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Attention Tattooed Lapbanders!



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Hey everybody-

Does anybody here have a tattoo and then lost a lot of weight? How did that affect the look of your tattoo?

I'm considering getting a medium sized tattoo on my left shoulder blade and am concerned about whether I should wait until next year when I should be a whole lot smaller. I know the shoulder blade is pretty stable, but wanted to see what others have experienced. I'm hoping to lose between 80-100 pounds and I carry the majority of it in my bottom half.

Help anybody?

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Im curious to see what people say about this as well. I actually have a tatoo in the small of my back (its rather large) im worried what will happen to it when I loose weight ( Im being banded in December) and when i get my Tummy Tuck what will happen .

Personally i would think on your shoulders it would be ok ?

But I also could see the advantages of waiting as well

Mindy

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Thanks Mindy for responding.

I would love to get the tattoo now. The tattoo artist thinks it will be okay, but wants me to find out more...that's why I'm asking here.

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I got a big 'ole tattoo on my back at 170# then gained over 100#. If anything, it squished up a little, but is for the most part, unchanged.

The one on my foot is unchanged.

I think as long as you steer away from fleshy expanses that do the most changing, you should be fine. Especially if you are a pear... I am an apple-freak. :)

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Thanks Mindy for responding.

I would love to get the tattoo now. The tattoo artist thinks it will be okay, but wants me to find out more...that's why I'm asking here.

I am not sure, my tattoo guy will not tattoo me now while I am loosing on the band. He feels it is a waste of money. He told me just because it is ok for one person does not mean it will be ok for me. Something to think about! I wanted one on the shoulder as well. My ankle one is doing fine right now though.

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I have one between my ankle and my knee. So far no change but I am anxious to see what happens during the next 40 pound loss.

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I have huge tattoos everywhere and none of them have changed. I have work on my shoulders, arms, legs, both feet and the back of my neck. They all look fine and I have gone from a size 22/24 to an 11/12. I am waiting on doing my lower bacl because I want to have alower body lift and I don't want to have a scar cut through my tattoo. My shoulder looks just like it did the day it was done (when I was 125 pounds over 10 years ago) I would say on the shoulder go for it. I have worked in a tattoo studio for almost 12 years and have never seen weight loss effect a tattoo on the shoulder or calf. The stomach and lower back can be effected but not always. ~Mandy

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Thank you Morsaille, Brandy, blj5362, and Mandy! I really appreciate your input. Good luck on your continued weight loss journey.

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Darcey, I hope you get the tattoo of your dreams. They can be really spritual and almost like therapy. ~Mandy

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I have one on my thigh...which, next to my stomach is the fattest part of my body. I love my tattoo and I sure hope that it doesn't change as I shrink. (It is my new avatar.)

I actually plan to reward myself with another one once I lose my weight. I have had the design picked out for years, but had always tried to use it as motivation to lose weight and said that if I got down to 150# again I would get it. Now it will finally be a reality thanks to the band!

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Thanks again.

I'm sure I'll get my tattoo, but I just had a suspicious looking mole removed on my upper shoulder so I have to wait for the biopsy (which I'm sure it's fine, but we always check) and then wait for it to heal....probably a couple of weeks.

I found the tattoo I want and have already talked to a tattoo artist about modifications to it.

Mandy-I smile at your last comment about therapy. That seems to be what I have worked on all year. My mom died unexpectedly in March and I've shocked almost everyone around me by getting my sister to take the riding class with me, get our endorsements and then spend part of Mom's estate on new motorcycles for us. We even have stickers that say, "For some there's therapy. For others there's motorcycles". Haven't told many people that I'm considering the tattoo. I'm sure that will shock them even more. Everybody has always seen me as mild, calm, responsible mom to everybody. This is the first time I don't have anybody to take care of but me. Always had husband, kids or mom to take care of and now I don't. My sister has been a wonderful influence teaching me to take care of me for the first time in my life. To enjoy each and every day and all the little things....using beautiful china teacups with saucers to drink tea from instead of mugs, abandoning the "should dos" around the house to go for a motorcycle ride with my sister and her husband on a beautiful afternoon, planning a 1300 mile trip for next summer with them, redoing my living room in a beautiful lavendar. These things make me feel very extravagant, but also tell me that I'm worth it!

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      Soooo I am coming to a realization
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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

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        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
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