MoLiver4u

The only thing I don't like about having lost almost 100 pounds is that my boobs are like empty, deflated sacs. Though not perky, they were bountiful and full. But now, a size 38 DD (and I'm good with that, down from a 44-DD/44-DDD), they are empty, flat and saggy. Oh well. There's still enough to keep me and him happy! (I'm the only one commenting about them sagging, so I think I'll stop mentioning it. Why point out a negative?)
If you somehow keep your breasts, and lose most of the rest...ka-pow! Just rock it.

Bahaha exactly. No matter what happens, the outcome won't be pretty for me either.
Just to boost you a bit, my husband loves my saggy droopy sad boobs. He doesn't want me to get a lift when all is said and done. He says they're squishy and fun. So no worries @casselliot, someone will adore them


HW: 328 (02/21/17)
CW: 275 (preop 53# disowned)

I always say that I live in the wrong country only because my boobs don't salute the flag, they bow to a king.


HW: 328 (02/21/17)
CW: 275 (preop 53# disowned)

So my support group awards you with a pin for 100 pounds lost or 1 year since your surgery. Last night I received my pin for 100 pounds lost (two days short of 7 months). I will wear this with pride on my Veterans of Foreign Wars Uniform Hat to remind me of my journey.

I'm just over 4 months out and I can tolerate everything and I mean everything.:( I was hoping it would be harder to eat than I'm finding it but mostly if I stick to a routine I'm ok.

I'm just over 4 months out and I can tolerate everything and I mean everything.:( I was hoping it would be harder to eat than I'm finding it but mostly if I stick to a routine I'm ok.

Fritos ... *sigh*
13 months out ... I can eat anything but I stick to my routine.
To everyone who is having trouble .. just keep it simple. I know it sounds corny .. but eat to live .. don't live to eat. People who are 0-9 months out, just put those blinders on and eat what your Dr. says. You will survive! For those who at 9+ months out life will be a challenge till you realize eating is feeding your body so that it can survive.. its not a source of pleasure. Yes I know food tastes good! I could eat a bag of Fritos right now.. and I am not talking about the little single serving size bags. YOU CAN'T DO THAT .. no one should do that. I think a majority of people (maybe everyone) over eats.. its simple math of how many calories do you need to survive... anything else is just for fun and we all have have to much fun.
Don't let food be anything more than what it is, fuel.

You’ve lost all the weight. So, after all that hard work, anxiety and relief, what’s next? Many WLS patients are at least curious about plastic surgery to remove excess skin and fat. And if you’re among them, check out this article for the real world advice of three plastic surgeons.


Paralleling the increasing use of bariatric surgery, there is a high demand for body contouring through plastic surgery. If you’re just beginning down this path, the questions are many. Who will do my surgery? How is recovery? What can I expect?
Choosing and Evaluating a Plastic Surgeon
Many of the surgical procedures performed on the massive weight-loss patient are complex and labor-intensive. The wide spectrum of body contour deformities that can follow massive weight loss often exceed the magnitude of what plastic surgeons have traditionally addressed. That is why weight-loss surgery patients need to work with a surgeon who specializes in bariatric plastic surgery.
Dr. Joseph F. Capella, a plastic surgeon in New Jersey, affirms: Post-bariatric body contouring is a relatively new area within the field of plastic surgery, in that bariatric surgery only has become popular in the last 10 to 15 years. And because of that, many surgeons have come through their training not having been exposed to post-bariatric body contouring. Because of that these surgeries are not considered traditional procedures, in the sense that they’ve been honed over decades like many of the other plastic surgery procedures. And so what plastic surgeons may do is use these more traditional procedures and apply them to the post-bariatric patient, which often will lead to sub-optimal results.
So, it’s very helpful then, in that regard, to go to a plastic surgeon who has committed to this kind of surgery and does this surgery frequently — and this would be true for any kind of plastic surgery, for that matter. But what’s different about post-bariatric surgery contouring is it is relatively new, and probably greater than 50% or more of plastic surgeons out there right now did not have any exposure to it in their training. Obviously there are on-going conferences to educate surgeons but there’s a difference with having it as part of your training rather than learning about it from a lecture.
Read Dr. Capella’s comprehensive list of criteria for choosing and evaluating a plastic surgeon.

Healing Body and Mind After a Post-Weight Loss Body Lift
Once you’ve removed the loose skin and sagging, is the journey over? Are you obstacle-free? Well, not quite.
The Plastic Surgery Center in New Jersey says: You’ve been through a life-altering experience, and with that, your body and mind need time to heal and adjust. It’s important to acknowledge that, so you can assist in your own recovery and eventually move on …
Recovery from body lift surgery is extensive, which sometimes catches people off guard. And it can be painful, depending on the extent of the surgery and your perception of pain. You should be prepared for swelling (or even numbness) that can last for weeks and sometimes even months. In fact, most surgeons say that complete recovery and final results take up to a year. Of course scarring is a fact of body lift surgery, and scars are particularly distinct up until the first year following the procedure.
Many (if not most) people experience strong emotions following plastic surgery. While excitement and elation are a natural result of such a positive life change, it is also customary that an entire range of feelings can result, including a phenomenon called post-plastic surgery depression which can resemble post-partum depression. Recovery creates the time and opportunity to focus on these emotions.
On the plus side, the surgical results of a body lift are apparent almost immediately. They will remain permanent if you are able to maintain a stable weight (although normal aging obviously results in physical changes). And, depending on the person, the body’s healing process should mitigate scarring.
Read The Plastic Surgery Center’s great advice for healing body and mind after a post-weight loss body lift.

Plastic Surgery Improves Appearance, Mobility, Health and Emotional Well-Being
People may not be fully aware of the many benefits of plastic surgery after weight loss. There are aesthetic refinements in the appearance and improvements in functional mobility, as well as an increased sense of emotional well-being.
Dr. Edward Domanskis, a plastic surgeon in California, says: I think that the benefits of plastic surgery after weight loss are tremendous. When you’re massively overweight it’s one problem. When you lose the weight I think a lot of times the patient doesn’t realize that the problems don’t really go away; it’s just a different problem. It’s a problem of all this hanging skin. And to some people that can be almost as much of a problem as being overweight and having all this excess fatty tissue — physiologically for sure.
In my experience I think it [plastic surgery after weight loss] is a very, very satisfying type of surgery not only to the patient but also for the physician to see the transformation in the patient. To see the reaction of their friends and family to what they’ve gone through and how their overall appearance and psyche tend to change. There’s no question that these procedures are very. very beneficial to the patient.
Watch Dr. Domanskis’ video segment, “What to Expect: Improving Appearance, Mobility, Health and Emotional Well-Being through Bariatric Plastic Surgery.”

I'm ROLLING over here!!!! LOL

It is hilarious because when you watch 600 lb life, those people are literally 1/2 a ton and they only lose 30 pounds in a month. And most of them are in the hospital that first month on a stricter diet than those of us at home.

@ShelterDog64
I answered your age question in PM, don't want to give up too much personal information online. I know you have lost most of your weight, but you still aren't even a year post op.
Plastic surgery prices and demand is lower in the fall/winter, which is why I picked that time to have my surgery. I really was shooting for Fall of 2017, but I think fall of 2018, maybe even 2019 might be better, it just depends.
My skin has no snapback. I've had stretch marks since I was a kid just from growing. My skin just genetically is not very elastic, at least not in my body, face is amazing. The way I am losing and my fat is settling is really different the closer I get to goal. Like if there was only one surgery I could afford it would be arms. That is the must do, Everything else I can hide.
For me, a breast lift is just vanity so I can go braless and wear strapless dresses. Men don't care what tits look like as long as they can touch them. Physically my breast do no bother me, especially since they are much lighter.
My apron bothers me, it flop, but I don't get infections and I don't have issues with it. My belly button does get gross and I have to clean it carefully, but at the end of the day that is all something I can hide in clothes.
As much as I would love to get my thighs done, people with thighs like mine don't end up with good results from thigh lifts. i would still never be able to wear short shorts of a bathing suit without shorts, so it is a waste of money.
I think you might find when you get to goal, that things look and feel a little different. In your second year, you still might lose weight. Back when vets used to post here, a lot of people would comment that they lost another 5 to 10 pounds without trying. 5 or 10 pounds doesn't seem like a lot for heavy people, but once you are under 200 that is a size or worse a size and a half (being between sizes is the worst!) depending on where it comes from. If you get your body snatched and lose another 10 pounds from ????? on your body, you are diminishing your results. It is a lot of money to spend, better to wait and get it right than to do it and want a revision.

"Wondering if you're happy is a great shortcut to being depressed." - Annette Bening, 20th Century Women


Over the 8 years I have met with weight loss surgery patients, the one concept I find myself going over and over is this idea of becoming full from within. The idea that if we don't fill ourselves up intrinsically- we will always need some thing to fill the void, whether it be food, gambling, sex, drugs, or alcohol. The problem is- we always end up on empty, psychologically.
The next question often becomes, "ok so how do I fill myself up psychologically? I don't think I will ever be fulfilled because I have never been truly happy. I was not born a naturally happy person? I've spent most of my life feeling empty- how do I turn it all around now? I grew up with unhappy parents, how am I to unlearn all of that early programming?'
"Wondering if you're happy is a great shortcut to being depressed." - Annette Bening, 20th Century Women
I think, unfortunately happiness gets a bad rap. There is a wide misconception that for us to be fulfilled, or full from within- we need to be blissfully happy all the time, and that's just not the case. Not only is it untrue, but it is an unrealistic standard and one that sets people up for disappointment. Rather than always questioning how we SHOULD be feeling, we should just practice acceptance of whatever temporary state we happen to be in at the moment with non-judgement and non-attachment. Like busses, moods come around every five minutes.
Even therapist's aren't immune to life's ups and downs. Believe it or not, as a psychologist who literally wrote a book on Happiness, I have to remind myself certain mantras that help me keep my own life in balance and my happiness and fulfillment sustained. I actually have a list on my phone that says "things to remember," and page through it daily, when I'm feeling off track.

So if you're feeling off track yourself- first understand that you're human and give yourself a break + then thumb through my personal list of happiness tips, little pearls I've gained in my 37 years on this planet, and see if any of them might help to increase your happiness quotient today:
1) In silence, the heart begins to finish its unfinished business. I think I picked this up from a book I read about Sufism. In any case, I liked it and it stuck. Oftentimes, we think that we must actively and aggressively pray, yet Sufis believe that it is in the stillness that God comes to us.
Whenever my life gets a bit too chaotic with all the "should-ing" all over myself- I remind myself that it is often when I take pause, let go, and let God- that what is truly important, rises to the surface and I begin to reclaim my life instead of it claiming me.
2) Do more want-to's vs. have-to's every day. Someone once told me that the "have-to's" will never be done. I repeat- they will never be done. So we might as well splice in some time for the things that we thought we were going to do once they were done.
Take the scenic route to work, take a long walk and listen to that book on audible that you have been wanting to read for the last few months,go shopping with a friend, get a massage, take an extra long lunch and sit out in the sun, or just curl up with your loved one or pet.
A wise man once said "time you enjoy wasting, is not wasted time," and I couldn't agree more.
3) Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them. I remember when I was in grad school, thinking "if I can just finish school- then I'll be the relaxed, happy go lucky person I want to be," then it morphed into, "once I get licensed," then "once I get married," then "once I have kids..." You get the idea.
It is not the situations or circumstances in our lives that determine if we are a happier person or not. It truly is the way in which we approach them as they come, that determines what type of person we are and how happy we will be. In the "car of life," that we all have to drive, will you wear stilettos or uggs?
4) Connection with others is key to fulfillment. I am an introvert by nature. I enjoy my downtime, and require coming back to my home base in silence, to relax and unwind. However, there is something inherent in our very nature about the need to feel connected to the world around us- introverts included.
My best girlfriend from childhood came out for a week a while back, and so I was unable to get caught up in the hamster wheel of daily activity. I was forced to be fully present and engaged with her for four days in a row. As a result, I was actually more grounded, more at peace, less anxious, and more optimistic about the future.
Whenever we notice our egoic drives propelling us towards isolation, judgement, rumination, or comparison- we should remind ourselves to get out and connect with our fellow man, and fakebook doesn't count.
5) Like attracts like. Happy attracts happy. When we find ourselves feeling left out, isolated, or out of touch with those around us- it is important to look at our recent focus. Are we always dwelling on the negative, gossiping about someone? You know the saying "what sally says about susie, says more about sally than susie."
Although, many of us sub-consciously believe that if we can just "get it out" about whatever is chipping away at us- it will somehow allay our negative feelings- it really doesn't. In fact, research supports that when we ruminate on negative feelings, it actually increases our negative feelings.
This doesn't mean we should all be superficial and "surface-y" towards everyone, but that we should work a bit harder to find the happy.
6) To receive abundantly, ironically we must give abundantly. It is engrained in our DNA to wake up each morning with a needs list: "when will I get that bonus?" "when will I hear back about that promotion," "when will she call me back?"
Yet, spiritually I truly believe that when we make the shift from "what can I get," to "what can I give?" It is a complete gamechanger. It's almost as if the universe aligns with us and says "yep you finally figured it out."
7) Choose your thoughts like you choose your clothes. Our minds are quick and fast like ferraris. They are an intricate and complex machine designed for ultimate performance, but just like we must use the right fuel for a Ferrari, we must also carefully select and filter which thoughts we allow to permeate our consciousness.
When you notice yourself feeling down, take a cognitive step back and look at what thoughts you were having. Most are unproductive. Choose to let them go. The same tool that created the problem (our mind) is not likely going to solve the problem.
8) Legitimately and truly don't care about what others think or do. I can honestly say that this is still a work in progress for me. I was born a people-pleaser, but as I get older, I realize the more I try to make others happier with me, the less happy I am with myself.
9) Go out into the world with your heart, not your brain. Yes, our brain is required for some part of our days. Otherwise, our bills wouldn't be paid, our tasks wouldn't get done, and our goals wouldn't be met. But, other than that- when we greet people, meet people, share with others, observe, smile, walk- it is quite a different experience to live in our heart space, in that emotional space that is more visceral than verbal.
10) Relish in the remarkable ride. I watched a movie a while back called "about time," and it was all about a man who had time travel figured out. He lived his day once all hurried and bothered about the little stressors of life, but then went back to live it again. He said he would just rest in the moment, relax, and relish in the remarkable ride that was his life.
I love this. After all the late notices have come, all our debt has fallen or risen, our weight has gone up and down, our kids get a failing grade in school, our lover breaks our heart, our cars break down... it always ends the same: none of us get out alive. So why not just sit back and enjoy the ride?

I think that those of us who lost a significant amount of weight prior to surgery and are closer to goal can lose more slowly than those with more to lose or who have been losing for longer. My weight loss is slow and seems to happen in small bursts since my Jan 3 surgery. I'm finding that less weighing myself helps me not fixate on it so much. Keep doing what you need to be doing and you will get there - that's what they tell me!

Online communities attract people who are not afraid to speak their mind. There are also plenty of lurkers who never utter a "peep". You have to develop a tough skin to put yourself out anywhere on the internet - even here. There are also wonderful supportive people who you will click with. Focus on them and don't worry about those who communicate differently than you do.
I'm a peep aficionado myself, but unless you ate a carton of them, it's no big. I personally ate a Cadbury egg already and Easter isn't even here :-O

Women's sizing is a nightmare! It's totally arbitrary. Men's sizing can vary from brand to brand too, but at least sizes are based on actual body measurements. We just have random numbers that mean nothing!

Honestly, my breast are starting to look like jacket sleeve boobies. They just look sad. The fullness is going away. I need that to happen in my tummy.

I'm honestly scared to lose weight in my boobs. Not because I can't afford it size wise - I'm a DDD, but because they're already shaped like saggy watermelons (nipples point to the ground) and the more weight I lose in them, the more they'll look like inflated animal balloons that have been left in a hot car too long. [emoji52]


HW: 328 (02/22/17)
SW: TBD
CW: 292

Fat stores estrogen. When you burn fat, estrogen is released into you body, this happens to men and women. The floods of estrogen can cause mood swings, increased periods. heavy periods. spotting between periods, periods in women that were menopausal, skin break outs lots of things. The mood swings can be insane. It is like PMSing for months on end.

I think I wrote the exact same post as you 2 weeks out. I shed a chunk of weight pretty fast post surgery and then BAM - nothing! I think it took more than 2 more weeks before I started losing again. Two things have helped me deal with this:
1. Stop weighing yourself as much as possible - The more I weigh myself the more frantic and discouraged I get. The focus works better if you just try to put it on building a new, healthy lifestyle instead of looking at the numbers as much.
2. Look at the overall loss - You have lost X amount of weight in Y time period. I'm 3.5 months out and I've lost 33.5lbs in that time. I think there were 3 consecutive weeks where I lost nothing but overall I'm happy with the change.

Remember this post and, in a few months when you see some other new sleever posting about their stall make sure to come back and reassure them;)

Online communities attract people who are not afraid to speak their mind. There are also plenty of lurkers who never utter a "peep". You have to develop a tough skin to put yourself out anywhere on the internet - even here. There are also wonderful supportive people who you will click with. Focus on them and don't worry about those who communicate differently than you do.
I'm a peep aficionado myself, but unless you ate a carton of them, it's no big. I personally ate a Cadbury egg already and Easter isn't even here :-O

Online communities attract people who are not afraid to speak their mind. There are also plenty of lurkers who never utter a "peep". You have to develop a tough skin to put yourself out anywhere on the internet - even here. There are also wonderful supportive people who you will click with. Focus on them and don't worry about those who communicate differently than you do.
I'm a peep aficionado myself, but unless you ate a carton of them, it's no big. I personally ate a Cadbury egg already and Easter isn't even here :-O

Online communities attract people who are not afraid to speak their mind. There are also plenty of lurkers who never utter a "peep". You have to develop a tough skin to put yourself out anywhere on the internet - even here. There are also wonderful supportive people who you will click with. Focus on them and don't worry about those who communicate differently than you do.
I'm a peep aficionado myself, but unless you ate a carton of them, it's no big. I personally ate a Cadbury egg already and Easter isn't even here :-O

I think that those of us who lost a significant amount of weight prior to surgery and are closer to goal can lose more slowly than those with more to lose or who have been losing for longer. My weight loss is slow and seems to happen in small bursts since my Jan 3 surgery. I'm finding that less weighing myself helps me not fixate on it so much. Keep doing what you need to be doing and you will get there - that's what they tell me!

Ugh - I've been on a month long plateau! I go to the doctor on Wednesday and find out if I should still be throwing up what I eat 2-3x a week and why, if I'm doing what I'm supposed to, I'm not losing any weight.

How are you all doing?

I'm not on here much as most of you are pre surgery or going through the weight loss process. I do pop up now and then just to let you know what's doing in terms of living life post WLS.
I'm four years post surgery and have been in maintenance for about 2 1/2 years. When I do come on the boards, I see posts about what to eat, what not to eat, how much weight has been lost, how much has been gained, and other similar topics. When I was in the early stages of my weight loss journey, i read and posted alot regarding those same issues. Now that I'm further out, I don't focus on the details...I just focus on living my life as a normal sized person with all that entails.
I just wanted to post these two pictures to show the new folks that you can be successful with weight loss. Know that while I'm smiling in the before and after pictures, I was not happy in the before shots because of the issues surrounding my obesity. Also know that I have been, and am still in therapy to address my food addiction and the root causes of my obesity. It's my path and know that I'm not advocating that this should be part of yours.
Again, I'm here just as a reminder that once the newness is over, the weight loss is done, and the emotions settle down....this is the reason I had the surgery. It's about health, mobility, and living my life rather than watching from the sidelines.

Overreacting? Over. Reacting? OVER REACTING?! YOU ALWAYS DO THIS! BELITTLE THE SITUATION AND MAKE IT SEEM LIKE IT'S OUR FAULT! GOD... I CAN'T BELIEVE THE NERVE!