heatherdbby

20 hours ago, ms.sss said:

like others have said, skin itself does not weigh alot. the stories you have heard about people losing 20-30-40 lbs after plastics, are either (A) folks who lost HUNDREDS of pounds, or (B) folks who had subcutanous fat under their skin, which was removed during plastics.). Most people fall under group B.

plastics is more about visual aesthetics (or comfort/life quality) vs actual weight loss on the scale.

My surgeon told me the "material" he removed from me weighed a grand total of 400g (less than 1 lb)....not at all significant on the scale, but VERY significant in the mirror.

getting a dexa scan is a good idea if you want to know what your physiological make up is. you could use the results of this scan to discuss with your surgeon what they anticipate your end result would be. unfortunately there is no way to know for sure what your results will be until you actually go thru it.

good luck! ❤️

I do think a scan will help as it will tell me if there is anything else really to lose or if my body settling here truly is what it is.

On 4/22/2024 at 11:38 PM, catwoman7 said:

you could always get a Dexascan to see how much fat, muscle, etc you have. Not the kind you get at the doctor's office - those only check for mineral (bone) density. You need the kind they have at some sports places (some university sports labs have them) or at commercial places like DexaFit. Those scans will also tell you how much fat, muscle, etc you have. I got one when I weighed 146 lbs because I wanted to see how much more weight I could lose. The technician said nope - I was done losing. I had 21% fat at that point, which is pretty lean for a woman (unfortunately, I'm not that lean anymore!). but I found it pretty helpful. I think it was around $100.

I have an appointment next month for my 18 month follow up. and I have asked them to put me in on the dietary side to for a scan. They have a machine that I think is similar to the Dex ones, you stand on it in a certain position, and wait like 2 minutes and it prints out body fat and bone density and such

On 4/22/2024 at 5:40 PM, Spinoza said:

OK so I have no experience with this because I have no interest at all in skin removal. WLS was, for me, all about the health benefits and way less about the aesthetic benefits but I totally get people who want both (and OMG see the photos on the before and after threads for detail and inspiration)!

From what I have gleaned in my 2.5 years here people's weight loss is in the single pounds category after skin removal surgery. Unless you started off in the 60s or 70s of BMI? The point isn't the added pounds of loss but more the making their bodies feel more comfortable to them.

I am also a huge believer in the concept of a new 'set weight' after surgery. Our bodies just seem to decide where to settle. Pushing beyond that is tricky. I would have been happy 15 or 20lbs above where I am at the minute. I didn't particularly push myself to get beyond that. But it feels like my set weight was decided by my body. I know that sounds strange.

You talk about feeling happy at your current weight plus or minus the weight you might be after removal of skin and whether losing a few pounds more might cause sag that you would have to address at a later point. Honestly I don't really understand that but I guess others will be along soon who might. It might be worth discussing in detail with your surgeon what your desired end point is.

Congratulations on your loss, it's amazing.

im proud of your loss too! I see you all over the forum and loosely have followed your progress! Super proud of you!

18 hours ago, GreenTealael said:

Usually if the surgeon has a social media presence you’ll be able to find out if they have a specific style (or not). It’s not always advertised as a style by the surgeon themselves but sometimes becomes apparent when looking at repeated results.

Researching surgeons that work with your current body type and have a lot of results that match your wishlist (along with safety and price) can be a starting point. Then join social media groups that discuss these surgeons. If you have no specific look your trying to achieve, then you can focus on surgeons with a lot of fantastic results, high safety rating and in your specific budget range.

Before I committed to anyone, I asked about credentials, previous employment and social media pages. Then I started looking through their work. Personally, I did not want pay celebrity prices for routine procedures but bargain basement priced surgery was not the goal either. And I think safety outweighs style always.

Yes I dont think I know of a style or body goal...

I want to be safe and know that I will be in good hands.

I just want to get rid of the excess skin and find the body that lurks underneath.

But also, balling on a budget lol

On 3/3/2023 at 5:07 PM, Toesinthewater said:

No regrets but just be sure you have realistic expectations. A full Tummy Tuck can give amazing results but it does not remove ALL the loose skin. I still have some loose skin just under my boobs and on flanks.

would it be a different procedure to get the under boob skin removed

On 1/21/2024 at 5:45 PM, GreenTealael said:

Extremely more affordable and highly skilled if you choose the right surgeon. Miami is a high volume plastics hub (like Dominican Republic, Colombia [highly recommend Medellin] and Mexico), so these surgeons may see more patients in their lifetimes than others. They do tend specialize in a style (vixen, pinup, lush and full bodied etc) but they will work with your particular frame just be very specific what you want.

How do you figure out what style the specialize in?

I am about 2 hours below the OP, in SC but close to Charlotte and getting quoted high craziness...

What kind of things did you ask or look for when researching surgeons?

How do you know how much excess skin you have?
Like in lbs.

I watch these shows and its like we cut off 25 lbs of skin.

How do I get an idea of how much weight my excess skin is so I can decide if I am truly happy here or if I want to lose a little more?

I am at the point of plateau. I have been at 157-162 for 10 months now.

I would like to end up at the 145 ish range. I just have no idea how to know if I have 15 ish lbs of skin. and I dont want to cut the skin, not be in the 140s, lose another 10 ish lbs and possibly have to go back and have more skin cut off/ have more sag that I am trying to avoid.

1 hour ago, Jeanniebug said:

Great job!

My doctors are very happy with where I am. I've regained about 10 pounds, which I'm not super happy about, but here we are. LOL!

My personal weight goal is 150. My doctor's goal for me is 163. The lowest I got was 166.

I'm struggling with food choices, right now. I'm eating too much Protein. But Proteins are easy, grab-and-go, fast to prepare, so they're what I tend to reach for. But, they also make you gain weight, if you eat too much of them. I'm trying to strike a balance.

I've also developed hypoglycemia. So, I have to eat about every 2 hours. When I prep my food, I do better with my eating. Again, the grab-and-go thing really helps. And having veggies already washed and cut up, in the fridge, encourages me to eat less Protein and more vegetables - which I really need to be doing.

But, overall, I'm doing really well. I'm no longer diabetic. My cholesterol is normal. My blood pressure is actually on the low end. I'm off of all my obesity-related medications. I had my final visit with my therapist, on Tuesday. He thinks I'm in a really good place and don't need him anymore.

Besides a couple of little speed bumps I've had along the way (an issue with my diaphragm and the hypoglycemia) this has been an amazing, wonderful, journey. I have no regrets.

Does your vision go white with the hypoglycemia?

Its crazy how things we were on medicine for we now have the opposite issue. I had high BP and was on meds for it, and now, they are considering putting me on medicine to raise my BP. My resting pulse is 53.

And thats so weird that they dont want you eating a lot of protien? How much do they want you eating? I have to have 90 and they require us to do one liquid per day for life. So, 80-100 g of protien with 20-30 of that has to be liquid per day.

On 9/28/2023 at 11:48 AM, Olivia Grant said:

Hi all! I'm new here. I want to thank you for your feedback. I'll also order some gummy vitamins.

just make sure your plan approves of that! most Gummy vits have sugar so my plan does not allow them

check with your office first and see what you have already paid for. examply my dietician and mental health is included for life.

My checks up to 13 months is included.

and then i would have them run your insurance and see what coverage you have to stay with them, if not, they can refer you to someone that has coverage.

just wanted to check in and see how everyone is doing

had my one year followup this week and the doctor said Ive lost 94% of excess weight!

have you mentioned the sticking out part to your OB/doctor?

its all about the cup.

Also, I have to have a straw, i know some plans don't allow them, ours says its okay after six months.

This sounds really good!

15 hours ago, AZCRS said:

According to OCC: The IGS implements a fundic anchoring technique that effectively reduces the risk of herniation and severe chronic acid reflux. Yes, it sounds like marketing and I am taking it with a grain of salt. Looking for anyone who may have gone through this procedure to validate any reduced or eliminated reflux.

I did not do that procedure. But I will tell you my opinion on it.

While I fully support Medical Tourism, and getting the procedure in places like mexico, I do think they use shiny gimick words to one up and get your business. I also think that its .... interesting... that they are doing a procedure that no other US doctor is advertising..

Combining that with the fact that it is hard to get a MX doctor to approve you for bypass, they heavily prefer sleeve because they can get them in and out faster and easier.

I would encourage you to find a doctor that will approve you for bypass especially if you already have reflux issues

save it for soft!

on pureed, as gross as it sounds, eat baby food jars.

if you dont want to go that route, look at what all you can do with blended cottage cheese! You can add flavorings to it, warm it up and melt shredded cheese into it, you can mix it with stuff. cottage cheese is very versatile

the best thing I ever did was switching to a hairdresser that also had bariatric surgery. Because she had went through it herself ontop of her general hair knowledge I have felt so much more in control and so good about the decisions we made as far as cuts and products.

1 hour ago, Daisy1210 said:

I recently had the sleeve revision to gastric bypass and I have been going through so many emotions. First, I was really beating myself up about not losing what I thought I "should" be losing. Then I all of a sudden started to feel like my husbands extremely petite new assistant has the hots for him. I read texts... She was just too chummy for my liking but didnt even say anything that bad. Just a lot of LOL's after things that werent funny and asking for favors to fix her boat while she is a cheerleader. He doesnt respond at all the same way and is very short with his answers and they are all professional. And, he is not a cheat. I know that in my heart, but these emotions that I have are making feel worse about myself than ever before. I cry out of nowhere and have fabricated this potentional office romance and can't stop checking the call logs or texts. The one line stands out when he asked her what her jacket size was and her response was "well I am small all the way around but I guess I can take a medium for a jacket". Like just say medium!! I know the way that I am feeling has a lot to do with how I feel about myself and my own insecurities, but I dont know how to stop. Google also doesnt help.

I went for my follow-up today, I am 5 weeks out, and she said I was doing great. I asked her if it is common to have these waves of depression and anxiety hit out of nowhere. She said she has seem some patients with the issue and told me to try Garden of Life Dr. Formulated Probiotics Mood+ Acidophilus Probiotic Supplement. She said sometimes with the bypass we are not getting enough serotonin in our systems and this could probably lift my mood. Just wondering if anyone else had any issues like this or if they are taking a supplement with serotonin? I also had a talk about what my expectations were for the surgery and how that could be affecting things. I am beating myself up because I am not seeing things drop as quickly as I thought they would and I am terrified this will be another bariatric sugery failure for me. I didnt realize that the weight loss wouldnt be as quick with a regular bypass before I had it. All of my other health issues seem to be getting better though, except my mental health haha.

im 9 months out and have had several large traumatic events happen after surgery, and i feel like my anxiety medicine doesnt work anymore. I never consiidered the serotin component

1 hour ago, ErinBrooke1982 said:

I'm so glad I found this thread! I am 11-months post-gastric bypass, have lost 135 lbs., and have reached my goal weight. Now, I'm terrified of gaining the weight back! My surgeon and weight management team have constantly pushed 3-meals of 3-6 oz. and 1000-1200 calories per day. Period. I've noticed that my body feels better if I eat small meals throughout the day and 1300-1500 calories. I'm still making healthy food choices, meeting my Protein and Water goals, and happily working out for 1-hour per day. I initially reached out to my healthcare team because I was concerned about eating too much and stretching my pouch, but I keep getting the same (frustrating) response from them (3-meals of 3-6 oz. and 1000-1200 calories per day). I honestly felt like, "am I the only one struggling with this?!?" Which is why I'm so happy I stumbled upon this thread! Did any of you also get the push-back from your medical team regarding calories, etc.?

I get pushback on my medical team for almost everything.

And your team seems to be in the odd group here.. most teams push for 4-6 small meals a day...? Its really hard to only eat 3-6 ounces, only 3 times, and be at 1200 calories?

I eat 5ish times a day, each meal being 150-300 calories, and a half cup per meal.

2 minutes ago, ElleRodri said:

THANK YOU! That's one that I hadn't run across in all my internet browsing. I am sure I'll get more information from my care team as we get closer and I go through these upcoming classes and appointments. mayo Clinic seems to be pretty good, I'm just excited to find a surgeon that would help (weight loss is just a side effect of the surgery, I'm actually having it to fix my GERD again) I had a GERD surgery in 2005 and the wrap has started to come undone so everything causes acid and if I don't eat enough soon enough and the acid builds too much I go into non-stop vomiting for days until it works it's way out of my system, think severe food poisoning complete with hospital trips, I have entirely too many medical issues, I'm praying that these "co-morbidities" go away with the weight.

I hope so for you as well!

The only thing is I do supplement Biotin, and thats just because I had a very traumatic experience around 4 months PO that made my Hair loss accelerate, but that is an optional thing I added

i live in the south east USA and yesterday was upper 80s low 90s... i was in the pool with my son, in a two piece, with teeth chattering. I said I have to get out, its COLD. everyone though i was crazy

1. Basics: GENDER, AGE, HEIGHT

female, 32, 5 ft 4.75

2. Total Weight lost in the 6 months BEFORE surgery (if any)

8 lbs on my own, 16 lost during preop, for a total of 24 lbs lost prior to surgery

3. Weight on DAY OF SURGERY.

256

4. Weight at 1 MONTH POST surgery

237

5. Weight at 3 MONTHs POST surgery

215

6. Weight at 6 MONTHs POST surgery

186

7. Weight at 12 MONTHs POST surgery

not there yet, I am 9 months PO. 167

4 minutes ago, ElleRodri said:

which one do you use? I was thinking about going to the Patches after I have my procedure since I definitely can't take what I take now since it's a huge caplet and it has caffeine in it too.

my office requires chewable. no gummies bc they have hidden carbs and sugars. no capsules bc they add additional barriers on absorption.

My surgeons office gave us a full long list of their recommendations, and broke down which ones had additional supplements we had to add with it (example, if you take flintstones complete, you need to add Calcium and b complex)

I chose the one that was a complete that didnt need additional supplements, and the dietician said that she does not see defiencies with that one, its Bariatric Fusion, the one that says complete chewable.

https://www.bariatricfusion.com/collections/bariatric-multivitamins

50 minutes ago, ElleRodri said:

I'm not looking forward to the stalls because I know how negative that can make me feel from past dieting, I don't think it'll be so bad after surgery after hearing about everyone's experiences with them. You make me feel like I'll be able to do this!

The whole point of my surgery is to alleviate the GERD, I'm not technically having the surgery done for weight loss but because of another stomach surgery 18 years ago it's now my only viable option to fix my issues. I already get dumping syndrome because of my stomach issues so I'm not too worried about that. I'm just worried that I'm going to do it wrong. I imagine I'll have to be on a PPI for forever but I'm hopeful that we can at least lower the dosage down after surgery.

I know scrambled eggs will be one of my go-to's for a quick Protein snack because they're already my quick Protein haha. I did what everyone said not to do and got a bunch of different protein supplements (i.e. shake powders, 2 oz shots, and "clear" beverage-type protein in liquid and powder. Just wanted to see what is and isn't going to work and how much I'm going to have to adjust my lifestyle. I feel like I'm going to be tied to a clock with having to space things out like Iron and Calcium. I'm already hesitant about a lot of meat because I have difficulty swallowing but KNOWING like really knowing and understanding how big your pouch is and what it will actually hold is probably a godsend and will save you some grief as you progress. I've been trying to pick up a little bit of this and that in preparation for it because I know when the time comes for it I'll be broke since I'll be missing a week of work if I'm not able to move around again quickly. But everyone says they're up and moving within a few days so I'm hopeful to only miss 3-4 days at the office, and I have a sedentary job that I can do from home, so that helps.

So excited to see everyone's progress. Thanks for sharing your experience with us

just wanted to say, the tied to a clock thing definetly resonates, esp that first six months. Its also part of why i specifically chose medicine that doesn't require supplementing with additional Calcium and Iron, i take a full complete all in one that doesnt require anything additional, and I take two twice a day.

14 hours ago, GreenTealael said:

BBL surgical cushion. It’s been firm and is positioned mainly under the upper thigh when seated to take pressure off of the Glutes.

let me look into this