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Hi all As you can see, I am a brand new user on this forum. However I have been lurking for awhile. I want to use my first post to share how grateful I am for your candidness and how truly impressed I am with your courage sharing intimate details of your personal journeys. I have learned so much from you all, not just about the basics of WLS etc, but about inspiration, motivation, determination, and compassion towards ourselves and others. If ever I’ve needed a pick me up or some words of encouragement, I have found it here. Thank you all and I look forward to becoming an active member of this community!

You can expect every aspect of your life to change. You will find a new normal. The old normal wasn't working so well, was it? Your new life will be so much better. Pre op is not easy, but it is only a small blip on the radar. Post op is not easy, but again, a small blip in the journey that will be the rest of your life. Preop is hard, also, because of the unknown. It is normal to be scared and anxious, but all of us on this side can tell you to jump into the pool - the water is fine and you won't drown. This is a good support group that will help you through. Highly advise you to get on YouTube and start watching everything that has to do with weight loss surgery. You will get a ton of information that will make you better educated and realistic about what to expect in each step. Personally, I really liked Dr. Matthew Weiner. He does a good job of explaining the procedures, the diet stages (although it may differ from your own surgeon's), the recovery, different challenges in the process, and how to maintain.

#1: it's absolutely normal to have "cold feet" and second thoughts as you come closer to surgery. I know I did. Heck, I was crying as they strapped me to the surgery table! #2: Sagging skin is kind of a case-by-case situation with many factors contributing such as age, sex, skin type, general health, size/how much weight you have to lose, and possibly how long you've been overweight/obese. I've been down the weight loss surgery path twice and my personal experience may help. I had lap band surgery in 2005. I was 35 years old and had 125lbs to lose to get to "ideal" or normal BMI. I lost 90lbs of that. I made it out of the "obese" BMI into "overweight". I felt great and had VERY LITTLE sagging skin. I had my lap band out in 2009 due to a slip and did well maintaining until 2014. I had some major upheavals in my life and did some comfort and binge eating. By 2016, I had gained ALL of my weight back and was right back where I started before the lap band. I had trouble sticking to diets and knew that my lap band had been successful until the slip, so I decided on the gastric sleeve. To date, I've lost 86 lbs and am about 15 lbs away from my all-time low with the lap band. I'm happy. I feel great. BUT...I'm also almost 15 years older and my skin (a source of pride and joy to me all my life) is letting me down. I joked to my family a week or 2 ago: I'm starting to look like a hairless Shar-pei dog. My neck waddle is OK in some positions, but if gravity is working against me it's downright embarrassing. My arms have developed flappy wings and my thighs look deflated with lumpy protrusions where my chub used to rub. I'm VERY happy with my weight loss results and I wouldn't change a thing, but for the 1st time in my life plastic surgery seems like a real possibility for me. I started this 2nd weight loss journey with no plans for plastic surgery, even though a friend of mine (also a WLS patient) gave me her plastic surgeon's personal contact info. My advice: you're young (22), decide what's important to you. You came to this WLS party with a dream or a goal in mind. Don't lose sight of that. Whether or not you get saggy skin, there are options. Best of luck!

Just another stick of furniture around the house Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using BariatricPal mobile app

I too was approved and I’m not 100 lbs or more overweight ... I would say I’m 70 or 80 lbs overweight but I have a tiny frame .. I’m 5 feet tall. I have knee and back problems and my mom died at 60 from heart disease .. she was also diabetic and had kidney disease. I was diagnosed as pre diabetic so I had better smarten up while I still have the chance. You can also check out Mexico as an option . I’m having mine done in puerto Vallarta on feb 4th. I’ll let you know how it was when I get back home. I’ve had work done in Mexico before. I had an arm lift ( and it’s amazing how much more confidence I have just with having that done! I never wore a tank top before then.). I also had my teeth done there. Both the hospital and the dental office was as clean and immaculate as any place Canada has to offer! Anyways, I hope you get approved and are able to get coverage .. I didn’t even try to do it through Canada because I didn’t think I would be approved and also I am very compulsive Once I made my mind up that I wanted to do this, I would had it done that week if I could have :). To do it in Canada, there is a waiting list and I don’t want to be like this for any longer than I have to. Please post updates as I’m rooting for you!

I have said several times here that I feel like I'm feeling "normal" now that I'm in maintenance. By that I mean I basically eat what I want when I want, and I have stopped obsessing about how much I eat, how many calories, how much protein, etc. My new normal, however, is that I've developed completely different eating habits that no longer include sugar, high fat, high carbs, etc. The things I want to eat now are the things my body needs. I'm not sure where that makes sense to you now, but hopefully it will one day.

On YouTube you can watch the type of surgery you are going to have. Some with unbelievable video, crystal clear. Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using BariatricPal mobile app

Ok.Thank you!! She just told me a multivitamin to get used to taking them & needed 18mg of iron

Surgery was September 9th and I’m 60 lbs down!!! I’m still heavy but I feel so good about myself!! Will insert a before and after. Also want to see others before and after!!

You will slow down, and even stall - not because you are moving from liquids to mushes, but because your body has burned all the fast burning glycogen that it has and needs to shift gears to burning your stored fat, which burns slower. Most everyone slows and/or stalls at around 2-3 weeks out, even those of us who were on a soft diet from the outset and never had a hard transition from liquids.