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I'm 25. I started at 260 and three months later I'm at 222. I have always had tight skin. I am 5'8. I don't think I will end up with a lot of loose skin, but I am looking jiggley. I was not always overweight though. I gained 115 lbs in college. My friend went on her own diet last year and she started at 250. She got down to 175. She has been overweight all her life. She had a lot of loose skin. She is 5'4 and is 24 years old. I think it's all about the elasticity of your skin. She broke the diet and is now the same weight as me.

I am in Lakewood (near Orange and LA County) if anyone wants to meet or just chat I am available. I also just recently separated and I am in need of freinds to go out with. (you tend to loose all your single friends when you marry).

thanksLuckily my plastic surgeon does a lot of work with my bariatric dr so both know each others work.... I am hoping the port doesn't stick out too badly. I have a frowning belly button and a few folds I am so excited to get rid of The excess skin and a taught tummy will be the crowing jewel

Any suggestions for plastic surgeons in the Dallas area for skin removal...Preferably with a free consult or low cost consult.

Today I weighed in at 87kg. which is a total of 20 kg lost - a milestone for me. I remember my doctor saying to me before the operation that I could expect to loose 20 kg in the first 2 years. I did it in just over a year and while I know some bandster have lost heaps more in that time I am still thrilled to bits with 20kg. Sitting in the doctors office that day I remember feeling that 20kg seemed like an impossible dream. The band has allowed me to loose this weight slowly and without having to deprive myself or go on an unmaintainable lifestyle change. That's been the big key for me. I don't feel like I'm hanging on for dear life - affraid to slip up and start putting weight back on again like with all those diets. I know I will not regain the weight I've lost because I haven't had to flogg myself to lose it. I also posted some photos on the Aussie Before and after thread - never thought I'd be doing that.

Update: surgeon ordered labs and and ultrasound as I mentioned earlier. All labs were perfectly normal and the ultrasound didn't reveal anything to be concerned with (no gallbladder issue, no stone, no sludge). I took the carafate the surgeon gave me a few times and scaled back my diet to liquids for a few days, ate a boatload of popsicles (I love popsicles more than anything), and I'm feeling much better. I'm very familiar with dumping syndrome as a potential after surgery (as any RNY patient should be), and I've been expecting that and looking out for it since the surgery. I think I expected dumping to feel different, kind of like pre-diarrhea feeling. This feeling wasn't like that and there was never a loose stool. The cramping had no release -- it was like a vice just gripping my stomach and not letting go and slowly squeezing harder. So looking back I do think that the episode was indeed dumping syndrome. Scary stuff. I felt like I was going to die. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am fed up.. I am gaining weight cuz my fill isnt tight (and I dont follow a diet consistantly)........ I need a fill, but even with one, I HAVE to restrict myself in calories, carbs ect.. OR i wont lose much more.. I am NOT happy about a approximate 75 pound loss in 18 months... I lost pre-op and I lost during a few winter months, ever since I have been gaining and loosing the same 10-15 pounds... but I dont see anymore loosing of those pounds, only more gain. I struggle with extra tightness.. often enough and I respect it.. .. but its inconsistantcy is really annoying, cant plan my diet....have ups and downs with emotions with eating food.. all cuz I just dont know whats ok. I hate that. When I am well restricted and I know basically how restricted I am, I accept it and I dont have all the concerns about food. I dont crave what I know I cant have. (its great) But there are enough times when I am not so tight to allow in too many calories....... and I need a fill... for those times.. I dont want to deal with the times I will be extra tight.. twice as much. I fear I may send myself into a too tight situation like I did a few months ago... and have to accept that my restricition level now is where I have to be.. and where the weight is coming back on. I will get a fill as soon as I have the money.. I wish I could do it now! IF I JUST DIDNT HAVE a SENSITIVE BAND.. IF I was just more consistant.. EVERYTHING would be perfect. If this is it.. I have been left with a smaller scale weight, a flabby nasty body that cannot be contained and maked me look fatter everywhere but the shoulders back and face.. I deal with skin infections now, and lower self body image. The changes, the flab is sooooo different and soooo ugly and sooooo bothersome and so apparent that my weight loss does not seem worth it. My sciatica is worse,.. ewww one day, I feel a rash between my legs, on my inner thighs and buttocks near the gina... it just showed up that big, nothing gradual at all.. I have never in my life had a rash down there... !! I have been 400 pounds and I have been laid up and unshowered and it never ever happened... I have got small rashes of 1/4 the size.. under my belly many times, I soak in a tub and wash those and they go away by the next day.. This rash was NOT like those ones.. this rash was like a burn, raised and leather like, and hurt. Truth is I know about how fat people get rashes.. once I was browsing through a web site of gross pictures and saw two naked ladies about 250 to 300 pounds bending over to show their asses and there huge infected rashes that seemed to me to be untaken care of.. (real bad) I didnt understand it at all.... I felt that anyone could control such a thing if they tried hard enough. I knew that I would never be able to live with such a problem. soooo.... I dont freak out.. I soak in the tub and wash and wash it and assume it will go away after a few soaks... and then I guess I have to take extra steps to keep my new massive flabs clean and tidy. (like I dont have enough to do to keep it all clean down there, I use about 5 wet wipes everytime I pee, and need to..) The next time I soak..... My rash is peeling off in brown skin chunks... I peel and peel and it never ends.... the skin underneath is raw and not healed. I begin to cry my head off. (never had a yeast infection or anything happen down there.. plus my odor has always been faint) I am scraping off skin from that area... unreal. I worry that there will be lasting effects (like i wasnt ugly enough down there)... its like sinking a level of obesity I didnt count on everr.... Especially didnt think of it as an affect of weight loss.. NOW its happened obviously cuz of all the excess flab from my weight loss. I cant keep my thighs from touching in the tub, they float together... and out of the water I have to spread my legs real far before they dont touch.. I would guess the flab added about 6 inches to the size of my inner thighs.. I get up the nerve to take some pictures.. I have to ask my daughter to do it.. and she is nice of course... but after wards I cry for like an hour.. I dont cry alot.. It was really humiliating.. I have took pics of every rash i got so far, but this isnt something I want to tell anyone happened to me.. and how gross to have photographed.. BUT.... I have to think of my future and do all I can if and when I have to fight for my skin cut off as a medical nessesity. My worst fear is that who ever I am talking to about that issue, tells me or implies that I am not really doing all I possibly can to keep clean, or I am lying about never having had any rashes when I was over 400 pounds. and that those are regular rashes that are trypical of obese and nothing extrodinary .. bath more, wear cotton undies.. etc... Deal with it. My flab is so horrible.. I HATE IT.. I dont see why it changed sooo much at so little loss.. GRRRR IF I knew i was going to lose another 150 pounds, and most likey get it all cut off, I wouldnt be so upset over it.. but all I see is.. I am not going to lose enough weight to cut flab off and I now have this deformed body that I hate more than my 400 pound body. Plus if I gain weight and I get to 400 again... OMG, I cant imagine how bad that would look.. Why isnt all of this an incentive to DO WHAT I NEED TO DO...

Hi all! I was banded back in 2003, and it took me 2 years to reach my goal weight. Then came the great lap band slippage of 2005. I went for the corrective procedure and was told all was well, since then I have had nothing but trouble - I've regained 60lbs and can't seem to loose any of it. It's as though EVERYTHING I eat causes me to gain weight - even though my diet consists mostly of veggie Soup (cause its about all I can keep down) and I wake every night choking on reflux, not to mention the constant pain at the port site. So today i went back to my surgeon and as suspected, the band has slipped again. I've discussed my options with Dr.D and have decided the best plan for me is to remove the band and have the revision to a sleeve. Dr.D tells me that I have to remove the band, wait 3 months for my stomach to relax then have the sleeve done. I've tried to argue with him re; the 3 month rest period but considering he is the surgeon, and I have no idea about surgical matters, I didn't get very far in my attempts to get him to do the removal and sleeve in one surgery. Has anyone had the same experience - Band out, few months wait then sleeved? I'm so worried about the weight gain in those 3 months - can anyone share their story? Did you gain weight? How rapidly? Or how did you maintain your weight loss over that time? I'm not going to lie, this is terrifying me - so I thought I'd reach out to fellow banders for support!

Q: How did you loose the weight (I'm keeping my WLS private)? A: I did exactly what my doctor told me to do... MINE (yesterday to a colleague): Extreme overall Sand blaster and routine persistent jackhammer to the thighs (it really wasn't any of her business, she is the watercooler reporter of the entire building) Q: Is that on your diet? (From a so-called friend peering over my plate as I try to eat my meal) A: Well actually, my doctor thinks I've lost too much weight and wants me to add on a few pounds A: What are you having to eat? MINE: Why of course, and I look fabulous eating it too, don't you think so? Q: You must have spent a fortune on new clothes? A: Not so much, now that I'm a normal size, I can take advantage of sales. A: I did enjoy donating my old clothes to charity... Mine: Baby I'm worth it. I spend my money on clothes not food now. Anyone else? Here's a few more: How much have you lost? MINE: Not yet enough, but I'm getting there. Are you afraid of gaining it back? MINE: Not as afraid as I am of driving in rush hour traffic...it's like running with the bulls out there. I even got this one from a family member that "heard" I had surgery: Are you sure your mother approves of you having that surgery? MINE: Well, considering I am a grown woman of the age of 46, I really stopped asking her approval on such things.

I have not lost any weight in over a year now.....but since I started running...5 miles per day, 5 days a week....I dropped 2 clothing sizes..... I had someone say to me "You're a runner, right? I can tell..." All all the exercises one can do....running is the best for burning calories and and toning up he body...including loose skin..

So, Ive been lurking on these boards forever reading all of your stories and hoping that one day I would get to share my story as well. I looked into the bypass more than a year ago when my doctor suggested it, I was fed up with my wieght, I dont seem to lose weight anymore I go on diet after diet to no avail and come out heavier than i started. I got diagnosed with pre diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension and knew I had to make a change.. Unfortuanately when I started the journey then, I lost insurance and wasnt able to carry through, but I kept believing that one day, maybe, I to, would be a success story. I spent a year researching and making sure this was absolutely the option I wanted to take. Im really excited I have met with a nutritionist, I have a doctors appointment tomorrow, I have my psych eval set up in May and I have called my Cigna insurance spoke with them a couple of times and I have a 3 month waiting period with the dietician. I have always been overwieght since around the age of 10. I remember my doctor talking to my mother about getting me on a diet, and she declined saying it was stress of the loss of grandparents. That stress eating got me to the pleasently plump woman I am today.. The woman who feels like she has gotten to a point of no return. I actually lost a significant amount of weight about 4 years ago, I had gotten tired of it and completely revamped my life I lost 90 lbs! I looked amazing, I loved being alive, I had a whole new love for fittness that I had never thought was possible! I really miss that girl, and Im sure my kids do to. I got pregnant with my twins and the weight came on like no other.. I gained 80 lbs with my twins but actually once i delivered and healed from my vertical c-section them I was only about 30 lbs more than when i started. I of course had a lot of excess skin, something only cosmetic surgery will fix, but I felt good. Unfortunately, the next year and a half of sleepless nights caused my weight to spiral out of control, throw in every stress imaginable with being a mother of 4, working full time, finishing a degree, and LIFE and what do you get, ME! I know that my weight has put a strain on my relationship, I'm to the point that I dont want to leave the house because I feel so ashamed. My kids use to love when I took them on hikes and bike riding, and now it doesnt even seem obtainable. I feel horrible that I have allowed myself to become like this. I always put my children first and did everything for them and their health and making sure they had a good life and everything they could ever want, I just never thought my weight was taking away from them.. but now I know it is. As far as support goes, little to none, but that doesnt stop me I have always been my biggest cheerleader when it comes to getting what I want anyway. My fiance "supports" it but he got angry at me the other day and told me I was being selfish to him and he didnt have anything to look forward to and now i do. I know that when it comes down to it, this decision and my new lifestyle will cause some issues with us, however at this point I feel that I'm doing the right thing for me and my future. I hope that once he sees the changes in me, and starts to see me for the girl I was when he met me, maybe his attitude will change.

Glad you are here to get support. Keep posting and reading...a lot of great people here willing to listen and empathize and provide a hand. Hon, if I had answers on how to not be hungry dunng the preop diet, I never would have needed VSG surgery. HA HA It is hard, torture really but worth every single moment of misery you may endure. Preop diet is for your own protection so during surgery you do not have any complications. Reduce the fatty liver and all. Continue to be strong...you can do this! Also, I highly recommend you read under General Sleeve Surgery Discussions the thread about what will you need for surgery. I personally like for post op, a heating pad, G2 gatorade to sip on (do not want to get dehydrated), decaf peppermint tea, chicken Soup (strain out chicken/noodles and diluted) and wear loose clothing. Found that if I did not refrigerate my drinks, they were easier to sip on. Good luck on upcoming surgery and keep us posted to your progress.

Mine is just awful. I have lost 170 pounds now, have about 15 to my goal. My arms, thighs and stomach are the worse. My doc and surgeon have both said that I will be a good candidate for the stomach surgery and have a very good chance of having insurance pay for it. I work out with weights at least once a week. I can actually see the muscle definition under the baggy skin. I am hoping that it will get a bit better with time.

So I got the lap-band ap placed on 2/17/12 weighing 269 on surgery day. I now weigh 280-284 lbs and will be having revisional surgery on 12-12-12 ... I never felt full with the band. It was either too tight and food would get stuck or too loose... im just happy that I will have a 2nd chance at weight loss and become healthy. Im a 25 year old wife/mom of two and cant wait.

To buy smaller clothes and feel confident in my own skin , to go to amusement park and ride all the rides and last to roller skates with my kids

* Warning* This is a comical view of weight loss with the sleeve. Please understand that I say many things just for the laugh or shock value. I do not need you to tell me to not "do it" or "do this". I appreciate your caring, but please know that I am a strong person and I wouldn't do a lot of the crazy things I say I want to....notice I didn't say ALL. Enjoy the blog and have a good laugh. I know I enjoy writing them* Warning done. Today is my one mouth anniversary. I can't believe how much has changed since I walked in the hospital April 12, 2012. I would have never thought I would be eating regular food (but not much) , or drinking normal (without one ounce cups). If you would have told me in the hospital that I would be 40lbs smaller since my two week apt. before surgery, I would never have believed you. If you would have told me that I would be happy (for the most part) with the food I eat, I would have laughed at you. But, it's all true. I'm happy, healthy, and loosing a little every week. I went for my follow up apt. today. First, you have to understand that my hormones have been CRAZY. One second I am yelling and screaming and thinking about throwing my husband out the window, then the next second, I am laughing, cuddling, and trying to use my husband as though he's a gigolo. You would think he would appreciate the second part, but as he told the doctor today, "I feel like a piece of meat." Well, doesn't' he understand, that's what I want??? LOL It's been forever. According the doctor, this is all normal. Apparently (for those of us who didn't know), we have hormones stored in our fat cells, and when we loose weight, the hormones burst into our blood stream. At least we can feel it coming on. I know when I am getting ready to loose it, I don't do anything to stop it. Is it because I know my husband will love me no matter what? Nope, It's really that I just don't care. Now, I don't want to sound like a witch. That's not it. It's just they come on so fast, the idea of trying to stop them or walking away doesn't seem as good as letting it all out. At least I say I am sorry...the doctor said I do this because I know he won't leave me....I'm not so sure about that. If he doesn't, he's the strongest man out there. I don't think I could live with me. Just think about the worst PMS you've ever had. Now times it by 1000. Yeap, that's what weight loss does to us. Our poor families. Now, let me tell you about the sex talk at the doctor's office. I know that I can have sex after 1 month. I've known this for months. My husband had questions. Ones I wasn't expecting. So imagine this situation. It's me, my husband and the doctor. Scott- Can we have sex? Doctor- Yes, if you want to Me- Oh, I want to. I can't keep my hands off him Scott- It's true, it's like I'm a piece of meat Doctor- Get used to it Scott- I don't know how to ask this Doctor- You can just say it Me- Looking at my husband like 'what on earth are you getting ready to ask' Scott- Ok, is there any way we can't do it? I mean, can we only do it regular? Me- OH MY GOSH-----REALLY? Doctor- You can do it any way you want as long as it doesn't hurt Ok, here is where my inner male comes out. I had to laugh at this. Me- No, we have a safe word for when that happens. (laughing) Actually we don't. It's not like we have whips and chains and things. Doctor- (looks a little shocked...but can tell we're joking around) I think we're all done here. See you back in a month. Now, to be honest, there was a little more to that conversation but I wanted you to have the funny stuff. When Scott asked about my emotions, she said to him and this is a quote, "Get used to it". He looked at her and said, "I'm not sure that's possible." So, now were home and of course I've attempted to seduce him, right after I lost it in the restaurant because my food was gross (thanks a lot taste buds for changing on me). Of course the poor man doesn't know what to do so he turns me down and sits on the couch to play on the PlayStation. I swear, reading this, you would think we were 17 year olds. Maybe that's why my emotions are so crazy...I'm really 17. Gosh I hope not.

My Husband says it's Prime. I know it's just the basic type. Its just my weight has always been a problem I'm going to see my doctor in March Probably I wanna diet a little longer, but being a mom in a new state, and having really no time to go to the gym, I don't see my loosing any you know? Thank you <3 I hope my dr actually listens <3

If you put enough effort into this and lose slow and steady, at your age, I'd be surprised if you have any excess skin. Get enough excercise and follow your dietitian's instructions, all you'll put on is muscle. Good luck.

Hi there, You need to find a way, try nicotine batches or nicotine chewing gum. It's very essential to stop the smocking a couple at least 10 days before your operation. when you smoke, all the cilia in your lungs becomes inactive, therefore leading to accumulation of all the dirt and sputum in your lungs. During the operation, you will receive a medication that will dry up all your secretions in your body (saliva and Sputum), so after the operation will feel like having cement inside of your lungs, you'll be coughing trying to expectorate the sputum. So the easiest way to prevent this is STOP SMOKING. Couple of days after you stop, you're cilia will become functional again, and will start cleaning up the lungs, and you'll be going to your operation more in ease. Try also to secure a couple of days before your operation an incentive spirometer, a respiratory device that you will be using much after you go to your room. Getting it before the operations, will allow your lungs to expand, loose all the secretions you have in the lungs, and spiting it out. Good luck

OK... I try not to make it a habit to disagree with moderators...... BUT... I do have to offer another point of view on this. Everyone's carb sensitivity is different. A blanket statement that all carbs are equally bad is about as false of a statement as there is... Foods containing simple sugars are not the same as rice, which is a complex carb. These will most certainly solicit a different insulin response in most people. We should all try to limit our simple sugar intake - but complex carbs have taken a bad wrap! You should strive to eat healthy complex carbs like rice and oatmeal- they are a necessary part of a well balanced diet. Yes, I understand if you're diabetic - the rules change. Since everyone's insulin response is different, do some self-research to determine which foods are good for you and which ones aren't. Eat a meal with a serving of full sugared ice cream and an hour later check your blood sugar with a glucose monitor - record the reading. Then the next day do the same thing after eating a complex carbohydrate and note the difference. Not everyone is supersensitive to carbohydrates! Your addiction to simple sugars may or may not be triggered by eating complex carbs - you'll just have to experiment yourself because everyone is different. It drives me insane when people tell you that a certain food group is evil and must be avoided. I eat from every single food group - just some more than others. First of all, try to focus on eating when you eat. If you're being distracted, you'll forget the rules. For awhile, try not to read, talk, watch TV, work, etc. while eating - just focus on the task at hand. Do it slowly and methodically. Eat a bite, wait a few minutes (not seconds) to see how you react. Actually put your fork down and wait between bites. It can take a half hour sometimes to eat a meal properly. Next, the band is not a miracle. You MUST change your lifestyle to succeed. Do not plan on starving the fat off of your body. Your body is too smart to allow this to happen. You must BURN the fat off of your body, meaning you MUST exercise to meet your full potential. You need a calorie deficit to lose weight, but get that deficit by working out and eating more not starving and slouching. Pardon me if I seem militant, but when I say exercise I mean EXERCISE. This is JUST MY OPINION... disregard it if you choose - but MOST PEOPLE (not all... most) will have to do 3+ intense cardio sessions (40 - 60 minutes each) a week to get their metabolism cranking. Instense means getting well above your comfort zone. I do not buy into the low intensity, long duration, stay within your heart rate zone type of exercise. Doing so means your missing out on a huge calorie burn. Look into Spin classes, circuit training, interval training, etc. I consider walking a daily activity - not exercise. Now, if walking is all you can do right now, that's OK.... Start there and keep increasing your distance. Keep progressing your fitness level until you can do more strenuous exercise. You must keep challenging yourself to be successful. Now, if you're going to burn all of these calories through exercise, your going to have to eat more. Low calorie = slow metabolism. So if you need an unfill to be able to eat more healthy food - do it. The band is a great tool to keep you from OVEREATING and BINGING. It was not intended to be cinched down to the point that you can't eat. Good luck - we're all here to help you because we want you to succeed. Nobody would spend the time to type a response if they didn't care about you. There is, however, as they say, more than one way to skin a cat. This journey is tough - it's hard work - but we get through it together - day by day. Brad

I was told by my case manager that for people that go the self pay route that any complication from the lap band surgery will not be covered. Is that true. I h ave BCBS of Tennessee. I am being held up now because I did not have a 10% weight loss in the last 5 years. So they say I need to loose that 10%, before I qualify. However, that would put me out of the BMI range, even though I have several comorbidities. The did say that it would not be held against me. I could do it in the pre-op diet. Any thoughts?

I know exactly what you are talking about! I had been wondering why I could eat bread and other things when everyone said they couldn't. Well, after my last fill, I'm always trying to find something I CAN eat. Chicken just doesn't work at all anymore. Neither does beef unless it's shredded and I'm very loose. So sick of yogurt and cottage cheese. Haven't found a really good protein mixture, but still trying. Have just seen a few suggestions, but keep them coming! Getting frustrated!

I'm sorry about the confusion!!! Ok...Dr. Jayaseelan is absolutly WONDERFUL, I have had NO problems and love him to death!!!! Dr. Jay had to get me through one AWFUL mess. Dr. Jay took take care of me when I had a SEVERE infection and he was NOT the Dr. that banded me. I walked into his office and from minute one, I felt like he had been my Dr. for years. EXTREMLY knowledgable and very straight forward and honest!!! I have been thru hell and back and I am very grateful to have found Dr. Jayaseelan!!!!! It just so happens that I was banded in Mexico and I was doing great...down 45 pounds and feeling good!! I had my first fill done at Dr. Fred Maese office. :faint:I had to return a few times due to a severe infection. I will NOT be returning to Dr. Maese office. I will never be the same, my entire band has been removed. All I can say is PLEASE PLEASE be aware, ask lot's of questions, check online with the medical board, ask other people, make sure things are CLEAN and STERILE and GLOVES are used and the skin is CLEANED, ALL before anything is done. Talk to your Dr. What do they specialize in?? How were they trained and by who?? No matter who you use, ALWAYS check them out first. My Lap-Band was the best thing I had done for myself and due to no fault of mine, it is now gone, I will never be the same. The scars will be with me the rest of my life.

This isn't a weight-loss specific site, but it's a blog I've been reading for about a year or so now, and I just love it. The guy who runs it (Chef John) is a professional chef down in California and he does short online videos of all his recipes (He's also an about.com food guide and a foodbuzz featured publisher). It's great especially for people who may not be the best cooks cause you can kindof get a better idea for the technique of things by watching. Also, Chef John is rather funny, so the videos are not only informational, but entertaining as well. chicken.html" rel="external nofollow">some-good-frickin-paprika-chicken chicken-chili-or-chile-verde chicken-caesar-springrolls-ultimate-low-carb-wrap getting-under-skin-for-great-big-juicy-breasts turkey-chili-mooooooove-over-chuck garlic-fennel-and-orange-grilled chicken-breasts-with-herbs-de-provence budget-beef-merlot-succulent-beef roasted-pork-tenderloin-with-fresh-plum roast-pork-tenderloin-with-apple-dijon italian-meatballs-lets-get-rolling i-have-met-enemy-and-he-is-me-please black-pepper-crusted-pork-tenderloin Hope you enjoy!!