My starting weight will be around 450. My goal is to lose 250 because I need total knee replacements. So my question is...Is the recovery harder since I'm starting off with more weight

Hi @@NAuthorlee30

I started at 550+ and have had absolutely no hold-ups or issues with my recovery...

I was only in hospital 3 nights and could have gone home after 2...

I had 12 days off work after the op but could have gone back after 5...

Of course, everyone is different...

So this is MY story...

Good luck with everything...

Feel free to ask any questions you like...

Thank you...I haven't got approved for the gastric sleeve yet but I'm trying to change my eating habits. Any suggestion would be helpful

How is your skin?, How long after surgery did you start working out? & When did you start seeing the weight come off?

Recovery for everyone is different, but most people are able to go back to work after two weeks or so max. I went back to work at 15 days post-op and my biggest problem at that point was fatigue. Between the energy your body is using to heal and the limited calorie intake, you don't have much to get you through the day. In my early days back to work, I literally went to bed the minute I got home.

One thing that is critical to recovery is walking. At your high starting weight, I am not sure if that would be an issued for you. I did a lot of marching in place and very short walks on my street or my treadmill. You will need to figure out a way to get some movement in short bursts, many times per day.

You will start losing weight on your pre-op diet and continue losing probably significant amounts immediately post-op as well. Many people experience a stall in week two or three. It's perfectly normal and you need to not panic if/when it happens to you. It will likely be the first of many stalls, as weight loss isn't typically lineal. Your body will occasionally go through periods of adjustment which can cause the weight loss to slow or stop altogether for a little bit. The important thing is that your weight will trend downward overall.

Loose skin is just a reality of rapid and massive weight loss. There are some steps you can take to try to minimize it, but most of it will be out of your control. There are many factors such as starting weight, age, and genetics, that you can't do anything about. What you can control is your hydration, moisturization, supplements and toning. Staying well hydrated is very good for your skin and is something that is critical to your success post-op anyway, so definitely focus on that. Moisturize daily. Most people recommend a lotion with shea butter for improving skin elasticity. Take your supplements and maybe take extra Vitamin C, vitamin E, and beef Gelatin. All of which have been shown to help improve skin. And then, finally, you can work on toning and building muscle to help "fill in" your skin where you have lost fat.