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I am 3 weeks out VSG. The surgery and recovery for me has been much easier than Id feared! I felt worse a few years back after I had my gallbladder removed . I know I am goinig to miss being able to eat what I like when I like but the health risks for me continuinig as I was were too great for me. I had to loose weight and just as importantly KEEP IT OFF or be prepared to suffer the consequences; after years of yo yo dieting I knew weight loss surgery was my best option. Three things which I think have helped me cope with the new way of eating so fare are: Since I had a year delay waiting for surgery (COVID!!) and during that time I did drastically cut back on my then large serving sizes and eat slowly (I always ate on the go!) and only drink at the start of a meal not at the end feel free to contact me if you want to its a big decision you need to be ready

@MarvelGirl25!! @MarvelGirl25!! @MarvelGirl25!! Look what I made! Ever since I saw you post that luscious Pernil Roast last year, it has been on my recipe-to-do-list. Finally did the deed today (well, I started 3 days ago, technically), and it turned out pretty darn good. I had cooking-method schizophrenia and kept switching how I was cooking it over a span of 19 hours cuz i just wasn't convinced I was doing it right. Started off in the slow cooker, then I moved it covered to a roasting pan in the oven, then i lifted up out of the liquid on a rack, then I removed the cover, and finally broiled it. The result was melt-in your mouth meat with a crispy crunch skin. I left the citrus juices to the side for self-serve cuz I wasn't sure if the fam would approve and couldn't make myself commit to pouring it over ALL the meat. In any case, I'm not sure I would do this again anytime soon unless I am cooking for a tonne of people...so much effort!!!! We have a good amount of leftovers (but the skin is all gone) so will likely transform it into pulled pork sliders tomorrow. Next up: I'm gonna try my hand at your Estofado de Res! I had 55g of it plus some pineapple salsa (we didn't have any peas nor plantains, so just worked with what I had in the pantry...fam had it with rice): 199 calories. Ate all the pineapple, and about 2/3 of the portioned pork (pork is really filling for me).

Sure, i was 22 stone when i started in aug 2014 my weight came off slowly as i had a few tummy bugs and my fill had to be taken out then put back in. The lowest i got to was 14 stone 9 in aug 2018 now im back up to 16 and half stone. Dont always feel restricted as pouch must be stretched. My port is also in my breast bone, i was not aware it was going there until after the op was done, i was told it would be in my side. It is annoying being in my breast bone & is nudged quite easily. I really want another fill & more weight to come off. I have loose skin on my arms, back & tummy which effects me greatly.

Yes, I had a Tummy Tuck...I don't really know what other procedures there would be? Do you have something specific in mind? Below is a Before and After of the TT. I didn't have too much hanging skin, it was more of a wrinkly cloth look right in the middle of my abdomen, as well as some lumpiness all over. After the tummy tuck (which included muscle tightening and a bit of lipo on the flanks, you can see that the wrinkle look and lumps are gone, and my little ab muscles are visible at rest (i.e, I don't have to stretch out and flex to make them show, lol). Also, the lump in my crotch area flattened out, and the hips and front of the thighs smoothed out: I am think I'm basically the same weight in both these pics (give or take a lb or two).

yes - I had a lower body lift in August 2018 and an arm lift and breast lift in March 2019. With the latter, he also came down further than usual on his "side boob" incisions (he brought them down to my waist) to get rid of some more of the loose skin that he couldn't get to on my lower body lift (on my back, sides, and up under my ribs on the front).

Hi fellow sleevers I am 18 months post sleeve and unfortunately my gallbladder has decided she wants out. I’m having severe attacks and I’m now waiting the US results but the doctor says everything points out to be stones and possibly surgery. I’m a bit scared of the pain, as my sleeve recovery was so painful. And of the tolerance of foods after as I haven't had any issues post my sleeve until now. Also, I have been stalling since the pandemic started, so my questions to you are: 1. How was your experience? Was the pain worse than the surgery? 2. Did you lose more weight after? 3. Has it changed your tolerance to new foods? Thanks for your help, be safe!🤗

Did you have skin removal surgery?

Ive got 5.5ml in my lap band & ive stopped loosing weight over last year and half & even gained a bit. Cant see surgeon to get a fill because of covid, eating one meal a day just now & just small biscuits through day, its tough and my eating habits have changed

I've heard of it, but I had so much loose skin that I knew traditional plastic surgery was the way to go for me. Not sure how cool sculpting works if you have minimal loose skin.

Did you have the tummy tuck, or a diff procedure? I don't have so much skin hanging like I thought I would. I won't require skin removal, so that is why I said tummy tuck instead. I noticed skin sagging around my hips also.

Started shedding around 3 months...kept going until about month 6-7. Its all back now (plus some, I think/hope lol), and the same length as the rest of the hair that stuck around. On another note, i too had very dry, cracked heel skin pre-surgery. Today they are lovely smooth and actually soft. Not sure if this is due to weight loss, or the fact that i wear socks all day long, all year long, because my feet are always cold. Lol.

I am going to at least take biotin,finsteride ( both tiny pills) and collagegen in powder form if the doc says it is ok. My heals have cracked for years and since taking collagen they are as smooth as they were when I was a kid. It does wonders for your skin in particular. The biotin and finisteride are so tiny I can't imagine I would have to stop tking those. My own dermatologist even tkes those for his hair.

Pkump, How have your BM's been? I felt like I was stalling then had a very, very, rough BM. I started with more water and stool softener and had more BMs and weight loss was better. But I'm not a doctor. It was about the same time 1.5 wk after surgery. How are you doing otherwise? Are clothes loose, Do you feel more energy. It feels great to me to get up and walk away from a meal without thinking "why can't they just put me in a wheel barrow and take me out to my car" I feel more freedom and time to do stuff and less that my meals are determining my mood for me. I hope others have more helpful comments but the scale is not the only measure of progress.

I have my delayed surgery finally coming up on 2/23. I take a lot of supplements and vitamins & have since Covid began. I take: Biotin Keratin Zinc-Gummy Vitamin C- Gummy Iron Super B Complex B1- Thiamin B12- Gummy B12 Sublingual D3- Soft gel Vitamin E- Soft gel Multivitamin -Gummy 81 mg aspirin- Stopped a few weeks ago until after surgery Omega 3-6-9- Soft Gel- Stopped for now Pro Biotic Losartan for blood pressure Some sort of prescribed water pill Potasium Clonazapam for anxiety Cialis occasionally Propecia I drink the Premier 30 gram protein shakes. I really don't want to quit taking any of these because I feel great and my hair,skin and nails are all good. I know a lot of people will see this and think it is over kill or OMG but this works for me and I like it. It has kept my immune system strong. All of my blood test are great. I am concerned about getting some of these down after surgery. I was wondering if anyone is taking gummy vitamins? I get them in what ever supplement I can because of the amount of supplements I take it is easier to mix it up. My Doctor told me to stop taking Fish oil and aspirin for now because of blood thinner. Any advice on this is appreciated, a multi vitamin does not do the same for me as this regiment so that is not an option for me. Thanks

Thank you!!! I’m into weightlifting! Very little cardio. I lift 5-6 days a week. I train for both strength (heavy weight, low reps; i.e. failing at the 10-12th rep) and hypertrophic (low weight, high reps; to add muscle mass) results. My cardio is actually my warmup, which is a 10 minute jog/run. Weightlifting completely recoups your body. It filled up the loose skin in my arms, and I still have some! But it’s no where near what it was before I started lifting.

Has anyone had a procedure other than skin removal, or tummy tuck to flatten their belly?

I hit a couple of major NSVs today. I’ve lost 100 lbs (or near enough to count), and finally dipped down into the 100’s. I am pretty pleased with myself, and I am so glad that I had the surgery. HW = 299 CW = 199.4 SW = 280.0 Surgery Date = 07/23/2020 I follow my program of eating healthy extremely well. Cravings are at a minimum, but the weight loss isn’t a complete breeze. I feel like I need to make a conscious effort to stick to the plan. I’m a slow and steady loser, and weirdly each pound lost always feels like it’s going to be the last. Not sure why, because I am not a pessimist by nature. The body dysmorphia is strong, and I have absolutely no sense of how big or small I am now. I feel much better than before, and my clothes are getting looser, but I don’t *feel* like I’ve lost much weight. How very weird! It’s not disheartening - just kind of a clinical observation that my brain can’t quite figure out what’s going on. My initial goal weight was 165 lbs. I picked that weight because it was a goal just beyond what the average weight loss for my height was. I honestly didn’t think it was attainable. But now I do. I’d like to shoot for maybe 140 now. I initially didn’t think I was going to be interested in plastic surgery. However loose skin, age and gravity are not a winning combination. It’s on the table now! I’m glad I don’t have to think about it anytime soon, though. Other observations: * I log my food meticulously. I focus on high protein and low carbs, and feel like it’s a good day when my protein intake is > carb intake. I pretty much ignore the fat intake, but I am eating healthy so it’s just not a concern. * I’ve averaged about 1100 calories/day since the new year. * I don’t think I would have been this successful if i hadn’t been teleworking since the pandemic started. I live alone so I cleared out my kitchen of all temptations. * I walk 3.5 miles a day and I’ve grown to really enjoy it. I rarely miss - only if there are monsoon-like rains will I stay in. * I wear a Fitbit, and I think the most important and useful feature is the reminder to walk throughout the day. I typically average about 15K steps/day. * I have started jogging a little bit, and have been ASTOUNDED that I can do it. I’m super slow, but I can do it. This morning I jogged over 3 miles without dying a single time. 😂 * I do not like jogging. * I was going to the the gym, but stopped because of the crowd of ‘New Years resolution’ people who didn’t seem to be very good with the mask-wearing. I’ll pick back up with that once I get the vaccine. * I have become more limber, and a lot of my aches and pains have receded or disappeared. I love that I can cross my legs now. * My hair fell out. A lot. Started at about 3 months and it was just shocking. It was particularly bad around my temples, and around the crown of my head. It is growing back as seen by the scraggly hair sticking out in all directions. I am so pretty. 😱 It seemed to stop falling out pretty abruptly about 2 weeks ago. * Eating breakfast is still a struggle. I’ve always hated it and I still do. I almost always rely on the Fairlife shakes for breakfast. * I eat a lot of chicken, shrimp, salad, and Morningstar frozen vegan options. I am not a good cook, and as much as I think about food I guess I am just not willing to spend much time preparing it. I like the salad kits that most grocery stores have now. * I take a tremendous amount of joy in cleaning out my closet of clothes I can no longer wear. My closet is so empty! It is seriously so awesome! I’m not ready to do much shopping yet, though. I don’t need clothes for work (yet), and I’m hoping to still lose more weight. * I weigh myself every morning, and I think I’m always going to have to do this. It’s an accountability thing for me.

Oh nooooo! I was hoping to be the exclusion to the hair loss rule myself. My youngest is a year and my hair is already ridiculous. The “baby” hair. 😭 I’m so nervous it’s going to get so much worse. Are you using biotin? I am using a biotin plus (basically hair skin nails) vitamin patch.

As I understand it, this may be normal if you have metabolic issues and or use certain medications. This was the case for me. Two to three weeks post op I began gaining after being stalled from the start. My surgeon called me metabolically challenged but insisted I stick with the program. On average I lost less than half a pound weekly. Despite sticking to my program, I repeatedly had weight gain to re loose. After almost a year and a half, I made my personal goal which was about 15lbs below the medical goal. There was no wls "honeymoon" for me. No fast weight loss whatsoever. Hang in there. Try not to be discouraged. It will happen for you too although it may not be as expected.

You may want to consider different surgery and even a different center. I had my lap band put in at NYU Langone and it was a drive through process (same for husband, sister in law and brother in law). They didn't really care - they just needed to check the boxes. When my band slipped, the Dr that did my surgery couldn't have cared less. She just left me in the hospital not being able to even swallow water. I went ot a different surgeon for removal. Good luck but please do your homework first. I should add that the loose skin is from weight loss and not a particular surgery. You are young and that is on your side with the elasticity of your skin

Hi Everybody! I'm new here my bypass is scheduled for February 22nd and I couldn't be more excited! 12 years ago I gave myself a birthday present and quit smoking it's time for another "me birthday present" and this is it! I've been on my 2 week pre-op liquid diet for 5 days now and I'm down 7 lbs and strange enough losing that amount already my shoes are more loose, my face is thinner and I'm starting to feel better. My stomach growls sometimes but I've heard a lot of times that's more of a thirst cry than a hunger cry so I get the water going and it usually helps. Don't get me wrong pizza sounds good too LOL but I'm so looking forward to feeling better and that beats pizza any day! One thing I noticed today was some pain in the upper right side of my belly. Has anyone else experienced this? This may be a dumb question but I'm going to put it out there, could it be liver shrinkage causing that? Best wishes to everyone, stay strong you can do this!!!!

Mine pretty much all disappeared except for the one where the stomach was pulled out of. I recently got a tummy tuck to get rid of the loose skin so that scar is now GONE!!

Heavy Weightlifting completely changes your body!!! I’m 8 years post-op and I incorporate 5-6 days of weightlifting into my routine. I ONLY do about 10 minutes of cardio (10 minute run) each workout day, which in actuality is my warmup before I stretch and lift. I also incorporate hypertrophy (higher rep, lower weight) training into my workouts to help with muscle growth, but the most empowering part is getting strong and hitting new PR’s (personal records). When I first started lifting, I could not lift too much weight. The lower weight WAS my heavy weight. I would find a weight that I could rep 8-10 times before failure. My squats literally started with the bar (a standard Olympic bar weighs 45 lbs). Now, after 6.5 years of consistent training, I can squat 245 lbs, deadlift 320 lbs, bench 185 lbs, curl the 40 lbs dumbbells. I really wanted to fill up my arms & legs with muscle to lessen that loose skin (which I still have, but not so noticeable), so I worked hard. I researched, read, incorporated. I was—and still am—constantly learning, correcting, and incorporating. I learned how to diet for optimal muscle growth, which optimally includes 1 gram of protein per body weight and complex carbs, and good healthy fats. At first I didn’t know what complex carbs were, so I looked it up😂, picked out foods I liked, and incorporated them into my diet. I’m not going to lie, complex carbs are the hardest to consume because of their density (and my sleeve still works when I’m eating the right foods—freak’n sliders!), but I make it work by eating small frequent meals throughout the day (I eat about 6-8 different times, including shakes). I also discovered a supplement drink in powder form called Karbolyn (by EFX Sports) that would help me hit my complex carb macro goal. Anyway, long story short, when I first lost all my weight, I got down to 140 lbs, and a size 4-6. Now, I weigh between 155-160, and still wear a 6 (the 4’s are too small for my arms because they’ve grown with muscle mass 💪🏼😆💪🏼). I’ve literally shred the fat and have added muscle mass. And since 1 lbs of fat takes up way more space than 1 lbs of muscle, I’ve been able to pack on more muscle in the same amount of space. Weightlifting is where it’s at. Man or woman. I’m just trying to inspire women because women tend to fear lifting heavy and fear that they will look manly. I assure you, I do not look like a man. 😂🤣

Yes. the homestretch. I can't believe were I am. I haven't been this small since my early teens. Oh yes, because of the quick weight loss and my age, I definitely have loose skin. But I am working out and trying my hardest to fix this. I know it won't completely tighten up but I'm ok with that. I find it has been easy, mind you I also work to lose weight. I don't leave it up to the surgery. I work out 5 times per week, drink lots of water and really watch my intake. If you use the surgery as a helpful tool, you'll be successful. How are you making out? Are you feeling better?

I used contraive to loose the weight after my first attempt. My dr asked my hubby if I had a drinking problem due to my liver.