ladybug's journey

Ok so i am encouraged by your pics, you lost a lot of weight and although you have excess skin, your body looks a hell of a lot better than mine does pre-op so if i can look like that post op, i won't be so sad.

I am 37, I started at 250 and my goal is the 175lb mark - ish.
I have 20lbs to go and as it stands, I'm quite chuffed with how my skin is going back.
This does come with a caveat, however.
I think with regards to 'the flap' and all of the body, really - it is about your body type.
Belly - If you had the overhang (and I mean real overhang) when heavier - you are definitely going to have a flap when you've lost the weight. This is particularly pertinent to those women who have had children. I have not had children, but I did have the flap. That biatch is gonna be gone as soon as practicably possible.
If you're one of those people who carry their weight in a fairly even distribution, so you have a 'flat' stomach of sorts, but you're just big all over - then you may be very lucky and just shrink, and shrink in proportion.
As for every other area?
My arms - they have a bit of bag (bingo wing syndrome), but they are improving. I will not require an arm lift. Again, this is also dependent on the fat distribution of your arms. If you carry your weight on your arms and they're a little bit disproportionate to the rest of you - expect to have some element of 'bag' there. I have bag, (i had it from gaining and losing before) but it is getting better and I think when my skin finishes doing its thing, I'll be okay.
Legs - Same with my legs. I have been left with some flexible pads in between my thighs. They, too, however, are receding. Again, as with the arms, it depends on your proportions prior to surgery. I had big legs, but they were kinda even in their fat distribution and I didn't have any stretch marks. Consequently, they're going back okay. Would I revert to my youth and try and wear a thigh-high skirt? No. 2-3 inches above the knee will be quite sufficient! So I guess the only time my thighs might come into play is when I wear a swimsuit and frankly, if they continue to do they're thing, I'll be happy.
Boobs - My boobs have taken a battering. I have gone from an UK E cup, to a D cup.. They're definitely looking empty and droopy. This is an area I will consider having work on at the same time as my belly.
Exercise? I walk like a trooper and have natural muscles. I'm not gyming it up as of yet. I want to see what my body does with itself before I say 'okay, I need to do this'.
As far as I understand it, drinking lots of Water is the only thing that can help your skin. Moisturizer is a topical preparation which will help with suppleness; but if you want to hydrate the skin and improve your chances, you do it from the inside.
No one can really tell what's going to happen to their bodies in the long term.. Its age and genetics. I think the best gauge would be to potentially look at some before and after plastic surgery photos. If you see something that looks like your body type, thickness, cellulite, physical construction - then it should give you the best idea.
What I would say though, is that don't let the skin thing put you off. This is singularly the best thing I've ever done for myself and whether or not my boobs are cleaning my shoes without the application of some serious upholstery - I do look and feel much better than I ever had before.
Nothing is insurmountable. Skin? Its a worry, but it is by no means a deal-breaker.

Ok soooooo in may I will be 2 years out I started out over 400lbs I am just under 200lbs and this is my body just took these pictures for this thread so its exactly how I look right now!
Not everyone is the same I am one of the bigger people I was a total apple before but as you can see I have a bunch of thigh and butt skin too.
Oh I ma 6ft and currently 34 (35 29th of march lol)

Hi everyone! Ive been struggling since my surgery to getvall my fluids in so finally I foundca solution. This keeps me on schedule to get at least 2 litres in a day...just thoughtvI would share what works for me!

I started at 320 and was 313 day of surgery. I'm 9 weeks outs and fighting for the last 2 pounds to get me to a 50 pound loss. Sitting at 272.8. So frustrating to bounce back and forth a couple pounds instead of going down steadily. I know eventually it will come off but I was hoping to be in the 260's by now. 270 is where my body always seems to plateau when I try to lose weight.

I was over 400lbs day of my op I am just barely under 200lbs now barely but it counts! lol
2 and a bit months away from my 2 year out anniversary recent weight loss was 11lbs between start of jan and end feb, which was high considering nov-jan was only 4.4lbs lol
it doesn’t really matter the starting weight numbers but how you go forward and use your tool for best results.

Less effort? I've put a hell of a lot of effort into this for much longer than any other "diet" I've ever done. HA! And trust me, I've worked HARD on other diets.

My doc said to me this week that I was brave to have the surgery - and that I was to be applauded for saving my own life :-)))))

My husband called me brave the other day and I threw me off a little. I didn't think of myself as brave when I was scared $hitless!!!! He said "It takes a lot of guts to do what you did and I admire you."

I've seen quite a few people around these parts talking about people they know who have lost weight "on their own" while they personally had WLS and I must say, this mindset makes me a bit pissy.
Before having VSG, I tried every freaking diet out there. I exercised like a maniac. I tried drugs I knew were potentially harmful to my long term health. I resigned myself to being fat every single time I failed before slapping myself around and trying something new or trying something old again and again. I saw nutritionists, I saw gastro specialists. I considered a hypnotist, but I waved that off as hogwash. (No offense to anyone who tried it, just not my cup of tea.) I lost weight, I gained weight, I lost weight, I gained weight, I lost, I gained, I yo-yo'd myself right into a flucked up metabolism and mass frustration for myself and my family.
I finally decided that I had no other options and settled on the Vertical Sleeve after researching my WLS options for almost a year. I went through 4 months with one surgeon before realizing there was no way in H E double hockey sticks could I let him cut me open before starting the process over with another surgeon that I felt comfortable with.
I did all the pre-op work with a nutritionist (whack job!!) figuring that if I could concentrate on losing for those 6 months, maybe I wouldn't need surgery after all.
I saw the counselor (WHACK JOB!!!) and never got to the root of my troubles other than the fact that I am a greedy piglet. (She swears I am repressing sexual abuse in a past life -- no REALLY, a PAST life, not just in my past. Uhmmm...)
I did my pre-op diet for a month instead of the required two weeks because I wanted to.
I exercised my fanny off (literally) over the last 7 months.
I weigh, measure and log my food.
I read labels.
I make good choices putting my Protein needs first.
I make sure to get in my 10k steps every single day even if that means running in place for an hour at 10pm when I know I have to be up, bright eyed and bushy tailed in 7 hours.
I look for recipes that are healthier for my family that I can eat as well but I often cook two meals so they can eat what they like and I can eat what I need to eat.
I put the fork down before I want to so that I don't spend the next 30 minutes bent over the toilet even when it took me an hour to prepare a meal and I've only had two or three bites because ,my tiny tummy isn't tolerating more than an ounce instead of it's usual 3 or 4.
I read menus days in advance if I know I am going out so that I can order seamlessly with everyone else.
I attend parties and conferences and work functions and eat mindfully so I can enjoy the event without calling attention to myself.
I suffer through stalls in my head so that my family doesn't have to hear my incessant whining because I know they've suffered enough of my nonsense over the years.
I appreciate everything my changing body has allowed me to do over the years despite the abuse I put it through and I appreciate how much it's thanking me as I am relieving it of all the excess weight.
I went to kickboxing even when I don't feel like it and now I teach it so I don't have a choice but to go.
I joined a high dollar gym and hired a high dollar trainer, not because I am a high dollar girl but because I am now forced to go.
I look at my saggy skin and my floppy boobs and my melty thighs and my squishy bum and my hangy arms and while I regret that I didn't do this 5, 10, 15 years ago, I smile that I did do it seven months ago.
I am losing this weight ON MY OWN. If you honestly think I'm not, please tell me who is doing it for me. They owe me a whole bunch of money, time and heartache for all the things I've put myself through over the last year+ and I owe them a HUGE amount of thanks for getting me where I am today.

I just did a before and after pic i am post op 5 wks. So its not an extreme different but i can see alot of improvement.

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Started at 306 on May 1,2013 as of dec18,2013 I am 187.

Jen, I started at 308; lifetime high of 332. Just be careful you are not setting yourself up for disappointment. You will be very successful but don't get wrapped up too much with a specific weight.....your body will tell you the right weight when you get there. When you start out bigger you just have more weight - bones, blood vessels etc are bigger. You may not even know your bone structure size...a good goal weight will become clearer with time.

I was sleeved 2-5-13.. Height 5:3 DOS: 307 and today I am 224.. Slow but I am in this game of a healthier me for life.

Highest : 313
Current (2 1/2 months post surgery) : 250
Goal : 130
Height : 5'7"
I've lost about 1/3 of all the weight i want to lose

I was 319 feb 25, 2013---- today--- 199!

Sleeved April 2013, weighing 372lbs, now 160lbs lighter and so much happier. My surgeon advised bypass, but I chose the sleeve. Worked for me

I had surgery 02/26 and weighed 353... im now 216. Ive lost a lil over 136lbs in 7 months. Now the weightloss has DEFINITELY slowed down tho

I was 354 before surgery July 2012 and now I am 180 14 months out!!! Best thing I ever did!!!

I'm 5'7" and started at 368.6. I had surgery March 4, 2013. When I weighed in on Monday (7 months out) I'm down 110 pounds and 87.75" total!!

I'm currently 336. When I decided to do the sleeve a month ago, I was 346. I've been slowly cutting out sugar and drinking more Water. I figured, I'd get a jump start. If all continues to go as planned, my surgery will be sometime in the middle of October.
congrats to all for conquering the Kraken...

We both are sleeved! Amazing transformation for both of us! My SW 278 CW 193! 8 months post op! Love it!!!

Got this done late last night and never posted. 2 month mark yesterday and 42 lbs down! Total of 86 since last June when I started this journey! Crazy to believe!!!

Down 116 lbs. 15 to go. 7 months since surgery.