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My PS wanted me to try to lose more weight, but I was stuck for years as far as weight went. I was having reflux at that time and within the past two years after the tummy tuck, it got worse , I think due to all of the muscles being tightened, it put more pressure on my stomach, so I had to have the band removed. Now, I'm 8 months out of band removal and haven't gained any weight... yet. But I feel like it's only a matter of time, so I'm probably going to revise to RNY. At least when I do get to goal, I can finally do all of the plastics that I was planning to do right when Covid hit. But I understand about your age and the risks involved, and it will be a relief to get the excess skin removed. Best of luck to you!

Hello Buddies! I have been reading this board continuously but haven't posted much as I've been busy busy, but I just wanted to jump in and relay some of my experiences post surgery if it might be helpful to those currently going through it or about to. I had my sleeve on Nov 9th. The one thing that I found that really helped me out of the gate is walking. From day 1 I made sure to make myself walk. Each day I increased my distance by an additional driveway until I was able to walk all the way around the block and then added even more. By 2 weeks post surgery I felt like I was 100% again. A friend of mine who had the same surgery 5 years ago by the same surgeon couldn't believe how quickly I recovered. I attribute it to the walking. So that's my advice on recovery. Unfortunately I did make some major mistakes because I was feeling good and due to a family emergency, 1 week post op I had to fly home to help care for my mother. I didn't want my parents burdened by worrying about my surgery so I kept the entire thing hidden from them. As such, I completely skipped the pureed food stage and just ate soft foods while chewing oh probably a hundred times before swallowing. I do not recommend skipping any food stages but I had to do what I had to do. I had a bad experience with solid food. I was running around and wasn't paying much attention to the fact that I hadn't eaten all day and when I got home I was ravenous. I cooked up some tofu chicken fingers (my vegan go to for a quick and dirty meal pre surgery). Well, um... lets just say it didn't go well. I had that lump in my chest that felt like the food was stuck. The saliva continued to pour up into my mouth. There was nothing I could do to make the pain in my chest go away or the saliva stop flowing. I literally thought I was going to die. I decided to go for a walk. The amount of spit that continued to flow from my mouth could probably keep a whale wet for a decade... it was awful! After about 20 minutes, the pain finally subsided and the constant flow of saliva finally dried up. It was an experience and a hard learned lesson to remember to chew chew chew! and wait wait wait before taking another bite! Rice, my favourite pre surgery meal is now a no go for me. It just doesn't sit well at all. Sad but I can deal with it, bigger picture and all that. Sugar. I was a sugar addict pre surgery, I'm a mostly plant based eater, I attribute all my weight gain to my sugar addiction. I have found that although I am still addicted to sugar, I can have that '1' piece of whatever it is and be satisfied instead of that '1 whole bag' and still not be satisfied as I was in the past. If I go past that '1' piece threshold not because I'm not satisfied but because I'm still a glutton I find myself in the washroom with a mild case of dumping syndrome. Another welcome reminder that '1 is enough'. I feel like I am losing weight fairly quickly but I'm not noticing any adverse side effects like hair loss or sagging skin but I do take collagen everyday so I'm thinking that might be helping with that. Today will be my first day back to the gym in 3 months. I am looking forward to getting back into running again without all that additional weight holding me back I hope you all are enjoying success and keep going! Happy Holidays!

Yes, that's me at 290 (actually 292 in that photo). People are already warning me not to lose too much weight, but there's still a ways to go... and in any case I literally can't eat enough to overcome my TDEE even if I wanted to. It's slowed down. My primary care doctor says 275 would be fine and really he just wants me under BMI 40 (which I am), but I'd like to see where I can go. I went from size 54/34 pants to size 35/34... if I end up back where I was in college, I'll be in 32/34s. I have a DXA body fat scan every three months (it's cheap here, about $40/35€/£30) which reads my body fat. The problem is that the body fat measuring weight scales have two settings. If I leave it on normal mode I get a reading of 42% which is CLEARLY untrue. But if I put it on athlete mode, I get 25%, which is also clearly untrue, though closer. They need to have "kinda fit kinda fat" mode! The last DXA reading last week had me at 31.7% which I was a bit disappointed as I wanted to be under 30%, but it'll get there. Slowly but surely. I just want under 20%. 15% might be a stretch at 45 years old, but it'd be nice to have the beginnings of abs under the loose skin. 😁

You definitely are, though I'm a farmer's boy too You look rad, dude. Not long until people starting telling you to stop losing weight. Are you 290 in that last picture? That's insane. 250 will look perfectly fine on you. Btw pro-tip for when you get there: I'm BMI27 now and unfortunately lost a little more with the 'rona, I can see my ribs now, my delts have individual muscle strains visible ... yet my scale still says my bodyfat% is 22. There's like ... no way that's true. My dietitian says it's the extra skin that messes with the current in the bodyfat measurement and not to worry about it. So just keep that in mind.

Oh I love that! Same with me I was raw vegan the past year and loosing a feeling great I even became a cherries vegan nutritionist then my mother had a bunch of health problems and starting in June of this year I was back and forth to Missouri to help her. I got Covid late July - even though I was vaccinated and ended in pneumonia. My goal in January was loose my weight by the end of the year or get the sleeve. Life happened and kicked my butt this year so 3 months ago I called a bariatric surgeon and I got in this Weds for the sleeve. But I get the focusing on the mind I feel being a raw vegan put me vibrationally and spiritually in a different vibration and I have been working with a therapist to work through my eating disorders and issues with my mother. I feel this step is the next step but you are so right it is so important to focus on getting your mind in the right place. Sounds to me like you are really heading in the right direction! Next year is going to be such an amazing year! I can’t wait and am really looking forward to the next phase in my journey!!!

if it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. Fortunately, most of us don't lose enough hair for others to notice (and even if you're one of those who do, it's pretty rare for it to fall out in big, noticeable clumps - rather, it's more like shedding - so your hair just looks thinner). About all you can do is keep on top of your protein and supplement requirements to keep it from getting any worse than it will anyway. It's temporary and will all grow back, so there's that. I had loss from months 5-9, but it was pretty minimal. I noticed more strands than usual in my combs and brushes, but just looking in the mirror, I couldn't tell - so no one else would have noticed, either. And then there are people who don't lose any hair at all. nothing you can do about skin. Although you're what we call a "light weight", so you're not likely to end up looking like a Sharpei puppy like someone who starts out much heavier might (I was one of the latter - I was almost 400 lbs and in my late 50s when I had surgery). You'll likely have some sagging, but it probably won't be what I'm guessing you're imagining. And there's always plastic surgery if it bothers you - but I'm betting it won't be that bad. I was really worried about the hair loss and saggy skin (I think most people are), but honestly, most of us would take those any day of the week over being obese. And again, the hair loss part is temporary.

I'm sure you'll hear it from others, but hair loss and loose skin are absolutely inevitable. They are just part of the WLS process. There are some basic things you can do to help minimize the impact and/or speed up the healing/regrowth, but that's about it. That being said, here is what I did: Start taking your vitamins now including biotin or hair/skin/nail supplement, get in the habit of drinking your water and hitting your protein goal, use BioOil daily, stop dying your hair/using heat/doing restrictive styles (these all contribute to hair loss so if you minimize them, you'll lose less overall), start using a hair oil with Rosemary (clinically shown to work nearly as well as Nixoin). I'm 3 months out and am just now starting to see some increased shedding. I'm not sure how bad it will get, but I've just accepted it as part of the process, while doing the best I can to minimize it.

Due to Covid delays I am about 8 months out from gastric sleeve. What can I do, take, ingest, rub on, tie up (lol) to prep my skin and hair prior to surgery to prevent as much damage control as possible. I am 5’6 225 body type is apple shape (or frog shape as I call it.) and I’m 45

Congratulations on your sleeve. First I’m going to address the issue of Protein. In the beginning Protein is super important. It helps heal, Hair loss, muscle building, skin elasticity, etc. My full liquid diet consisted of 3 Protein Shakes a day with a list of other fluids in between my shakes. My surgery center let me know it was imperative that I got in at least 3 protein shakes a day. I went home with a 30 day supply of Bariatric Fusion protein power and Vitamins. Along with prescription for nausea and pain. So not having any protein for two week properly isn’t a good thing. They also gave me a list of approved bariatric protein shakes and powders so I can order more once I ran out of what they sent me home with. Now to address the negative, I don’t recommend anyone go abroad or go for a cheaper version. I actually feel sad for you because we went to a place that didn’t give you the correct information to be successful in the long run. This surgery is about so much more than have someone reputable to cut into you. It’s good to have a surgery team to be there for you before and after the surgery and to let you up for success. Everyone’s situation is different. Your starting weight was like mine in the 200s, so I didn’t have to undergo some of the things that others have. I must mention the I had RNY and not sleeve. There are a couple of things that I see that I know my surgery center in the US would have caught. Assuming you had heart burn before your surgery, RNY would have been the way to go instead. Also I started my surgery journey in August and I had my surgery in November in the US. During the months leading up to surgery, I was taught a new way of eating not only food choices, but also how to chew, eat slower, and take smaller bites. Most of all how to get used to not drinking for 30-45 minutes after eating. This was the hardest habit to break. Lol!!!! This made it easier for after surgery. I was also accustomed to ending this new way. I had several tests done just to ensure I was healthy enough handle the anesthesia. During the coarse of these tests it was discovered that I had sleep apnea and an irregular heart beat. Had I gone aboard and settled for a cheaper option, I could have died one the table because the anesthesiologist not know of these issues and we hadn’t worked to correct them as much as possible before hand. I had to work with a psychiatrist to work through my emotional eating. Now I turn to prayer or journaling instead of a bowl of ice cream and potato chips. So I said all that to say, YES you need protein. And to discourage anyone from taking a short cut or cheaper option. As you can see you can easily be given misinformation or left without the necessary info and tools to be successful after the surgery. Best wishes 💛💛💛💛

Congratulations on your sleeve. First I’m going to address the issue of protein. In the beginning Protein is super important. It helps heal, hair loss, muscle building, skin elasticity, etc. My full liquid diet consisted of 3 protein shakes a day with a list of other fluids in between my shakes. My surgery center let me know it was imperative that I got in at least 3 protein shakes a day. I went home with a 30 day supply of bariatric fusion protein power and vitamins. Along with prescription for nausea and pain. So not having any protein for two week properly isn’t a good thing. They also gave me a list of approved bariatric protein shakes and powders so I can order more once I ran out of what they sent me home with. Now to address the negative, I don’t recommend anyone go abroad or go for a cheaper version. I actually feel sad for you because we went to a place that didn’t give you the correct information to be successful in the long run. This surgery is about so much more than have someone reputable to cut into you. It’s good to have a surgery team to be there for you before and after the surgery and to let you up for success. Everyone’s situation is different. Your starting weight was like mine in the 200s, so I didn’t have to undergo some of the things that others have. I must mention the I had RNY and not sleeve. There are a couple of things that I see that I know my surgery center in the US would have caught. Assuming you had heart burn before your surgery, RNY would have been the way to go instead. Also I started my surgery journey in August and I had my surgery in November in the US. During the months leading up to surgery, I was taught a new way of eating not only food choices, but also how to chew, eat slower, and take smaller bites. This made it easier for after surgery. I was also accustomed to ending this new way. I had several tests done just to ensure I was healthy enough handle the anesthesia. During the coarse of these tests it was discovered that I had sleep apnea and an irregular heart beat. Had I gone aboard and settled for a cheaper option, I could have died one the table because the anesthesiologist not know of these issues and we hadn’t worked to correct them as much as possible before hand. I had to work with a psychiatrist to work through my emotional eating. Now I turn to prayer or journaling instead of a bowl of ice cream and potato chips. So I said all that to say, YES you need protein. And to discourage anyone from taking a short cut or cheaper option. As you can see you can easily be given misinformation or left without the necessary info and tools to be successful after the surgery. Best wishes 💛💛💛💛

I had a test spot done on a burn scar years ago and it was called permanent makeup but the spot does not match my skin coloring at all. I decided not to do it because of that but I was younger and did not do any research to see if they were experienced or anything. Apparently doing a test spot is something they do though.

Hi! Has anyone had a panniculectomy while still being quite overweight? I was sleeved in 2012. I was 368 lbs when I had my surgery and have maintained a 130 pound loss. In spite of trying relentlessly I was never able to get even close to my goal weight (menopause, knee replacement, etc.). But my life is about 10,000 times better!! I have lots of skin and have been approved for a breast reduction and panniculectomy, but in between those two areas I have that damn menopausal spare tire. I never had that even at 368! I tried to get a plastic surgeon to do an abdominoplasty but my BMI is too high. So I’m kind of freaking out, imagining that I’m going to have a smaller bust, no belly, but some big floppy spare tire hanging over my waist band. The surgeon doing the panniculectomy is a weight loss and general surgeon, so he’s not going to spend any time trying to make it look good. Anyone have any experience with this? Thanks!

Never thought I would see this number. 195 is the top number for “healthy bmi” so I am almost there. That was my goal…. But I think I can go lower than 195 because I still have pockets of body fat to loose. I hit this number 9 months post surgery. Highest weight: 330 pounds surgery weight: 297 pounds Goal weight: adjusted… was 195 but maybe 180? i don’t know. We will see. height reference: I’m six feet two inches tall. So super tall for a woman. 😅 I have not been this weight since junior high school. (7th/8th grade)

On week 5 of liquid diet - thank goodness surgery is the 22nd because I am having such a hard time the past week sticking to this liquid diet and I have cheated a few times. I am starving still - have been the entire 5 weeks. My stomach is constantly growling and everyone in my family can hear it all day and all night. I am so excited to get this done and not feeling the hunger pains anymore lol I can’t wait to see us all start loosing the weight and being healthy!

I deleted my weight watchers app I will Never waist my money again 25 years to spend my money on there products and services to loose then regain!

Thanks. I haven't heard from my doctor at all. One thing I do want to mention as an FYI, or in case anyone is interested is that my psych asked me a question. She asked if I'd be happy staying the same weight that I am, or losing 10-20 pounds since my eating patterns have shifted a little. But generally, can I be happy at this weight. Because I think we both know that, barring some miracle, I'm likely to not lose the amount of weight I would if I had the procedure. I'd have to research the meds that were mentioned earlier (that's not really a road I've traveled as of yet). So I'm still thinking about that. Honestly, NO. I'm a big girl. I don't mind being big, to some extent, but I'm uncomfortable in my skin with how I am now. Eight years ago I was able to lose a nice chunk of weight, but I can't say that's possible right now for me. Age, stress, hormones - you name it, are really working against me. But, being also not sure about the surgery, I'm in a limbo of sorts, which is almost more depressing and frustrating. It was advised that I touch base back with the bariatric program in a month or so, or after the holidays to kind of gauge where things are. But honestly I don't even know what they would want me to do at this point (start over in the program, etc.) and it sound exhausting to me to do that.

Hi, everyone seems to receive different advice from their NUT (post op). I started introducing meats back into my diet 2 weeks post op. I used my natural food processors (my chompers) so I wouldn't loose that natural texture. So, while shredding that rotisserie chicken is fine, your teeth should be doing the remaining work to make it puréed. The only advice my NUT gave me which was weird was to drink fluid while I ate.

Although at first things are very restrictive, they become more loose after a few weeks. Like others said, I will have thin crust pizza once every couple weeks, equivalent of one slice. I also steal 3-4 of my children’s french fries on weekends, and am satisfied. However, I haven’t eaten anything with added sugar since the sleeve. Not even a bite. The occasional sugar-free chocolate, as well as protein bars, more than satisfies me. I think it really is dependent on the person, but this works for me.

Congratulations to you!! That's awesome!! Can't wait to be in your position one day!! Hopefully the issues with your gall bladder will resolve so that you can avoid surgery. I've already been having the loose skin under my arms, stomach and between my legs (the upper inner thighs) and I'm not very fond of it. Already dreading Summer and thinking about wearing swimsuit again. Before I used to wear the skirted kind of suit that comes in two separate pieces. Now who knows what I'll wear cause there's really nothing to help hide the flabby arms. I could always try those shorts to hide the upper, inner thighs and maybe even the skirts will still work but those arms, ugh! My legs, even at bigger size, used to look good. Now, eh. I haven't been fully naked in front of my husband, at least not standing up and walking around, in decades. Yes, I will get naked in bed and strategically drape the blanket over my stomach and stuff like that but yeah, I was hoping to one day be able to walk around naked or in some lingerie and not sure that will happen cause I have the same fear of his reaction that your partner had. Even though he's very supportive, loving, loves my body (big or small), etc. it's like, once you see that you can't unsee it and you don't really know how you'll react to it unless and until you do and I say that to him and he gets upset with me and tells me that would never happen. LOL Who knows, maybe I need to give him more credit. But yeah, I hope one day I can eventually get this extra skin removed (and I still have a ways to go with losing more weight too). Not sure I will be totally happy with my body unless that happens. But I am happy with so many more positive things that has happened with/to me since! So, I am grateful!

Wow. Been awhile since I posted. I hit one-derland on my birthday a few weeks ago, which felt awesome. I've been having gall bladder issues for a few months but trying some alternative healing methods before taking drastic action. Ive gone from a size 20 to a size 12. Its amazing being able to wear regular sizes - and white! Picking out clothes I like vs. clothes that fit. Body dysmorphia is real - I can tell I'm losing weight but I still feel like I look the same. Just today, I noticed my skin on my stomach and thighs is getting very thin and loose in certain spots. It was sort of a strange sight but I didn't love it or hate it. Mostly curious about it. My partner has been super supportive of the surgery and lifestyle changes but while we were hanging out, I surprised him and showed him my loose granny skin. The look on his face hit me hard. It was like surprise and disgust. That was tough. No regrets. One day at a time.

There was some swelling, but not so much that I couldn’t fit into my pre-surgery pants just fine. For me (others may be different), my clothing size didn’t change at all. I just didn’t have skin oozing out the tops of my pants anymore, lol. I also had an boob lift with excess side boob skin removed, so i longer had skin oozing out my tank top arm holes…and shirt sizes also remained the same. when is your TT scheduled? So excited for you! PS is a game changer!!!

Hi Valboosky, That is amazing amount to loose on your pre op diet. Now for the pills my doctor told me to lay off for 2 weeks because they started making me sick. I’ only have to take 5 pills daily. One big vitamin supplements 3 pills I got from the center. I drink protein drinks because some of the protein shakes also make me queasy.

Exactly, which is why the op and many others feel like this. My observations and experience on this journey has lead me to believe to succeed long term with this surgery you need to be the type of person who would succeed with normal diet and exercise programs and if you can do that why would you need surgery. Surgery is a kick start caused by the early after surgery effects where you physically cant eat and your body is forced to survive on a low calorie diet. But once the body heals and you can start bringing in "normal" foods that is where you need will power and commitment and this is where it fails as some of us are lead to believe that the portion control side of things is what looses the weight. I have been very surprised by the amount and types of foods i can actually eat ! I feel that perhaps the op may experience the same. Its not the fault of the op for being disappointed and to have feelings of being misinformed. My dietian told me prior to surgery and again after surgery that I could eat as I did pre surgery and loose weight because of the portion control side of things.... false. My surgeon told me AFTER surgery at my 3 month post op appointment that the effects of the sleeve last 18 months to 2 years at the most and what happens after that is entirely up to you. So yes if you look at it like that why are we cutting pieces off a perfectly healthy vital organ for short term benefit. Studies now show that gut health plays a huge roll in weight control among other modern health issues so maybe that is another solution that should be looked at before surgery as I dont even know if we are able to do what it takes to get out gut health right after surgery. That is something i plan to look into.

My program was also 3 meals a day, no protein drinks, no snacks, no exceptions. This was to be the program for the rest of my life and I was ok with it, or I wouldn't have done the surgery. We made a commitment and we stick to it. Period. Good Luck, Tek . . . ... until circumstances and requirements changed. When I was binge running at between 70 and 90 miles a week, my meals were upped to four per day, then five, then six, and I was still loosing too much too fast. Then we added a protein drink. So, no exceptions until there is a requirement for exceptions. Your situation reasonably could require a temporary adjustment. Until you can eat a full meal it may make sense to split it in half then eat each half a couple hours apart. It would address your hunger issue, your not eating enough issue, and your energy issue. Be careful that once you get to being able to consistently eat a full meal that you either adjust back to base plan, or commit the the six meal plan (of half meals). Both will work, mixing them could create problems. From my perspective the six meal thing felt like I was eating all day long and it was surprisingly annoying. Good luck, Tek