Good afternoon all! I just was thinking of all the surprises I've experienced since WLS...and I wanted to ask others what's surprised them about their weight loss/surgery journey that they weren't told by their bariatric team?!

I'll go first:

1. All the aches and pains in my hips and butt. My butt hurts now when I sit since I'm missing my butt padding! Also, since losing weight my posture and gait have changed so now I'm in PT for hip abductor pain.

2. The ever increasing and changing locations of skin irritation. The skin now droops in places I wasn't told to expect and I get red irritation under my butt creases from over lap - sorry for the unpleasant visual!

3. I've shrunk..so driving I now need extra padding to be at my former "sitting height" I feel like a kid driving my parents car now.

4. I've had to buy new glasses, mine were stretched out from digging into my fat head ? and now they keep falling off when I look down.

5. I've had to buy new shoes, all my old shoes no longer fit. They just flop around. I was expecting new clothing..not shoes.

6. I feel more clumsy and weak despite working out. My manual dexterity is horrible now.

7. I still feel hunger ?

These are just a few of the changes I've experienced that my bariatric team never mentioned. Do you have any to add that can take the surprise out of it for people just starting their WLS journey?! I eagerly await your responses!

7 hours ago, ms.sss said:

aaaahhhh ok...

put this way, i'll have to say i did notice some unexpected body composition changes in the year immediately following rapid weight loss:

- went from looking deathly skeletor-ish (gaunt and drawn and frail looking) to pretty healthy looking despite weighing less now than those skeleton days.

- my hair is actually thicker and "healthier" and even slightly curlier than even before surgery (which was a very welcome surprise after all that Hair loss from months 4-6 post op omg)

- i don't get pimples anymore. like ever.

- those weird dark little bumps on my upper arms are gone.

- when i do any sort of sustained exercise it's immediately noticeable. for instance if i do like 30 situps or 60 bicep curls i look shredded right after. no joke.

- my dentist says my gums have receeded faster than expected since the weight loss (dunno if this is related or a coincidence??)

- despite probably being the most "fit" i have ever been since my 20's, i still feel unbelievably weak compared to my heaviest days. i swear i can't open jars anymore nor can i carry multiple bags or groceries at once like i used to.

- i used to be bottom heavy (hips/butt was my widest part) now i am top heavy (shoulders/back are my widest part).

- i no longer have armpit hair ...but this is likely due to my arm lift? so i never have to shave there...which has the side benefit of the skin lightening up in that area...no more dark armpits for me! yay!

- i have no ass. like zero. looking at me directly from behind is semi-normal looking, but from a side view, its a straight line from the base of my neck to my knees.

- the hump on the back of my neck is gone

- not sure if this is related to my overall weakness, or because i just do wat more stuff now, or im just getting old, or a combination of it all, but i get injured ALOT. multiple sprains, torn ligaments, torn muscles, pinched nerves, tendonitis like everywhere, abdominal hernia, bruised ribs, carpel tunnel, ingrown toenails, omg. ive had more doctors/physio appts in the last 5 years than i've had in my entire life. times 2.

ok...this post is getting too long. gonna stop now lol

I used to be top heavy but now I’m bottom heavy! This is in part due to plastics but some is definitely just the way my body decided to redistribute fat because it started before plastics.

Dupe

Edited April 10, 20242 yr by GreenTealael

I call it hot girl fit (stole & twisted it from some recent movie). Look good, have muscle definition but have no strength or stamina. Gym fit but not life fit. Lol!

Oh, yes the changing body shape when your body resettles. I remember looking in the mirror bemoaning the loss of my hour glass figure. I was all straight up & down when my weight first stabilised. Then one day I realised I had a definite waist & hips again (breasts remained larger - E cup & smaller band - just empty on top). Yay! Still no butt. And like @ms.sss, if you look at me sideways, you can’t tell my front from my back around that area. There are trousers I can’t wear because I have no butt to fill out the back & have that saggy, baggy butt look from the excess fabric.

PS - Hate to tell you @ms.sss, your dental issues may be related to menopause & being in that ‘certain age’ bracket. It affects so many parts of our body besides the obvious cessation of our cycle. Pretty crappy really. Men get it so easy!

14 hours ago, Arabesque said:

Gym fit but not life fit.

omg. im totally gonna have a t-shirt made with this slogan.

14 hours ago, Arabesque said:

PS - Hate to tell you @ms.sss, your dental issues may be related to menopause & being in that ‘certain age’ bracket.

???

1 hour ago, ms.sss said:

???

It could possibly be premenopausal or if you're dehydrated.. Your gums recede due to not having enough moisture aka dehydration. ?

I feel this in my soul right now. I was a DD bra size and I had booty for daysssssss. Now, well, I can fill a B cup with all my loose boob skin. That's pretty much it. I'll do a C cup if it's a sports bra mostly to make myself feel better, but yeah. And my butt? Yeah, we don't know her anymore. She just up and left. If I wear leggings, I look ridiculous. If I wear jeans, they sag unless I wear skinny jeans. Then they look alright but are tight everywhere else. The struggle is real, that's for sure...

2 hours ago, SleeveToBypass2023 said:

I feel this in my soul right now. I was a DD bra size and I had booty for daysssssss. Now, well, I can fill a B cup with all my loose boob skin. That's pretty much it. I'll do a C cup if it's a sports bra mostly to make myself feel better, but yeah. And my butt? Yeah, we don't know her anymore. She just up and left. If I wear leggings, I look ridiculous. If I wear jeans, they sag unless I wear skinny jeans. Then they look alright but are tight everywhere else. The struggle is real, that's for sure...

"And my butt? Yeah, we don't know her anymore"

I love the way you phrased it, made me laugh. I don't know mine anymore either..I feel abandoned by her...I fed her, supported her and had a close working relationship with her and what's she do for all that!? POOF gone and sagged off ? ? you'd think carrying around 100's of extra pounds we would have built up muscles to support a perfect peach! Now all I have is a prune.

10 hours ago, BlondePatriotInCDA said:

"And my butt? Yeah, we don't know her anymore"

I love the way you phrased it, made me laugh. I don't know mine anymore either..I feel abandoned by her...I fed her, supported her and had a close working relationship with her and what's she do for all that!? POOF gone and sagged off ? ? you'd think carrying around 100's of extra pounds we would have built up muscles to support a perfect peach! Now all I have is a prune.

Exactly!!! I fed her, clothed her, exercised her so she would look her best, and then she just went and f'd off.....??

On 4/8/2024 at 5:50 AM, summerseeker said:

My butt hurt real bad for about 18 months then poof the pain disappeared and has never returned. Hope yours does too

I'm glad to hear this, most chairs I sit in now are painful, I've started carrying a pillow to sit on sometimes when I know it will be too painful otherwise. I'm just over 3 months post op.

On 4/9/2024 at 12:11 PM, ms.sss said:

aaaahhhh ok...

put this way, i'll have to say i did notice some unexpected body composition changes in the year immediately following rapid weight loss:

- went from looking deathly skeletor-ish (gaunt and drawn and frail looking) to pretty healthy looking despite weighing less now than those skeleton days.

- my hair is actually thicker and "healthier" and even slightly curlier than even before surgery (which was a very welcome surprise after all that Hair loss from months 4-6 post op omg)

- i don't get pimples anymore. like ever.

- those weird dark little bumps on my upper arms are gone.

- when i do any sort of sustained exercise it's immediately noticeable. for instance if i do like 30 situps or 60 bicep curls i look shredded right after. no joke.

- my dentist says my gums have receeded faster than expected since the weight loss (dunno if this is related or a coincidence??)

- despite probably being the most "fit" i have ever been since my 20's, i still feel unbelievably weak compared to my heaviest days. i swear i can't open jars anymore nor can i carry multiple bags or groceries at once like i used to.

- i used to be bottom heavy (hips/butt was my widest part) now i am top heavy (shoulders/back are my widest part).

- i no longer have armpit hair ...but this is likely due to my arm lift? so i never have to shave there...which has the side benefit of the skin lightening up in that area...no more dark armpits for me! yay!

- i have no ass. like zero. looking at me directly from behind is semi-normal looking, but from a side view, its a straight line from the base of my neck to my knees.

- the hump on the back of my neck is gone

- not sure if this is related to my overall weakness, or because i just do wat more stuff now, or im just getting old, or a combination of it all, but i get injured ALOT. multiple sprains, torn ligaments, torn muscles, pinched nerves, tendonitis like everywhere, abdominal hernia, bruised ribs, carpel tunnel, ingrown toenails, omg. ive had more doctors/physio appts in the last 5 years than i've had in my entire life. times 2.

ok...this post is getting too long. gonna stop now lol

This gave me so much hope. I hate feeling like I look like a hunchback. I used to have amazing posture, but as I gained, I think that I lost confidence and sort of cowered in my own little shell trying not to be noticed. I've been working on bringing the posture back to what it used to be, but I cannot wait for the neck hump to be gone!!

As I read through your comments I am wondering if my weak hands are also from the surgery. I always thought it was carpal tunnel and old age (almost 60). I just keep on learning as I read posts.... ?

6 hours ago, JerkyGirl said:

As I read through your comments I am wondering if my weak hands are also from the surgery. I always thought it was carpal tunnel and old age (almost 60). I just keep on learning as I read posts.... ?

That's where I feel a lot in of my weakness - my hands and I turn 60 Thursday! Its my arms and hands (duh! They're dependent on each other ?). That's what I was referring to in my OP... I have a hard time opening things I never had issues with before surgery. I shouldn't think its age related when I had no issues 9 months ago BS (before surgery), I opened things my husband had issues with sometimes - though if you were to ask him..he "loosened it for me!"

Best thing I ever bought. It breaks the seal on jars so you an open them easily. No more thumping the bottom of jars, running the jar under hot water or straining yourself. This one is by Avanti & I bought it from a kitchen wares shop. I picked the bright red one so I could find it easily in my utensil drawer. I use a multi grip spanner to open bottles with small caps. LOL!!

16 hours ago, Arabesque said:

Best thing I ever bought. It breaks the seal on jars so you an open them easily. No more thumping the bottom of jars, running the jar under hot Water or straining yourself. This one is by Avanti & I bought it from a kitchen wares shop. I picked the bright red one so I could find it easily in my utensil drawer. I use a multi grip spanner to open bottles with small caps. LOL!!

Thank you! Now do you have one that works well on those resealable food packages..or heat sealed bags? ?