Lily66

Chubrub!!! SO FREAKING HAPPY FOR YOU! Well Done!! Your Joy jumped through my ipad! And I totally understand why.....you look fantastic!!! Shout it from the mountaintop!! 💝🎉🏆🎊💃

I’m thrilled to have reached goal today! Coincidentally, it happened on the anniversary of my initial consult with my surgeon. I’m down 100lbs and feel lighter than air!

Pics are below! For those that wonder about loose skin, yeah I gots it! I’m having PS to remove it, but I’ll take the loose skin over fat any day! Tried to show what I look like with clothes on, with shirt pulled up and with loose skin untucked out of my pants! LOL!

Long term and consistent use of Retin-A/Tretinoin and sunscreen make a big difference; they’re the only evidence-based anti-aging products; everything else are unregulated cosmeceuticals so manufacturers can make whatever claims they want to about them, whether true or not. You must wear sunscreen EVERYDAY, re-apply throughout the day; and utilize wide brimmed hats, sunglasses, and sun-protective clothing to lessen photo-aging caused by UV rays and visible light.
Fraxel lasers and Thermage can help to stimulate collagen production and minimize fine lines & wrinkles. My derm also recommends consuming collagen peptides (e.g. Vital Protein which I purchase at costco and put in my coffee & smoothies), especially pre & post treatment(s).
P.S. If you don’t have access to Tretinoin, which requires a prescription in the U.S. (and can be expensive without insurance coverage), you can use an OTC retinoid medication, Adapalene, which is available in a couple of drugstore products and is typically less than $20. Recent studies show it is also effective for anti-aging and not just acne control.
- Differin Adapalene Gel
- La Roche-Posay Effaclar Adapalene Gel

Alright so I had my VSG in January and attended my first large function since the surgery last night. I did get compliments on my appearance but also received some "you look sick/anorexic/too thin" comments from family (it was a cousins wedding). I am content with my weight right now, although I am currently trying to up my Protein and build more muscle, but overall I feel fantastic. I plan on having one more child in the near future so I know I will put weight on during that process, so I kinda want to tell people to just back off [emoji23] but I'm a very timid person, so my question for everyone is, how do you deal with comments like this? I honestly wasn't really sure how to respond and felt kinda upset but I see where they are coming from, especially since they haven't seen me in a while. Anyhow, sorry for the long post, any tips are greatly appreciated!
Sent from my Alcatel_5008R using BariatricPal mobile app

Most people never said I looked like I lost too much except for one person. Most would say things like “you must be close to your goal by now” and I’d respond “yes, pretty close.” The for the one person that continually told me I was losing too much I finally heard enough and said to her, “look, you never bothered to tell me I was gaining too much weight so your opinion doesn’t really matter to me and I’d appreciate it if you quit commenting on my weight because I’m beginning to feel harassed.”That shut her up. Now days people usually just say something about what a great job I’ve done or how I inspired them to stick to a diet. When people ask how much I’ve lost I always just say, “a lot” or “more than I weigh now!”

I did look drawn & pasty when I was losing weight (worst were the ones from people thinking I had a mortal disease) but my colour & face shape improved greatly when I settled into maintenance.
Depending on what they said I usually responded with something about feeling so well now I’m in the healthy weight range & thanked them for noticing my hard work. Yep, at times I was a bit b*tchy but only when their comments were really upsetting & intrusive.
I still get comments about looking sick from ‘well meaning’ family friends. Unfortunately, I have glaucoma & the drops give you dark bruising shadows around your eyes. (concealer doesn’t really cover it). So I have a legitimate reason to give them in response but it’s still annoying because they tie it to the weight loss.

God rest her soul, but my mother did exactly same, Chubrub. For as long as I can remember, too thin, too fat, bridge of nose too thick, “you have teeth from your paternal grandmother”, and high waisted, too🤣 ya di ya da (wait, maybe we had same mother?) What the heck???🙄 Fortunately, we survived and dealt with it. Unbelievable!! Congrats on becoming a strong, independent woman to dismiss it💃💖🌟!
Breavsg, moral of the story is dismiss it all and trust these moments or glitches in human behavior do make us stronger!😊

Hugs and all best to you ahillig! It does sound so puzzling this far out. Good luck and please keep us posted.💖

I’m sorry for my scattered thoughts, currently doped up a tad bit!

I know everyone’s experience is different, but I wanted to share my thoughts (especially for those that are worried about the surgery!)

I have never had surgery prior to this VSG, and also suffer from pretty severe anxiety and was so so worried about getting an IV, pain, being nauseous, staying in the hospital alone, etc. I just wanted to share that my surgery went great!! I have minimal pain and nausea and feel pretty darn good. I’m so excited for this life changing opportunity.

To those of you in the preop stages of wls, please don’t let anxiety or fears hold you back from changing your life!! As much as I wanted this surgery, I contemplated cancelling it almost daily due to fear. As mentioned, everyone’s experience is different, but don’t let the “what if’s” hold you back!

We all know that Hair loss is likely due to WLS. I’ve accepted it, and am dealing with it. However, since WLS, my remaining hair is dry, frizzy, and brittle. I use good, moisturizing Shampoo and conditioner (salon-recommended stuff), only wash my hair twice a week, and take Biotin and all other recommended Vitamins.

Is this a new norm? Any thoughts on improving my crazy-lady hair?

This guy is a great follow on YouTube. He’s crazy strict on what he eats but the information and products he discusses are valuable and (I think) worth your time. I ignore him when I disagree with him, lol

He also shows new products that hit stores. I’ve found a lot of new items since watching a handful of his videos. I posted this in the before after thread, it fits better here!
flavcity
FlavCity link

God rest her soul, but my mother did exactly same, Chubrub. For as long as I can remember, too thin, too fat, bridge of nose too thick, “you have teeth from your paternal grandmother”, and high waisted, too🤣 ya di ya da (wait, maybe we had same mother?) What the heck???🙄 Fortunately, we survived and dealt with it. Unbelievable!! Congrats on becoming a strong, independent woman to dismiss it💃💖🌟!
Breavsg, moral of the story is dismiss it all and trust these moments or glitches in human behavior do make us stronger!😊

Lol!!! Yes! That's exactly where my negative comments are coming from! I love my mom dearly but she can also sometimes be a bit of an a hole as well [emoji23] good to know I'm not alone, thank you [emoji3590]

Sent from my Alcatel_5008R using BariatricPal mobile app

God rest her soul, but my mother did exactly same, Chubrub. For as long as I can remember, too thin, too fat, bridge of nose too thick, “you have teeth from your paternal grandmother”, and high waisted, too🤣 ya di ya da (wait, maybe we had same mother?) What the heck???🙄 Fortunately, we survived and dealt with it. Unbelievable!! Congrats on becoming a strong, independent woman to dismiss it💃💖🌟!
Breavsg, moral of the story is dismiss it all and trust these moments or glitches in human behavior do make us stronger!😊

My mom doesn't know about my WLS, but every time I see her she says "I hope you don't want to lose anymore." She's been saying this for the last 20lbs. LOL! She's a bit of an a$$hole sometimes! LOL! She's been commenting on my weight (too thin, too fat, etc) and my body type ("You are soooo high waisted" "Your boobs are soooo big") my entire life. I basically say "BYE" and leave when she starts up with her nonsense.
I haven't really seen many people b/c of Covid, so fingers crossed that everyone is kind!

I’m thankful that my body is teaching me to pause, listen, learn and renew.
Thankful for this website and the lovely souls gathered to empower and encourage one another.
Thankful for my sweet, gentle, strong, self confident, funny, tender, courageous, wise, spiritual and handsome hubby. Thirty years together and still crazy for each other.💖

I agree with you that our minds are SO powerful and many times can accomplish what you describe. For some, however, a chemical imbalance may exist for any number of reasons and medication may indeed be called for. I honor any individual dealing with that, trying to seek balance. For some, going off these meds could bring about a very undesirable outcome.
Kudo’s to YOU for exploring and securing what you need and that it’s working!!

I’m thankful that my body is teaching me to pause, listen, learn and renew.
Thankful for this website and the lovely souls gathered to empower and encourage one another.
Thankful for my sweet, gentle, strong, self confident, funny, tender, courageous, wise, spiritual and handsome hubby. Thirty years together and still crazy for each other.💖

I'm thankful that it's been 6 weeks since I had my plastic surgery and I get to go back to work on Wednesday!

I’m thankful that my body is teaching me to pause, listen, learn and renew.
Thankful for this website and the lovely souls gathered to empower and encourage one another.
Thankful for my sweet, gentle, strong, self confident, funny, tender, courageous, wise, spiritual and handsome hubby. Thirty years together and still crazy for each other.💖

I’m thankful that my body is teaching me to pause, listen, learn and renew.
Thankful for this website and the lovely souls gathered to empower and encourage one another.
Thankful for my sweet, gentle, strong, self confident, funny, tender, courageous, wise, spiritual and handsome hubby. Thirty years together and still crazy for each other.💖

I’m thankful that my body is teaching me to pause, listen, learn and renew.
Thankful for this website and the lovely souls gathered to empower and encourage one another.
Thankful for my sweet, gentle, strong, self confident, funny, tender, courageous, wise, spiritual and handsome hubby. Thirty years together and still crazy for each other.💖

Yaaaaaaassssssss...sushi/sashimi take out for dinner last night!
Just sashimi for me: ate 3 salmons, 2 tunas, 1 octopus, 1 scallop, with wasabi soy sauce and a bit of spicy seaweed salad: 253 cals.

GREAT POST!!

I definitely have this anxiety about gaining the weight back. Im 15 months out and no im still in a bit of a safe zone, but like you i took note of people before me who were successful and also those who failed. Ive noticed a lot of people who have failed, 1. didnt change their eating habits, only ate less while the restriction was in place and just counted on that, and 2. didnt incorporate a workout routine to stick too.

I also dont look at how i eat now as a being on a "diet" but rather this is just how i eat now. I notice how my "normal" friends eat and realized how bad i really ate when i was obese. i was always confused when i would go out to eat and my buddy would get fish and not that big juicy burger. and why did he always have leftovers and i didnt. it was crazy to me when i sit back and look at it now. having a healthy relationship with food has made everyday easier and im enjoying it very much, but i think ill always have a little of that anxiety of going back to who i was. but i know if i keep up with working out 5-6 days a week and keeping a balanced clean diet ill be ok. I just have to stick to it.

what most successful long-term vets seem to do is to set an acceptable weight range for themselves - and if they see themselves going over that, it's all hands on deck until they get back into range again (with ideally a little wiggle room). It's a lot easier to take off five lbs than it is 50. So that's what I do now. I know it's easy to gain because I spent a month in India last fall and came back about five lbs over range. I had no access to scale while I was there, and although I wasn't eating like a pig, I ate more than I would if I was home. And...it showed. It was a bear to get off, so I learned my lesson...