INT125922

I am unfamiliar with that brand of Protein powder.
I use vanilla flavour Body on the go shaping Protein (ready to drink bottles) when I choose a shake. I put 2 tblsp chia seeds in, shake and wait 10 minutes and I call it my bubble tea.
I prefer to use Quest bars to achieve my protein usually though. Once you feel you could stomach Protein Bars I encourage you to try them if you have not before.
Per bar:
20g high quality protein 17 g fibre Between 160 and 200 calories I currently eat 1 – 2 per day most days (max. 2 per day approved by my dietician). Early out from surgery I could eat half a bar at a time.
They come in many wonderful flavours such as:
Peanut Butter and jelly peanut butter supreme double chock chunk chocolate chip cookie dough apple pie white chocolate raspberry Cookies and cream chocolate brownie vanilla almond crunch mixed berry bliss If you are cautious with your sweeteners the following are sweetened with Stevia and Erythritol (commonly considered to be 2 of the safe sugar alternatives):
cinnamon roll chocolate peanut butter coconut cashew banana nut muffin (gluten free) lemon cream pie strawberry cheesecake The most economical way I know of to buy them is from their official site however I am in Australia.

I hit goal weight a few weeks ago:
Surgery Date: Nov 28, 2012 Goal Weight Date: Aug 28, 2014 Height: 5'9 Starting Weight: 390 lbs Current Weight: 160 lbs Weight Lost: 230 lbs Current BMI: 23.6 Guidelines I followed once allowed regular food after surgery:

Minimum per day intake:
1 carbohydrate 1 vegetable 1 fruit 2 Calcium 5 Protein Tips:
Water (Alkaline)
Protein 80g per day
Fat is your friend (Avo, coconut oil, seeds, nuts, lean meat)
Sugar is your enemy (Maximum 2 fruit per day)
Exercise will get easier

As you know when you google loose skin remedies the professionals all say the only "real" solution is plastic surgery.
However - the only people I know who’ve had the sleeve are “real” everyday Joes who were flat out finding the funds for the sleeve – never mind plastic surgery costs on top !
I knew upfront that I was not going to have the skin surgery ($$$) so I just had to do what I could instead.
That being, I decided that I was going to do well for skin based on the power of positive thinking.
All the while I understood that some realism was required if I wanted my subconscious to accept my affirmations as true.
Weighing in at 390 pounds I did not set out with an expectation to look like Barbie but I knew I would certainly look a whole lot of % better than I did. I am now at goal having lost 230 pounds.
I have minimal loose skin (just in the usual areas a lady might have jiggle anyway ie. lower belly, under arms and thighs). I did not exercise for the first 6 months (it took 20 months).
Here’s what I did:
I researched methods, decided what sounded legitimate and affordable and went about applying the methods I believed showed value. Throughout however, I also applied positive thinking, affirmations and visualization techniques because I understand that the placebo effect is real. I encourage you to use the placebo effect to your advantage if you already know its power or to look into it if you don’t know much about it yet.
Skin Supplements:
-hair, skin and nails supplement (I take a bottle and then take a rest for a few months and then take another bottle as per the advice the chick at the pharmacy gave me).
-Sarsaparilla root supplements from the health food shop (I read about them online and thought hey, why not).
Methods:
-Dry skin body brushing (3 - 4 times a week for the last 8 months).
-Exfoliating body wash (further info: 2-3 times a week for the last 2 months. Type is apricot kernel exfoliating Body wash at the moment; I also use the left over face exfoliator scrub on my chest).
Products (Australian):
-Homemade mineral salt scrub once a week
(organic coconut oil and ground Himalayan pink salt)
and
-Used 1 or 2 at a time of the following 6 moisturizing methods (aimed for 5 times a week minimum but actuals were more like 3 times a week minimum):
1 -Bio-oil (I was going through it so started using the copy from Aldi only 7 dollars for the big bottle.)
2 -Organic coconut oil.
3 - Palmers cocoa butter formula all over body firming lotion with Q10 (recommended by chick at chemist - she said that all the pregnant women are raving about it, smells like chocolate).
4 -Home made skin firming moisturizer concoction:
- 3 Tblsp. pure organic lanolin melted in saucepan (11 dollars for round short chinese container from the health food shop - too sticky by itself).

Once cooled I stirred in:
-70 ml Bio-oil (Aldi)
-1/3 cup of the Palmers all over body firming lotion with Q10 mentioned earlier
-1/3 cup organic coconut oil
-35ml Organic Avocado oil (Mum gave it to me for Christmas and I had about 35 ml left so in it went)

5 - Nivea in-shower moisturizer for very dry skin - blue (new product – have been using 4-5 days a week for near 3 months, I don’t have dry skin I just wanted the richest one available, I stock up when it goes on special and use heaps and heaps everywhere. It rrps for about 7 dollars but you can get it on special at Big W for about 3.50 and coles for about 5 and woolies for 4.50).
6 -Palmers cocoa butter Rapid Moisture coconut rich spray lotion about 8 bucks (new product ... awesome – non staining with rapid absorption so you can get dressed after about a minute – I also spray this in my hair sometimes lol).
Behaviours:
-Increased fat in diet (avocado 5 days a week, nuts and seeds 7 days a week and coconut oil for cooking, salads and stirred into quinoa porridge)
-80 g minimum per day Protein goal to maintain muscle mass for tone to fill skin
-Water, Water, water (alkalised water for the last year)
-Toning/Strength training at gym (last 8 months only - cardio only between months 7 and 12 as I had received advice from the gym staff to just do cardio to get the weight down some more first – no exercise for the first 6 months)
Being realistic:
I have a friend who was recently sleeved who was an apple shape and she was telling me that she was worrying she would have a saggy belly at goal.
I was pretty much just big all over but with a pear shape with trouble spots on my body at my belly, arms and thighs.
I told her about those trouble spots and said that honestly I suspected that I may have a little loose skin in these 3 areas due to this and I was OK with that as I wasn’t expecting to be getting around in a bikini anyway haha. She confirmed that her belly already hangs at her current weight. This suggested to me that she will likely have some at her belly however she will have great legs, arms, shoulders, neck and face and can wear Spanx undies up to her bra and google how to dress to hide a tummy.
Being that you are a man I suspect you may have good legs and trouble spots at the chest and belly or maybe just big all over. Applying the above theory this would make me suspect that you could do really well for skin with perhaps a little on the chest and belly or maybe none at all .
All the best Jawaiian
Kind Regards
INT
Footnote:
RE: Second sentence comments about “real” every day people.
I mean no offense to people who do achieve plastic surgery after sleeve. I’m sure they are of course very “real” too. The reason I said that is because I find it disappointing that the internet can give the impression that we who are not in a position to fund further surgery have no hope of having good skin after significant weight loss.

As you know when you google loose skin remedies the professionals all say the only "real" solution is plastic surgery.
However - the only people I know who’ve had the sleeve are “real” everyday Joes who were flat out finding the funds for the sleeve – never mind plastic surgery costs on top !
I knew upfront that I was not going to have the skin surgery ($$$) so I just had to do what I could instead.
That being, I decided that I was going to do well for skin based on the power of positive thinking.
All the while I understood that some realism was required if I wanted my subconscious to accept my affirmations as true.
Weighing in at 390 pounds I did not set out with an expectation to look like Barbie but I knew I would certainly look a whole lot of % better than I did. I am now at goal having lost 230 pounds.
I have minimal loose skin (just in the usual areas a lady might have jiggle anyway ie. lower belly, under arms and thighs). I did not exercise for the first 6 months (it took 20 months).
Here’s what I did:
I researched methods, decided what sounded legitimate and affordable and went about applying the methods I believed showed value. Throughout however, I also applied positive thinking, affirmations and visualization techniques because I understand that the placebo effect is real. I encourage you to use the placebo effect to your advantage if you already know its power or to look into it if you don’t know much about it yet.
Skin Supplements:
-hair, skin and nails supplement (I take a bottle and then take a rest for a few months and then take another bottle as per the advice the chick at the pharmacy gave me).
-Sarsaparilla root supplements from the health food shop (I read about them online and thought hey, why not).
Methods:
-Dry skin body brushing (3 - 4 times a week for the last 8 months).
-Exfoliating body wash (further info: 2-3 times a week for the last 2 months. Type is apricot kernel exfoliating Body wash at the moment; I also use the left over face exfoliator scrub on my chest).
Products (Australian):
-Homemade mineral salt scrub once a week
(organic coconut oil and ground Himalayan pink salt)
and
-Used 1 or 2 at a time of the following 6 moisturizing methods (aimed for 5 times a week minimum but actuals were more like 3 times a week minimum):
1 -Bio-oil (I was going through it so started using the copy from Aldi only 7 dollars for the big bottle.)
2 -Organic coconut oil.
3 - Palmers cocoa butter formula all over body firming lotion with Q10 (recommended by chick at chemist - she said that all the pregnant women are raving about it, smells like chocolate).
4 -Home made skin firming moisturizer concoction:
- 3 Tblsp. pure organic lanolin melted in saucepan (11 dollars for round short chinese container from the health food shop - too sticky by itself).

Once cooled I stirred in:
-70 ml Bio-oil (Aldi)
-1/3 cup of the Palmers all over body firming lotion with Q10 mentioned earlier
-1/3 cup organic coconut oil
-35ml Organic Avocado oil (Mum gave it to me for Christmas and I had about 35 ml left so in it went)

5 - Nivea in-shower moisturizer for very dry skin - blue (new product – have been using 4-5 days a week for near 3 months, I don’t have dry skin I just wanted the richest one available, I stock up when it goes on special and use heaps and heaps everywhere. It rrps for about 7 dollars but you can get it on special at Big W for about 3.50 and coles for about 5 and woolies for 4.50).
6 -Palmers cocoa butter Rapid Moisture coconut rich spray lotion about 8 bucks (new product ... awesome – non staining with rapid absorption so you can get dressed after about a minute – I also spray this in my hair sometimes lol).
Behaviours:
-Increased fat in diet (avocado 5 days a week, nuts and seeds 7 days a week and coconut oil for cooking, salads and stirred into quinoa porridge)
-80 g minimum per day Protein goal to maintain muscle mass for tone to fill skin
-Water, Water, water (alkalised water for the last year)
-Toning/Strength training at gym (last 8 months only - cardio only between months 7 and 12 as I had received advice from the gym staff to just do cardio to get the weight down some more first – no exercise for the first 6 months)
Being realistic:
I have a friend who was recently sleeved who was an apple shape and she was telling me that she was worrying she would have a saggy belly at goal.
I was pretty much just big all over but with a pear shape with trouble spots on my body at my belly, arms and thighs.
I told her about those trouble spots and said that honestly I suspected that I may have a little loose skin in these 3 areas due to this and I was OK with that as I wasn’t expecting to be getting around in a bikini anyway haha. She confirmed that her belly already hangs at her current weight. This suggested to me that she will likely have some at her belly however she will have great legs, arms, shoulders, neck and face and can wear Spanx undies up to her bra and google how to dress to hide a tummy.
Being that you are a man I suspect you may have good legs and trouble spots at the chest and belly or maybe just big all over. Applying the above theory this would make me suspect that you could do really well for skin with perhaps a little on the chest and belly or maybe none at all .
All the best Jawaiian
Kind Regards
INT
Footnote:
RE: Second sentence comments about “real” every day people.
I mean no offense to people who do achieve plastic surgery after sleeve. I’m sure they are of course very “real” too. The reason I said that is because I find it disappointing that the internet can give the impression that we who are not in a position to fund further surgery have no hope of having good skin after significant weight loss.

I hit goal weight a few weeks ago:
Surgery Date: Nov 28, 2012 Goal Weight Date: Aug 28, 2014 Height: 5'9 Starting Weight: 390 lbs Current Weight: 160 lbs Weight Lost: 230 lbs Current BMI: 23.6 Guidelines I followed once allowed regular food after surgery:

Minimum per day intake:
1 carbohydrate 1 vegetable 1 fruit 2 Calcium 5 Protein Tips:
Water (Alkaline)
Protein 80g per day
Fat is your friend (Avo, coconut oil, seeds, nuts, lean meat)
Sugar is your enemy (Maximum 2 fruit per day)
Exercise will get easier

57 – 72 pounds to go

I hit goal weight a few weeks ago:
Surgery Date: Nov 28, 2012 Goal Weight Date: Aug 28, 2014 Height: 5'9 Starting Weight: 390 lbs Current Weight: 160 lbs Weight Lost: 230 lbs Current BMI: 23.6 Guidelines I followed once allowed regular food after surgery:

Minimum per day intake:
1 carbohydrate 1 vegetable 1 fruit 2 Calcium 5 Protein Tips:
Water (Alkaline)
Protein 80g per day
Fat is your friend (Avo, coconut oil, seeds, nuts, lean meat)
Sugar is your enemy (Maximum 2 fruit per day)
Exercise will get easier

157.8

As you know when you google loose skin remedies the professionals all say the only "real" solution is plastic surgery.
However - the only people I know who’ve had the sleeve are “real” everyday Joes who were flat out finding the funds for the sleeve – never mind plastic surgery costs on top !
I knew upfront that I was not going to have the skin surgery ($$$) so I just had to do what I could instead.
That being, I decided that I was going to do well for skin based on the power of positive thinking.
All the while I understood that some realism was required if I wanted my subconscious to accept my affirmations as true.
Weighing in at 390 pounds I did not set out with an expectation to look like Barbie but I knew I would certainly look a whole lot of % better than I did. I am now at goal having lost 230 pounds.
I have minimal loose skin (just in the usual areas a lady might have jiggle anyway ie. lower belly, under arms and thighs). I did not exercise for the first 6 months (it took 20 months).
Here’s what I did:
I researched methods, decided what sounded legitimate and affordable and went about applying the methods I believed showed value. Throughout however, I also applied positive thinking, affirmations and visualization techniques because I understand that the placebo effect is real. I encourage you to use the placebo effect to your advantage if you already know its power or to look into it if you don’t know much about it yet.
Skin Supplements:
-hair, skin and nails supplement (I take a bottle and then take a rest for a few months and then take another bottle as per the advice the chick at the pharmacy gave me).
-Sarsaparilla root supplements from the health food shop (I read about them online and thought hey, why not).
Methods:
-Dry skin body brushing (3 - 4 times a week for the last 8 months).
-Exfoliating body wash (further info: 2-3 times a week for the last 2 months. Type is apricot kernel exfoliating Body wash at the moment; I also use the left over face exfoliator scrub on my chest).
Products (Australian):
-Homemade mineral salt scrub once a week
(organic coconut oil and ground Himalayan pink salt)
and
-Used 1 or 2 at a time of the following 6 moisturizing methods (aimed for 5 times a week minimum but actuals were more like 3 times a week minimum):
1 -Bio-oil (I was going through it so started using the copy from Aldi only 7 dollars for the big bottle.)
2 -Organic coconut oil.
3 - Palmers cocoa butter formula all over body firming lotion with Q10 (recommended by chick at chemist - she said that all the pregnant women are raving about it, smells like chocolate).
4 -Home made skin firming moisturizer concoction:
- 3 Tblsp. pure organic lanolin melted in saucepan (11 dollars for round short chinese container from the health food shop - too sticky by itself).

Once cooled I stirred in:
-70 ml Bio-oil (Aldi)
-1/3 cup of the Palmers all over body firming lotion with Q10 mentioned earlier
-1/3 cup organic coconut oil
-35ml Organic Avocado oil (Mum gave it to me for Christmas and I had about 35 ml left so in it went)

5 - Nivea in-shower moisturizer for very dry skin - blue (new product – have been using 4-5 days a week for near 3 months, I don’t have dry skin I just wanted the richest one available, I stock up when it goes on special and use heaps and heaps everywhere. It rrps for about 7 dollars but you can get it on special at Big W for about 3.50 and coles for about 5 and woolies for 4.50).
6 -Palmers cocoa butter Rapid Moisture coconut rich spray lotion about 8 bucks (new product ... awesome – non staining with rapid absorption so you can get dressed after about a minute – I also spray this in my hair sometimes lol).
Behaviours:
-Increased fat in diet (avocado 5 days a week, nuts and seeds 7 days a week and coconut oil for cooking, salads and stirred into quinoa porridge)
-80 g minimum per day Protein goal to maintain muscle mass for tone to fill skin
-Water, Water, water (alkalised water for the last year)
-Toning/Strength training at gym (last 8 months only - cardio only between months 7 and 12 as I had received advice from the gym staff to just do cardio to get the weight down some more first – no exercise for the first 6 months)
Being realistic:
I have a friend who was recently sleeved who was an apple shape and she was telling me that she was worrying she would have a saggy belly at goal.
I was pretty much just big all over but with a pear shape with trouble spots on my body at my belly, arms and thighs.
I told her about those trouble spots and said that honestly I suspected that I may have a little loose skin in these 3 areas due to this and I was OK with that as I wasn’t expecting to be getting around in a bikini anyway haha. She confirmed that her belly already hangs at her current weight. This suggested to me that she will likely have some at her belly however she will have great legs, arms, shoulders, neck and face and can wear Spanx undies up to her bra and google how to dress to hide a tummy.
Being that you are a man I suspect you may have good legs and trouble spots at the chest and belly or maybe just big all over. Applying the above theory this would make me suspect that you could do really well for skin with perhaps a little on the chest and belly or maybe none at all .
All the best Jawaiian
Kind Regards
INT
Footnote:
RE: Second sentence comments about “real” every day people.
I mean no offense to people who do achieve plastic surgery after sleeve. I’m sure they are of course very “real” too. The reason I said that is because I find it disappointing that the internet can give the impression that we who are not in a position to fund further surgery have no hope of having good skin after significant weight loss.

I lost 230 pound and went from a definite pear shape to a classic hour glass - expect the best.

You look amazing. Did you have surgery to remove skin? Of you just worked out to look so fit.. You look great!!

Wow, thanks for posting these, amazing!! I'm just beginning, on pre-op liquids & due for surgery November 3rd. Seeing how successful you've been gives me more hope, I need to lose 200pounds & you make me think I can do it!!!

I lost 230 pound and went from a definite pear shape to a classic hour glass - expect the best.

57 – 72 pounds to go

157.8

I hit goal weight a few weeks ago:
Surgery Date: Nov 28, 2012 Goal Weight Date: Aug 28, 2014 Height: 5'9 Starting Weight: 390 lbs Current Weight: 160 lbs Weight Lost: 230 lbs Current BMI: 23.6 Guidelines I followed once allowed regular food after surgery:

Minimum per day intake:
1 carbohydrate 1 vegetable 1 fruit 2 Calcium 5 Protein Tips:
Water (Alkaline)
Protein 80g per day
Fat is your friend (Avo, coconut oil, seeds, nuts, lean meat)
Sugar is your enemy (Maximum 2 fruit per day)
Exercise will get easier

I am unfamiliar with that brand of Protein powder.
I use vanilla flavour Body on the go shaping Protein (ready to drink bottles) when I choose a shake. I put 2 tblsp chia seeds in, shake and wait 10 minutes and I call it my bubble tea.
I prefer to use Quest bars to achieve my protein usually though. Once you feel you could stomach Protein Bars I encourage you to try them if you have not before.
Per bar:
20g high quality protein 17 g fibre Between 160 and 200 calories I currently eat 1 – 2 per day most days (max. 2 per day approved by my dietician). Early out from surgery I could eat half a bar at a time.
They come in many wonderful flavours such as:
Peanut Butter and jelly peanut butter supreme double chock chunk chocolate chip cookie dough apple pie white chocolate raspberry Cookies and cream chocolate brownie vanilla almond crunch mixed berry bliss If you are cautious with your sweeteners the following are sweetened with Stevia and Erythritol (commonly considered to be 2 of the safe sugar alternatives):
cinnamon roll chocolate peanut butter coconut cashew banana nut muffin (gluten free) lemon cream pie strawberry cheesecake The most economical way I know of to buy them is from their official site however I am in Australia.

I lost 230 pound and went from a definite pear shape to a classic hour glass - expect the best.

Yes, I remember when I first got it. They warned not to do it more than 10 minutes at first or you would get bruising. I too spent the first 5 or so "10 minute workouts" bending over picking it up off my feet - it really was a workout still though LOL. I eventually got frustrated enough that I looked on utube for a tutorial and was able to do it after just a few tries then.
The reason I bought it in the first place was because the company had indicated that you could burn up to 800 cal an hour and said that it burned the same calories as boot camp. Sounded good to me, hoola hoop or boot camp ??
Pretty easy choice.

Thank you and uou are welcome Jawaiian, also thank you to Jelmore.
As you make better and better choices every day you will be at goal weight in no time flat.
I was thinking, there are 2 more things that I did and have not listed above, they are:
-Home made seaweed and dead sea salt body wraps:
Method – I closed up the lounge room with a portable heater cranking I bought the dead sea salt powder from the health food shop and mixed it with filtered Water (as much Water as the packet said) and I crumbled seaweed sheets that you normally use for sushi rolls into the mixture and put in organic coconut oil too. I wanted to buy bandages but they were going to cost $100 for enough (couldn’t believe how expensive they were) so I bought a cheap single bed flat sheet with stretch in it and ripped it into strips and rolled them up. I then stood in the bathtub covered myself in the mixture and wrapped the “bandages” on. I then wrapped tight with cling film and put down a cheap tarpaulin (blue plastic sheet) from the $2 shop on the floor in the heated lounge room and laid there for an hour.
-Weighted hula hoop – I use a weighted hula hoop (fithoop) that has “notches” on the inside, I am convinced that it has carved my waist and assisted with the skin in the area also. I have used it 3 – 4 times a week for 20 – 30 minutes at a time for about the last 8 months – I love it and so do my friends - it cost about $50 Au and I bought it online.

I lost 230 pound and went from a definite pear shape to a classic hour glass - expect the best.

I lost 230 pound and went from a definite pear shape to a classic hour glass - expect the best.

I don't think juicing would be all that useful one week-post op, since you should only be thinking "protein, Protein, protein" right now.

Yes i loved the advice also and will try because a good male friend of mine lost a lot of weight and told me to use bio oil also. Good luck

INT125922 thank you so much for your input. It's very inspiring to hear that. I would love to get to the weight that you are at or even close to it.