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Hi, Sue. I can relate to most of the things in your post. I was particularly shocked at how much older I looked after surgery with all of the loose skin on my face and neck. One thing struck me in your post, which is all the time and energy you spend ensuring that you eat the right things and focusing on your weight. I did that in the beginning of maintenance, but I've really lightened up and don't pay much attention to either at this point. By now I know instinctively what I can and can't eat and approximately portions, but I don't obsess about it. I eat more or less normally (but differently than before), don't weigh myself, and don't freak out if I gain a bit. I'm wondering whether you could try doing the same thing, perhaps with the help of a nutritionist and/or therapist.

I’m having an awful time with hair loss too. I posted a plea for suggestions to hear from others coping also. I already had very thin hair and loss to begin with and I didn’t expect the loss to be so profound. It might just come with the territory, like the loose skin. A kid I know calls them angel wings. That makes it sound better. I can empathize with the lumps and saggy skin. It crept up on me overnight and now I can’t stop poking at the spare tire of flab. All I see now is the muffin top and there’s nothing I can do on my own to make it go away. It helps to focus on the things I can do now and all the possibilities we have. There’s so much more we can do in our healthier bodies and you’re fortunate to start this weight loss journey so early in life. Take care.

So sorry you have been going through this, Sue. You’re not alone. I also have less energy then I did before. The energy drops come from low blood pressure & low heart rate like you. I’ve wondered if I could have bradycardia too or be close to it. Plus throw in some random hypoglycaemic episodes & it can make for an interesting day. My BP usually sits around high 50s - 70s over low 40s - high 50s. My heart rate is usually in the 60s but can be lower. When I had the skin graft on my thumb last year, the nurses were very concerned with how low my BP was & my pulse. They even asked if I was an athlete which made me, my friends & family laugh. Nope, just seems to be me I told them. A difference may be that I used to experience this whenever I was at a lower weight (60-65kg) too but not as severely or as frequently as now. My friends used to laugh back then when I said I don’t exercise much because I could have these drops where I’d almost collapse. They thought it was just a joke excuse until they were with me when it happened. Boy did they panic. So I believe this is really a pre existing condition for me & I experience it all the time now because I weigh less. (A tendency towards low blood pressure & pressure drops does run in my family.) If I put on 10kg it would probably improve but I don’t want to put on weight. I too was always that person at work before others & still there after most left, taking on additional work, helping others do their work, working on weekends & rostered days off, …. And yes I was very happy with how I worked & my commitment to my job & employer. So I get you feel you’re letting people down now. But I look back & realise how many actually took advantage of my work ethic: colleagues & bosses. I also realised I gave up a lot of my free time, turned down social events & sacrificed my personal life for work & for nothing. Didn’t get the promotions, the pay rises or even acknowledgement. It was like they just expected I would do it. At least your commitment & efforts are recognised. I get a bit angry & sad about it when I look back can’t you tell. It contributed to my decision not to work anymore last year at 56. I’ve learnt how to manage the low energy, BP, etc. easier because I don’t work though. I pace myself during the day & I’ll take breaks if out. I’m careful when I stand & make sure I have something close by I can grab if my vision goes. If I am doing anything more active, I take hydralyte with me for an energy boost. I don’t always remember & sometimes my day works against me but I do the best I can in the situation. But like you, I don’t regret my surgery at all. I’m so very happy I did it & wouldn’t change a thing.

For the arm compression garments, it looks like it is sized based on your ribcage, not your arm diameter. Am I seeing that right? Did you have any issue with it being too tight or too loose?

Get rid of your scales then, ( I too am a daily weigher but I don't class anything as a stall until it's been 4 weeks without any movement. ) the further out you get the slower the movement in the scales I only record my weight once a month now and even though on the daily I don't see much difference I am still loosing a tiny bit each month.

Hi, how is everyone who had the TORé doing? I am going for a consultation next week. Have don’t all my labs and ekg. I had a sleeve in 2012 and after regain am looking to loose about 50 pounds. I also am suffering with Gerd.

I told my boss as soon as I decided, BUT never told her it was WLS. I was also have esophagus repairs done, and a hernia fixed. So I told her that part, my appointments didn't make me miss work because they had early and later appointments. I only missed work for a few hours on 2 different occasions up till my surgery. I had lost a large amount of weight many times before so it is not that surprising for me to be loosing weight so I knew people who knew me long term wouldn't think much of it other than me just loosing weight AGAIN! Very few people in my life know, maybe 10? I don't honestly know if I am ashamed of it or just prefer privacy. I have lost 100+ lbs 4 other times in my life so I guess if people knew I had surgery they would be judgy and I don't need all that! Everyone I did tell was very supportive. Logical comments, like what about the risks? How does it effect you long term? Fair questions, nothing like "why would you do that" " just go on a diet".. etc. You have to do what you feel comfortable with; tell, don't tell. Whatever makes you happy!

I messaged my obgyn to see if she would put in an order for my blood work I need and she very kindly did that- saves me the out of pocket cost to get that run though insurance for sure. Having an obgyn who has also had a sleeve is awesome. Surgery is next month- kind of freaked out about it. The recovery is going to be difficult because I won’t have my core or my arms to help me. I’m trying to decide if I’ll stay in the city that my surgery is taking place for a few days or brave the 2 hour drive home. They said I’ll hopefully get two drains out at one week and the final two out at two weeks. I wish I didn’t have to have drains at all because they kind of freak me out but oh well. I’m also curious to see if my pant size changes at all. My goal isn’t to reduce that, but I know they will be removing a lot of skin from my abdomen so it’s possible. If so I guess I’ll just buy all new pants yet again. Just running through new clothes nonstop over here over the past few years. The pants are especially annoying though because I have to find tall sizes and those are almost impossible to get second hand. It will be worth it in the end. I’ll see if I feel brave enough to post a before/after that actually exposes my abdomen. I always like to try to share as much info as possible with the forum, because I know how much I appreciated it when I was going through the sleeve process!

You look great! I had mine Feb 8 and am now down 90lbs 10 more to go for my big 100 lol but the loose skin is killing me I feel like nothing is tightening and it has me very self conscious. I got loose skin on my legs belly arms I hate it. I haven’t had any hair loss yet thankfully but the loose skin is killing me. I keep wanting to find a good wrap or something to hold my belly in because I just hate how it hangs. Anyone using some type of tummy shape wear and if so want to drop names or where u got them?!?!?!?

If you have a buddy, I like to play tennis for fun and good exercise. Sometimes basketball. Really any sport that you find fun is good exercise and keeps you moving. I always wanted to be an avid runner but just cant. haha Even after loosing a ton of weight and being the most fit of my life I just CAN NOT RUN!

I am 5 weeks out. Also craving. Just bought cucumbers & tomatoes before checking with my Nutritionist. Even before surgery, I always took off the the outer skin of the cucumber to make cucumber salad. Will check with Nutritionist today. May have to give them away.

All of the Fajas I used were Colombian brands (M&D) but I think having them altered to your dimensions may be more important that any particular brand (if they provide the same level of compression) If you do get them altered ask to har the seems on the outside so there are not marks made on your skin from the fabric.

I am around the same time out as you are. I am having a heck of a time taking off the last bit of weight I want to get to my ultimate goal. I am experiencing the exact opposite issue where my waist seems to be shrinking and my pants are getting loose. It doesn't make sense either way because I am doing the same eating, exercise etc.

Glad you’re feeling great physically post surgery. You have had 80 odd precent of your tummy removed. What’s left is being held together by staples & sutures. It can be easy to forget what they did inside you when all you can see is 4 or 5 tiny little incisions that heal relatively quickly. Imagine how you would care for a deep cut about 12 inches long with multiple sutures on your arm & how long that would take to heal. (Took 4 weeks for a small skin graft I had on my thumb to be healed enough to have the sutures removed but it still had to be bandaged & protected for another month after.) The staged return to eating is to support & not strain your tummy while it is healing. Leaks, as a result of pulling or straining stitches & staples are a real possibility & can be dangerous if you don’t treat your tummy with care. For many of us, the liquid stage post surgery is only two weeks before we progress to purées. Then another two weeks until soft foods, etc. Some people find they need to stay longer at a stage because their tummy isn’t healed enough to tolerate the denser food. You can always ask your surgeon why they require more than a fortnight on liquids. Maybe they’ll allow you to start adding some purées earlier. Best is always to stick to the plan you have been given though. You won’t gain weight by eating more solid foods. As @kcuster83 said as long as you are eating in a calorie deficit & forcing your body to burn fat to get the energy it needs to function effectively, you will lose weight. Your weight loss does slow as you are able to eat more & a broader range of foods & as you get closer to your goal. Unfortunately, the heady & exciting days of raid weight loss doesn’t last. I wonder how much of your hunger is actually head hunger which is coming from you sub consciously wanting to soothe your anxiety & anger with food as you likely did before surgery. The head work can be the most difficult challenge of this process.

Are they too big in the torso, hips? Have a tailor take a sector out or sew it closer to your proportions. The recommendations varies on whether to wear one or not. If you had any amount of liposuction, surgeons will suggest them for better results. they may or may not for skin removal (may suggest a binder or lighter compression garments instead) but I know can be important when trying to keep swelling to a minimum to prevent sutures from breaking, but binders can handle that too. Fajas can be uncomfortable until you get used to them. But you can also become dependent because of the support they provide. Then you’ll need to wean off. If your surgeon said wear one, begrudgingly do it. But the moment you can take it off permanently, don’t hesitate.

You will always loose weight with a calorie deficit. When you get to soft foods, and really for quite a while after that you will stay in a pretty large calorie deficit and continue to loose weight. As you get closer to your goal weight the calorie deficit lessons, and your weight loss will slow down. Don't worry, follow your plan and you will not gain weight.

I had my bypass surgery on December 2 2021 and had set a goal to reach my goal weight by my birthday day on October 8th. I started at 290 goal weight is 160. And I have lost 114 lbs bringing down to 176. I have 16lbs to go in just under 3 months. But I'm nervous about the time line of reaching it on time. I had heard the last 15 are the hardest to loose. I'm worried I'm not going to get there in time. I haven't really had a stall or anything. I mean I can go back and forth on the weekends but usually by Monday or Tuesday I'm back to the same or less than Friday but that's it. I'm wondering if most people have issues with the last 15lbs. I also like to know if anyone didn't have a hard time Sent from my SM-A716U using BariatricPal mobile app

I was one of the unfortunate folks affected by divorce post WLS. I started dating about 6 months ago. I didn’t tell people about my WLS on first dates, but would often just suggest coffee or happy hour dates to avoid full meals. I went out on lots of first dates, a few second dates and never told anyone until I met my boyfriend. On our third date at dinner I told him why I eat smaller amounts. He’s been super supportive. I did have plastic surgery a little over a year ago so a bunch of loose skin isn’t an issue, but told him about that as well as I do have visible scars.

I'm just starting to think about maybe dating again. I've been happily single for a really long time -- just me and my dog -- but I know that ultimately I'd prefer to be sharing my life with someone. I'll be 51 in a couple of months, so maybe it's time to get on with it! I definitely have a bunch of loose skin, along with bags of sand where my boobs used to be. Sex and relationships have always been totally separate things for me: I don't look either my age or my weight, so these days I could most likely attract someone casually, but I don't know if I'd want to given that I look so different with clothes on. I don't plan to ever wear a corset or serious compression garments, but even simple jeans and a bra hide a lot of sins...LOL! I guess I'd be ok with waiting for the physical part. I think I might actually mention the surgery in my dating profile: I tend to be pretty straightforward, and I figure it's likely to come up fairly soon (between food being so integral to socializing and me not being willing to drink yet). I wouldn't immediately tell a guy who I met randomly, but I don't remember the last time that happened...dating sites feel different.

If you think you're going to sleep with them, you gotta let em know ahead of time. They see you looking one way, then all of a sudden BAM, the skin monster comes out and they're like WTF??!?! If it's a serious relationship, they will understand and hopefully it won't change anything. If it's more casual, well, there's a better chance they won't like it. Just pick wisely and hope for the best. Or get skin surgery and don't deal with any of it lol My husband and I have been together for 17 years, but I'm with you. Ya just never know. I'm getting ALL the surgery once I hit goal weight. I'm working too hard to get healthy and smaller just to continue to have issues with my body and be embarrassed of it.

How do people date after massive weight loss? Regardless of surgery or not. I am married, and don't plan to date but you never know. If it goes South, it's me and great dane for life! Still even self conscious after being together for 18 years! But, my point is in regard to all the extra skin? I have lost over 100 lbs and have 90-100 more to go! I have already had extra skin removed 10 years ago after loosing 140lbs but then gained it back. Now my skin is different. I gained it differently. I have a flat tight lower belly but the top is like an extra pair of boobs now. And frankly, bigger than my actual boobs! I hate my skin but I hate being fat more. I don't know if I will get more skin removal surgery or not. I watched a video of a woman using a body suit after loosing almost 200 lbs. Her body with the suit on was slim, tight and curvy. So, you're wearing that on a date or multiple dates with a person and it goes further. Then what, just take off the body suit and let it all out? Do you have a conversation with the person before it gets to that point? How do you address these things?

hmmm I don't know the answer. However, I have not exercised at all so far. I find it hard to get motivated to exercised when I am already loosing weight so rapidly. I am generally way less lazy though. I don't just come home from work and lounge on the couch. I do random stuff, park further away when going places. Take the steps more. I live in the city, so I walk places more rather than driving a mile away and looking for parking... all that kind of stuff

I take a bariatric-specific chewable multi-vitamin (I'm in Aus, so it would be a similar thing to what Bariatric Pal offers). Then I add a B12, Iron +C, Vitamin D, and my Hair Nails Skin + Collagen support supplement. The multi has the calcium I need, though I have a calcium supplement on hand anyway. My dietician is happy with all that, and my labs are great.

My Doc told me to loose as much as I could pre-surgery by what ever means has worked for me. He told me I didn't need to go liquid until the day before. surgery. But that's my doc, not yours. I'm sorry you had to do that but it's preparing you for what's to come and it'll be exciting to get to do pureed food finally in bit.

I'm glad you found it too. You're gonna do great. I lost 70 lbs on Keto at 46 and didn't have any saggy skin but now, since I had gained most of it back, My tummy is already drooping low and I've only lost 25 lbs pre-surgery.