So from the beginning of this path towards and following VSG, one of things on my list that made me make the decision to invest in WLS was when I travelled by air that the meal tray no longer lay flat because my belly would get in the way. Travel is a big part of my job, so this was a constant embarassment for me. There is nothing more embarassing than a flight attendant handing you a meal to a tray that won't lay flat, and at first they just think it isn't fully deployed, then they realize oh no, the tray is stuck on her and the look on their face changes. Total humiliation, right? Not to mention always having to ask for an extension for the seat belt, but at least the flight attendants don't seem phased by that request.

Well I am happy to share that today I flew for the first time since my surgery (it was exactly four weeks since surgery and 5 weeks since pre-op diet start - I have lost 31lbs since June 1st) when I boarded that flight I dread two things, fastening the seat belt and using the meal tray;

NSV #1 - the seat belt fastened without an extension! it was tight but I was able to fasten it!

NSV #2 - the below attached picture is a shot of the fulley deployed meal tray and my belly - it is a little blurry but the white solid mass is the tray and the black and white flowered area is my t-shirt - there was 2-3 inches between my belly and the tray which lay perfectly flat!!

You know I have been saying that this first month and 30 lbs was just a drop in the bucket, that I would not start to see benefits for another 30-40 lbs( I have 145 lbs excess weight) - but I was wrong - even 30lbs makes a difference!

It is just like clothes, different seat manufacturers have different models with varying seat pan widths, and the airline can pick the seat belt separately, so each class on a single airplane can have different seats, even the rows can be different, usually front rows are different.