Hello everyone,

I just joined the forum and made an appointment for my initial evaluation with the Surgery Center of Richardson (true results). I am hoping to have my surgery with Dr. Benavides.

I am 29, only 5ft and weigh 206-207. I am just tired of constantly losing 30-50lbs and then gaining it back. I have spent the last 6 years yo yo ing and am finally ready to have a more permanent resolution to my weight issues. Reading all of your posts and seeing your weight loss is very inspirational to me.

Although I have alot of worries- my biggest one is about having loose skin and needing a tummy tuck. I have also heard the people's faces change and can look "saggy."

Is this common? Is there any way to prevent it?

Thanks!

I am also worried about this. I am 5'3" and weigh 230 lbs. I am bigger at the bottom than at the top. I have a doc appointment for Apr. 6th to talk to my PCM about the lapband. I have talked to him about it before and he said I would get approved. I had to wait a month to get a referral because I had to up my dosage on my Effixor. (depression/anxiety med) So I am very excited about my Apr 6th appointment. I can't wait....:biggrin:

GIRL YOU READ MY MIND I will be checking back on this post I am curious to see what comes of it. I do know you shouldnt have too much to worry about you are young and you dont have that much weight to lose

I am down 25 pounds and I dont think any surgery will be needed but I do know i will get my breast done

Hello everyone,

I just joined the forum and made an appointment for my initial evaluation with the Surgery Center of Richardson (true results). I am hoping to have my surgery with Dr. Benavides.

I am 29, only 5ft and weigh 206-207. I am just tired of constantly losing 30-50lbs and then gaining it back. I have spent the last 6 years yo yo ing and am finally ready to have a more permanent resolution to my weight issues. Reading all of your posts and seeing your weight loss is very inspirational to me.

Although I have alot of worries- my biggest one is about having loose skin and needing a tummy tuck. I have also heard the people's faces change and can look "saggy."

Is this common? Is there any way to prevent it?

Thanks!

i totally feel the same way u do, i am 5' and when i was banded 12 days ago i was 203. we are very much alike! i m also worried about a saggy belly, i have 2 kids, andfeel like its saggy now! i really wonder what its going to look like after (hopefully nice and flat). as far as ur face i wouldn't worry about that, ive seen tons of before and afters and everybody looks wonderful!

good luck,

amy

I recently went for my second (out of 6) month appointment. I most likely will have a tummy tuck after one year post-op. I have a three year old daughter, so I have a mommy tummy too! My lapband surgery will be late July/early August. I am so excited about regaining my good health. I welcome a flat tummy, so I can tie my shoes with ease! Don't be afraid...God heals all...including big tummies...that's why he made plastic surgeons!

Current 215

Goal 135

Edited March 31, 200917 yr by band75
I cannot spell

Sounds like a lot of us here on this thread are simliar! I am 5' 1" tall and currently 236 pounds. I have been under weight management since January and have lost 22 pounds.

I am leaning towards getting the band - hopefully the end of April or this May.

I too am worried about loose skin which is why I am leaning more towards getting the band. I was old by my doctor that if you stick to the exercise with the band then you will have a less chance of the loose skin cause you are exercising and loosing weight at a slower pace.

I wonder if there is anyone on this site who is our height & weight and had it done a year ago - would love to hear how they did reaching their goal and their experience with loose skin.

Elizabeth

It is hard to tell what you will look like after you lose the weight. Genetics play a big role along with the amount of weight lost, length of time overweight, age, exercise and rate of weight loss.

In my case, I am 5'3, was banded at age 32 and went from 225 (BMI around 40) to 138 (BMI around 25). I have a pear shape and have been overweight/obese for around half of my life.

I have almost no excess skin. The bottom of my belly is a little poochy but you can't see it at all unless I am completely undressed. I also haven't lost any breast size or become extra saggy. I am not swim suit model material of course, but I can feel confident in a swimsuit with nothing to hide (I wouldn't wear a string bikini).

I was also worried about this at the beginning of banding but have been pleasantly surprised with the results. I don't need plastic surgery and I am really happy about it. Our height/weight/BMI's are not very much different . . . . so you may find yourself in the same boat as well.

I guess I should add one last thing. I did not lose extremely fast, my average was between 1.5 to 2 pounds a week during the most rapid phases of weight loss and it slowed way down at the end when I got close to goal. I drank plenty of Water and ingested the suggested amounts of Protein and Vitamins. I exercised somewhere between 30-60 minutes daily and incorporated both aerobics and weight training.

I think all of these things together really helped me to get good results and allowed my skin to shrink back to a more normal size.

So it took you about a year to get to goal, right? And you are pregnant! That is great - congrats!

How many calories a day did you think you were getting in? And did you start loosing before you had the surgery? Did they want you to do that? Did you eat anywhere like you do now before? Do you get full feeling - that feeling they say is like magic?

Right now I am following the diet - eat 5 times a day - 3 small meals and 2 Snacks inbetween. I am loosing like .33 of a pound per week. I will be happy when it is 1 or 2

I am 38 years old and looking forward to being at your goal.

I think the key will be to keep up with the exercise. And make sure I get my Protein in.

Thanks for talking to me - I appreciate the info and support.

Elizabeth

I lost slowly and steadily with a lot of exerise, I am 41 an have had 3 babies, one of which was a caesarean. My belly is quite flat. I dont have a lot of excess skin.

BUT - if you're talking a bikini model body, virtually nobody loses a lot of weight and has firm tight skin like that. There will be excess and there's nothing you can really do about it. I'm at the most "flabby" but I can put on a bikini and not look dreadful, unless I stand next to a 16 year old. I wont be having any plastic surgery, I cant really afford it (our insurance does not provide at all for it in Australia unless its medically necessary) and I wouldnt put myself through it - the scars would be worse than the skin I have. Dressed I look HOT!

Dont worry about it. Most of the damage at your age will be to your body, not your face. And it depends on your shape, apples tend to have more problems with tummy arms, whereas pear shapes seem to have less problems with loose skin due to the even distribution of the weight. Certainly that was my experience, I didnt have any really big out of proportion body parts.

Talkalot1981, Mymy, Gamyj, Band75, Antliz- Thanks for writing, knowing that others worry about this is a relief and and it is great that we are all around the same size as well! I was worried that many people around this size do not usually get banded.

Mymy- if you have any questions about breast reduction, feel free to ask me – as I have had that done already.

Heather O- thank you so much for providing us information about your process and congratulations on your pregnancy! I am wondering if there was a reason that you lost slowly? Do people with lower BMI lose less quickly?

Jachut- congratulations on being able to wear a bikini! It is really good to know that my face should be ok.. The tummy I can probably deal with being saggy. Loose skin is preferable than being the way I am now (I think). In particular, I am scared about my face. My weight is pretty evenly distributed , I wear a size 14 or 16 right now.. so perhaps Ill be lucky;).

Tis is what I'm wondering, as I said before I am 16, about 5'1 and weigh about 264. If exercise atleast five days a week and do weight lifting and aerobics, do you guys think my scin will contract pretty well. Does my age help with the whole saggy skin issue?

Heather O- thank you so much for providing us information about your process and congratulations on your pregnancy! I am wondering if there was a reason that you lost slowly? Do people with lower BMI lose less quickly?

Thanks :0)

People with lower BMI - or people that are close to goal generally tend to lose slower. It takes extra calories daily just to carry around a lot of excess weight. A person who is 100 pounds overweight can ingest a lot more calories daily and maintain the weight while someone who is of normal weight needs less to maintain. Lower BMI people may lose less weekly as compared to those with higher BMI's, but since they have less to lose overall they may get to goal quicker.

As far as losing slowly, I didn't really lose slowly until the last 20 pounds or so. You will find that almost everyone has a hard time with the last few pounds and some are not able to lose it.

I did not have a pre-op diet (other than nothing after midnight the day before surgery) so I was banded at 225 on the day of surgery (highest lifetime weight for me was 228). I lost an average of 3 pounds a week for the first month after banding . . . then I pretty much plateaued for several weeks (mushies/solids started and no restriction). After that, it was mostly steady between 1-2 pounds per week on average - which is exactly the range where my doctor wanted me to be.

I wasn't slow, I was average on the expected weekly rate of loss for a banded person. If you start off expecting to lose a lot more than 2 pounds per week after the first month, you might be dissapointed in that this is unrealistic for most people. The only thing that wasn't average is that I was able to lose 100% of my excess weight over time rather than the typical 50-60%. I think Jachut was also the same . . . she was able to lose 100% as well.

For most of us, as long as we are following basic rules and are not succumbing to excessive emotional eating or ingesting a lot of slider foods, we lose most of our weight in the first six to nine months.

After that point, it gets a lot harder to keep it going. That is the time when you have to develop strategies to keep it moving. This involves regular exercising, playing with calorie levels and restrictions, varying types of foods eaten and to keep switching it up whenever you stop losing. I would venture to guess that everyone who has made it to goal would tell you essentially the same thing albeit in different words - keep switching things up when you stall. You will most likely have to do more of this the closer you get to a BMI in the range of the 20's.

So it took you about a year to get to goal, right? And you are pregnant! That is great - congrats!

How many calories a day did you think you were getting in? And did you start loosing before you had the surgery? Did they want you to do that? Did you eat anywhere like you do now before? Do you get full feeling - that feeling they say is like magic?

Thanks :0)

I was between 800-900 during the liquid phases. Afterwards I went to 1000 when I wasn't losing any more. Finally I settled between 1100-1300 for the majority of the time and this is where I lost most of the weight.

Now I am anywhere between 1400-2000 right now due to pregnancy, and an unfilled band but I have not gained much through pregnancy. I continued to lose in the beginning but am starting to regain over the last two months. I still weigh less now at 7.5 months pregnant than I did when I became pregnant.

The sweet spot is real, it does exist. When I am filled and at my sweet spot, I honestly could forget to eat. My hunger completely disspears for 80% of my day at that level. Before banding, I could eat a huge meal with seconds . . . and half an hour later be hungry for snacks. My pre-banding issue was overeating coupled with excessive hunger. The band made all the difference in the world.

Thank you, your explanation makes complete sense and is reassuring. I like the idea of getting to goal quicker as well as only losing 1-2lbs a week (perhaps the slower loss will indeed prevent loose skin). Congatulations in losing 100% of your excess weight.

It is amazing to read that people actually achieve such great weight loss. It almost seems unreal. It is funny since I have decided to do this surgery I keep looking at the pretty clothes in stores/magazines etc.. and thinking wohoo

I'll be able to wear those one day! I love to cook and love love food- so I am a bit sad that I may not be able to enjoy it the same way..but if it means a lifetime free of constant anxiety about my weight, it is worth it.

Thanks :0)

People with lower BMI - or people that are close to goal generally tend to lose slower. It takes extra calories daily just to carry around a lot of excess weight. A person who is 100 pounds overweight can ingest a lot more calories daily and maintain the weight while someone who is of normal weight needs less to maintain. Lower BMI people may lose less weekly as compared to those with higher BMI's, but since they have less to lose overall they may get to goal quicker.

As far as losing slowly, I didn't really lose slowly until the last 20 pounds or so. You will find that almost everyone has a hard time with the last few pounds and some are not able to lose it.

I did not have a pre-op diet (other than nothing after midnight the day before surgery) so I was banded at 225 on the day of surgery (highest lifetime weight for me was 228). I lost an average of 3 pounds a week for the first month after banding . . . then I pretty much plateaued for several weeks (mushies/solids started and no restriction). After that, it was mostly steady between 1-2 pounds per week on average - which is exactly the range where my doctor wanted me to be.

I wasn't slow, I was average on the expected weekly rate of loss for a banded person. If you start off expecting to lose a lot more than 2 pounds per week after the first month, you might be dissapointed in that this is unrealistic for most people. The only thing that wasn't average is that I was able to lose 100% of my excess weight over time rather than the typical 50-60%. I think Jachut was also the same . . . she was able to lose 100% as well.

For most of us, as long as we are following basic rules and are not succumbing to excessive emotional eating or ingesting a lot of slider foods, we lose most of our weight in the first six to nine months.

After that point, it gets a lot harder to keep it going. That is the time when you have to develop strategies to keep it moving. This involves regular exercising, playing with calorie levels and restrictions, varying types of foods eaten and to keep switching it up whenever you stop losing. I would venture to guess that everyone who has made it to goal would tell you essentially the same thing albeit in different words - keep switching things up when you stall. You will most likely have to do more of this the closer you get to a BMI in the range of the 20's.

I love to cook and love love food- so I am a bit sad that I may not be able to enjoy it the same way..but if it means a lifetime free of constant anxiety about my weight, it is worth it.

I think that almost everyone thinks this is true prior to banding, but it is not for the most of us. I enjoy food now more than I ever have.

Have you ever eaten something, like maybe a bag of chips, and found that the first few bites are great but afterwards they don't really "taste" anymore and you just munch to munch. It is the same concept that applies post banding. You take the time to really taste your food, chew it well, really discover textures and flavors . . . and then you are full long before you ever get tired of it.

Also a lot of us ending up cooking more after banding then before because we get rid of most of the impulsive fast food or junk food. You end up experimenting more and your tastes change. You eventually replace quantity with quality and learn to really appreciate it in new ways.

Banding has definitely enhanced my food experiences and has not been a sacrifice at all. I just didn't know what I didn't know until after banding :0)