I've seen quite a variety of opinions on the topic across social media and figured I'd come here for a few more. Wondering if anyone has used a waist trainer since WLS and if so, how do you like it? Any specific brands/styles you prefer over another? As I continue to lose, I have thought about the possibility of using a waist trainer to help give me the curves I don't necessarily have? I believe I have more of an apple shape than any. However, I don't want to waist my money if they're a lost cause?

Thoughts?

Opinions?

Go!!

Wearing a neoprene suit while working out can be beneficial. They make you sweat though, so you have to be really good with Water.

I am really flabby right now so I basically wear compression or shapewear all day to be comfortable. I have to wear compression garments to work out and stop my skin/stomach from flopping around.

I have one similar to this...

http://www.amazon.com/Topmelon-Women-Neoprene-Double-Green-8003/dp/B014GVQIAY/ref=sr_1_6?srs=9156348011&ie=UTF8&qid=1461600520&sr=8-6&keywords=sport

i wear it when I work out and around the house, I have a cream I use with it and it has helped with my skin and my back rolls.

Waist training with boning is a real no no. I for someone who has had WLS it will increase GERD.

Do you use Abilene with your suit? I've been thinking about trying that out, have heard it works well.

Sent from my XT1565 using the BariatricPal App

Thanks, @@JamieLogical ! I truly hope it doesn't come down to plastics for me, but there's honestly no telling. I am still early on and haven't been able to get a good feel for how my skin is going to react to the rapid weight loss. But if I do end up considering, I'll definitely contact you! By the way- congrats on your marathon the other day! I hope to pick up running as I become more comfortable (physically). But I think I'm going to have to force myself to do it...lol. Even when I was in high school and super fit, I disliked it.

@@CowgirlJane I appreciate your words so so much. I know that the mental aspect of this is going to be far more challenging than the physical. And I do have emotions/thoughts that I need to address and work on as far as my appearance goes. No matter how I look in the end, I want to look at and love myself. But most of all, I want to be healthy. Sunday I experienced a horrible reminder of why I embarked on this journey to begin with. A very dear friend of mine had a massive heart attack at only 41 years old. He gave up smoking a few years ago, but remained overweight. His heart attack went on for 90 minutes and he had to be shocked three times to get his heart going. He's in CCU and has been in a medically induced coma since the accident (he was driving when it hit). They are warming his body back up slowly to begin assessing his brain activity for any damage. That's what I am trying to avoid.

I think the waist trainer is off the table (although it was never really a serious option). I've received plenty from this topic, most of which was unexpected but needed/necessary.

@@losergrl75

I use Albolene, and V-Gel. When i got to the point I was dropping a lot of inches very fast it really helped tighten my skin up.

Compression, exercise and sweating all go a long way in helping your skin. Plastic surgeons have people wear compression garments for a reason. Wearing compression items help with you lymphatic system. Exercising on top of it goes even further. I wear some kind of compression all the time except when I do yoga. My thighs and my love handles are greatly improved. I thought i would need and upper body lift, but i have been able to tighten and smooth my upper back area wearing neoprene compression vests.

Albolene is cheap, you can buy it anywhere. I put it on my feet every night and they are baby soft. The moisturizing helps a lot just as much as it helps trap body heat.

Let's see -- you've just cut out 85% of your stomach. You're losing weight. Your gastrointestinal system and other organs are basically shifting around inside you. Your lymph system and circulatory system and kidneys and excretory systems are working overtime to excrete all the waste products from rapid weight loss.

And you want to wear a corset designed in the 1800s that pushes your ribs in toward your still-healing sleeve and compresses your body's lymphatic and circulatory systems, your heart and your lungs.

What could possibly go wrong?

I giggled here! Lol

What is v gel? For that matter, what is Alboline?

Edited April 27, 201610 yr by LisaMergs

I want to do it, and I've been looking at Alter Ego Clothing waist trainers (AEC). They have a group on FB and you send pics and measurements and they hand make your trainer.

Waist trainers aren't the same as girdles, and aren't harmful if you do them correctly.

I'll just be happy to not have a huge bloated tummy in front of me anymore. If I have hanging skin, so be it. My husband and I have already talked about it. It doesn't bother him as long as I'm healthy. Besides, I don't know that I would do plastics unless the skin was really causing me some problems. It just looks so painful when I've watched skin removal surgery on TV.

@@Renkoss

It seems like just not having a huge gut would be benefit enough. The problem is a lot of loose flabby skin is really uncomfortable. It has its own mind, it moves. It makes it harder to exercise. My stomach will flop and make weird noises in yoga if I don't wear compression leggings.

So if you lose weight and want to be active and get the most out of life, and you end up with loose skin, you kind of have to do something about it. I have been lucky so far, no rashes or skin issues.

I started wearing compression workout clothes all day around the house just to be more comfortable, then I took it further.

If you have big boobs, wearing a bra is more comfortable than not wearing a bra, because the support is comfortable. Same thing if you have skin flopping all over your torso, holding it in is more comfortable.

@@LisaMergs

http://www.albolene.com/

It is a moisturizer, makeup remover. It is like Vaseline. When you put it on, and put something latex over it, it holds your body heat in.

Edited April 27, 201610 yr by OutsideMatchInside

Oh, I plan to use compression clothing. That is for sure. I don't want to feel like I'm flopping all over the place.. But, with that said, I'd rather do compression clothes than plastics, unless unavoidable.

@Renkoss

I am going to go as far as I can with this, but I feel like plastics are the only real long term solution. I'd like to be comfortable without tucking myself into stuff all the time. I thought I would be okay without surgery, but as each week passes and I lose more inches, the urgency for surgery becomes more apparent. Long term it will be cheaper than wearing compression garments all the time anyway.

Edited April 27, 201610 yr by OutsideMatchInside

I guess you are right, but since I'm in the beginning part of this yet (only 2-1/2 weeks post op), I do not have to deal with hanging skin as of yet. I'll have to decide when and if the skin becomes a problem in the future. I just cringe at the idea of a hunk of my body being cut off and plopped on a scale like they do on that show My 600 lb. Life. It just grosses me out. But, living with the skin may be more of a chore than anything, so again, it remains to be seen in the future.

Good luck to you if you decide to go the plastics route!

I'll just be happy to not have a huge bloated tummy in front of me anymore. If I have hanging skin, so be it. My husband and I have already talked about it. It doesn't bother him as long as I'm healthy. Besides, I don't know that I would do plastics unless the skin was really causing me some problems. It just looks so painful when I've watched skin removal surgery on TV.

I thought the same thing before surgery.. I even didn't think my friend needed skin removal surgery before she had hers.. now that I have it, I feel differently though. I could fit almost 2 sizes smaller if I had a tummy tuck.

I guess you are right, but since I'm in the beginning part of this yet (only 2-1/2 weeks post op), I do not have to deal with hanging skin as of yet. I'll have to decide when and if the skin becomes a problem in the future. I just cringe at the idea of a hunk of my body being cut off and plopped on a scale like they do on that show My 600 lb. Life. It just grosses me out. But, living with the skin may be more of a chore than anything, so again, it remains to be seen in the future.

Good luck to you if you decide to go the plastics route!

They don't do that "plopping it on a scale" bit in real life, thank God! My surgeon did document how much the skin she removed weighed, but that was just in all of my paperwork. She certainly didn't make a big show of actually DISPLAYING the removed skin and fat. That's all for drama on TV.

I will say that the recovery from skin removal surgery is NO JOKE and it will be months before the swelling goes down and a couple of years before your scars are fully faded and you no longer have phantom pain and itching, but it is all well worth it. I'm almost 5 years out from my tummy tuck and consider it right up there with my sleeve as one of the best things I ever did for myself. I honestly am consciously grateful for it EVERY SINGLE day. You'd think after 5 years I'd get over it, but looking at my flat tummy in the mirror NEVER gets old!

@@losergrl75

I use Albolene, and V-Gel. When i got to the point I was dropping a lot of inches very fast it really helped tighten my skin up.

Compression, exercise and sweating all go a long way in helping your skin. Plastic surgeons have people wear compression garments for a reason. Wearing compression items help with you lymphatic system. Exercising on top of it goes even further. I wear some kind of compression all the time except when I do yoga. My thighs and my love handles are greatly improved. I thought i would need and upper body lift, but i have been able to tighten and smooth my upper back area wearing neoprene compression vests.

Albolene is cheap, you can buy it anywhere. I put it on my feet every night and they are baby soft. The moisturizing helps a lot just as much as it helps trap body heat.

Thanks @@OutsideMatchInside, I am in another group no weight loss related just a women's group and quite a few of the ladies have reported excellent results with the neoprene suits and albolene or even just saran wrap and albolene and I have been curious about it.

@@losergrl75

You can find good snapback tips in a lot of mom groups, the stripper groups have the best skin tips, but those groups aren't always easy to find or be in if you aren't a stripper . I have some black spa plastic wrap, it does help if you can wear it under stuff, but its so hard to put on myself and I rarely have anyone around to help me. You can just wrap yourself with Albolene and saran wrap but its better if you put something other the saran wrap because it will slip or roll.

I have this http://www.amazon.com/Osmotic-Plastic-Cellulite-Burning-osmotica/dp/B014Q6PHAG?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00 a lot sites sell the same things for $25. It is slightly thicker than saran wrap, but I don't think it is a huge improvement.