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Hi Misty, no plastics yet. I have loose skin but have reduced my body fat enough that it is not that noticeable. I would love a Tummy Tuck though. Maybe one day...[emoji4]

It has been awhile since I've posted a before and after. Hope it inspires anyone newly sleeved as to what is possible. Preop I was a size 22 now I wear a 4.  

Well, I am just over three weeks postop and things are going average. My stomach incision are looking good and I am finally able to sneeze without feeling like I am going to die.
My groin incisions on the other hand are taking their sweet time. I was a bit concerned, so called my surgeon late last week. I ended up emailing him pictures and he said not to worry, just continue keeping them dry. Well, as anyone who has had this done knows, that is much easier said than done. I am currently blow drying after each bathroom use and after each shower. He said no powder, so other than sitting her with my legs wide open, I am at a loss. So, anyone who has been through this and has tricks of the trade, they would be appreciated. These incisions feel like they are on fire when I walk too much (which is very little).
I am scheduled to be off work two more weeks, but have no idea what I am going to do when I go back. I guess I'll take my blow dryer and go to the bathroom every hour :-)

I did prior to surgery but with my weight loss that resolved and don't have reflux anymore.

Great job!! [emoji106]

You are rockin that dress!!! Stunning
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Upped the cal and Protein. Got to the gym once last week and went on a walk 3 times. Karate 2 times a week still. scale finally moving in the right direction again after almost a 3 week stall.
This week. Up early today off to work then the gym. Karate twice this week on the plan. Continue healthy eating and Water goals.
Broke 215 weighed in @ 214.5 this morning
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9 months post opp
    
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I had surgery April 8 2013 would do it all over again.Can't eat meat,creamy rich things with out getting sick,no sugar no soda...and I went from 250 to 130 and keeping it at that weight.......I'm doing the new Bariatric patch instead of pills my blood work is great
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The short answers are no, and no. No, the "pouch test" isn't necessary, and no, it isn't sure to work. Beyond the matter that you don't have a pouch to test (assuming that you have a VSG, which is why you are posting to this forum,) these diets are premised on the idea that when we first started out and were on a liquid diet we lost weight like gangbusters, so if we need to get that loss started again, we should go back to that liquid diet. Newsflash - even those of us who never did a liquid diet lost weight like gangbusters those first 2-3 weeks, simply because the composition of the diet (liquids, mushies, solids, etc.) is irrelevant to our loss. That initial loss is a reaction to the dramatic reduction in the calories that we were consuming immediately after surgery (or maybe at starting a pre-op diet for those who did one.)
If you indeed have not lost anything for two years (or even several months at the two year mark,) that's not a stall - it's maintenance. The only way to really get things moving again is to dramatically cut your calorie consumption consistently (around 500 calories per day to make it noticable - about a pound a week rate) rather than some quickie fad diet for a few days. The long term "back to basics" approach would be going back to basic lean meat, veg and little else that's caloric. That will do all the "resetting" that needs to be done from whatever junk may have crept back into your life, and is a lot more sustainable than any liquid and mush diet will ever be.
Getting back to tracking your intake (assuming that you did once before and stopped, or never did,) with an app like My Fitness Pal or equivalent is a powerful tool to staying on track. Try diligently tracking your intake for a couple of weeks without doing any special "dieting" to get a baseline of what your current consumption is at, so you can tell where to go from here. Then look at where you can cut back on unnecessary calories.
You can do it, but it takes more than a quickie "pouch test" or reset to do the job.

I set a goal and a stretch goal. I have found that I really like having a bounce range or cushion so that I'm not constantly struggling to stay at one number. I highly recommend people go 5 lbs under goal.

It has been awhile since I've posted a before and after. Hope it inspires anyone newly sleeved as to what is possible. Preop I was a size 22 now I wear a 4.  

I set a goal and a stretch goal. I have found that I really like having a bounce range or cushion so that I'm not constantly struggling to stay at one number. I highly recommend people go 5 lbs under goal.

The goal set by my surgeon was 160. My personal goal was always 140. I have passed both goals but havent weighed myself for the past two weeks due to having skin surgery. Even though im very swollen my clothes are looser which seems odd lol.
I will give it another 2 or 3 weeks before jumping back on the scale!!

Wouldn't worry about crunches n sit-ups etc they do absolutely nothing for the fat on ya guts.
Diet is the only thing that can get rid of that. Takes tie for the guts fat to go... so bloody frustrating hey lol
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hey dudes and dudests!!!
tummy tuck in the near future
film at 11:00!
thanx for your cares, and thoughts and support
kathy

Nine weeks post op
HW 290+/SW 261/GW 160/CW 159

The statistics were against me. I went to the hospital completely unsure if I would have the courage to go through with my surgery, and terrified I would die. No one... I promise you, NO ONE, ever wanted to have bariatric surgery less than I. I was an emotional food addict whose life had shrunk so much that food was my entire social life. I weighed 367.8 pounds, had out of control diabetes, and could no longer walk across my own kitchen on most days. I needed both knees replaced and my doctor refused to do it until I lost a lot of weight.
The night before my surgery I was alone in the house and I sobbed a funeral dirge for my best friend, food. I was certain I would lose my mind without it.
My friends, are you hesitating?? Struggling? Regretting?? If you can stay with me, read on.
I will tell you that after the first month there hasn't been one day in five years that I haven't thought, "I never could have done this before."
My journey has been difficult, and you will have your struggles, too. The first year, I cared for and buried my beloved sister--my "person" in this world--who died in my arms. The second year, I had my right knee replaced. The third year, my left knee. My weight loss stalled, but I never gave up. The fourth year, my father died and right afterwards, my husband almost died and needed months of nursing.
I didn't tell you all that to whine. I told you in order to try to put some context to my life, because in spite of all that sorrow and pain, I am filled with joy. I have taken back my life, and you can, too.
When I came out of my surgery, I vowed that having taken the drastic step of altering my body, I was going to be all in. I have honored that vow.
I had to learn to walk again. Now I am a landscape, wedding and portrait photographer.
I had to accept that I couldn't go on vacation and eat like the old me without gaining back weight it took me months to lose. Now I usually drop a couple of pounds on vacation, and I have one thing every day that I really want. To eat, that is!! I get to have experiences instead of food now!
I had to accept that carbs are not part of my daily eating. But I have learned to actually prefer zucchini spaghetti!!
Most importantly, I learned that no one will ever abuse me again. And that includes me.
I learned that emotional eating may feel like self care, but it is self destruction, and self destruction and self preservation can never exist side by side.
Last year, I photographed the cliffs of Maine, the mountains of West Virginia (going by rope down to the waterfalls), beaches in the Carolinas, and so many other things. (Check out my stuff at mlwolfephotos.com if you are inclined!).
I could babble on and on...
Today, I am at my lowest weight in 34 years. I have not met my weight loss goal. I'm still just over 200 pounds--a weight many people begin this journey at!! It may take me a year, but I'll get there.
On January 1st I turned 60, and I cried. A lot. I didn't cry because I was 60. I cried because I wasted so many years... My 30s... My 40s...half my 50s. I cannot get them back. But I have what's left, and I will cherish each breath.
So, I lost much of my stomach. I lost 153 pounds. I gained the world.
I wish that for each and every one of you! May you work to make all your dreams come true!
Attaching a few pics, not just of what I look(ed) like, but of who I am!!!

Soup for cold weather? No Soup if you are sick? Yes as you need to stay hydrated and most people eat little to nothing when truly sick, so a little soup is better than nothing but ditch the oyster crackers and noodles- add extra veggies and chicken.
Get well soon!

Back on the wagon today. Need to get more Water in but otherwise so far, so good.

I found this to be somewhat true. And Botox and Juvederm work great.

Hello all!!
Today's goals were met - calories, Protein, and carbs. Still a total slacker on exercise, but I am trying to at least move more.
My positive - I plan daily for three meals and a snack, but skip the Breakfast lots of times. That leaves me way too hungry by lunch. Today I hit my goal of three meals and a snack and felt better for it.
How's everyone else doing? I don't want to be here by myself again...that's NO fun and doesn't do much toward accountability either. Who's with me?
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Good morning from Amsterdam....I'm an American but I was a relatively early sleever; was sleeved in 2011 in Germany; so I am going on 5 years out. I am 63 so I was 58 when I was sleeved. I lost 87 lbs in the first year (and kept a blog every Sunday and turned it into a book called Queen of Crop). I reached my goal weight and kept it off until just about 6 months ago. About year 2 I found I could eat anything and everything but I still watched what I ate and I was on a regular exercise program. My life changed dramatically and I loved the feeling of being a normal sized person. Last year, some of my old habits started coming back; snacking, eating sweets and drinking a glass or two of wine most nights. A few lbs kept creeping in and now I am 10 lbs over goal. All of this is because I have gotten to relaxed with my eating; my exercise is still good. So I just this weekend bought the book, The 5 Day Pouch Test and will start it in the next few days once I get prepared. So for me, being one of the veterans of this surgery, it was THE best thing I ever did, and still is. But like all normal weight people, you have to be smart about what you put in your mouth. And I simply got too lazy. So long term: it has been fabulous and I will get this weight off; should never have let it get to 10 lbs. My own doing....looking forward to feeling that honeymoon restriction again. Like everyone says, IT'S A TOOL...BUT A POWERFUL ONE. I probably should write a Queen of Crop 2....what a life I have had in the last 5 years!!!! WOW

I love this thread. It is always so inspiring. I realized I haven't posted here for awhile. I hit goal a week ago. CW 139.