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Day 8 - on to stage two, full liquids. Today I am nauseated. New things I tried today Plain fat free yogurt with protein powder. Not very good tasting and not fun to eat. I tried a V 8 which tasted good and went down easy. Too easy I think because I had some feeling of bloat for a while afterward. Without using the medicine cups I seem to be drinking too fast. Gas is still a problem too. I lost five more pounds for a total of 15.5 since the prep diet on 7/24/20. This evening I went for a walk but I couldn’t go for that long just 15 minutes or so. I feel weak and I already have neuropathy in my feet so I have balance issues. I have exercises that I can do to promote better balance but I need permission from the surgeon to put them into action. I was also able to take all my 3x tops out of my closet because they are super loose on me. I’m donating them to a church that serves the poor in my city. I’m going to have to do something about my sluggish digestive tract. I have only gone once and that’s not typical for me at all. I have colace but they are gel caps and they are bigger then the mouth of a straw. Not sure what to do. I’ll bring it up with the doctor on Tuesday.

There is suppose to be 5 incisions. I got 6 but I think that is due to the weak skin in my belly button (it would sometimed use to split and bleed whenever I would clean it) I am 3 days post op. I gotta be honest my doctor told me it wouldn't be very painful but it really is. It is increasingly getting easier with each day. First few days I had trouble sitting and getting up on my own since mt house has relatively low furniture and I'm a tall person. Now my main problems are bending over. I cab get almost halfway but nothing on the floor is reachable to me Literally dropped a chapstick on the floor looked at my mom (who had surgery same day as me) and went oh well looks like thats where it lives now. Now for incision pain.. Honestly they don't hurt much themselves. The bellybutton one does for sure. But the others are just kind of a little sore with certain movements. For me the one furthest on my left gets little pangs of pain around it when I move certain ways. Which honestly isn't the incision itself its the surrounding area of the abdominal wall that is sore for me. My doctor said 2 weeks for incisions to heal and 4 for stomach to heal from being split and stapled. Everyone heals differently though so I'd plan to give it about 5 to 6 weeks just incase. Also the biggest pain for me was gas...oh my god that gas pain is really something. When your stomach is bloated and swollen and healing to feel gassy air bubbles travel around is incredibly painful. However with walking, stretching(carefully) and changing positions it is manageable. Funny enough just had one while typing that sentence lol. I just moved my position a little and it passed within a second or two. Good luck! Just remember pain and healing aside...this surgery is worth it as long as you are willing to work hard to make it so. Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

I had five incisions with each of my surgeries. My sleeve was nine years ago and you can't see the scars unless you know where to look. My RNY was seven weeks ago and they are browny-pink and two are an inch long, on either side of my belly button, two are about half an inch long on either side of my waist, and one, where the drain was removed, is on my left side just under my rib cage. There are internal sutures that you can't see but most surgeons use a surgical glue called Dermabond to close the skin. My glue peeled up along the edges and flaked off a little bit at a time but was all gone by three weeks post op. Healing internally takes about six weeks. My doctor did not want me to lift anything over 15 lbs until then so that the internal staples and sutures were tightly knit together. I was not in very much pain with the sleeve--by the third day after surgery I was not taking any opioid painkillers. With the bypass there was more pain, I took oxycontin for about a week postop, but I also had a hernia repair and a myotomy, so that might have made the pain worse. The scars are nothing, the pain is only for a short time. You'll do great!

I'm not sure how useful this may be, but I've read some decent body butter, body scrubs and skin brushing are supposed to be amazing for skin tightening. I've just started it in the hope that I'll be able to get the skin to go back a bit as I'm losing weight and hopefully I end up with something I can live with (im a bit of a wimp so I'd like to avoid another surgery if at all possible)

Below is an edited version from 3 weeks ago when I was conceivably talking about getting a bypass with the medical group. Now the Doctor Thinks a Sleeve Would be Better Then a Bypass. With battling weight most of my life 10 years ago I got a lap band put in. I am now 57 years old, 15 years ago I was diagnosed with type two diabetes At the time my Lap Band was put in my weight was 230 pounds. That might not sound like a lot of weight but for a male 5’8 it was a lot for me. In addition to having type two diabetes I have also had two neck surgeries and three back surgeries over the years. The Lap Band gave me significant weight loss. I got down from 230 to 160-165. I also lowered my Metformin from 1000 mg to 500 mg. I lost approximately 70 pounds of weight and maintained this weight for about nine years. To say that it was an easy road for me would be lying, I was constantly having the band loosened tightened loose and tightened like being on a roller coaster. I had problems with the Lap Band being so tight that I was having major acid reflux problems. In addition to that I had some small ulcers around my esophagus next to my Lap Band. Last year I decided I had enough of this and had a lot of Fluid taken out of my band. The major acid reflex went away immediately however, I still have some ongoing small minor heartburn and a small cough because the Lap Band is still in place but a lot of the fluid has been taken out. Because of that removal of fluid I have gained back for the first time in 10 years 35 pounds. Now I am back up to taking the same amount of diabetic medicine Metformin 1000 mg because of the 35 pound weight gain. The bariatric center in Los Angeles is now recommending that I conceivably switch to a Sleeve. This decision is not completely final yet and the acid reflex problems I’ve had for so many years which only really developed soon after getting the Lap Band 10 years ago. As in all surgeries there are risk concerns for changing the body anatomy, any advice or opinions from anyone that has been down this same kind of road would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time and concern. Hopefully one day I can help someone else.

I don’t think there’s really anything that tightens skin. Muscle development can fill you out a bit and make the skin less noticeable. Plastic surgery is the only thing that research shows successfully removes extra skin. also your husband is a d**k.

Over the past year been getting PM about what App did i use and about gadgets /devices/issues So Here i go again. Repost from last December First of all this is what i did and I have a tendency to not follow the rules. KEY to this post is you decide, Do not follow, If a gadget makes you happy and keeps you focused, Great, but this is a individual journey that you and only you can do! During the journey ,,,,,Do not stress out, panic, just adjust and make changes that allow you and only you to enjoy the journey to a healthy happy you. 1. Shakes: I must have spent a thousand dollars on pre made shakes and to me they suck! Once you figure out how to make them you can enjoy the challenge and make them into little hand grenades filled with Protein and vits and minerals 2. Scale: Yes you need one but do not drive yourself nuts weighing all the time - I weighted in on the 1st and 16th of the month 3. Apps : I found this to be a pain in the ass to use and record, but if you like them people here swear by them, But do not get so obsessed with you app you loose focus 4. Plates and gadgets. NO WAY am i sitting down with others with a baby plate, Look at the images on google for the size of a meal you should eat. Look at a 100 images and you are adults you should be able to portion just by view. Weighing you food is insane to me. But i am culinary trained i can eye a piece of fish or meat and know it is 5oz. I think we all know what a cup of veggies is about in size. 5. Clothes: I truly have looked like a homeless guy for the last year, In fact as sit here i have a 5x Colombia fishing shirt on. Used to be tight now its huge but comfortable. Enjoy donating the fatty clothes, Enjoy the change who cares what you wear, I realize if you have to work you need proper clothing but getting healthy is a better thing then losing your wardrobe. Nothing made me happier then donating Bags of clothes - Sure I kept a few but donated the rest - Huge walk in closet full now everything that fits takes up a little area. 6. Others/Co workers/ Family. This seems to be a problem with many here, I suggest you just get the screw you attitude and you are doing this for yourself. Who really cares what Betty in HR thinks. This is a topic is see all the time, People are mean and love to see failure in others. So they get envious as you succeed 7. Dietetic and Trainer: To me this is a key from Pre Op - However I do realize money is a issue, If you can not use one read read read and do not read here first. There are great books and plans available from Trained Nutritionists on web. Then read here because No two WLS people are the same. If time is a issue Meal prep with containers and such. I suggest a trainer. One of my greatest things was the elliptical with the video screen trainer. Love it. Little pricey but great and private, they have bikes and treadmills also The moral here is there seem to be alot of new people here, run your own race and do not waste to much time on Gadgets and Issues of the surgery. Focus on your journey and the changes - Keep it simple, Keep it healthy, Keep it up!

Nova nailed it here - and I fall untill that I was 377 On July 18 of last year, on Dec 27 My b day i weighed in at 215 Which is over a loss that meets the average. Now for new information It took me a while to get my head on straight and get a routine. I crashed bad 45 days out due to not getting organized. This is must You are getting a tool and you need to have the whole workshop in order. DIET ........... Vitamins and Minerals ...... Mental Health .......... and exercise, (Do not panic you will be amazed as you loose the weight how much you like walking and doing physical stuff) Welcome to the Journey

Of course. I appreciate how scary the whole plastics business is, but it's actually been amazing for me so I'm willing to share some of my story. You might be able to see the baggy deposits under my arm pits in my "before" pictures earlier in the thread, they're the reason I needed the extended Brachioplasty. They used to chafe against my bra and made life generally uncomfortable, along with the saggy skin that dropped below my arms, it's all magically gone. The trade off is obviously the scars, but I'm amazed how my whole body looks thinner. Below are some pretty graphic photos (don't look if you're squeamish) at around 2 weeks post surgery. Apologies for my messy bathroom and strange angles. Things seem to be healing pretty nicely, I'm wearing silicon tape and hoping for the best long term outcome but as my surgeon warned me multiple times, it's tough to predict how arm lift scars will heal. Even if the scars don't improve much, my clothes fit so much better. It's amazing! I'm in a similar position to you, in that my BMI is still in the "unhealthy" range, but I definitely dropped a few pounds/kilos from the skin removal (noting that I did have some lipo). I hold most of my weight in my stomach, so that's where my loose skin really bothers me and where there may be a bigger difference in terms of weight loss following removal. I'm pretty keen to get the tummy tuck. I think I would easily go down 2 sizes in jeans if I had a tummy tuck. I also think it would motivate me to maintain weight loss and possibly even lose more. I'm still undecided at this stage if I want to drop anymore weight before more plastics or just go for it. However, I feel so amazing after my Brachioplasty. And I think I look better now than following my surgery a few years back when I was 20lbs lighter. The shape of my body just feels more feminine without my giant arms. I think our happiness with our new bodies/lives is about more than just a number on the scale. Plastics has been so great for my self esteem, but some people seem to lose weight without the loose skin and don't need it. I think it's a really personal decision, dependent on your bodies goals, self esteem and finances.

Hey, can I ask what your arms look like with the bandages off? I’m scared and nervous but looking into it. I had the lapband removed in 2018, sleeve in 2019 and lost 110lbs in a year. Well actually it was less than a year because I’ve remained the same for the past 8 months. My doctor said it’s not often that someone like me loses that much so easily (I worked hard!) ... but now all of this skin .... I weigh 165 at 5’4 and I’m still considered overweight. I am positive if I got rid of the skin I would lose at least 20lbs and be in the healthy range. Thanks for sharing your story.

I had a sleeve 7 years ago and lost 85 pounds over 6 months. I had no loose skin whatsoever, but I have regained the weight and I'm due to have a revision to a Mini Gastric Bypass in a few weeks. I'm curious to know if you are more likely to have loose skin after a revision for weight gain? I am also now 7 years older 🙂

I'm scheduled for VSG next week and I'm trying to figure out how to prepare for what to wear after surgery. When I first saw a weight loss doctor on 2/5 of this year, I was 247. As of today, I'm 225, but all my clothes still fit - albeit a little loose. With quick, major weight loss expected, plus the change of seasons coming up, I don't know how to prepare wardrobe-wise. Any tips? I haven't worn anything smaller than an XXL (sometimes XL if it runs big) in years, so I have no clue what to buy!

Hey y'all! Well its been past my 1 year surgiversary 07/24. I thought I'd come and check in even though I'm late lol. I'm officially down -81lbs in a year. Started at 261lbs and now 180lbs. Starting BMI 41, current BMI 28... so now I'm only overweight lol and not morbidly obese. But the BMI scale that goes by height and waist size says I am normal BMI range lol. I got to my goal of size 10 Levi's pants!! waist size 30 (last picture) Yay!!! Of course I wanted to get to 100lbs down, but I did not reach it. Regardless I am truly happy where I am now so not losing the other 19lbs isn't a huge deal for me. I am finally comfortable in a bikini again (middle picture) which feels awesome (even though I have cottage cheese legs lol IDC). I am just so glad I had the surgery. I remember I was so scared to get the surgery and thinking what my life would be like and almost backing out of the surgery thinking I would miss out on all my favorite foods post op, but I was wrong. I'm glad I didn't chicken out. I'm finally happy again to be in the skin I'm in... even though its not perfect its good enough for me. [emoji4] Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

I lost about 3 pounds a week in the first month and averaged 4.5 pounds per week for my goal - I am a male so we loose it quicker plus i am extremely active

Do not panic. We all have had our days during the journey. the mind games are brutal and you body is fighting back now. I agree with above So you messed up , just move on and clear your head! Have no clue how you could eat pork skins but oh well Time to get back to being healthy. You worked hard for this and just look around the reward for you hard work is just ahead a little. or Stay on you addiction and be unhealthy and die young most likely suffering from disease related to your weight. Only two options you have - Yes its brash but the truth is the truth You got this

Just bring what ever you want to wear loose sweats - I personally as a guy jumped into a pair of cut of sweat pants and a loose shirt. Its game time after surgery and walking the halls is the key. so you most likely do not want your ass hanging out so comfy loose clothes. As for the waist thing i say no f'in way - I do not think you want compression or anything pushing on your belly

I wore a loose-fitting t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants into surgery. Most of your time in the hospital will be spent wearing a gown and not much else. Walked out wearing the same clothing I went in with, save a fresh pair of undies. I didn't use a belly binder, but I found that the incision lowest on my stomach (where its hanging the most) has been the slowest to heal up.

I'm just over a month out of surgery and I have been doing well with my diet so far. Protein drinks and genpro and adding in some normal foods now. Today has been my hardest day I feel like I have over eaten I made turkey meatloaf ate some I also downed a bag of pork skins. I had 1 protein drink, and a yoghurt breakfest pop. I didn't even do my Tai chi today. I'm just craving idk why. I do not want to fail here. I made myself promise to keep going down on the scale. I worked 2 years to be approved for my surgery. I have wanted it since I was 27. I'm almost 50 now. I feel like there is no one to talk to about this. FML. Hoping for tomorrow to be back on track. I do not want to be depressed or crying over this. I need to get it together. Sent from my REVVL 2 PLUS using BariatricPal mobile app

I couldn’t tolerate anything around my waist. Not painful just uncomfortable. I used to roll down the waistbands of my pants to under the incision wounds. So maybe a loose dress for when you go home. I know a few people on this forum have used tummy binders but I didn’t & neither did my friends who had sleeve surgery. I don’t know if you’d really need one for a laparoscopic surgery but ask your surgeon what they recommend. Funnily, I used to find it soothing to gently hold my hand over my belly. My friend said she did too. Don’t know why.

I have only told a few people. I didn’t plan on telling anyone at work but we have lots of work lunches and I had a rougher recovery than I thought I would. Plus I had only started my job a month before I had surgery. I thought it looked bad with me needing additional time off. I will say those I did tell at work have been extremely supportive and nice. What surprised me was the one friend I did tell had lots of unsupportive questions like aren’t you gonna have lots of excess skin, do you think you’ll keep it off bc I know someone who gained all their weight back, etc.... So I think you should tell who you want, as little or as much as you want!

I love this thread!! I'm in Australia and some of these products are from Australia or New Zealand, but I don't want to miss out on the fun. Besides, the American supermarkets seem to have a version of everything so most of you can probably find something similar. 1. Dark roasted peanut butter - I eat this with apple or banana, on top of my oats, in my smoothies. As a rare treat, I will sometimes have this on gluten free toast too. 2. Kombucha - passionfruit flavour. I gave up Diet Coke (had a die hard addition but I think the sugar substitutes were making me crave real sugar) and high calorie juices. When I don't feel like water, I'll have this. It's delicious, I don't know if it actually does anything in terms of probiotics for the microbiome, but I like the taste. 3. Taco spice from Costco. I buy these giant bottles of taco spice and throw it into beef mince or with chicken (I love a Mexican salad, taco soup, or bowl of chilli carne carne). This actually lasts in my pantry, unlike those little sachets. 4. Halo top. Any kind - but peanut butter is my favourite. Lately, I've been buying the sticks as I can easily eat a whole tub (which is 280 calories). This is perfect when I want dessert (e.g. most nights). 5. Caramel collagen creamer - I'm pretty sure this is available in the US, or will be soon. I think they have a dairy and non-dairy version, but I usually grab the regular kind. My skin, nails and hair look so much better when I'm doing collagen - it's a little miracle. I love the taste of this one, I stir it into smoothies, iced coffee and even my oats every morning to add protein.

It actually should come down to looking at many many things. Like your age, illnesses you have or genetic tendencies toward any. Are there medications you take that you cannot take if you have RNY that will limit absorption of certain medications. My BMI was 58. I weighed 320 pounds. I was 54 years old. Could not have RNY due to meds needed that are absorbed and distributed by intestines. I lost 140 pounds. I did have a gain back over 7 years - of 40 pounds but had both medical problems and life happens. Back to where I was now. What is my BMI now ? According to most charts 32. Charts that account for age ( I am now 64 ) about 30. No plastics. I have saggy baggy skin. All over . but not having any elective surgeries at my age. If I had my bat wings taken off I am sure I would lose another 5 pounds easily !! I am very very pleased with my sleeve.

Hey everyone I can’t imagine the new me. I weigh on Mondays. Got no more of gout and my acid reflux is super low. No medications at all for awhile now. Used to be about 245lbs and now 145.5. Never thought I’ll ever be there. I should start working out soon. The best thing is no craving at all. And the trick I’m doing for that is whatever I want to eat or drink, I go and get couple tiny bites/sips and that’s it (I’m loosing weight with that without any stalls) water consumption is getting better, now I have couple choices for water. I ate almost all types of foods so far, but do not prefer sugary foods, and carbs such as rice, noodles, french fries ..etc. they make me feel full and I feel like I didn’t eat anything that adds value to me. And guess what everybody, I’m wearing small sizes from XXL and 30w skinny jeans from 44w regular. Energy levels are high. The only thing That gotten worse from before surgery is the dizziness I get when I suddenly stand up, but that’s still no big deal comparing to the benefit of being fit and living normal

I am glad to hear everyone is doing well, sorry to hear about those that have had to have additional surgeries. I hope you all heal up quickly and get to enjoy the new lives you've worked so hard for. I am doing really well. I weigh in on Saturdays since I think to do it first thing in the morning on the first day of the weekend. I'm currently sitting at 180.2. Been two weeks now and I'm really excited you break into the 170s. I am sticking to a workout routine for the first time in my life. It's amazing how much easier it is to exercise than it used to be. No wonder skinny people do it so often! I'm working out an hour a day, 5 days a week with rest days on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The hour is made up of 40 minutes of cardio and 20 minutes of muscle work. I can see I'm definitely going to have loose skin on my thighs, upper arms, and maybe my stomach so I'm not super pumped about that, but again seems like a small price to pay for what I can do now. I won't be stopping till I hit at least 140 and if I get there and feel comfortable, ill either stop or keep going. (I'm pretty short) I struggle with some of my old sugar addiction, but I feel more prepared to handle it now and get back on track. Hoping the next 5 months are icing on this 7 month cake:)

I just had surgery on Wednesday; spent one night in the hospital. Other than my cell phone, headphones, and a charger, I didn't need a thing! I brought so much crap that had been recommended on various forums/websites, like a pillow, slippers, loose clothing, etc, and I didn't use any of it. I slept so much, was so groggy, and generally felt so lousy that the last thing I was worried about was creature comforts from home. The hospital had everything I needed.