Search the Community

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.

Thanks for the reply! I see her bio on their website and she seems very qualified, thanks. Do you like the support syatem provided by TGH? I read somewhere that TGH requires a 6 month weight loss counseling prior to the surgery. Although your situation is different with previous Lap Band, do you have any insight on the wait? I really do not want to drag this on any further. I have used Nutritionists before, have lost weight several times, and now eat healthy. But although it was hard to maintain that loss, I am discovering that with old age it has become hard to even loose. I was hoping (maybe unrealistically?) to have surgery by November. Thanks again.

Hey! Glad to hear from everyone. I had my surgery Feb 14 and have lost about 66 lbs post OP and total weight loss 97 lbs in both pre and post op phases. I am feeling very mehh mentally. I was stalled out for a long time in the 250s but I recently broke the stall which is great but physically I really don't like how I look. I'm having a very hard time embracing the weight loss because my body still looks the same as it did at 340 lbs, just a smaller version now with loose and droopy skin. I cannot stop thinking about getting my arms done because I have huge loose upper arms with saggy droopy skin. It's 100+ degrees here and I refuse to wear short sleeve shirts never mind tank tops because I am so self-conscious about my arms. I am wearing long sleeve shirts and button-ups for now. I tried a girdle to suck me in but it just makes the loose skin on my armpit/back stick out and looks HORRIBLE. I am honestly having a really hard time accepting myself. I look in the mirror and still see a huge person and the fact that I'm not at my weight loss goal really adds to it. I'm also losing my hair and my front hair line is so thinned out, if my hair gets oily there's a bald spot on the left front side that is almost impossible to cover up. I just feel so ugly. I am trying to wash my hair less (because the majority of it falls out in the shower), brush it incredibly gently, and sleep on a silk pillowcase but I'm not sure there's much else to do about hair loss, just let the thing run its course and it is supposed to come back within a year. Dying my hair dark, dark brown helps it look fuller. Physically I feel better but still deal with crunching knee pain, I think that's just from having no cartilage in the knee and needs a medical intervention beyond weight loss. The knee pain overall has improved but there's no cartilage in my right knee and it still gets very painful. On the bright side I can run and run up stairs without getting out of breath. I don't sweat unless I'm doing something very strenuous too to the intense heat and long sleeves doesn't bother me too much because I don't really get that hot. I am only allowing weigh-ins once a month from here on out because I was obsessive about it and the number makes me incredibly depressed. I am not concerned about my diet or my movement - I follow what I'm supposed to be doing well so there's no sense in stepping on the scale every day. And the last two times I've checked the number went down from my previous stall. All the loose skin, lumps, nothing is flat or smooth and I'm still in my 20's, haven't had kids and am just so upset I did this to myself. I am obviously very happy about the weight loss but it's like now that a lot of weight has come off, I am now mentally dealing with the shame and regret I feel in letting myself get as heavy as I was. In the moment, I didn't think about it because I was so disconnected from my body - I always thought it's not that bad but now that I see how much my body has changed, I feel ashamed of myself. I am really working on "owning" my body at this point. I want to have a plastics consultation to see when and how they'd be willing to operate on me but until then, I just need to realize what's changed for the better. I just wish the body dysmorphia and self-hatred would go away but as everyone says, it doesn't. You still have to put the work in and that's my main priority right now. Anyway, sorry I am kind of venting here. Thanks if you made it this far. I'm incredibly interested to hear how everyone is doing too, physically, mentally, etc.

I managed to lose my weight and keep it off, but about a year ago they diagnosed me with Reactive Hypoglycemia. I wear a monitor and eat very low carb. I recently spent the day in the ER due to being light headed and the only thing that showed up was my red blood counts were slightly low. Otherwise I feel pretty good, like the way I look (except some loose skin) Love wearing a size 4, but sometimes it is hard to find my size. Funny, that was an issue when I was in the 200's. Now I look at the larger sizes and wish they were in my size, lol. Picture of me on the right.

So far I have slowly made changes to 1.)only eating fast food maybe once a week. I would have it 5+ meals a week last year. 2.) reducing most processed foods (nothing is off limits, but if it’s not healthy, be mindful of the portion) 3.) not eating when not hungry 4.) I used to drink a glass of sweet tea a day, dropped that to occasional - drinking water or unsweet tea almost exclusively except for my weekly Margarita:) I am on a diabetic medicine which has helped with the process because it has changed the way my stomach processes food and helped me to make the lifestyle changes now. Thanks to that I have lost 50 already and hoping to loose more by the time for surgery. my next step is to try to do a test run on the pre op diet so I can not have my eating issues complicate matters when time comes (which hopefully will let me loose more) it’s a journey I want to be success at so bad!!

I am a long time lap bander and flipped to a sleeve in 2016. In there I lost and gained weight and am back around my goal weight where I have been for a while. I recently moved to the St Petersburg area and am looking at plastic surgeons in the area. I want one who understands weight loss patient skin is different, more damaged than a standard patient. I am looking at arm lifts, thigh lift, some abdominal lips, breast lift and reduction and because I am feeling saggy maybe a small face lift. I did a tummy tuck and breast lift 20 years ago and the boobs took the hit on the weight regain I had the tummy tuck held up well. There are a ton of options in the area was wondering if anyone had experiences and recs? I am also looking at maybe going to Columbia to a practice there the quote is appealing and the doc is American board certified and teaches in the US. All the work there will be 20-25k and that includes a 10-12 day hotel stay, nursing care and transport to and from the hospital as needed.

Congratulations! 20 weeks post surgery and am on the tail end of experiencing the worst hairfall episode of my life. I feel like im balding. I dont think I have enough hair to last this part of the journey. I’ve only lost 70lbs. I’ve been quite good with the food, not so much with the daily movement. I’m losing about 2lbs per week on average now. Will be meeting with my surgeon at the end of October. Hopefully I can meet their target and lose another 25lbs by then. what is everyone doing about the loose skin and hair loss? I’ve started scalp treatments, drinking collagen, using firming oils. Not sure if they will work though. Im afraid that it’s a case of too little too late.

Hi all! Reporting in! I’m officially down 83lbs since surgery on 2/3/22. Previously size 2XL-3XL and 20, now size Small/Med and size 10. I’ve never felt better or been happier. I’m stoked about what I see in the mirror but am bummed that the excess skin/fat gives me a muffin-top in fitted clothes. Better healthy and saggy though! My hair started falling out a couple weeks ago and it’s a LOT. I knew it would happen but it’s unsettling nonetheless. How is everyone else doing? We’re 5 months past. Can you believe how much life has changed??

Take a deep breath… give yourself a little grace and just be honest with your team when you talk to them. When I had my first appointment they gave me instructions on what my program required (I didn’t have to loose weight but I couldn’t gain weight). Had my final weigh in today. The dietitian I met with was super nice - she said to call if I had questions, concerns or got off track and she (or her team mate) would answer any questions I had or make recommendations for getting back on track. If you are worried about what the pre-op diet is, can you ask for an appointment with the program dietitian/nutritionist so that you can talk about your concerns or ask questions about what is involved? Maybe knowing some more information will help set your mind at ease. I was given the pre-op diet ahead of time to go over and ask questions to make sure I understood what they wanted. I started trying some of the options so when the time comes I know I can tolerate the options to make the whole process easier. I also have a very enlarged liver - and NASH … that’s what sent me down the path for surgery. I expressed that concern when I talked to the program psychologist about having the surgery. She reassured me that I’m not the only person the surgeons have had to address that with and the nutritionist reiterated that today. The whole point of the pre-op diet is to shrink the liver, make it more pliable and help the surgeons be able to safely do the surgery. You can get back on track and while I’m not looking forward to my own Pre-op, I know it will be difficult… but we can get through this. You have a lot of support on here and we are all with you in this.

So today I learned something pretty interesting that I wanted to share. All of us have a high protein intake that we have to have post-op so I was sure the collagen that I've been adding to my water would count toward that protein intake level. I checked with my nutritionist and she said that collagen is fantastic to take for hair, skin, and nails but it is not a complete protein to count towards my total daily protein intake. So I got to researching and there is a product here on Bariatric Pal for liquid predigested protein. So I sent the link for my nutritionist to review and she came back that since this collagen has tryptophan in it that it completes the protein and can be applied to the daily count. So get this... 2 TBSP of this liquid protein equals 20 grams of protein! https://store.bariatricpal.com/products/pre-protein-20-liquid-predigested-protein-16oz-bottle-grape You can add this to your water easily. So in essence, if I'm struggling to get water down, I can also use this to ensure I'm getting the protein needed. So I'm kinda excited about this Has anyone else found any tips or tricks they are going to try?

Have to make sure you stay above your insurance requirements. You BMI changes rapidly as you loose weight, with you being at 43 it wouldn't take much for you to fall under 40.

Worrying is a waste of time. Try not to do it. You can loose a lot of sleep whilst worrying. Nobody likes doing the Pre Op diet, Its a form of cruelty that goes on and on. If you want the surgery you will have to do it, especially as you have the fatty liver. My time in purgatory lasted 3 weeks, I wanted the surgery so badly, I slipped once and had to cross my fingers behind my back that he didn't open me up and say he couldn't do the surgery. Good luck with your journey.

I am 49 and just booked TT for October. I’ll be 18 months out from VSG by then. Give my age, I don’t have the patience to wait. My weight has been stable for over 4 months now, so surgeon had no concerns with proceeding. He even said I could potentially loose more weight after because I’ll be more comfortable with exercise. (I’m within 20 lbs of the lowest weight I would even want to be .. I’m actually perfectly happy if my weight stays where it is currently…minus the extra skin)

Yep, just like they all said. It happens to all of us. Don't stress and don't obsess. If you follow your plan, stay in your calorie range, get in your fluids and proteins you WILL loose the weight.

Thats called the 3rd week stall... happens to EVERYBODY. sometimes it last a week. Sometimes it last several weeks where you wont loose much or any weight. and this will happen several times throughout your first year. your body is adjusting to the new calories

I lost 34 lbs in the first 2 weeks after surgery now I haven't lost anything week 2-4.... My day consists of about 500-600 calories.

Pretty much like others said, if you have a calorie deficit you WILL loose weight. You may have stalls through the process but they will end and you will continue to loose weight. The larger you start the faster you loose because your calorie deficit is greater. As you get closer to a "normal size" your weight loss will slow because your calorie deficit is smaller. My dietician actually calculated my calorie deficit at my second visit when I was back onto solid foods and it was 18,590 calories a week! It is crazy how much I was eating to maintain the weight I was at! Do not panic, just follow your plan and it works. We are all proof it works!

I have lost 30 pounds, and have 70 to go. So far I’m okay and the loose skin issue has not appeared. It will, but it hasn’t yet. I’ve decided to deal with it when the time comes. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I stalled a lot, I would increase my intake and then I would start loosing again. I seem to be kind of “odd” though. At a year and a half my hunger hasn’t come back, volume wise I am on the really low end as far as intake capability (this is the concern for my nutritionist… one scrambled egg white and one bite of a Turkey sausage patty and I am DONE) , and I still can’t tolerate certain foods. I’ve kinda wondered it the surgeon took out more stomach than he was supposed to 😅 (Foods I can’t tolerate: pork, bread, rice, and noodles. These foods all make me feel terrible) I also can’t tolerate anything fried or anything heavy in sugar (being honest these should be avoided anyways lol) . Most of that restricted food is carbs…. The pork is interesting though because pork loin is a lean meat, but it makes me super sick.

I was informed my by Bariatric Dr to swim & keeps skin hydrated also warm shower & very cool rinsing & rinsing your hair in very cool water keeps it from falling out a lot also so double bonus.

How are the scars from the armlift? Do have the kind running down the arm?! I think I wanna get an armlift too but kinda worried about the scar situation. I still wear sleeveless dresses and don't even care about the loose skin. But it definitely doesn't look great especially when your arms are up in the air or when you're trying to pose as you have in the pic 😂

Lol- I live in southern ca. while it isn’t humid… it is definitely hot and the skin folds do get sweaty. I was thinking I was fine…. Until summer hit. Now I am looking into skin removal. 😅 I am a little worried they won’t do it though. I would like a tummy tuck, arm lift and breast lift because those are the areas where I get rashes/pain, but I am at 155 pounds now and I am worried they will look at my weight ….. guesstimate the weight of loose skin to be removed….. then refuse to do it because it could push me into the underweight category bmi for my height 😬. I’m trying to get in asap before we loose insurance again. 😑 fingers crossed at least some will be covered since I have a history of skin issues

I have had a rough ride with nausea and vomiting from day 1. My food and calorie intake was really poor. At about 4 months out my calories were about 350 to 500 a day. I just could not meet my protein target. I just stopped loosing weight. It took me another 6 weeks of really hard work, sourcing different foods and trying to up my intake of protein. When I got to around 800 calories a day, my weight began to drop again. I felt so much better and stronger. I have just had a hotel holiday abroad and I have really struggled with the food. My Cal count went back down to 500. I didn't loose any weight once again. Despite all the walking, swimming and dancing I have done.

Im 2 weeks out from surgery and things are going good for now, but I know that eventually Im going to have to start introducing and incorporating real food back into my diet and my calorie intake is going to get higher, I'm just terrified that once I do that even of its 4-500 calories my weight is going skyrocket! Has any one experienced weight gain durring their transitional phases? How did it work out? Did you have to start hitting the gym daily to continue loosing? Can you please share your stories. Thank u

I have bipolar disorder and WLS hasn’t really decreased the frequency or changed my severe depressive episodes but losing weight has certainly made me happier on regular days. I get out more and am able to enjoy things more outside of those episodes because I feel better about Myself (more comfortable in my own skin). As a result I feel even better at the end of the day having accomplished things. I agree that exercise helps with depression and if you are really depressed even getting outside and just sitting there helps some. They actually make lamps to simulate the sun for treatment of depression and SAD. Yoga Is a great idea.