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I will echo what @Alex Brecher and @heatherdbby said. Slowing down between the bite is the way to go. I used to take a bite, chew it well, swallow it and wait for at least 2 mins or so between taking the second one. If I feel I'm full or discomfort I will stop right away. I struggled with some foods more that the others. For instance, I had to be extra careful when having chicken, meat or scrambled eggs. I cut my meat and chicken is very small bites and chew it very well. I hope this helps

Just curious, why you had three plastic surgeries? All to remove loose skin? What was the down-time while recovering from surgery? This is what worries me. The pain also lol

I was given a compression binder like the one you are referring to at the hospital and I wore it for at least 3 months after the surgery. I'm now looking for a long-term solution after losing the weight. I saw some shape wear for men online but I don't really like wearing layers and layers of clothes. Maybe I will find some high waist pants

I have to agree. I don't think I will ever do the excess skin removal surgery. From what I read, it is more painful and takes longer to recover from compared to WLS. But never say never, right. For now, I will just try to get flattering clothes and adopt your attitude. Tucking my shirts helps which I'm doing now.

I once bought a cream that will supposedly help burn the fat and firm up the skin. It was a big mistake but I learned my lesson. Too good to be true.

I also had the MGB a year ago. Like you I was struggling with food at first. My doctor advised me to eat less but more often. So I used to finish my meal over 1 or 2 hours. Now I know my limits and what I can handle and I'd immediately stop eating if I feel the slightest discomfort. Delaying drinking water by at least 20-30 minutes after eating was really helpful in my case. Good luck.

Thank you so much. That was really helpful. I guess I can wear my pants differently and try to tuck the loose skin inside it. Let us see how it goes. It is not too bad like some of the photos I've seen but still. My thigh and butt have also oozed down my thighs (on the inner side). I hope I can still wear shorts when I go on vacation next lol. Those creams are useless and it should be illegal to sell such products.

I've lost almost 65 kg so far and very happy with my progress. My mid-section was the largest and still is. Before the WLS I had big thighs and even bigger bum but not so much fat on my upper body. Hopefully I will continue to lose more weight (I've 15 Kg to go) and it will come out of my thighs. The bum is almost gone lol. My question is about the loose skin and muffin tops. I can wear size 34" pants (down from 54") now which will fit nicely but will end up with a muffin top and loose skin draping over the belt. I'm not too concerned about the loose skin in my forearms or thighs since it is not that visible. Is there anything that can be done to improve / reduce the loose skin on my belly other than surgery? Workout maybe? I'd also love to hear about your experiences on this.

Have you talked to your surgeon already? I had MGB a year ago and luckily didn't have any major issues. I had some issues with my stomach similar to what are you experiencing now (gas, gurgle etc) after I was released from the hospital. What really helped me was walking and taking small sips of herbal tea that the doctor recommended (anise seed tea). Whenever I feel gassy or uncomfortable, I'd get up and walk and that helped a lot. I also found that waiting for20 minutes or so after eating before drinking water was really helpful. I hope you feel better soon and start enjoying your new life.

I can relate to this. We went to a restaurant that my wife likes and all the indoor tables were taken. They only had outdoor tables with swing seats (with ropes and wooden deck etc). One year ago we would have just left and I'm sure the waitress would have not mentioned those tables upon seeing me lol. We sat there and enjoyed the meal. The swings were fine when we left. From now on, that is where we are going to sit every time we go there.

Oh, the things we used to tell ourselves lol. I've always thought that I'm a big boned guy until recently when I had to change my watch bands because they don't fit anymore. "Don't fit" has a whole new meaning now ?.

That is the infamous 3-weeks stall which is common. It happened to almost all of us over here. Don't worry and just carry on.

I had a different surgery (MGB) but I don't think the size of what you put in your mouth matters. What matters is that you take your time to chew your food before swallowing it. I had to go really slow at first and delay drinking water at least for 30 minutes after the meal.

I had a different surgery - mini gastric bypass in Egypt. I stayed in the hospital for two days and rested in my hotel for a week. After 1 week the doctor said it was OK for me to fly back to Kuala Lumpur (long trip with 1 stop). Flight was fine and I have requested assistance with my luggage which was provided by the airlines. I had to quarantine for a week at home before going back to work. So in total it took me about three weeks or so. By then, I was eating semi-solid food and wasn't feeling very restricted by the surgery. I continued to wear the compression abdominal compression garment that I was given in the hospital for three months and there were no major issues. I also have a desk job and walking around the office helped me a lot. Good luck

That is why I decided not tell anyone about the surgery except for my close family and friends. I've no time or energy to explain to everyone why I opted for the surgery and that I have tried so many diets but nothing worked. I just give them the answer they want to hear - eating healthy and exercising, which I'm doing now anyone. Looking good there. Don't pay attention to what they say.

I feel that some people are genuinely interested to know so that can do something about their own weight. But some are just nosy. Like you I also suggest things that might help (consuming less carbs, exercising etc) but omit the WLS part.

One of the close friends that I told about my surgery was bigger than me and I was trying to convince him to do the WLS. He is still hesitant tho. One day, we were out eating with other friends and I said I want the smallest burger without the bun. He said - oh you can't eat that because your tummy got smaller after the operation? Luckily the place was loud and no one paid attention. Them skinny people will definitely buy it ?

I love this post. I paid for the surgery myself and I'll do it again in a heartbeat. Money well spent. Some of the savings that comes to my mind are: - Buying clothes is much more fun now and maybe cheaper now. Finding clothes that fits without being too baggy was a real struggle. So I opted for having custom-made shirts and that cost a lot over here. Here is a photo of the custom-made shirt I wore when I was admitted to the hospital and the one I wore on my 1 year surgery anniversary I say maybe because I now can't resist buying new clothes every time we go to the mall - I'm saving a lot of the money that I used to spend on junk food, chocolate, cookies etc. I now focus on buying quality and nutritious ingredients to cook with. The cost of food after WLS is also much less than KETO diet (all that butter and olive oil haha) - I'm off of all the medications that I used to take before the WLS. Now I only have to take my multi-vitamin and supplements.

Yeah. There is one guy who always comments on my weight loss every time we cross paths. It was fun at first but now it is annoys me. Now I tell that I've hardly lost any weight, laugh and walk away.

This week we have a lot of visitors from the head office (I work in a remote site) and I've not seen some of them for quite sometime. Some even before Covid hit. I was the star of this week with everyone talking about my weight loss and all kinds of praise and encouragement. Almost everyone asked me how did I lose the weight including the big bosses from the client and the contractors. I've only told my direct boss and the company managing director about my surgery. I took time-off to do it and told everyone else that I was going on vacation. It helped that we were still working from home while I was recovering so nobody noticed any change during that period. I chose not to tell my coworkers because I didn't want the unsolicited advice and opinions some might have about the WLS and also the follow-up questions. I learned that from when I was on KETO and made the mistake of telling a few coworkers about it. Suddenly I would have people come over to talk to me about it or advising against it etc. It was too much. One guy in particular would come in a for a weekly update on how much weight did I lose etc. Outside work, only my wife, my direct family and two of my closest friends know about my WLS. They have been very supportive and helped me throughout. I've been telling people that I was on KETO, then started a low-carb diet and exercising. I even have a photo of me on my maintain bike to prove it ?. I would love to hear how did you respond to such questions / remarks?

Me too. Standing up as I type this because sitting just hurts

Oh my! I'm having exactly all of these problems right now. I can't sit for so long and have to stand up every now and then and take a walk around the office because it hurts to sit. I didn't have this problem a year ago. Having a desk job does not help. I get cold very easily even before my WLS. Luckily I have my own office and I never turn on the air conditioning at all. You can certainly feel the difference when you walk into my office and the open space which feels like the north pole

The cashier at the Subway outlet near our project office commented on my weight loss and asked me how did I manage to lose the weight etc. She knows me well because I was a regular customer when I worked in that office. I used to go there at least 4 times a week if not more. I told her that my new work place doesn't have an outlet that sells subs and that helped with the weight loss. We both laughed and she handed me my first sub in 11 month post-op. I was not able to finish half of it. I get asked a lot by coworkers and people that I have not met for some time and I always tell them that I've cut down my food intake and started riding a bike (which I'm doing). Only my close family and best friends know that I had a WLS and intend to keep it this way.

Congratulations and I'm glad you are doing well after the surgery.

That is the spirit ?