MichiganChic

When you can go into any store and wear anything you want. When the sales clerk brings you a smaller size because she thinks what you picked (a medium) is a size too big! When it's fun to travel because you don't have to worry about fitting into small airline seats. When you don't even order off the menu, but eat from your family's plate When you can go incognito in the town you have lived in your entire life because people just don't recognize you.

You've asked an answerable question - no way to know how things will be for you till you get there. I think there are very few people who really "need" plastic surgery physically, in that you can live a nice long life without it. There is no way to know if your skin will rebound in a way that you are comfortable with. One thing for sure - I look way better with loose skin that I did with fat filled skin. Clothes hide a lot, and compression garments hide even more. At the end of the day, it's up to you what you can live with. If I had to choose between staying fat and having loose skin, I'd choose the loose skin every time, and I think most people would. Once you get to that point, then you can decide if you can live with the lose skin or not (if you even have it). It's a very individual decision, as you can tell from the responses in this thread.

You look wonderful! Congratulations!!

@@sunshine22 Thanks for the well wishes. I got those drains out yesterday, and I feel like a new woman! I can just about stand up straight now. My arms are still very tight and swollen, but not nearly as miserable as they were a week ago. I know I still have one more surgery ahead of me - legs and boobs, and on one hand I don't want to put myself through it, but on the other hand, I know that I will because I want to be done! One thing I've noticed, is that being miserable is lowering my guard around eating. I've been sticking a little more in my mouth, justifying it because I need more calories to heal (true, but I know I'll gain doing it) so I'm glad I'm feeling well enough to get myself back together! Good luck to you as you adjust to your wonderful new bod! Those scars are going to fade - and I hear there are many effective treatments to flatten and lighten them.

Our bodies can only lose so fast, either with or without the sleeve. The math of calories in/calories out can't be calculated on a day to day basis to equate to a specific loss. You WILL find that over time, this will work for you! I used to think that I'd be the one person who did everything right and it still didn't work for...but it wasn't true! I learned that I have to eat way less than most people to lose, which explains how I got so fat. I also learned to just keep doing what I needed to do and that the weight would come off sooner or later. I also lost "only" 8 pounds in month 2 - with no pre-op loss! Talk about disappointing! However, the month after that I lost more, and continued to have some better months, some worse, but always trended down. That's the important thing to watch. Also, I was eating around 600 calories at that time, as recommended by my bariatric team. I have to eat 900 or less to lose - doesn't matter what my resting metabolic rate should be. My advice - easier for me to say than do when it was me in your shoes! - is to just take a deep breath, and not focus so much on those details, but focus on the details of getting good nutrition, establishing good habits, learning what it takes for you to lose, and increasing your activity level. Time passes either way, and honestly, the less we stress about it, the easier it is.

You've expressed the fear we all have, and the stark reality of maintenance. It's not easy. It gets tiring, and it's SO easy to slip back into old habits. At this point, we all know what to do, and have to just do it. Sometimes I have to go back to basics, and rid my house of things that trigger grazing. The most important thing is that you are weighing, measuring, and tracking. At least you know what you are consuming. To me, that is the single most effective habit I have. Even if I'm over, I know by how much and what. If you are in maintenance, you might be able to eat a little more than during loss, but only time will tell. Congratulations on your success, and wishing you continued success!

I didn't have that. I got cold almost immediately (and since it was winter in Michigan, you can imagine why) and have stayed cold since. I drive my family crazy keeping the house temperature pretty warm, even in the summer.

Great job! Looking good!

@@sunshine22 I had plastics last Monday, so I'm one week out from a LBL (tummy tuck, butt lift with autologous fat) and bilateral brachioplasty. Right now, I'm sort of wondering what the heck have I done? I'm incredibly miserable, and really scarred up - just as I knew I would be. I have two drains in, and still can't stand up straight. But I just keep holding on to the hope that it's all going to be worth it in the end! As for those arm scars - I discussed placement with my surgeon. She said there is a movement toward the placement where yours are, but that it's a personal decision. I decided to have mine placed inside as close toward the back as possible. I still have the steri-strips on them, and my arms are swollen like sausages, but already look immensely better. I decided that while I wasn't thrilled with the idea of more scars, at least my arms would look better in clothes. I saw a picture of myself from the side recently, and I was shocked at how awful that dripping arm skin looks, even clothed. I never left the house without my arms covered to my elbow, and I figured that even if I had to keep doing that, at least in clothes, they would look way better!

Wow, what wonderful results! Congratulations!

Good for you! Look at you with that normal BMI! I'm very happy for you!

I didn't have one for my sleeve (and didn't need it) but did have one this past week for my tummy tuck. (and really did need it!). I removed it on day three. I had two small catheters inserted into each side, and they were in about 12 inches. I did feel it coming out, though I can't say it hurt. I was surprised that I had to pull pretty hard to get them out. I'm an RN and have removed lots of different types of tubes, and usually I think they slide out easier than this did. Anyway, it was pretty easy to manage. My advise would be to take it out as soon as it's deflated, because you'll still be numb. I waited a few hours, and the numbing medicine (Marcaine) that's in there had worn off, which is probably why I could feel it.

CGJ, I am so sorry for your many losses. It is so much to bear at once, just know my thoughts and prayers are with you, supporting you as you care for yourself during this difficult time. xo

There's no way to know in advance how much you'll have, and no way to know if it's going to bother you. No matter what, I'd choose health and flabby skin over fat filled flab every day of the week.

I have three young adult/teen daughters, and my youngest was 16 at the time of my surgery. She was really mad at me for pursuing this, and felt I was fine the way I was. She didn't think the benefit was worth the risk. She just could't reconcile how I thought this was fine for me, but I was so cautious with her (like not letting her stay out late, drive to the next city, etc). The other two were older, and understood what it means to be obese and how difficult that made my life, so they were better able to accept it. Long story short, she supported me through it in her way, which was tough love, lol. She became the food police, because she said there was no way she was going to let me go through all that and still fail. I honesty didn't need food police, but it didn't bother me. And she never let up for one minute, lol. After the first 9-12 months, she said she decided it was a good decision for me. She could see the benefit not only for me, but for her, too. I had plastics last week, (MUCH more difficult to recover from) and she's been at my side every step of the way. I make an effort to not burden her with any of it, but she wants to be there for me. Just as I want to (and do) take care of my mother and grandmother, I allow her to do the same for me. My advice is to get at what's bothering your daughter about this, address, and then keep the conversation about it to a minimum. Let her decide what part she wants in your journey.

@@matt1912 I think this is a strange yet natural response. I was so used to my weight and self loathing of it that I blamed everything on it - and usually that was truly where the blame belonged! My weight really did hold me back in ways that I didn't want to acknowledge. I got used to that, and my weight became more that just my weight, it became ME. It was synonymous with me, the two concepts going hand in hand. It's hard to change that after years of living it, but it does change over time. But I was morbidly obese for 30 years, so I don't think 18 months is long to develop a new self-concept. My eye can see I'm thinner, my brain sees it (and likes it!), and my clothes are normal size. So, intellectually, I know I'm of a normal weight. I don't have to worry that I won't fit places, that I'll break chairs, that I'll stand out as the biggest woman in the room. I thoroughly love and enjoy that! But I'm not sure I'll ever totally get over that fat girl thinking. A couple of weeks ago I made a comment like you mentioned - something to the effect that I couldn't have some sort of food in my house because I'm a fat girl.....and I'm sure I offended the very overweight co-worker without intending to! She's probably my pre-surgery size, but she never knew me as a different size than I am now, so probably thinks I'm crazy! But to me, I still identify with that person.

I took hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg for a few years before surgery. I stopped taking right after VSG surgery, but then went back on it when the swelling returned at about 4 months. I was only mildly hypertensive before surgery, so it was really just for pitting edema in my feet and legs. My PCP kept trying to get me off of it, and every time I tried, I'd gain weight. But being on it cause problems because my blood pressure got too low, and I was mildly dehydrated. He wouldn't prescribe any more, so I had to get off of it cold turkey, and I gained 15 pounds in 7 days. Talk about miserable! So, then he prescribed half the dose, and I lost 10 of the 15 I gained. Then I needed clearance for plastics, but my Calcium level was high (and I don't take a calcium supplement), which he said is a side effect of this medication. So, I had to totally get off of it, and my calcium levels returned to normal. I still have issues with mild edema, but it is getting better over time. I have to say that as long as the swelling isn't too bad, I do feel and look better without the diuretic. I used to get dizzy, and I'm sure it was from low blood pressure. Also, my face looked older - not enough Fluid to fill in the wrinkles!!

As everyone said, it's just an average. Some people do better, some worse. As individuals, we are not statistics, and we CAN control the outcome of our success. I've lost about 90-95% of my excess weight, depending on what you consider the final number. I'd like to be able say 100%, too, but honestly, I'm coming to the conclusion that it's just a number. Despite my overweight BMI, I don't look overweight. I have bones sticking out everywhere - and some loose skin. So, I agree, 50-60% is not what I'd consider to be an overwhelming success for myself, but I don't think I've failed at 95% lost, either. My real take away from those stats is that even for people who don't try, the sleeve would likely help get 20-30% of excess weight off (and that's my personal opinion - not a statistic or known fact). It reminds me that it's up to me to do the work, all day, every day, indefinitely.

@@lose4life2 you asked why your mom drives you so crazy about having surgery - I bet it's both complicated and simple at the same time. From the simple, obvious perspective, she loves you and worries about you. She wants what is best for you, and she knows there is risk, and probably doesn't want that for you. It's what's on her mind, so that what you hear. Deeper down, there probably is something more complex going on with her. Like, she tried to teach you - where did she go wrong? And, Why do you have to do something so drastic - when you just did what she said, you weighed 123 pounds! See, you ARE losing weight, so you don't need surgery. You just have to get control of yourself and avoid all this risk - maybe if I say it one more time, you'll FINALLY understand the truth! I bet the list of thoughts running through her head and in the back of her mind are endless, but all spurred by concern and love for you. My advice, as both the daughter of a mother (who lost 80 pounds without surgery and kept if off for 30 years), and as a mother (who would do anything for my adult children's safety), is to just let it roll. Do the best you can to reassure her, and change the subject. I bet she will come around once she sees your success and happiness. My mom did

@@CowgirlJane thanks for the words of encouragement. My actual all time high was 325 - still don't know how I managed to keep off that extra 20 pounds for several years. I think you give great advice about accepting and embracing our success. In some ways, that "all or none" mentality is part of what got me to that high weight. It was totally ignoring my health for periods of time, followed by periods of 100% rigid, obsessive, restrictive diet, followed by failure, rinse and repeat. Learning that one slip up is not the path to obesity, but a repeated pattern is, was a valuable lesson for me. I've been deemed successful and "good to go" by 4 physicians (not in the same practice), and the dietician and nurse at my surgeons office, so I'm trying to wrap my head around that, even though on some levels I still feel "not quite finished". In the meantime, I think I'm getting better at accepting where I am and enjoying it as a genuine success. Having the perspective of others who have gone before us is tremendously valuable - so thanks!

That's just funny!

I know what you mean about feeling like it expired. I find myself wishing I could get a tune up. I want that great feeling of steady loss, never being hungry, being impressed with myself by how little I want to eat and how little I do eat. But that's not reality, and as Jane said, it's all us at this stage. I do have enough restriction to stop me from going crazy if I feel myself getting out of control, but it's up to me to pay attention to it. I mostly do, and I'm always so thankful that I wasn't able to do much damage. I also have been stuck at this weight for months. I'm thinking about revising my goal. I'm just going to see how it goes, but I'm in a size 10 - a size I've never been. I'm thrilled with being normal, and I struggle between wanting to get to 140 pounds, and just being happy with what I've achieved. I'm not sure the number on the scale is worth the fight, and we each have to decide that for ourselves. I also think sometimes our bodies tell us where we should be. As long as it's healthy, it should be OK, too. @@Success2013 you can do this if you want. I suggest logging, weighing yourself, and generally going back to basics. You know what to do - just take it a day at a time, and do the best you can!

That's an interesting concept, Jane. While I maintain 3500 calories does not equal 1 pound on me, I have also found that I can gradually eat a little more without gaining than I could 6 months ago. Though I have to say....I'm still not at goal, technically. I'm still thinking about just changing the number, then I could be at goal! I wonder if having plastics impacts the ability to maintain easier....after all, they remove a lot of fat cells with that surgery. I haven't done any research on that, though I've seen studies where people who have plastics maintain better, long term.

I am not sure why I was morbidly obese, other than I ate more than I burned. I like what VSGAnn said that maybe it's something we are missing that normal people have. I had a great childhood and life, so I can't blame it on that. I'm pretty balanced mentally, so I can't blame it on that (though I am a stress eater!). I think there is no one cause, I think it's a variety of things, including genetics, diet, activity and other unknown variables that come together as a perfect storm. I also think (actually, I know), that I don't lose 1 pound when I decrease my calorie intake by 3500. I also know gain several pounds if eat 2000 calories more over the period of a week. So, who knows. I'm just happy to have a sleeve, and have gained some insight about this and my body. Obesity is absolutely a disease state, as CGJ mentioned, and having lost weight simply puts us in a well managed state. Stop being compliant, and we know what happens. Right back to where we started. Having been able to lose the weight quickly, and honestly WAY easier than ever before, gave me a jump start. Now I have to watch it all the time, but at least I'm in a good spot while I continue to be diligent.

I was restricted from popcorn for 6 months. The theory is seeds/kernels could get stuck in your staple line. I don't know about that, but I never attempted it. Anyway, I started eating skinny pop...bad plan. It's a slider, and it's something that keeps calling my name. I've noticed on weeks that I have it in the house, I do worse in general. So, now I rarely buy it - I call it a gateway food, lol! First it's skinny pop, then it's caramel cheese corn....you get the picture.