MichiganChic

Check this article out: https://www.yahoo.com/style/10-reasons-2014-was-major-for-plus-size-105447540238.html Seriously, it's no wonder we are all on BP and in our daily lives with the inability to determine a good weight for ourselves, or determine if we meet society's weight standards, or even decide if we look good. While I thought it was a great article that and it's about time there is more options for plus size clothing than ever before, I was struck by the fact that CK is passing off a thin, size 10 girl as and "inbetweener" or plus size. Absurd! When this is in the media and it's what we have to compare ourselves to, it adds the already prevalent body issues obese women have. It's easy to say "don't compare yourself to that", and even though the most concrete and logical thinker knows that, it still sends the message that pervades society about women should look like. And labeling healthy, thin people as "inbetween" or "plus size" when in fact they are thin infuriates me. I've fought hard to get to what I think is a normal size, and maintain a healthy weight, and if I took this sort of thing at face value, I'd be certifiable. Good thing I'm almost in a size 8 and a small/medium; maybe I can avoid keeping the label I've had all my life - fat. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Discuss.

Thank you! I did have the sewing of the abs - I've been calling abdominoplasty. And it really hurts. Mine were separated pretty wide, probably from pregnancy, she said. I'm sure morbid obesity didn't help any! Why are you not going to have that done?

Two years out, and still cold. Not quite as bad as when I was losing. Even in the middle of summer when everyone else is sweating and miserable, I'm not! I love that part. I don't love freezing in Michigan winters, though! I have a lot of warm clothes and blankets. This type of cold is almost painful, and I don't expect it to ever go away totally.

@@AvaFern congratulations to you on your recent plastics! Don't you just love your arms? I refer them as my "freakishly thin arms" even though there is nothing freakish about them. They were fat my entire life, and then super flabby and still fat, so this seems so foreign to me. I love the way they fit in clothes. The scars were a great trade off for me. My fingers swelled up like stuffed sausages, too. you couldn't see any veins or bones in my hands, and the skin was shiny. I thought the arms hurt worse than the abdonimoplasty at first, because they were just so tight. I had my butt done with the abdominoplasty, and it's way way better than it was. Looks great in clothes, but nothing is ever going to be as good as that belly, lol! I'm with you, I want to feel like it's all one body and have it match. I think that it does for the most part. I also have to remember that I'm 52 and weighed over 300 pounds for years. That's a lot to recover from, so all of this is just icing on the proverbial cake

@@hadouni what's an ab plication? I didn't love the drains from my abdominplasty at all! I have them now in my groin (and they are inserted all the way into my knees!) but they don't bother me that much. Kind of dreading having them removed, though! Yeah, I gotta say, my belly looks phenomenal. She did such a great job, I can't believe it! I can post a pic of that. This was at about 4 weeks post op, so still swollen. You are no doubt going to love it! Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

@@CowgirlJane my thighs were just AWFUL. I had really uneven, droopy skin, terrible cellulite, and puddles of fat and skin around my knees. I can see that I still have some cellulite, but it's a million times better. I don't anticipate it improving with time. Even with the swelling, though, they already look so much better. Pretty even, and fairly lump free The long scars are worth it to me. You could see all those puddles of fat and skin through my clothes, even with shapewear. And that was really miserable in summer months. I could never wear slim pants because my knees looked square in them, lol! I've seen your pics, and I think your thighs look great. I don't think I would have gotten the long scar if I were you, either. I never took any pics, but I'm going to get them from my doc, and post them here along with the "finished' product at some point. And I agree, recovery is slow from plastics. I can't imagine having everything done at once!

I am very happy with the results, and I'm glad I did it, and I'd do it again. However, only you know if you can handle the risks. It's a very personal decision that no one else can answer for us, because while the risk is low, if you get a complication, you have it 100%.

Well, I'm 6 days out from a breast lift/augmentation and bilateral medial thigh lift (with the long inner thigh incision). I had abdominplasty, butt lift and bilateral brachioplasty last August. The swelling from the first surgery in August was just starting to go down, and now it's back in full force! I'm up about 15 pounds from my lowest weight, and I have to say, it's the swelling that is miserable! And, the Water weight went directly to my arms and abdomen and hips, as well as the thighs and breasts. Basically, everything that I've worked on is a magnet for Fluid retention. I feel like a stuffed sausage. However, this second surgery is much easier to recover from that the first - night and day difference! Even with two large drains still in my groin, I'm not feeling too bad! One of the reasons I decided to do this it to feel "finished". I hate it when I can't complete something I set out to do, and I just felt so incomplete with all the loose skin. While I'll never have a perfect body, that was never my goal. I think my surgeon got me closer than I even hoped. I also believe that it will help me maintain my weight loss. While it's no guarantee, I do think that it might help, but I guess only time will tell. For anyone considering plastics, there is a lot to think about. I had some open wounds from the first surgery that took nearly 4 months to heal, but I still think it was worth it. I have swelling that I find miserable, but even if it lasts a year, it's temporary, and it's way better than loose skin. And I do have a lot of scars, but they are fading, and will continue to do so. That loose, flabby skin was never going to tighten on it's own. I feel much better in my skin now, even with the swell hell I'm in. So, while I thought I'd come here to complain about it, I also have to say I don't regret it! Things haven't settled into place yet, but even still, I look way better than before. Even though it's a difficult surgery to recover from, I'd do it again (but thank goodness I don't have to, lol!) Thanks for listening!

I can see it! Congrats! Cute daughter, too.

No weight loss in 2ish weeks post-op is most likely due to fluid retention. Having your stomach cut out causes inflammation and our bodies respond by hanging on to water. It will start to come off. Once it does, it might be slow, or it might be fast. We are all individuals, but one thing for sure, it will come off. Your body just can't hang on to weight when you are taking in so few calories. Deep breath.

@@mmckaskle Your question is vague and I don't know how to answer it. What does falling off the bandwagon mean? What are you ordering that you think is wrong? What are you eating? You're almost 2 months out, so I assume you've had some success. What have you been doing so far? Do you have surgical team you can turn to? Give a little more specifics so people can respond with something that might help.

@RJ'S/beginning First, you belong here on BP. You are a wonderful host, and you bring a different perspective. All that you have been through makes you uniquely qualified to discuss the painful complications you've had that others would benefit from hearing. If I were going through something like that, I would come to sites like this and look for someone like you, because I would want to know that there is hope. You offer that people. Second, you are a success, and no one can take that away from you, and most certainly not with words. One thing I've learned about the medical community, is that they tend to be single minded in approach, and their single mind is focused around their specialty. If you had back pain and you went to a surgeon, he'd want to operate. If you went to a pain specialist, he'd want to inject you. If you went to a psychiatrist, he'd want to treat you with imagery. If you went to a GP, he'd try to manage it with pain meds. If you went to a sports medicine, he'd try to treat you with physical therapy. All of that's a little simplistic, but you get the picture. I wonder if you aren't focusing too much on his words? Just because he is calling you a survivor, it doesn't take away the fact that you are also successful, does it? It's just semantics, and in truth, he's right. You've survived A LOT, and are still dealing with that outcome. And I think surviving all that you have speaks to your wonderful spirit! I think you should be proud that you survived AND succeeded! He's just simply looking at it from his perspective, and that is treating the reactive hypoglycemia. I do hope he can figure out how to make that happen soon, so you can feel better an move on with the wonderful life you have successfully created for yourself!

As the other said, everyone loses at a different rate. As long as we are doing what we are supposed to, which includes a calorie restriction (varies by program) then we are doing all we can. I hate it when I see people's physician's chastising for not losing fast enough. I think sometimes it is because they have to report those stats to maintain their center of excellence or something, though I don't know that for sure. Sometimes our bodies do what they want, when they want. As I lost weight, there was no rhyme or reason to why some months I would lose 15 pounds, and other months I'd lose 8. On average, over time, I lost about 10 pounds a month, which is 2-3 pounds a week. As long as that scale is going in the right direction, we are successful!

The heavier you are, the more it takes to be noticeable to others, and the more it takes to go down clothing sizes. I lost about 50-60 pounds before anyone really noticed. I could tell almost right away, because I was looking for it. Yet, that same brain could never, and still really can't used to the change. It's the strangest thing - on one hand I can see that I'm thin, and on the other hand, I think I must be seeing it wrong. It's almost like somewhere in my mind I think it's too good to be true. Once you hit a certain point, people will start noticing and you'll need new clothes more often than you can even believe. It's a good problem to have

That's a great success story, congratulations! Update your ticker, and keep up the good work!

Good for you! Glad you got your drains out and are doing well! Can't wait to see your pics

Sometimes we cause our own stress, sometimes we can't avoid it - life happens. It is a good idea to figure out the difference between the two, and make some life decisions to set ourselves up for success. You can't keep doing things the way you have been, or you are going to keep getting the same results. Something has to change. So, if you are not prepared for an exam, what can you do in the future to not cause that stress for yourself? You forgot to eat - what could you have done differently? Focus on those things, and use some of the suggestions above. As for stress you can't control, this is where is becomes necessary to employ some other techniques. And, yes, hobbies might be the answer. Exercise might do it for you. Maybe distraction, or meditation would work. This has been and remains the most difficult for me. Years of eating when stressed is a hard habit to break, and is still the first thing I think of when I'm stressed. Sometimes I give in, but mostly I don't. I will usually drink something like a flavored coffee, and distract myself with something else. It's surprising how often that works!

If you are following your plan, then that's all you can do. Only you know if you are doing that. It's a true fact that our bodies lose at their own rate, and can't be compared to others. Just keep your eye on the prize, and you'll get there!

Mine were all less than 1/4 inch except the main one, where they pulled my stomach out through. I got an infection in it, and it had to be opened 3 times before it healed. It's about an inch in length, and it puckered a little, and was about an inch above and to the right of my navel. All of them faded and shrunk over time, and only the big one was visible. I've had an abdominoplasty since then, and now that big scar is just above my pubic area, so well hidden by underwear. most of the others are gone, but I had to search for the ones that were left.

I know what you mean. I feel like you could knock me over with a feather some days. I don't have enough core or leg strength to open heavy doors some days. However, yoga is great for balance and strength. You can go at it slow, and increase as you gain endurance. I had to stop due to plastics, but I'm definitely going back once I'm healed up. I could tell a difference in the short time I did it.

At 2 years post op, it's easy to get off track during the holidays! I have a variety of things I do to prevent it, and some things I do to understand and deal with it. I still track every bite I put into my mouth, and I do it as I go. When I see it in print, it has a way of helping me make the decision to stop eating. I track my weight daily. I try to plan in advance, if I know I'm going to be facing a day of temptation. For example, I'll scale back other meals that day to accommodate a larger meal to balance the calories I'll go way lower a day or 2 before or after days where I consume too many calories to get my weekly total intake closer to my usual maintenance amount Even when there is an abundance of foods I love, I still try to make good choices. Protein first, limit carbs, and smaller portions (usually just a bite or two) of the more fattening things, like deserts. I try to observe that I'm full, and stop eating. I try to keep leftovers out of my house so that I don't have to battle the temptation too much. It can wear you down! Since I entertain a lot, I try to serve things that are on my plan, and not have an abundance of choices so that I don't get sucked into that "need to try it all" vortex. I accept that I'm human, and that it's normal to over indulge once in a while. I even allow myself some freedom to indulge. I get right back on track either the next day or meal, depending on what I've allowed for. Of course, all of these things take some effort. My success requires that I stay diligent about what I'm doing, and I stay mindful of what I'm putting in my mouth. That's probably the most important change I've made since having WLS, and the one I am most protective of. If I do those two things, everything else just sort of follows.

Well, I ended up with 400 cc, moderate profile silicone implants. They are still pretty high on my chest, and it's hard to tell what they will end up looking like. For the moment, they look like they are going to be pretty good, but I just don't know yet. They don't look bigger than the bra I was wearing, so that's good. More to come!

I lost hair from around 4 month to about 12 months. I didn't have a lot to begin with, so it was pretty rough for me. It did come back partially, but I'm now at 2 years post op, and it's still not all back. I took Biotin, Vitamins, and saw a dermatologist where I was given injections in my scalp (which did help). I did everything right, and never missed my Protein, Fluid, or vitamins. I was doing pretty good with regrowth, but I've had three surgeries since my sleeve, and I think the anesthesia caused more loss. Even still, I look way better thin with thin hair than I did when I was morbidly obese with kind of thin hair. I'm still hopeful that it will come back. I know someone who had bypass years ago, and told me she just recently noticed her hair is still getting thicker. We are both in our 50s, so I think that also makes a difference.

There is no way to know, but one thing I'd bet on, it's not critical. If it were, you would already know the results, and you'd be receiving treatment.

I agree with @@erp, it might be a good idea to just wait till closer to the time and buy something off the rack. There is just now way to know what size you will be in, or what style might work best. Either way, you'll be a beautiful, happy bride. I think sometimes there's more emphasis on that dress than needed. It's all about YOU! Congrats.