Sassafras1

No you're not, not one little bit. You love that you've been super successful and now you've forgotten what it was like the hundreds of times you tried to lose weight and failed pre WLS. You forget too easily that you had to have an entire organ bypassed from your digestive tract to get you where you are today. Don't forget, have compassion and empathy.

"NEVER trust a fart.....for a few weeks anyway 🙂" -Neensyb

Just read this on another thread seeking advice for someone about to have surgery....and had to repost it here to rave about it.
Made me laugh, and man, was it true! I'd forgotten the *ahem* sharts.
Thanks Neensyb, for nearly putting coffee out my nose this morning.
🤣

Yeah.. I completely understand, people often act in the exact opposite way you think.
I told 2 friends I was having surgery. One who is quite obese and one who is very fit. Surprisingly they both had the same response - "Don't do it, it'll ruin your life". One said I'd be vomiting constantly and not ever be able to go anywhere. I didn't see the fit friend for about 6 months post and when I finally did the first thing she said was "Well, you look the same", it killed me. I had lost almost 90 pounds at that that stage.
I'm seeing a bunch of friends on the weekend for the first time in a really long time, I'm really nervous about what they'll all say. I couldn't handle negative comments on mass!
Things are better with the 2 friends now but it has affected how I think of them. I never thought they would be like that and now I'm very careful about what I say to anyone about anything I'm doing to try to better myself!

I am sorry that you had to go through that. Do you mind if I ask if your friends that have treated you this way are overweight? If so they are probably jealous that you are losing weight and they are having difficulty losing theirs. I always find it funny, too, when people talk about bariatric surgery as cheating. It's like, "I had a health issue and I had a medical procedure done so that I could correct that issue". Is someone with cancer being a cheater if they have surgery to remove a tumor?

Hello everyone!

So just to give details, I had surgery 5/29/18 and lost 95lbs originally post surgery. However since, I gained back 35lbs and have been depressed about it. I’ve lost the 35lbs then gained it back (and the cycle repeats). I’ve tried Keto, Vegetarian, Whole30, the works! And it seemed as if my stomach stretched out and I was back to eating almost all the way normal.

This time around though, I figured I would go back to what I learned pre-op and make the lifestyle changes I made 2 years ago to lose the weight.

I restarted about two weeks ago, eating my food slowly, listening to when I was actually hungry, taking my supplements, drinking my Water, eating Protein first, getting active each day and eating 3 meals without Snacks.

Two weeks later, I’m already down 6 pounds and now it seems like I’m eating the portions I was eating 2-3 months post-op! Even the dumping sensations I felt when I eat too much came back (something I TRULY didn’t miss lol)

I realized that I was seriously overeating and not utilizing the tool I’ve been given.

All of this to say, if you are someone like me, going through regain loss and have been a ways out from surgery, don’t overcomplicate it. Go back to basics and use your tool.

It hasn’t stopped working. It hasn’t stretched out. It’s just not being utilized. And you can pick it back up again.

We got this! Don’t give up.

I found a tea that seems to really work in a short order with Constipation. I am not a fan of Smooth Move and my friend introduced me to a homemade ginger tea but it was a lot of work and I didnt always have the ingredients around for it. I am always trying things on amazing Amazon and tried this one and in about three hours you could say I had "large results" !! I did not get cramps or super bloated from it. Highly recommend it
https://www.amazon.com/Pink-Stork-Constipation-Biodegradable-Discomfort/dp/B07CGKDFJY/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=herbal+tea+constipation&qid=1610057781&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyMUNWTFpaVUYxMFlSJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMjQ1NTA1SjM1Skk5SlJKTkdWJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAxMTc2MTYyRllZNEo0QlkzRzVQJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

650 would be insane! LOL!!
Oh yeah, for added giggles, the bra I'm wearing in the pics was provided by the surgeon to try on the implants. I later found out that I put it on backwards! Hooks go in the front, so that's what it looks like backwards! ha ha ha!

Just got back from pre op. I went into with the idea that I wanted 225cc implants. The surgeon wants to to go bigger. She promises they will look great. So we agreed anything between 350 and 550, and she will decide during surgery what looks best. I like that I’ll be surprised. Lol!! She wanted me to consider 650s but I drew the line there! I said maybe if I was 25 but I’m too old for those kind of boobs! Lol!

As for the TT she is going to extend the incision past my hips bc I have so much loose skin which I’m happy with! She also said that I don’t have any fat to Lipo on my flanks (it’s all skin) so she found a little on my back to do instead, but it won’t be 1 liter. I’m glad I don’t have much fat but hope I can still get that snatched look without lipo to the flanks. Hoping she’ll find some more fat when she gets in there!

No matter what I’m excited!!

Attaching pics of me in all my saggy glory. This first pic is without implants. The rest are with the 350s. I’m showing my saggy thighs too for research purposes bc sometimes the TT can give the thighs a little lift. I'm hoping to get a little oomph but am prepared if that doesn't happen.

I know it's completely unreasonable to feel this way. I'm booked for surgery 4 January, my pre op diet starts in two days. I've done my homework, planned the first 6 weeks based on my dieticians advice.
Does anyone else have these fears? Or had these fears and now are post surgery?
I think I need to keep myself busy, or at least my mind busy. It's stinking hot here in Queensland Australia, and I've got lots of things I can do to keep me occupied.....

So, I posted previously that I was having a hard time getting all my Protein and Water in. That is still kind of true but at day 7, it's like I turned a corner. I can drink normally (not a gulp, but not a tiny sip like before) and I can get in 1.5 oz of food at a time (protein first, then fruit or veg, as per the diet) and an 8 oz shake so I can get closer to my protein goal. I am terrified of stretching my sleeve out because I can drink more and I can get more at day 10. I do 8 oz of Protein Shake before it gives me 42g of protein in one go. And NONE of my tastes have changed and nothing has "sat" wrong with me. I have tried pureed fruits (baby food), sugar free popsicles, eggs (they got "caught" the first time but we made them runny so now they are okay), ricotta bake, and tomorrow tuna puree. Nothing has made me ill yet. I don't get hungry like before, but I do feel hunger sometimes and it isn't head hunger.
The only problems I have now is the stupid redness from my incisions as an allergic reaction to the glue, I get hot flashes sometimes from the hormones I guess, and I am still very tired, even when hitting water goals.
I don't know, I guess I thought I was going to only be able to tolerate food a little, not like anything that I previously did, have no hunger pains, and get sick from a lot of the stuff I've tried. So far, none of that has happened. From what I read, my experience isn't super normal and I hope I am not doing something bad to my sleeve without knowing it. Anyone else have this? I am curious.

Edited to add: I feel very, very little restriction when I drink water now. It's there with food, certainly, but water seems to go on down easily.

I love this thread!! I'm in Australia and some of these products are from Australia or New Zealand, but I don't want to miss out on the fun. Besides, the American supermarkets seem to have a version of everything so most of you can probably find something similar.
1. Dark roasted Peanut Butter - I eat this with apple or banana, on top of my oats, in my smoothies. As a rare treat, I will sometimes have this on gluten free toast too.

2. Kombucha - passionfruit flavour. I gave up Diet Coke (had a die hard addition but I think the sugar substitutes were making me crave real sugar) and high calorie juices. When I don't feel like Water, I'll have this. It's delicious, I don't know if it actually does anything in terms of Probiotics for the microbiome, but I like the taste.

3. Taco spice from costco. I buy these giant bottles of taco spice and throw it into beef mince or with chicken (I love a Mexican salad, taco Soup, or bowl of chilli carne carne). This actually lasts in my pantry, unlike those little sachets.

4. Halo top. Any kind - but peanut butter is my favourite. Lately, I've been buying the sticks as I can easily eat a whole tub (which is 280 calories). This is perfect when I want dessert (e.g. most nights).

5. Caramel collagen Creamer - I'm pretty sure this is available in the US, or will be soon. I think they have a dairy and non-dairy version, but I usually grab the regular kind. My skin, nails and hair look so much better when I'm doing collagen - it's a little miracle. I love the taste of this one, I stir it into smoothies, iced coffee and even my oats every morning to add Protein.

Well if you can do it, I can do it

Yeah, I was so busy hiding from cameras when I was at my biggest that I never realized I'd want some comparison pics!!! I promise to take lots of "before" pics of my saggy/squishy self this time! LOL!!

I'm excited to follow you on your journey!
I made the same mistakes with the no photo's or measurements, I'll track the plastics much better too

My BMI is officially out of the BMI range! It was 29.2 when I did my weekly weigh in ❤️ I won’t lie, my recovery has been super hard and a part of me regrets the surgery because of all of my complications. But hopefully if I keep losing I’ll see it al worth while

Lets be honest here. We all have reasons for being big in the first place and one of mine was a toxic relationship with my mother. I ate my feelings. I will never get any type of positive reaction from her so I have quit looking for one.
I know my success is eating at her and in a way that just makes me want to succeed even more, yes I know that is a little juvenile but it is what it is
Just be happy in your own skin and know that your success only needs to make you happy!!

I've enjoyed reading everyone's plastic surgery threads, and since I'm 3 weeks out from surgery, I thought I would start my own! I'm going to make up for all of the WLS mistakes I made (not taking "before" photos or measurements), and plan to track my PS progress much better!!
So here's where I am to date! I originally planned on having a CTT (circumferential Tummy Tuck, also known as a lower body lift) along with a BR/BL/BA (breast reduction, lift, and then adding implants back in for fullness). Plans have changed slightly since then, and I've also changed surgeons. The original surgeon I was going to does great work, but the surgery center he works for is very unorganized. I was initially willing to put up with the chaos to get that particular surgeon, but there was story after story of women getting their surgeries canceled at the last minute, and it was adding too much stress to what I want to be a really fun and exciting process.
The new surgeon suggested a different approach, and I really like her thoughts on it. Instead of a CTT she wants to address only the front of me (tummy and breasts) so that she can remove more skin from my tummy and leave me in that post tummy tuck hunched over position. With the CTT she wouldn't be able to take as much off the front b/c of the posterior incision. So my goal for round 1 is to look great from the front! LOL!! I really like how she explained it, and am excited!
Also I'm now down to a 34D, and the lift itself will reduce a little bit, so now I'm just a BL/BA (no more BR).
I've completed my pre-op testing (mammogram, chest xray, EKG, bloodwork), and will head down to Florida next week. I covid test upon arrival then report to the office on 1/6 for my pre-op visit. Surgery is on 1/12, and she wants me to stay in town for at least 4 weeks, but better yet would be 6 weeks after surgery.
Since I'm working from home due to Covid anyway, and have a place to stay in Florida, I'm 100% on board with the stay requirements! Something good to come out of Covid!! LOL!!!
So that's where I am for now, and look forward to updating with my progress as the weeks go by!!

Welcome and congrats on your surgery!

Great thread!
Mine is Every decision we make is a towards move or an away move. We need to make sure most of the moves we make are taking us towards what we want and not away from it.
"Towards moves" and "Away moves"
I've found this very helpful, it's almost a mantra for me now.

I'm 38 too and I get where you're coming from. The thought crossed my mind once or twice too but I've decided I'm definitely going to have a couple of areas tweaked once I reach goal. I figure I spent a lot of years thinking I didn't deserve to be happy, and now? Well now I want it so I'm going to do it and I don't have time for anyone else's opinion on the matter.

I'm 9 months out, and I am very, very happy with where I am at. I had my surgery March 11, 2020. I've lost a total of 52 pounds since I started - 48 pounds since the surgery date. SW: 208 CW:156 GW:149 and I'm 5'5". This means I lost about 90% of my excess weight, which studies show is a very typical result for a patient like me who started out with a relatively low BMI (35).
Of course I would still like to lose those last few pounds and officially make it to a normal BMI, but I am very happy with where I am now and would still consider it a resounding success if I can maintain at this weight. I am big boned, and people tell me that I look like a completely normal thin person when I am clothed. You can certainly tell I have lost a lot of weight when I am naked. Even at my heaviest, I never had big breasts or thighs, so most of my lose skin is on my arms and belly. I am very happy not to have saggy breasts. The belly skin makes it so pants that fit great when I am standing feel uncomfortable when I sit, but that's a minor annoyance.
I was very strict with my diet for the first 3.5 months. At that point, I had to have another surgery and was feeling bad for quite a while, so I was not so careful and more carbs and some sugar crept into my diet. However, I continued to lose well through that time. At this stage, it feels like I am learning how to maintain, although I am still losing a pound here or there. It is true that your appetite comes back at some point, and sugar definitely increases my appetite a lot. However, I had been having really bad problems with hunger and sugar before my surgery - I was about to get diabetes, and that is basically why I got the surgery. Right now, the techniques I was using before surgery to try and keep my hunger under control actually work. I eat pretty strictly during the week, and get about half my Protein from my wonderful morning Protein Powder latte. I still eat a lot of eggs and cottage cheese - luckily I have always like them. During weekends, I eat more freely and allow myself to have some sugar. I don't count calories anymore since month 4, but I still weigh a couple times a week. I plan to keep this routine up for the rest of my life, and I think it is very doable.
I kept a detailed weight chart. I did not record every up and down - I only recorded a weight if I had lost from the previous recorded weight. For the first two months, I lost about 3-4 pounds a week. Then I had a 1 month long stall, which was really nerve wracking because it was right at my lowest adult weight, where I'd gotten stuck with weight loss before. There were lots of ups and downs during this period that are not recorded on this chart, but still freaked me out. After I finally broke through the stall, I lost at a 1.5-2 pound per week rate during months 4 and 5. Since then, I've sort of slowly slid into maintenance with a total 7 lb loss over months 6-9.


Before - my 40th birthday Dec. 2019

After - Nov. 2020

After Oct. 2020 (I'm on the left)
Thank you so much to BariatricPal and all the amazing posters here, especially for the long term members who provide a great outlook for how things will change as time goes on!!!!

Hi all, had VSG yesterday and in the hospital as we speak! Just talked to Dr’s and they said I should be able to go hone this morning...YAY ME!!

Some suggestions for folks going into surgery any time soon.
1. The gas lifesaver was a heating pad (get a pretty bug one to cover you entire abdomen). I has a hysterectomy 5 years ago and about died from gas pains. I still have the gas pains with this surgery but not NEARLY as bad with the heating pad.

2. Get biotin/boitene (not sure exactly how it’s spelt) mouth spray. You’re mouth will be very very very dry after surgery and you may not be allowed Water immediately after but even if Can’t have water you can’t golf it can your mouth will still be super dry. So this just helps with the dryness in your mouth and I got the mint flavor sent makes you’re mouth a little bit fresher too.
3. Bring your own pillow!

All in all a good experience. If you have any questions about surgery or liquid diet, feel free to ask.

Scar healing/fading will vary from person to person.
You could probably predict where you will fall on the scale by how YOU healed historically.
I am on the far end of the scale of slow/bad healing/fading. I am 2+ years out from surgery and my scars are still pretty dark. They have faded somewhat from the early months (and at least now they are flat!) but they are still very noticeable (see pic below...the scars pointed at by red arrows are my WLS incision scars which are 2 years, 2 months old. My belly button is also healing from scarring from plastics 1 year ago.)
Generally though, for ALL scar care, it is often recommended to keep them clean and dry while healing, and then moisturize often when they close. Also, it's recommended to reduce alcohol during healing (as it may act as a blood thinner and prevent clots), and refrain from smoking (as it may affect healing as well: stress on heart, de-oxygenates blood, etc, etc...). Further, there has been some evidence of Retinol and Vitamin E topical applications to help by stimulating collagen growth which reduces the appearance of skin imperfections....
Edited to add: Just remembered! For really bad scars, I can vouch for steroid shots. I had some applied to the arm lift scars on my arm a few weeks ago and they have visibly improved. Still not to the level of near-invisibility like i've seen on others (i'm looking at you @sillykitty), but def much better than before.

I am 61 and feel like a teenager - And, told I often look like one. I Celebrate my plastics one year anniversary January 21st! I considered it another reward and step toward long term health, happiness and wholeness after sleeve a year before. Waiting to do arms and neck maybe the end of 2021 to give body a rest from procedures. After plastics, I feel you are definitely more motivated and psyched to apply new eating and better lifestyle choices. I recommend it wholeheartedly. It will be a game changer.

I'm 58 and I know I will be looking into plastics once I reach my goal. I'll probably wait a few months after I reach goal to see if my skin naturally tightens a bit. But I'm almost completely positive a breast lift is in my future.
Age ain't nothin but a number 😉
I hope you do what feels right for you.