I posted this last year on another board. I will share it here as well. I actually got thinner after this and I now have a 6th child but I stand by the rest of what was said.

I wanted to give you guys a REAL look at what weight loss surgery does to you so that if you decide to get it you know all the facts. I would do this surgery again in a heart beat, however it is not all rainbows and unicorns. I have an insane amount of excess skin, 2 hernias and Iron so low I have to be transfused weekly. At my heaviest being weighed I was 368 but I HAD ALREADY BEEN DIETING so I was probably closer to 380. I have had 5 kids and that has a lot to do with my stomach being so baggy, I am going to get the apron surgery and have that removed once my iron is high enough. This surgery saved my life, I am not longer diabetic, my blood pressure is perfect and 5 months out of surgery I got pregnant with my daughter. It was a miracle for me but I wish someone had shown me REAL before and after photos so I would know what I was REALLY in for cosmetically.

First off thank you for sharing and you are incredibly beautiful. Your photos are not bad at all as I have Googled loose skin after WLS and I have seen 10X worse! I am mostly impressed by your Arms(they look great). And your a super Mom so add that to your resume because you birthed those amazing children and did so naturally. My question to you is are you strength training and if so what's your routine? I'm 5 months post op HW:349, CW:260, Goal Weight:170, my height is 5'8

I have literally done no exercise what so ever. I have either been pregnant or my iron has been so low all I can do is function enough to be a stay at home mom. 2016 is my year of "me" I hope <3

Beauty isn't defined by what's on the outside. You are beautiful. And YOU worked hard for this. Skin or no skin you should be extremely proud of what you accomplished. Thank you for sharing. I am just starting my journey and it's nice to have someone be honest. You look fantastic and I am sure you feel fantastic!

@@Kathy Coop, you have done an amazing job and look fantastic! Keep up the good work!

This is so courageous. Thank you. I always wonder why people are so worried about this. How is having extra skin so much more objectionable than carrying an extra hundred plus pounds? How many people are going to see that skin, anyway? I don't get what the big deal is. I do get that people need to understand that most of will never be super models after weight loss, but personally, I'd rather have a soft saggy belly than to be this heavy!

We have the exact same starting weight and very similar body types. I'm 3 weeks post-op but lost 124 pounds prior to surgery. My saggy skin was bad before and just keeps getting worse but to me- it's worth it! I sure didn't look good at almost 400lbs and so what if I don't look the greatest with my clothes off once I reach my goal Thanks for your honesty and inspiration.