweight people are not going to get to BMI's of 25 or less, the best so far is about 25% weight loss from retatrutide, or at least that is the average result, but by definition 50% are going to lose less than that. And without maintenance medication most people will put the weight back on over time. It is a problem even after weight loss surgery.

The people on this forum are a self selected group that are highly motivated, and prepared to do a fair bit of work to achieve weight losses. That is the best I can come up with for why a lot more people on this forum are not getting stuck half way to their goals. And of course a fair few are "cheating" by adding in higher doses or an extra bit of another medication or some testosterone or some hgh or an alpha msh agonist. From what I have seen in the studies and especially the steifel obesity report, the drug companies are more or less going down the same track, developing add on medications, with some promising results for embosarm and some myostatin inhibitors, plus amylin agonists combined with GLP's etc. I think once people get the idea that obesity is maybe a treatable problem there will be huge demand for increasingly effective therapies, plus of course the billions or even trillions of dollars they could make, with a potential market of up to a third of the world's population.

I am exclusively taking them for maintenance having lost the bulk of the weight without GLP's, from 145kg to 75 or so about 2 years ago. I then found out that low dose ozempic was not expensive in Australia, and tried that but it made me nauseous for a year. Then swapped to Tirzepatide thinking I could use a very low dose without the price being impossible, but I had hardly any side effects, and then found out about this forum so I can afford whatever dose works.
Currently 69.9kg so bmi is 25.06, so 200 grams away from being in the normal weight range. Appetite is fairly well controlled on 15mg of tiz plus about 4mg reta/week and 1.5iu of hgh. Hopefully this time I can keep the weight off.