MichiganChic

I had the autologous fat flap, and yes, that's what it is. They strip the skin off the fat, pull the fat down, and sew it all back. (Pretty sure it requires a lot of skill that I'm minimizing )Mine worked pretty good. I do have a slightly flat area just above my thighs, but not bad. I think I would have had a flat butt if she didn't do that, so I'm happy with it.

I also woke up from lift/implants with one like that. I rather like it - super comfortable.

@@BethinPA I just keep thinking/hoping maybe this one will be a little easier(no complications) than the last couple! Thanks for the kind words....and keep your fingers crossed for me

@@CowgirlJane I have read that it is very painful - maybe the most painful - of any procedure. That's why I'm a little flipped out. I had really awful pain with the other surgeries, and am having a hard time imagining it could be worse! Also, I swell worse than average, and this is a guaranteed sweller, for at least 6 months, so I'm dreading that, too. I must be crazy. Yes, I am, because every time I look at the freakish saddlebags through my clothes, all I can think is that I need to get rid of those. lol! And yes, leg fat cells are reproductive. You just keep making new ones!! I've had a small regain, and I think it's all on my outer thighs. My doc said she thinks I probably have a mild case of lipedema. Anyway, not looking for perfection, just looking for improvement and closer to normal. Thanks for your response.

I am no stranger to plastics, and in the past 20 months had a full body lift, brachioplasty, vertical thigh lift, breast lift/augment. My results were excellent with everything except my thighs (which were a real mess before), and even those are greatly improved. I had some complications, including a couple of open incisions on my lower body lift that took a few months to heal, and a terrible seroma on my left knee area that required a couple more surgeries and a wound vac before it would heal. So....now I am having some liposuction on my outer thighs because I have very pronounced saddle bags that I just hate, and because my right thigh is bigger than my left and pants don't fit well. I am scheduled for this coming Friday, and I am just DREADING the pain, and I worry about complications, given my history. The other procedures were much longer (all that was done in two 6 hour procedures) and I didn't do great with anesthesia, either. However, I have worked so hard to be free of disfiguring fat and skin that I just am going through with it in spite of my reservations. Can anyone else tell me your experiences with liposuction?

@@Djmohr you remind me of me. I actually loved purging the old stuff. I had some nice things, and I paid a lot of money for them, but I loved getting rid of them. It felt like renewal to me. I had a handful of things at any one time as I was losing. It took 14 months, and I dropped from a 24-26 to an 8. Once I got to an 8, I gradually added more and more clothes. I love shopping! I have finally defined my style, and can wear all the things I wanted to before but couldn't. I made a rule - 'no ugly shirts', lol. Now, I will rarely buy a shirt unless there is something special about it. I also resist the urge to buy twinsets - my old standby. Now my closet is packed again, and I probably need to go through and get rid of some things. Some of it is a couple of years old and doesn't get worn much as they have been replaced with newer things, and I no longer have to keep it just because it fits. It's a whole new world!

I had to really think about that question. At three years out, I can't think of anything I miss. I thought about the ability to eat a lot at once, but I can eat quite a bit (and more than I want to). So even though it's way less than before, I don't miss it. The list of things I don't miss is long, and as raw as it was in the beginning. I never get over the thrill of being a normal, smallish sized woman. I appreciate it every day. But, If I had to pick one thing....I suppose I don't miss wondering if I will fit in seats/chairs/places and being mortified at the inevitable tight or non-fitting chairs and places.

I think this phenomenon is pretty common the shock from it is universal. I lost 50--60 pounds and you couldn't tell much until I hit that 60 pound mark, and I also wore the same clothes for the first 50 pounds. The truth is they were probably not very well fitting to start, and as they got more baggy, I loved the way it felt. It was so comfortable and I felt like I was wearing pajamas to work! However, once I hit that 60 pound mark, things suddenly changed. You could tell every 20 pounds or so. Once I got closer to goal, you could tell every 10 pounds. Now at three years out, I can tell if I gain 3 pounds. Never thought I would experience that! I used to be aggravated at skinny girls who said they could feel a couple of pounds because I could (and still can) gain that in a day. Now I am one of them. You will be, too!

@@Sexy Granny sounds like you are doing great. Goal weights are unique. Depends on how tall you are, how much your body can/will lose, how you feel, how you look, your age, starting weight, build, and your desired result (and I'm sure lots of other stuff, too). I decided to make my goal something that I can maintain without a life of severe deprivation (read less than 1000 calories a day forever). For me, I'm short, started at a higher weight, and 53, and carry most of my weight in hips and thighs. In theory, I would have loved to see 135 or 145 as a goal, but that's just not realistic for me. My BMI is 27-28, which is higher than I wanted, but I can't get lower. My doc said the majority of his patients would kill to achieve what I have. I'm in a size 8 at 165, and look and feel good there.

I have never been a breakfast eater. Ever. I'm just not hungry. Since surgery, I have a premier protein shake every day around 830 or 9. That's after I've been up 3 hours and had a couple cups of coffee. It's a great way to get protein in. Without that, I would not be getting close to my protein goals.

I've been taking the appetite suppressant for a few days now, and I can say it's a night day difference. Would I rather not need them? Absolutely. However, I am going to do everything in my power to prevent more regain than I already have. I feel like that switch has been flipped off. I've successfully stayed 700-900 calories, without the torment I usually experience to keep from eating. I don't plan on using this forever, just during difficult times. I just can't afford a gain while I wait for that to pass. Also, my life is exponentially better with weight loss. I'm still me, only V2.0 is way better! I am not willing to risk losing this life I fought so hard to get. One other thing - while the number on the scale isn't the only thing to focus on, I don't think you can ignore it. When I was overweight, there was number associated with it, and it was bad. That number was making me less than healthy. Now, at a lower number, I'm good. I think the message is in settling on a good number that supports the health and lifestyle we want. There's more than one way to skin a cat. Don't judge when you can never take a walk in someone else's shoes.

I want to get my thighs done next year to remove the skin. How are you legs exercise post plastics? How soon could you run again for example? Not the original poster here but my plastics doc said six weeks before I could run again (I ran a full marathon 10 days before plastics and did yoga 3-4x per week). I was back to half marathon level by four months post plastics and back to 3-4x per week yoga so everyone is different. I had breast lift/aug, tummy tuck and arms all at the same time. The thigh lit wasn't really that painful. I was slightly surprised at how good it felt to not have all that hanging skin around, and a sense of freedom with movement that I never had. I don't know how long it would have taken me to exercise because I had a complication. I dealt with a seroma for about 5 months, and needed several procedures to resolve it. It's been a year now, and I'm still so glad I did it, even though my legs are far from perfect and my recovery was pretty rough.

I have some thoughts that you might not want to hear, but they are based on my experience. Just disregard if its not useful to you. 1200 calories might be too much to lose on. I have to get under 900 if I want to lose 1-2 pounds a week. The further out you are, the harder it is to do! Another thing to consider is that you might be closer to goal than you think. I noticed you have your goal set to a BMI of 22. Maybe consider going with a little higher goal weight? Then you have less to go, which might decrease some of your frustration. I also wanted a low BMI, but found that my body didn't. Weight loss just stopped, no matter what I did. It took me a while, but I did make my peace with it.

No massages. did you get any lymphatic massages

@@McButterpants I am at three years post op, and went for my 3 year check this week. I am up about 5 pounds from my lowest, which is very alarming to me. I asked for something for my appetite, and he prescribed Belvieque. I am going to start taking it today. I am unable to lose unless I eat around 800-900 calories a day, and I maintain on about 1450, and I gain at 1550. I've been trying to get and stay under 1000, but I haven't been able to do that for more than 2-3 days at a time, so I feel like I need a jump start, too. I don't want to take them forever, but I do want this five pounds off before it becomes 10 or 20. My doc said he has never prescribed this to anyone, but I am happy he was willing to hear what I'm saying. When I first had surgery three years ago, I felt like someone flipped a switch off and the crazy drive to eat was gone. In the past two weeks, I feel like that switch got flipped back on. I've been fighting against it, but it feels like the weight is going to start packing on, and not in proportion to the calories I am consuming. I know that sounds crazy, but I know my body. So, I don't feel bad about it. I feel like I have to do whatever I can to protect what I've worked so hard to achieve. I wish it were easy for me like the first 2 years, but this is my reality. You aren't alone, and be glad you are acting before your 17 pounds becomes 27. What did she prescribe?

@@Meintraining I doubt the tummy tuck will do anything for your back. Depending on where you have skin, there are a couple of things that can help. You could have a 360 lift, or an upper body lift, where they lift at the bra line. I understand what you are saying. I also struggled with needing so much work done, and knowing it was never going be perfect. I will never have great legs, but pretty much everything else is great. I just do my best to get over it. I am fully clothed most of time, and I look pretty good due to the plastics I've had. There's no way to know how it's going to look until you're done, but I'm sure it will be great!Good luck, whatever you decide.

The fear is real. And it can happen even if you do change your life and make good choices. The truth is that for many of us, it takes very little calories to maintain our loss, and very few extra to see a gain. So, you can do the right thing the majority of the time, and still find the scale creeping up. That's why statistically people gain 10-15% back around year 2-3. Weight management is a lifelong commitment, and obesity is a disease we are never cured of. I always feel like I'm one cookie away from 300 pounds!!

@@Elode I can remember being like that. Once I got closer to goal, it seemed like there was less I could do to impact the scale. While I worked at losing, it was fairly easy. Now, at three years out, I've noticed another alarming trend. My weight is creeping up, and it seems I am unable to impact that, too. Staying around the same calories or less than I used to, and I can't seem to drop the 5-6 pounds that have crept on since last May. I swear it feels like a switch flipped or something and I am going to weigh 300 pounds again, and I will be powerless to stop it! I stayed at 1100 calories for two weeks and nothing came off. I guess I'm to have drop back to 900 to see if that works.

Good luck to her, and I wish you both an uneventful recovery! I was sleeved 3 years ago, and my daughter was sleeved about 14 months ago, so I do know how you feel! She was 26 at the time, and married with a baby. I can tell you that it gives me such joy to see her living her life to the fullest, unencumbered by weight issues. She is happy, healthy, and still beautiful inside and out. I feel like the quality of her life is vastly improved, and as a result, my grandchildren's lives will be, too. Good luck!

It's just a term people use. Just like some people like the term "journey" and some don't, some people call it a diet and that infuriates others, some people think it's a crime to weigh daily and others swear by it, this is just a term not meant to offend or mislead anyone. Don't use it, since it doesn't apply to you. I like it for me, even though I was a slightly slow to average loser (based on expected percentages of excess weight lost)

Well, then, I got nothing. Good luck

Regarding the "misjudging" - get a scale and measure it before you eat. Then eat slower. Take smaller bites, and wait for a signal from your body. It's a bit of learning curve.

@@Lexuskela I started higher than you, but lost about 30 pounds in the first month, then about 15 the second, then 8-10 after that. The last few months might have been a pound or two. I lost about 145 pounds in 14 months. It felt like it fell off for two reasons. 1) It was a steady loss. That really adds up over time. 2) It wasn't easy, but it was easier than it had ever been in my whole life, so it felt easy to me. The fact that it took a fraction of the effort I usually had to put in, combined with the fact that it actually worked, made me feel like weight just fell off. I'm not sure how long it has taken you to lose 81 pounds, but if that was since July, that would have qualified as an acceptable rate to me. It's probably got more to do with our expectations.

That was always my approach in the early days. I tried to be as rigid as possible at first, just to give myself the best outcome possible. At three years out, nothing is off limits. Except liver. I hate that

Lots of medical practices treat RNY and sleeves the same. I just don't think they knew enough. At the end of the day, for both, supplements should be patient specific, based on lab values. I don't seem to have any malabsorption issues. I don't take calcium, because when I did, my labs were dangerously high. I take multiple Vitamins and Vitamin D. My vit d levels were super low before surgery, so not even sure I can pin the need for that on the sleeve. You won't know what you need without labs.