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I’m day 6 post op & I was concerned about the loose skin as well. I got an abdominal binder to try to keep my stomach tight during the weight loss. But my fiancé told me that working on building muscles is just as important as the rest of the exercising, as it gives something to fill the “empty space”. We can chat later in the future and I can let you know if anything has worked for me.

•My knees and ankles hurting every time I work out •being on yo-yo diets •Being the biggest person at any family event or social gathering •Not being able to take a bubble bath bc I couldn’t fit in the tub comfortably •not wanting to take pictures •having to get drunk to feel comfortable in my own skin •not dancing or acting goofy with my friends bc I felt like nobody should have to see that •my back hurting from standing too long •the crying sessions I would have in the dressing room while trying on clothes

I am also obsessing about plastics. I want those fat cells and extra skin GONE!!! I am 40lbs from goal weight of 160 I am 5’9”. But I may want to drop down to 150? Not sure yet. But omg I want plastics NOW. The rashes and sweat under skin folds while I work. Is annoying to me. Also I have a very physical job where sometimes I have to crawl and the skin folds slap together if I care too fast! It’s embarrassing! Patience is a virtue I don’t have. But I’m working on it slowly slowly

Yes, while I am happy with my results this far, I would still like to loose a little more. It’s a big mind game when you loose for so long and all of a sudden it Stops and goes up. I do have a lot of extra skin in my tummy and breasts. Planning on having that corrected when I’m cleared by my surgeon. I’m teetering on the BMI chart of Normal weight/and overweight. I’ve worked really hard to try to stick to a healthy diet to get this weight off, and just not ready to see the scale stop and head up.

I'm new here and still early in my journey (almost 4 weeks post op Loop DS). I have a long way to go, but I've had many years to think of all the things I won't miss when lose weight. I won't miss: -having NASH with hepatic fibrosis and worrying about getting cirrhosis -getting out of breath and sweating with very little activity -having to buy clothes online since I wear a 30 and they don't have it in stores. -having plus size clothes fit wrong because I'm short and my arms and shoulders aren't that big for my size. If something fits my stomach and butt the sleeves are usually huge -the rashes I get in various places from skin rubbing -having to wear powder to try to avoid rashes -going to my 9 year old son's school events and being fatter than all the other mom's, and most of them are unfriendly to me and I know that's why -worrying about embarrassing my son. I know how mean kids are -being invisible, even though you can't miss me. (20 or so years ago I was a size 12. The way people treated me then was completely different) -not being able to keep up with my very active, never sit still, skinny son -the Buffalo hump on my upper back that makes so many things uncomfortable -hurting all over -being unhealthy and feeling worse all the time -not being able to sit in booths at restaurants -worrying about dying young from obesity related conditions and leaking my son. I'm 49, and I was an older mother -not having my outside match my young at heart inside. I feel 25 inside and about 70 on the outside There's are so, so many things I could never list them all, but these are some of the biggest things. Sent from my moto g(6) using BariatricPal mobile app

@ChubRub i think I was born tired 🤣 ok not funny I guess ... I’ve dealt with being sick most of my life. The fatigue gets worse over time. Each thing that takes little pieces away I don’t get back. I can’t choose the price I pay. Like, It was either keep gaining weight or fight with all I had left. I also knew having plastics would take its toll ... and it has - the fatigue is a bit hellish but it’s my life as I know it and I have to learn my new normal. Showers are a drain. At some point I need to take over doing laundry again if I can. It’s hard to explain, I can’t go back to normal, just a new version of normal. Things people don’t really think about. It’s funny the things I don’t think about. I casually said To my mom something about it feels like a cat scratching my backside and she says to me that’s the first time I actually said anything about pain since my surgeries ... she thinks I’m brave I don’t think I am ... my skin is so thin and sensitive like an old lady. My backside incision is doing better so I just put a smaller bandage but for some reason the Faja is rubbing me the wrong way in that area ... Pain is such a everyday thing for me that I guess I don’t think about surgery. Although ... coming out of anesthesia from a long surgery is rough with M.E. And getting out of bed takes longer. Most people don’t know what I’m actually dealing with. My mom asked me why my scars look purple and I’m like I don’t know. I honestly don’t ... could just be me. I don’t remember that with any previous surgeries. I have scars on my calves from tendon surgeries. So scars aren’t a big deal to me. The skin ... now that was bad. as for the comment above It’s wrong to say “a good surgeon does one surgery at a time” I had a great surgeon. I had three procedures. He took excellent care of me. It helps to have a lower BMI at the time of surgery for less risk, he might not have done the procedures had certain things not been in place. I guess I’m just saying Wether you have some procedures together or separate is an individual thing. Not necessarily how good a surgeon is. My surgery was solely to remove A lot of excess skin and not fat. My risk factors were more based on chronic illness and disability but my surgeon took care of me. Made sure I had an extra day before I got on my feet, kept the iv fluids in extra as well. That’s a good doctor to me. No offense to the OP. I forgot what I was saying I meant to just simply respond. I’m sorry. I haven’t gotten in the pool yet. It’s humid and hot as hades here. I am waiting for the coccyx incision to close. That and im chicken. I haven’t found a swimsuit yet and haven’t been around humans in a while ... I don’t know if I can do it. Be social. React to the reactions to me in a swimsuit and me not having worn a swimsuit in forever. Or Go swimming. I don’t remember the last time I did. Or how my skin will react to the chlorine. My only issue right now is a pain above my belly button. Feels like some type of hernia. So tired of chronic gut issues related to my neurological problems. The belt lipectomy/butterfly lift actually helped with things at first but then this hernia thing popped up. But I honestly think it’s related to an old incision ... I need to figure out how to deal with this. After my gastric bypass surgery it revealed a neurological problem that started before the surgery and might not have been diagnosed if I didn’t have it but I never got answer to the cause of it ... (but I’ve already babbled too much)

@ChubRub that’s awesome 👏 I never truly had a goal weight in mind, I was too afraid of it. This time you will get there. It’s a rough bumpy ride but it wasn’t until gastric bypass surgery that I truly had the tool to get here. I fought so hard on my own and even following the rules I fell backwards and hit rock bottom where I’d hoped never to go again (over 200lbs) The lowest I ever got was 124lb and only stayed there weeks and settled at 134lbs ... and then the slow creep my gallbladder started to get bad and I had surgery and crap happened ... I fought back when we started the process of moving. And didn’t get far with it before I got slammed hard and the weight just piled on no matter what I did ... but somehow i knew gastric bypass surgery was the tool I needed and I’m grateful that it happened. I’m grateful to have had plastics as well. The excess skin was bringing me down. And was more than just cosmetic. I say this because you will have success and be pleased when you have plastics and feel you have reached a goal you couldn’t before. 💙

Same here. Bad sore breakout around my mouth, forehead, cheeks 2 weeks post-op. Never had bad skin.

I am also scheduled for my sleeve surgery Wednesday and I couldn't be more relaxed and calm. Im actually just so ready to get it over with. This two week preop diet hasn't been super horrible but I could really go for a freaking sandwich right now. Lol. I also only have about 80 lbs to loose but I have been heavy since elementary school and I know that I can not do it on my own. My PCP is extremely supportive in my decision to get the sleeve. Once this whole corona thing started I was debating getting the surgery and she encouraged me to go through with it. She believes I will be successful with it and I kinda believe her As previously people have said, its all up to you. Only you know yourself, your habits, and your body. If you feel this is what you need then I wouldn't worry about anyone else, this is all about you. Debbie.

7 weeks post-op tomorrow, weight today 137.6, again I'm retaining water. I stopped taking the psyllium capsules because I was having multiple loose BMs a day. Maybe constipation will not be an issue for me as it was with the sleeve. I am still tolerating all foods. I tried cauliflower rice this week. It tastes of nothing, not even cauliflower. I put some za'atar on it to give it some flavor but I think I have to add some cheese or condensed soup or something. I hate throwing out food these days. Got a call from the surgeon's office and I am scheduled for an EGD the first week in October to check that everything is okay and that's when I am supposed to be able to discontinue the PPI. I have had two instances of acid, or something that feels like acid, this week. Not nearly as horrible as before surgery, but distinctly there. If it happens again I will have to pay attention to whether it is precipitated by a particular food/drink/time of day/relation to meals. I overate for the first time on Thursday. I picked up a bag of popcorn that someone left sitting on the counter, and it felt so light I figured there couldn't be much in it. So I mindlessly kept eating it while watching TV (usually I measure my food in measuring cups) until it became clear that I was full. Too full. Painfully full. The fullness feeling was not in my chest, where my stomach is, but in my upper abdomen, where the Roux limb is. Gosh it hurt for about two hours, and I tried to vomit but it was too far down to come up, so I just had to bear it. Prior to last night I had not felt full, but I wasn't hungry, either. I think that's the feeling I want. With the sleeve it was very clear when I was full, with the RNY my stomach doesn't let me know. I think that may be at least partly due to the fact that I told my surgeon I was concerned about losing too much weight and he made the pouch bigger than he normally would.

I waited 10 years before I decided to have plastic surgery(surgery date January 3, 2005) Because I wanted to learn how to maintain the 4 E’s-Eat, Exercise, Excitement of when I had my weight loss surgery, and Enjoy my progress. I never set a goal weight because this is a journey for the rest of my life. My goal was to be smaller than what I was before my gastric bypass surgery. Goal met. Clothing size at surgery: 24/26 and clothing size today: 4/6. A Good surgeon will only do one procedure at a time because of the time the patient is under anesthesia. 12/7/2015-arm lifts took 4 1/2 hours 2/17/2017-liposuction to knees and calves took 3 1/2 hours 12/10/2019-extended tummy tuck with pubic lift (6 pounds of skin removed, all stretched marks gone with removal of skin and 3 of my ports from gastric bypass gone). New belly button Drains for 2 weeks. Scar is like a small straight line beyond the hips. Took 4 1/2 hours 3/13/2020-lipo360 of stomach, flanks, and back (11 pounds of fat removed). I can feel my rib cage. Took 3 1/2 hours. Planning breast reduction and lift surgery for November-in treatment for varicose veins at this time. Did consultation this past Monday and my surgeon stated the procedure would take about 4 1/2 hours Because of molding the new breast . He is going to liposuction my under arms to remove fat.

Congratulation on your upcoming surgeries. I do understand the bat wings situation. I felt like I had been set free when the skin was removed. I remember waking up saying to my husband-look what he did to my arms. I am planning breast reduction/life for possibly November. I am currently being treated for varicose veins. Will all your procedures be performed during one surgery?

Nobody talked about that OP isn't "allowed" to lose more weight. People are allowed to lose all weight they want. However, it should also be allowed to put things into perspective. And "being scared that this is it" when one is 0.6 BMI points overweight, coming down from morbid obesity - maybe it doesn't hurt to provide some different POVs, especially when taking into consideration what catwoman7 and Pckeys said. Do 0.6 BMI points really warrant "being scared"? In which way? Health concerns? Come on... If one can go lower without much hassle, why not. However, I'd be very cautious to start the dieting-merry-go-round again because of some vanity weight. ETA: I know that loose skin can be a huge mind f*ck when it comes to body image and "feeling fat" so if that is the case OP has my 100% sympathy. However, things still should be seen in a realistic way: this has nothing to do with e. g. my cardiovascular health.

@kossde, I have noticed the same issue. I only recently, during this horrid COVID-19 pandemic, realized that my monthly cycle is a surprisingly huge impact on the numbers of the scale. For my sanity, I no longer weigh myself as often as I did before. Honestly, I rarely even look at myself in the mirror. If it wasn't for all of this loose skin....aiyiyiiiii. smh🙄

I was 56 when I had my sleeve done. I knew I was not a bikini person and there did not seem to be enough loose skin that clothing could not disguise but my chubby cheeks were gone, leaving flabby pockets, and I had jowls. I had a face and neck lift 15 months after my sleeve and I was so happy with the results, still am. My surgeon said I had so much loose skin mid-face it covered my ears on both sides of my head before he removed it. So worth it not to look like a Shar-Pei.

Jason Fung and Peter Attia and many others in the field have spoken extensively about this over the past few years. Both have used fasting as part of treatment options for 1000s of patients for metabolic diseases such as obesity/diabetes/kidney disease/alzheimers etc.. Patients that lost considerable weight over short periods of time DID NOT have lose skin when using longer fasts (3 days or more) as part of their strategy... this did not include "time restricted feeding" like 16/8 which is generally not long enough to reach needed levels of autophagy. I should add, once the nutrient sensing pathways for autophagy is understood, it is very easy to see why this happens.

I've never heard this - it sounds a bit odd, though. I'll see if I can find anything on it. LATER: not finding anything in scholarly literature about it (I'm a retired university research librarian and still have access to the university's databases). I see things in popular articles, but I never know how much to trust info in these. Although in the case of a lot of WLS patients, the skin is so stretched and damaged by weighing 300 - or 400 - or more lbs, that if autophagy did have some effect, it would probably be minimal. A lot of us have really damaged skin - I don't think there's much you can do about it other than have it surgically removed.

Thanks for sharing. My excess skin was due to being morbid obese for 30+ years

I find it fascinating that those that shed comparable amounts of weight at that same rate as WLS patients by extended fasting (3 - 5 days or more) have NO lose skin. Jason Fung, Peter Attia, Satchin Panda ( the godfathers of true fasting) put this down to autophagy.

I start my fasting at 7:30pm until 11:30am. I’m in bed by 9 - 9:30. I have pork rinds (zero calories) as a snack and Coke Zero . For lunch I will have a chicken salad or regular salad and a sensible dinner. I have been loosing 2 to 3 pounds a week. Going thru that stall I was sure the VSG didn’t work but once i read intermittent fasting helps I decided to try it and it worked!

I found it helpful to bring my phone and phone charger, earbuds, a comfortable, lightweight robe, hairtie, hairbrush, and loose fitting, comfortable clothing to wear home. I also brought a small pillow to hold against my chest/stomach to reduce discomfort when doing the required coughing exercises. I loaded my phone with great stuff to read, watch, or listen to for relaxation and occasionally recorded videos. Good luck with your surgery! 🙂

I'd also add that it's entirely possible the OP is carrying around some excess weight in lose skin which has nothing to do with health outcomes/BMI etc.. this can be as much as 15 - 30 pounds!

I had gastric bypass surgery on January 3, 2005 and I have done very well. No issues with my pouch-dumping or vomiting because of following doctor’s orders-no carbonated beverages, no sweets, no fried foods, no eating and drinking at the same time and exercise 5 days a week. After trying skin wraps in my arms and seeing no changes my husband suggested arm surgery. I had my first plastic surgery in December 2015-arm lifts (7 inches of skin removed from both arms). I was so happy and still very happy with my results. February 2017-liposuction in both legs(knees and calves). December 2019-extended tummy tuck (6 pounds of skin removed). March 2020-lipo 360(11 pounds of fat removed from stomach, flanks, and entire back). With removal of the excess skin I am able to wear size 4/6 in dresses , 8/10 in pants and some junior clothing. Starting size 15 years ago was 24/26. Preparing for breast reduction surgery around October or November. All surgeries have been preformed at the same practice. I am glad I had surgery many years later because I learned to plan/prepare meals daily. Exercise 5 days a week, and continue to follow the 4 D’s: Desire, determination, dedication, and discipline. Please share your story with me.

Does any have experience with vitamin patches? Specifically the one for hair, nails and skin? I found this patch on the site site...

I have united health care ***. My surgery is scheduled for august 31. For my insurance, we had to loose 5 % of body weight. Tomorrow I start a liquid diet and I have to loose another 5 pounds in order to get my surgery. I am doing all this through Sutter health. They encourage weight loss going up to the surgery, the more the better.