MaisyDae

I had surgery on December 22, 2016 ! I'm down 41 pounds! I think it has to do with the individual! And genetics! I know several people who have had weight loss surgery, each persons results are different!
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My goal weight was 165, which is actually 10 pounds "overweight" by the BMI charts. The lowest I got was 153, but that was definitely too thin for me. 165 is my happy space.
To the OP, here are some pics for you. My highest weight was 270, my weight in the "after" photos was around goal of 165. I am 5'6" tall.

My take is it is important to start and get to a healthier weight to decide on a final goal.
I let my body decide because when I struggled to get the last 10 off , it came right back. Since it has been 10 years, I kinda get where my body wants to stay and what is comfortable for me
Yes I exercise, drink Water ( never with meals) and eat a lot of Protein.< /p>
I still occasionally get down those 10 lbs, but they then return in a couple of months. Repeat.
I just stay a size 10-12 and am so happy to never see 270+ again!
Good luck and let us know how you do

My starting weight was 294. I am now 116. I NEVER thought I would be a 39 year old mom that can wear a size 0. I didn't seek that out as a goal, it just happened. My doctor gave me the goal of 135-145. I hit the top end of the goal in 9 months. It took about 3 months to lose the other 10 pounds. I started training for my first half marathon in July of last year and got down to 121 then. Even though I stayed the same weight, during that time I went from a size 6 to a size 2. I lost more weight after stopping birth control.
With all that said....how you look after is based on so many different factors. I lost 178 pounds, but have minimal excess skin. I know others that have lost 80 pounds and have LOTS of excess skin. I give credit to my workout regime in part. You cannot just do cardio, you must do weight training.
The hair loss. I experienced that starting the 3rd month through about the 9th month. It was minimal though. I have PCOS and experienced much worse before the surgery. I have been committed to getting my Protein and taking my Vitamins.
I agree with the others. Looking a certain way is still healthier than being obese or morbidly obese in my case.

@@krissyvsg Most WLS patients experience hair loss between 3 and 6 months post-op. How much you lose and for how long is pretty unpredictable. There are *some* things you can do to help, but it's mostly out of your control. Make sure you get your Protein, Water, and Vitamins in from the start. That's what you CAN control. I have heard over VERY few cases where people's hair didn't eventually grow back. The VAST majority of people start to see regrowth immediately once the loss stops. For me I lost some hair between 3.5 and 5.5 months post-op. It was enough for me to notice, but no one else did. It started growing back immediately. I personally think the little "baby hairs" sticking up all over when it started regrowing were more noticeable than the thinning. I cut my hair shorter so it wasn't as obvious.

This is understandable.
The thing is that most people don't look sickly for long or just don't loose enough to be skeletal. Once people hit their nadir weight, things tend to even and shift. Just like @@JamieLogical said. Will you have loose skin, probably. It really isn't as bad as it may seem. I'm much happier with my saggy skin and being able to do more. Also a lot healthier.
Also sometimes people might tell you to stop loosing weight because
they are jealous,
not used to you being smaller,
not sure what a healthy weight looks like,
etc, etc, etc. The reasons go on and on.
The truth is that we are used to ourselves heavy. It just takes time for us and others to get used to us being skinny/skinnier. In time we can develop new identities about ourselves. That is really all it is. Learning to accept looking different.
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When it comes to faces, it does seem like a lot of us go through phases where we look a little sunken and sickly, but it does seem to even out eventually. Age seems to have a lot to do with it. For younger people, the skin and plumpness seem to bounce back eventually in maintenance. For older people, they can end up with some sagging skin in their neck and jowls.
But I will say the same thing about this as I do to the people who fear hair loss and loose skin... no one ever died from it. People die every single day from obesity-related illnesses!

Hi folks,
There is a January Sleevers Secret Facebook group. If you want me to add you to it, friend me on Facebook and I will add you to the group. (You can unfriend me afterwards if you like ).
Just do a search in Facebook for ShinyLady - Debbie Smith. (This account has been created for this purpose.)
Yay! to all the January sleevers.
@@Snowlife123, @@Stephanie840910, @@fjsfls1202, @@Paulaski and any one else who wants to join the January Fb group.

I am trying. It's hard for me aparently. And I was a huge Water drinker. Sip is my new word all the time.

It is common, but try like heck to get in your fluids or you'll end up in a very bad state.
Keep that Water bottle with you like a bad habit. Take teeny sips often. You will get through this!

I am sooooo sooooo glad I had my TT. It's definitely one of the best things I ever did for myself. I actually had pretty significant complications and I still don't regret it, because now I am years out from it and still enjoying my results. The complications are a distant memory.
Here are some pictures of my scars and a side-view pic. These photos were taken maybe 5 years post-op?

I live in St. Louis

I think we just needed something crunchy
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I'm in NW Missouri...20 minutes from the Iowa border lol. Sleeved 1/10/17. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

I'm in NW Missouri...20 minutes from the Iowa border lol. Sleeved 1/10/17. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

KC area there is a meet and greet Sun Jan 18th 3pm email blovell99@aol.com for more info or to rsvp

Northwest Missouri, about an hour and a half north of Kansas City.

I'm looking to meet new people.

I talked to my Dr. Today and he said Hair loss is normally starts 3-6 months after surgery but it will grow back. He told me to double up on Protein and Biotin. I hope it works!

I'm from Waterloo area. Just would love to find support around Iowa. I'm still going through my insurance process. sleep study tomorrow. Getting impatient.
Mindi in Waterloo
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I was cleared by my psychiatrist and I have depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
What WLSResourses/ClothingExch said is exactly why they ask for clearance. It's not about what illness you have, it's about your ability to understand the potential risks & gains of surgery, if you have the capacity to understand & follow the directions, etc. As long as your mental illness(es) don't interfere with these, you will be cleared in a jiffy. ????
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Unfortunately it won't allow me add anybody that is not my friend on Facebook. Click on the link below and it should send you an invite.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1303839029637296/
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I was cleared by my psychiatrist and I have depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
What WLSResourses/ClothingExch said is exactly why they ask for clearance. It's not about what illness you have, it's about your ability to understand the potential risks & gains of surgery, if you have the capacity to understand & follow the directions, etc. As long as your mental illness(es) don't interfere with these, you will be cleared in a jiffy. ????
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@@Honeybee17
I started strictly post surgery. I walked the first 6 months, then when my weight loss stalled a bit, decided to join a gym. I did get a trainer to show me how to tone with specific exercises, but only utilized him for a few sessions when I felt I got the info I needed You can find so much info online, also.

Very much agree with Hammer_Down. Natural fats such as in butter and full fat milk are very important to maintain skin health and elasticity. Just have them in reasonable quantities.
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