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I had not considered getting a breast reduction or lift until today my PA mentioned that "sometimes insurance will cover it, if there's enough sag in the skin" I highly doubt I qualify, but wondered what info y'all had on this. Anyone had an insurance-supported lift or reduction? Is one considered "medically necessary" and the other "cosmetic?" I laughed as I told my provider. "Hey, if they'll pay for it, I'll have anything done!"

What about the skin did I Json a lot

Quite a few, actually! I am one of the many. And I had complete success and got down below my goal in 7 months. Best decision I ever made. I did have to be careful of one thing though... some docs don't care if you lose any weight pre-op... but for my doc is was mandatory. Loose some weight or you don't get surgery. Because I was a lower BMI I had to be careful that I lost weight, but didn't lost enough to put my under 35 BMI. That was challenging. The thing was... I knew that at times I was able to get my weight down... but no matter what I did it didn't stay off... so I was motivated to get the surgery so I did everything I could to lose weight... but not too much. I actually ate a LOT the week before 1st weigh in... and then I lost weight to get me to exactly a 35 bmi for surgery.

I think that a LOT of people have the reacation "All fat people self medicate with food...why should anyone be delayed from weight loss surgery because they do? Are the therapists on a power trip, are they just making money?" There is some truth in this...that nearly all of us medicate with food. But why is that an issue? There's a very common phenominon that occurs with bariatric surgery called cross or transfer addiction. It is said to affect about 30% of people who have surgery. When people find they can't eat to self medicate, they can switch to other addictions for relief. Not just alcohol and drugs. They can also become sex/intimacy addicts. They can start spending too much, gambling, there are a lot of ways for this to manifest. Exercise addiction. Controlling behaviors with family/children. Annorexia. Most of us think of annorexia as something absurd that could never happen to us....but it happens! Same disordered eating...just a different expression of it. Also, there's a reason they call it divorce surgery. It can and does add strain to a relationships to have dynamics change profoundly. Eating is a big part of socializing, relaxing, relating to family, friends, coworkers. Eating dysfunction can be familial and codependent. There are some big changes that go with this whole process. Sometimes, they're easy changes, and sometimes they're not. Sometimes they cause all hell to break loose for the person inside them. Also, there is tremendous risk of remission...where you lose weight for a little while, then the food addiction and disordered eating come roaring back and you can physically injure yourself if you don't have other coping mechanisms in place. I am not saying that ANY of these situations describe any particular posters here any more than they could potentially describe all of us. Just sayin....if at your psych eval your therapist recommends more support, more preparation....that can be a good and responsible thing to do for yourself. That can help guarantee your best chances. It can make this time of change more joyful and less stressful. It can make you more successful in the long run. Figuring this stuff out is a great investment in yourself. Best wishes to all.

U look Beautiful how long did it take you to start loosing weight

Hi Everyone, I know one feels nauseous and may throw up with dumping if you eat too fast, or have too much sugar. What about fatty foods? (I’m talking months post op) I think I’ve read some people get diarrhea with dumping too. Are the normal daily movements loose always or just with dumping. Sorry the topic isn’t very nice but it is important to know what to expect. Thanks

My anniversary was last Thursday. I've lost 63 pounds - from 208 lbs to 145 lbs. I've passed my goal of a normal BMI, but am still losing about half a pound a week. Not sure yet where I will end up. I've been pleasantly surprised that my skin has bounced back more than I thought it would. Don't get me wrong - I still feel a bit like a sharpei - everything is just a little bit loose. But I don't have an apron on my stomach when I stand up at all!

Well, I was very active on this forum and doing VERY well post-operatively until COVID hit and I got really busy trying to help my district reopen our schools safely... then all hell broke loose in my life! LMAO So... this is another long self-accountability post. Post Op: I got down to 124 long before my 1 year anniversary and stayed there for quite a while. I survived the initial COVID lockdown and while others were really struggling with diet and staying on track, I was doing mostly very well. Sure, I had my challenges, but I kept them in check. Overall the lockdown was actually great for me and my family. The bad: I had managed to get my husband to stop hoarding cans of food and other food stockpiles before I had surgery. But with the lockdown and the ongoing threat of having to quarantine for 2 or more weeks if anyone in the household got sick... we ended up with more "disaster/survival" food than ever before. I hate having this much crap in the house. The good.... during lockdown I was doing great cooking healthy meals and sticking to my diet. And walking. A LOT. I got to the point where I was walking 6 miles every day... minimum. I felt GREAT. I didn't get my normal summer vacation though. I worked the entire summer. Even when I took time to drive to visit family... it took 2 days to drive there, I spent 4 days there. Drove back in 2 days. And the entire time I was on zoom meetings and my bosses were calling me for this and for that. So, no recovery time from the school year. And then school resumed. Life was more chaotic than every before. Even when we had kids in full remote. But once students returned to campus? OMG... I have never been so exhausted in my life. See... I am the sole person responsible for keeping my staff/students COVID free and that means a LOT of COVID tracing. I had help..... but I was the expert and the brunt fell on my shoulders. I went from walking 6 miles a day and eating very healthy to being so exhausted that I went home from work and collapsed into my bed... from the moment I went home to the moment I had to get ready for work. And food? I started eating what I can and when I could. I am NOT a breakfast person so I would go to work... get so busy that I didn't have time to eat my healthy snacks throughout the day... and then it would be suddenly 1-3 pm and I am finally eating breakfast (I start my day at 6).... I would scramble to find something to eat and end up with something I shouldn't.... and then in the evening while collapsed in my bed I would graze while watching TV or playing on my computer. Too tired to do anything else. And yes... sometimes that included the horrible canned food that I was so sure I needed out of my house before surgery. That went on for a few months. Still... I survived that. Christmas break should have been "recovery" time... but my son brought a girlfriend home for Christmas. Which meant more stress when I needed a break the most. January came and we returned to work without kids for a couple weeks. Best decision ever. It gave us time to clear the COVID peak. Then we slowly retuned kids back to hybrid (which we had been doing since September). This time? Not so bad. Do we still have COVID cases? Of course. But I am not doing constant contact tracing as I had been for so many months prior. But by now the damage to my new post-op lifestyle diet and activity level has already been done. I am still struggling to get back into a walking/exercise routine. And more importantly I am struggling to eat what I am supposed to, in smaller portions and at correct times. The evening grazing is my biggest problem now. So where do I stand? I was 124 when this started... lowest weight ever (well, since early 20s lol). Then by January I realized my weight had creeped up to 131. Not so bad, right? I mean... it is normal to regain that 10 pounds from your lowest, right? *sigh*. But then yesterday I realized I was 138. Now to be fair... I was boated and today I am back to 134.5.... but I don't EVER want to be more than 135 again if I can help it. I figure yesterday's weight was the warning to get my diet back under control. NOW. What have I done well despite everything? Well... I don't drink my calories. Still doing really well with that. I do struggle with drinking straight water all the time... but I now enjoy vitamin water zero, Gatorade zero, and propel. I do this well. I try to always have a water bottle in my hand or nearby. Its funny because I know my stomach has stretched out a little, but I can still only drink up to 6 sips of water at a time. What's with that? LOL I mean... I can eat more food, but I can't drink more water??? Shouldn't it be the other way around??? LMAO And most of the time I do get my full 64 ounces in. I still get dehydrated easily though... so I really have to be careful to have that water bottle in hand when moving around. I won't even go to the office next to mine without it in hand if I can help it. Work food: Well... that was a huge problem for a while. But when I returned from winter break, I also changed office locations. Where I am now I was able to bring in a mini fridge. That is helping a ton. Before if I brought a lunch bag in and put it in the shared fridge I risked having my food supply thrown out. I have had people actually open my lunch box and throw up perfectly good unopened healthy snacks. So... it was pointless even trying to keep healthy stuff there. Now, I can now buy foods that I am allowed to eat and keep them handy. I also have a small tub with a lid for healthy snacks that do not need to be refrigerated. And it helps that things have calmed down enough that I am at my desk m ore throughout the day. This helps me because I am able to eat the right foods, in the right portions, and at the right intervals. I am also making more of an effort to use the stand portion of my sit stand desk. Before COVID I was standing all the time. After COVID I was too tired to stand and didn't do it much. I am starting to do better with that again. I also found a lunchtime walking buddy. We do get very busy so we don't always get to do it... but we are walking at lunch as much as we can. I now have a pair of sneakers under my desk to make sure I can get out when I can. Still struggling with the evening/weekend hikes. Dealing with my daughter is still making it hard to get back in my routine.... but I am getting there. The big challenge now? The evening and weekend eating! I am on Spring Break right now and I am DETERMINED to get that back on track. So... where am I starting? I have decided I need to do a pouch reset diet first. I know I have stretched my stomach a little more than I should have and I think if I can, I really need to let it shrink back down a little. The longer I wait, the harder it will be to accomplish. I went out of my weight to have the surgery, I should let it do it's thing. So, yesterday morning I finished off the small (normal bariatric portion size) piece of Italian Sausage that i had leftover from the night before... but after that I did clear liquids and I have been on clear liquids for about 24 hours. Since yesterday wasn't truly a full clear liquid day... I am going to repeat clear liquids again today. I have my supply of zero calorie drinks, broth, and sugar free jello on hand. Then I will slowly advanced through the "post op diet" stages. And with that... I know I need to resume measuring portion sizes and recording my meals. ALL of my meals. Honestly... I don't think my portion sizes are what is getting me... it is the frequency of which I was eating in the evenings (especially later at night). That... and I know I am eating more carbs than I should. THAT is what I really need to tackle again. BTW, while I was resorting to occasional canned food during the height of the stress... I cut it back out a while ago because I knew it was harming me. But I still hate seeing all the stuff I shouldn't eat in my house. I seriously worked SO HARD to get my husband to agree to stop hoarding "emergency food". And I really don't think I will be able to get him to stop again. Oh... and my biggest vice before surgery was Pepsi. I LOVE my regular Pepsi. I haven't drank ANY since about 6 weeks before surgery... and that is good. But my daughter still buys it and drinks it around me. Most of the time it isn't a big deal... but when I am stressed it takes all my willpower not to give in. And I swear I will never give in... but it is hard sometimes! I will say... I am VERY proud that I didn't give in between September and December when my stress level was through the roof... I did eat cake though lol... but that was a safer option because I don't crave cake like I did Pepsi. With sweats... I go through periods where I crave them but then can go weeks or months without eating any. Anyhow... don't need anyone to criticize me for doing a pouch reset diet... I have made up my mind and have decided this is how I want to start getting back on track. It will help me lose a couple quick pounds and then my goal is to maintain somewhere around 130. again, I am 134.5 today... so not really doing this for a crash diet. I just want to give my pouch a chance to shrink back just a little. And I know going forward from this... it is essential that I follow a bariatric diet for life. I just got derailed and need to get back on track. By the way... I actually saw my bariatric nurse practitioner two weeks ago... despite everything, she is thrilled with how I am doing. She was happy with where my weight was. She was happy with all my labs. My bilirubin was high... but it has been (I have a benign liver disease). My cholesterol was 101... 100 is the normal high... so I do need to keep an eye on this. I have been off my cholesterol meds for 6 months so I need to make sure to keep it in check. Other than that... everything else was VERY good. She was impressed that even my Vitamin D was really good (lots of people are deficient even without surgery). Anyhow... determined to complete a 10-14 day pouch reset diet then resume a normal bariatric lifestyle diet!

Totally forgot about these blog entries. Its been over a year since I did a little write up about my (body) plastics, so I feel compelled to do one now, since I am seriously contemplating moving forward with facial plastics (but this is a topic for another blog entry later). Sooooo....here we go: Tummy Tuck: Overall, I am very happy with the results. My abdominal muscles are pretty visible at rest (more so when I'm low-carbing). No muffin top when I'm wearing tight low-waisted stuff...well, at least from the front. The area around my waistband from the back is not nearly as tight looking. I suppose if I had a full lower body lift, this would have been addressed. I kinda wish I did have a lower body lift, but then I look at my scars and think, nah, i'm cool. My TT scar is still pretty dark. At least it's flat now, thanks to 2 rounds of steroid shots, but nowhere near as UN-noticeable as others on my same timeline. I've said it before, I knew I would scar badly based on my history, but still. The scar though is easily hidden even in my smallest bikini, so I'm good. But if I wear a high cut one, you can see the ends of the scar on my hips...so, I just don't wear high cut ones. The only people who see the scar in its full glory is me, Mr. and my doc. Now i'm going to nit pick here, but I'm allowed to since its my blog, LOL. What I am a little bummed about (just a little) is that I my abdomen is actually not a flat as it was pre-plastics. I have a visible roundess on my lower abdomen. I attribute this to the fact that all the other places have been thinned out and it just looks more pronounced to me now. Doc said this is normal because there are organs there, but still. If I am wearing a fitted dress, you can see when I've eaten. Its sorta fascinating sometimes, cuz I can actually see it get smaller as my body digests. Today my waist measurement is 26". Which is weird because *I* think it looks smaller, but I was actually 25.5" pre-TT. Breast Lift: This is still by far the surprising winner of my procedures. The difference (to me) is amazing. And the fact that I can go bra-less for days on end and still be perky makes me happy. The scarring is at the same level as my TT, and if I wear a string bikini top you can see the scar ends at my sides, if I lift my arms up. I LOVE that I have no "side boob" oozing. There is no excess skin spilling out anymore near my armpits when I wear a fitted tank/bra/tube top. There are times I wish I had a little bit more boob (and got some implants), but then I remember how much they annoyed me before, and it passes. Today my bust measurement is 33". It was 32.5" pre-BL. Arm Lift: I also love the overall results of my arm lift. I always hated my arms, even pre-WLS, and getting these done was my #1 wish. While not as drastic an improvement as my breast lift (in terms of both looks AND quality of life), I am really happy with the shape and size. My biceps are more noticeable at rest with all the skin gone, but I do have to say my triceps need to flexed to be seen....but this is likely because my triceps just need some more work (I HATE tricep work...dips and extensions SUCK.) The scars here are the worst of them all, and while the 2 rounds of steroid shots have greatly improved them, there is still along way to go before they go unnoticed. I was always self conscious about the size of my arms when I was bigger (and actually even when i was "normal" sized", and then self conscious about thier flappiness when I got smaller after WLS. Now I so totally fine with wearing sleeveless stuff even with the scars. You can't see them unless I raise my arms, but I am a "Whoo"- girl, so people will see them regularly, LOL. Today my arm circumference is just a smidge over 10". It was 10.5" pre-AL. Would I do it all again? HECKS YA. What would I do differently?: Listen to my doc about NOT doing to much too soon. My stupidity probably added 2-3 months to my total recovery time. NOT smoked. Did more self-massages as I was instructed to break up the scar tissue. I know I did less than what I should have because it really hurt me to do it. Had I done it as prescribed, I probably wouldn't have had to have 2 sections of my scar on my right arm cut due to reduced mobility. Now these two sections where he made incisions are darker than the rest of my scar. Asked for a V-shaped TT incision vs a straight one (so it would be hidden if I wore high cut bikinis) Did my rounds of steroid shots earlier. I was scheduled to have it done 3-4 months post op, but then Covid happened, and I ended up getting them done 13 & 15 months post op. Asked for some lipo on my lower back while I was on the table. Really though, I am super happy with getting the plastics, thoroughly recommend it to anyone who is interested, and the minor annoyances of the process and 1 year results are completely overshadowed by how awesome I think my bod looks now. I am not interested in doing any more body plastics work now (or ever, we'll see). I can live with the rest of my perceived imperfections (i'm looking at you ass, and inner thighs, and lower back). Next UP: doing something about my face!

I am curious as to what it was like to loose weight after pregnancy?? I had my gastric sleeve surgery June 2020 and I am currently planning on trying to get pregnant around November-December...My only concern is what is it like to loose the weight all over again after giving birth????

I am scheduled for lower body lift and breast lift/augmentation at the end of May. The surgery is expected to take 5-6 hours, which like most surgeons, is the top end of what my surgeon will do in one surgery. I am anticipating pain, and scarring. I have pretty fair skin, so my scars tend to take a very long time to fade from the pink/purple color. Thankfully, my scars won’t be visible in clothes or bathing suits if all goes as planned. And I will have top notch wound care post-op, as my husband is a wound care nurse.😊

Now that I think of it, I should probably mention I was on the small side when I had plastics...my doc said I was one of (or THE, i can't remember now) smallest persons he ever worked on, outside of burn patients). You mention that you have about 25lbs of skin to remove...I only had 400g removed. I am not sure, but I would think that the more "material" to remove, the longer it would require? But don't quote me on that...best to discuss with your doc. Good Luck! Excited for you ❤️

I totally understand this I mean the way I eat is abysmal but I'm not gaining I'm maintaining. If I tried harder I'm sure I could lose a little bit more weight but I think I'm about done. Right now I am at 195 however the doctor said take off 25 lb for skin and his goal wait for me is 145. So if you look at it that way. I only have about 15 or 20 pounds to lose.

I'm hoping to have this surgery for sure. I need it. The drs look at me all the time and say "wow I can tell you've lost alot of weight. There's so much skin"

I've lost 130 but I still have about 100 to go, so it is bound to get worse, but the main area of loose skin I have is my lower belly and inner thighs, and right at the bottom of my very big butt. My arms have very little loose skin but they're also not a place I carry much fat. My breast aren't too bad so far.. I had a breast reduction in 2003, but I'm still pretty big on top and I never lost a ton of weight in my breasts before either. That being said, who knows what will happen in another 100 pounds, but considering I started at almost 400 pounds my loose skin is not bad at all. I am going to be 50 in August, and haven't decided if I'll do any skin removal surgery, except maybe my lower stomach because I get rashes there. For one thing, I paid out of pocket for my wls, and I don't really have the budget to pay out of pocket for plastic surgery. Also, I feel like what's the point at my age. I mean, I feel like a very young 49, but still. I'm pretty secure in myself after many years of struggle with that, and I just feel in a good place, loose skin or not. Also, my biggest reason for wls was my health and as long as I am healthy I will be pretty happy! Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

I am so 12 days post op and the head hunger has mostly subsided. I am feeling so much better, barely any pain, and I am able to do more around the house. I still have to take it easy because one day hubby and I went to 2 stores and by the time we got home I was beat and slept for the rest of the day. Now hubby has had me in the house for the last two days and monitors me lol he really think he is my doctor but he has been extremely supportive could not ask for better. Also, I don’t know if it’s the vitamins and calcium or maybe it’s just in my head but my skin is glowing, my teeth looks more whiter, my hair has gotten thicker it’s amazing! Does anyone else see these changes or any other good changes besides weight loss?

I had a revision October 29th last year and started at 185. The first month I lost just about 8 pounds, since it took a week and a half to loose the 10 pounds I gained in the hospital. After that, I started to see a steady drop, but like catwoman7, revision weight loss is definitely slower than the original sleeve. Don't be discouraged, it will level out and the weight will drop. As someone on social media posted - "weight loss surgery is all about making better decisions" - about what we eat, how we exercise and how we view our health!

@WishMeSmaller wow you look great if I were you I’d definitely wear a bikini you practically don’t have loose skin I can absolutely see everything tightening up

When I got under 200 pounds, I could eat 1200 calories a day...absolutely measuring every single thing that went into my mouth...every grape, every squirt of mustard...and I would lose exactly one pound a week. (and this was averaging it over a month, cause you know it's gonna get stuck and drop here and there) It is so easy to eat more than what we're documenting....because documenting what you eat has to be the most tedious thing in the known universe. It's annoying and boring and I hate it. But it's a necessary evil. It is so easy to have a couple of weeks with the illusion of no weight loss due to hormones or salt intake or whatever weird glitch your body decides to throw at you. Just keep at it. Keep hitting your goals. Keep following your plan. Keep the faith. The number on the scale will eventually catch up to your effort. We didn't gain all of this weight in a few weeks....it's gonna take time to lose it. And one perk to slow weight loss...your skin has optimal chance of recovery. Hang in there and be patient.

I am a little over 6 months out. I have always carried my weight in my belly. I do have some loose skin. With this being said, I am looking forward to some type of surgery. Not sure what yet. I still have to wait for another 6 months, according to the docs, but I am sure it won't change the skin much. I feel somewhat confident now that I can cover it up with winter clothing, but not sure how I am going to feel, once I have to wear less clothes in the hot weather. If I had to wear a bathing suit, I would most likely wear a swim dress, or at least something that covered my belly. I could never wear a bikini at this point. I don't even know if I would feel comfortable after surgery.

I recently reached goal weight and am working towards achieving maintenance (trying to not lose weight). I am 47 years old, so no spring chicken. I have loose skin and will be having plastic surgery at the end of May. With that said, my loose skin is not that bad. I would wear a bikini in public if I felt like it. I would be a bit self conscious, but I would still do it. Here are some recent pics of me in my underwear. I honestly believe exercise has been the key making the best of my loose skin. I reached my self-imposed goal weight in 8 months.

I am not quite in maintenance but I am close to it. Since my weight loss is recent, I do have some loose skin but it is completely manageable and I feel it really depends on a lot of factors. I definitely wouldn't say zero loose skin but I feel like I could wear a swimsuit and no one would really notice but myself. My wife had surgery at the same time and we already know she is going to have a lot of loose skin when she hits maintenance weight. We are already saving up for plastic surgery for her when she is ready for it as she has wanted plastic surgery for a long time due to other factors.

This question is for anyone in the maintenance phase of their WLS. Are there any of you out there who experienced 0 to minimal loose skin?

Hi All, I had both my arms done yesterday and a pannulectomy. I have mild discomfort in my stomach, but if feels like I have knives stuck in my arm pits. The dr went a little lower to correct a flap of skin that hung outside my bra from my breast reduction... but god this pain is real. I’m staying on top of my pain meds but it barely dulls it. Anyone have a similar experience!