For all the veterans out there: what size did you end up after surgery? Did you decide on a size ahead of time, or did you go by what your body seemed to like?

I assumed the smallest I could ever be was a size 10, because that's the smallest I ever was as an adult. But I'm hearing about so many women who ended up in the very small sizes (0-6), that I'm wondering if that's possible for me. The thought just about makes my brain explode. I have a hard time picturing it.

I am 5'6" and my surgery weight was 228/230. I am currently a 4/6. My goal was a size 8 because I thought that was a suitable size for my height and a mommy of 4. However, here I am and I have maintained this size for over a year.

I carry all my weight in my hips and thighs (see my gallery). I can literally see my ribs above my boobs now and yet I am BARELY squeezing into SOME size 10 pants. Usually it's a 12.

I am 5'6" and my surgery weight was 228/230. I am currently a 4/6. My goal was a size 8 because I thought that was a suitable size for my height and a mommy of 4. However, here I am and I have maintained this size for over a year.

Wow, I can't even imagine. My stats are exactly the same as yours (height and pre-surgery weight). BTW, I love weights too and your profile pic is great.

Edited February 4, 201610 yr by careya123

I carry all my weight in my hips and thighs (see my gallery). I can literally see my ribs above my boobs now and yet I am BARELY squeezing into SOME size 10 pants. Usually it's a 12.

That's what I am expecting. I have a butt the size of TX. I hear this on a regular basis: "You have a big butt for a white girl." *sigh*

I carry all my weight in my hips and thighs (see my gallery). I can literally see my ribs above my boobs now and yet I am BARELY squeezing into SOME size 10 pants. Usually it's a 12.

That's what I am expecting. I have a butt the size of TX. I hear this on a regular basis: "You have a big butt for a white girl." *sigh*

Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. Well, I'm complaining a little bit about being able to see my ribs, that's gross. But I'm not complaining about being a size 10/12. It's still the smallest size I've worn as an adult! And I do look great in them!

I truly believe that it is prioritizing and managing your time. Exercise is a priority--whether I want to go or not, I am there 6 times a week. I have a full time day job, I am a mother of 4, but I manage my time and fit it into my daily life. If you love weight lifting, do it, go for it, and go heavy...it will TRANSFORM your body. Get it, girlie! You can do it!

I carry all my weight in my hips and thighs (see my gallery). I can literally see my ribs above my boobs now and yet I am BARELY squeezing into SOME size 10 pants. Usually it's a 12.

That's what I am expecting. I have a butt the size of TX. I hear this on a regular basis: "You have a big butt for a white girl." *sigh*

Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. Well, I'm complaining a little bit about being able to see my ribs, that's gross. But I'm not complaining about being a size 10/12. It's still the smallest size I've worn as an adult! And I do look great in them!

I just looked at your pics. You look fantastic! I hope I can look as good.

I am 5'6" and my surgery weight was 228/230. I am currently a 4/6. My goal was a size 8 because I thought that was a suitable size for my height and a mommy of 4. However, here I am and I have maintained this size for over a year.

Did you have a lot of loose skin? Enough to want a tummy tuck or other plastic surgery? I'm hoping mine won't be too bad because I'm starting out at a lower BMI, but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

My goal was to be an 8, but ultimately ended up a solid size 6. I'm sure I'm still and 8 in some clothes, the sizing is so wonkey!

I just kept losing until my body said STOP! So I did, and now am maintaining

Sizing of clothes is strange business. I have very wide shoulders and a bit chesty so I need a size 12/14 in a dress, M/L in tops, and then I can wear size 8 jeans (not curvy ones, just normal). I think they call this figure an inverted triangle. Crazy. Some day I'm going to have an arm lift and that will help with the sleeves but I'm too self conscious about the loose skin on my upper arms to go sleeveless.

I am 5'6" and my surgery weight was 228/230. I am currently a 4/6. My goal was a size 8 because I thought that was a suitable size for my height and a mommy of 4. However, here I am and I have maintained this size for over a year.

Did you have a lot of loose skin? Enough to want a tummy tuck or other plastic surgery? I'm hoping mine won't be too bad because I'm starting out at a lower BMI, but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

@@careya123, I did have a tummy tuck, coupled with a lower body lift. I am a mother of 4, plus I was right at the morbidly obese line at my highest weight; so, there was no avoiding the loose skin. I will say that it was ALL SKIN, though. I remained the same size after the swelling went down post plastics.

I am 5'6" and 46. Started at 271 ended at 135 and size 4. Never dreamed I would go that low. Part of it is sizing has changed. When I put on the size 12 dress I wore to leave my wedding 20 years ago, it's maybe two sizes too big, not four. So you may be surprised. I also work out a lot. Run aprox 20 miles a week and do yoga classes 3-4 times per week and TRX a couple times a week.

I started out at 235 pounds. Put myself on a two-month diet and lost 11 pounds. Then did my surgeon's two-week liver-shrinking diet and lost another 8 pounds.

Surgery day I weighed 216.

It took me 8.5 months to get down to my own personal weight goal of 150 pounds. Nobody else gave me a goal, so I chose that nice round number, the least I'd weighed in 35 years. At that point I was finally an 8-10. Could NOT believe it. And yes, vanity sizing made those sizes possible.

Anyway, over the last 9 months I've slowly lost another 15 pounds and weigh 135. Those last 15 pounds have made a big difference in my size, however. And even now that my weight is stabilized and I'm no longer losing weight, my body is still shrinking a bit. Weird.

It's hard to say what the sizes I wear are, since they vary so much, depending on the designer / style / store. Here are some examples of sizes that fit me very well (not tight, but not too loose):

Escada - size 2

St. John - sizes 4 and 6 in pants and jackets (a bathing suit I bought yesterday is a VS -- "very small"

Chico - size 0

BCBGMaxAzria - size 8 (biggest designer/size I wear now)

Misook - S and VS

Talbots - 2 and 4

Loft - 2 and 4

Victoria's Secret bras - 34D and 34DD

I have NO IDEA if I'll stay this small. As I've said before, I'll be happy between 135 and 145 -- probably all the way back up to a solid 6-8.

I am definitely one who never thought I would be this slim. I'm now officially a skinny b***h.

P.S. I have not had any plastics. And probably won't.

Thank you for chiming in, everybody. You give me so much hope. Except for one brief period, I've never been thin in my adult life, so I'm having a hard time imaging this. I was mostly a size 14 in my 20s, and a size 20/22 in my 30s. Just turned 40, and I'd really like to shop in regular stores.

On a side note, I just finished all my prerequisites and my file is being submitted to insurance in the next day or two. I'm so excited!

I decided that I wanted to be a 10. I am 3lbs from my surgeon's goal of 150 and I am between a 6 and an 8 and a small or medium.

I never thought I would be this small, especially since I did weigh 150 at some point in high school and I was never in a size 6 (but I was also shopping in the juniors department, not ladies).