Costs resulting from WLS

[thatmeanone 240]

I personally am a giant fan of thredUp.com I've gotten some great deals (4 pairs of jeans for 17 bucks. A winter coat for 25 etc) and everything I have bought is in excellent condition.

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[KristenLe 5,979]

I personally am a giant fan of thredUp.com I've gotten some great deals (4 pairs of jeans for 17 bucks. A winter coat for 25 etc) and everything I have bought is in excellent condition.

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It's great for the buyer - not so much for the seller! I sent in 20 items - I got paid $21.00 for all of them - they then listed them all for $15-30. Not worth it - I'd much rater donate them.

[Icantbelieveit 955]

I don't know why they make 6 and 7XL shirts with horizontal stripes.

The same reason they assume all PLUS-sized women are also big-busted or enjoy embroidered anchors and seahorses on their clothes! Lol.

Or have arm length down to the knees. Lol

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[thatmeanone 240]

I personally am a giant fan of thredUp.com I've gotten some great deals (4 pairs of jeans for 17 bucks. A winter coat for 25 etc) and everything I have bought is in excellent condition.

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It's great for the buyer - not so much for the seller! I sent in 20 items - I got paid $21.00 for all of them - they then listed them all for $15-30. Not worth it - I'd much rater donate them.

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That's where my laziness shows lol - I donate everything - I work with a super needy population so anything I get comes to work and goes to my families. But I love shopping with them.

However I have heard that they are not good to sell to...

Edited September 19, 2016 by thatmeanone

[Havasumoma 250]

If you ladies haven't tried LuLaRoe clothes you might want to look into. They are super comfy (think pajamas), stylish, versital, reasonably priced and you can wear one size for quite awhile as you shrink.

CW 227 5'5" 61yrs

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

I personally am a giant fan of thredUp.com I've gotten some great deals (4 pairs of jeans for 17 bucks. A winter coat for 25 etc) and everything I have bought is in excellent condition.

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It's great for the buyer - not so much for the seller! I sent in 20 items - I got paid $21.00 for all of them - they then listed them all for $15-30. Not worth it - I'd much rater donate them.

Total rip off for the sellers. Better to give them to goodwill and get the tax write off. When I saw what they were paying out, it isn't even worth it. They can pound sand, I take all my stuff to goodwill unless it is still new with tags, then I sell it on ebay.

I'm also going to go on record as being extremely against wearing loose, comfortable clothes. They make it impossible to see your weight loss so you feel you are making no gains. Loose comfortable clothes are what made it easy for a lot of people to expand without noticing.

Wear clothes that fit, with structure. Not only will you see your weight loss better, notice that your waist is going down fast and just in general look better and more pulled together. The structured clothing will help hide and constrain issues we have, like loose skin.

Edited September 20, 2016 by OutsideMatchInside

[ella37 455]

#1, I also love thredup, lol. Maybe it does suck for the sellers (never sold there) but it's great for buying stuff!!

#2, Money was a huge concern for me too especially since I am paying out of pocket for the entire surgery cost.. but then I did a little math. Think about how much you spend eating out or on convenience foods. I just ordered some stuff for my preop diet and the prices did make me crazy but once I broke it down it's really only a couple dollars/meal. Then I thought about things like soda, frozen coffees, Desserts, and impulse buys like candy or a pretzel when I'm shopping. The small things will all add up and we will actually be saving money.

#3, For anyone who quit smoking, that will basically pay for the surgery within several years. Same for drinkers.

#4, People with a lot of obesity related health problems will save on meds and visits to doctors and specialists.

It seems like a lot up front (esp with the 15K we're putting into the surgery) but it will pay off in the long run!

Edited September 20, 2016 by julia37

[QueenOfTheTamazons 634]

@sgc - Thanks. I am hoping my change will result in positive changes for my whole family. With 3 boys, I can't afford to eat out often so we don't. I will have to get a more expansive wardrobe due to my job, however I plan on looking for some elastic waist pants so they may fit a little longer as I transition. I bought a couple pieces of clothing this summer before vacation but I have resolved not to buy anything else in my current size. [emoji14]

@KristenLe - I have already tried getting myself excited by thinking of selling clothes in lots to earn some money to in turn purchase clothes as I need them. My surgeon's office said they do a taste-testing of the Protein Shakes, broths, etc at a pre-op appointment so that will help me decide what I like so I can find the best deal and purchase before the surgery. And I have also had numerous health issues this past year that I can't help but attribute to my increasing weight.

You should also consider getting your better pieces tailored. The woman you tailored the costumes and my dress for our Halloween wedding only charges $10 for alterations. You can save some money by having pieces taken in rather than going full new.

[QueenOfTheTamazons 634]

A lot of people around here (Sac area of NorCal) use Facebook posts to advertise clothes to sell and/or garage sales. There was a woman selling her 3x-6x clothes and she had over 50 people respond.

Also, last time i was doing the 2 week preop diet I bought premade shakes from Sams Club. They allowed me to return them if I only used 1-2 of the bottles. I only took advantage of that on th strawberry shakes but it was nice to know we had tbat option.

[Clementine Sky 707]

$2300 certainly isn't pocket change for most of us, but it's still considerably less than what most of us paid for surgery, so it might help to view it from that angle. Going forward the expenses might not be as expensive as you'd think. Regardless of whether you're eating broth, a Protein shake, or your typical meal, you'll still have to buy food. You'll be consuming much less of it than previously, especially in the first couple of months. If you have other members of the household you could use some of the things you buy for recipes for them as well, so the expenses won't just be for yourself. The blog site "The World According to Eggface" has several really good recipes that use Protein powder for lower carb muffins and treats others could enjoy.

I've definitely spent less on groceries and eating out than before. After my first month I really wasn't buying any food just for myself that my husband couldn't also enjoy. I use Fairlife milk because it has more Protein in it. I took keep Protein Powder in the pantry, but most days I make smoothies using a high protein, low carb yogurt, frozen fruit, and frozen kale (the taste is masked by the fruit). My portion sizes have definitely changed. When I eat out I always need a box for left overs, and one meal can be made into three now.

As for clothing, if you have a reasonably priced seamstress nearby she might be able to take in the business clothes you already have and like. That's what I've done. For more casual wear I still wear jeans that are a bigger size, just with a belt. I have splurged on a few jeans in my current size, but if I'm just running to Home Depot I'll put on an old baggy pair, cinch in the waist, and throw on a longer top.

Before I had the VSG, I still had to buy new clothes a few times a year, but often because I'd gone up a size. It's much less disheartening when the reason for new clothes is because you've lost weight rather than because you've gained it.

Best wishes with everything!

[Dub 9,922]

First, let me say that I know my health and happiness come before any financial burdens I may face as a result of WLS. With that being said, the more I think about it, the costs keep adding up.

My surgery will cost me approximately $2300 with my insurance. I am fine with that and the hospital takes payments.

I will have enough time off of work saved by the time I have the surgery to have 3 weeks of paid time off. I should be okay there.

However, I am starting to think of the costs of the Protein shakes, broths, sizing down in clothing for a year or two, etc and worry if financials became an unexpected concern for anyone post-WLS?

I know my surgeon's office provides a clothing exchange and I already plan on spending a lot of time thrift-shopping for probably the first year. But is there any advice any of you can give?

My insurance sucked in the area of wls....it was actually cheaper for me to self fund the surgery at $21K.....upfront...no payments. Ouch......there went the funds I wanted to spend on a new car.

All the costs of supplements, Protein powder and specific wls related food.....is a fraction of the cost of the junk food diet I was on before wls.

The cost of clothes is now way, way cheaper. I can buy normal sized clothes in normal stores vs having to only be able to buy clothes from big & tall stores where the prices are unbelievably high.

I am not spending money on doctor bills like I was in the years leading up to surgery.....being more healthy has made a tremendous difference here. I simply go in for "check up" visits. I am no longer having to pay for prescription meds......huge benefit to my wallet.

There is nothing now that isn't cheaper than before.

[mrsNilla 304]

I don't know about all of you, but I still have some smaller clothes stored that I really like and didn't get rid off, even though I don't fit them anymore. Leggings, tunics etc will be easy to wear when getting smaller, since they will be forgiving. I will be so happy to see my favorite timeless outfits come out of the boxes and fit me again! Can't wait!!

And the proteindrinks etc, like everyone pointed out, we will be saving on the other stuff. I'm not worried, even though it might seems like a big sum if you by in costco quantities ????

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[LisaMergs 2,854]

For the ladies- there is a shop in Michigan called Haystacks. You can find them online. They make a skirt called "Switchstacks" that I love. I purchased three of them when I was wearing a 16-18 in size large. They still fit now that I'm a 10. Lovely material that is stretchy, but not a bad, show every lump, stretchy. Very very flattering. Great thing is they are reversible, so you get 2 for 1. They're about $50 each, but I've gotten so much wear from them it was truly worth it. They have other styles as well, but the bang for my buck came from the two-sided prints. No waistband either, just slides right up and sits on your hips where you need them. I've included a pic- the flip on the top shows you the reverse print. They have a couple dozen choices.

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[Nikkinee 94]

@@HuneComz

If it makes you feel any better, my surgery alone will cost me $27,000 (Aus) But I think it's worth every penny.

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[Linaka 92]

You'll be surprised how much you save on food.