WhoKnows

@@pxinaz, thanks for update, and I know we all wish you the best with this! I hope everything turns out well for you both, but you especially.

God luck @@Sh3iz! Let us know how you are when you get the chance!

I've been asking all over here in Germany for a lotion to help with elasticity, and have explicitly told the people in the shops I've been to that I'm in the process of losing a large amount of weight. I've mostly been met with stares, and the best I seem to be able to do is a lotion for pregnant women to supposedly prevent stretch marks. Now, I'm not sure if that will actually be just right, or if it's the opposite of what I want (pregnant women want their skin to stretch, we want ours to shrink). What do you guys think? If anyone can recommend some good very mainstream brands then maybe, maybe I could find them on Amazon.de, but so far I haven't had luck...

I've been pretty zen about this whole thing. I've been jumping through hoops for almost two years, so I've had a lot of time to read everything I can about it. I'm nervous, sure, and I had some food funerals before I started the pre-op diet, but I feel good. I'm scared for the recovery, but regarding the long term changes, I think I'm as prepared and informed as I can be. Bring on Wednesday!

Again, I have to ask, what do the guys wear? Are men also walking around wearing these bracelets and necklaces? Anyway, I need to check with my surgeon. I've honestly never heard of anyone with any medical condition wearing anything like this in the country I live in, so I don't know if emergency responders would even know to look.

I read that as well. This has Vitamin E, but no one know what I was on about when I mentioned keratin.

I bet you could make something good with yogurt, low fat coconut milk, lime, and vanilla Protein powder. I'd kill for an ice cream maker!

I asked my surgeon about soup, which I think is a similar situation. He said I probably don't want to make (brothy) soups a regular thing, but if I'm in a restaurant or something, a cup of soup is a fine choice. So my guess for (healthy) cereal with milk is that it's an ok treat, but not something for every day.

Luckily my German insurance covers the surgery (after some major hoop jumping), but I know if I want/need plastics later I'll have to go abroad as well. Thailand has a good reputation and could be nice!

Very well said and very inspirational! I don't think I've ever been in denial about the ways being fat holds me back or about how I have to plan things out around my weight, but these are things I do that second nature to me, and have been since I was a child. It's so difficult to articulate to people things like why flying may be worse for me, why I want to sit in the booth, why I don't want to walk far on a humid day, or why even on a hot day I need to wear at least three layers to "hold things in." When I try to articulate these things even to good friends, friends I feel comfortable with confiding my struggles with obesity to, even they look at me like I waaay over think things. But I know the world I live in. I know how society feels about fat people. I know the steps I need to take to make my life less, well, embarrassing for myself. I'm getting sleeved on Wednesday. If in a year I'm anywhere close to where you are now, @@LipstickLady, I'll consider it the best thing I've ever done. Congratulations on your tremendous success!

I think all my info is already in my side bar other than my real name (which I'd rather not use, sorry guys) and my surgeon. I tried to add my surgeon, but the website told me they couldn't find him, probably cause not a lot of people using this site get cut in Germany, but if anyone is interested, I'm seeing Dr. Johannes Sander and he's pretty great. I'll update my day of surgery weight on Wednesday, but my guess is it will be between 250-253, just judging from how the past week and half on the pre-op diet has been. Not too bad

Of course @@onlybroomegirl is right, but since we were talking about hormonal acne, I assumed most people's has gotten pretty bad. I know my hormonal acne (like I said, from going off BC) was hormonal, cystic and very painful. I recently had my Mirena removed and I'm seeing signs that this may start to happen again. I'll see where I'm at a few months post-op, but if it's gotten worse, I'll try and nip it in the bud.

Regarding not wanting to carry a card in your wallet for fear it wouldn't be found quickly enough, how likely is it that the first thing that's going to happen when you're unconscious is that you get NSAIDs or an NG tube? Sure might need CPR or an IV, but wouldn't people who know you have been contacted before you've been unconscious long enough for an NG tube? My surgeon has never mentioned anything like this to me, and I'm not really a jewelry kind of girl. What do the guys do?

The only cure for acne is Accutane, plain and simple. It worked wonders for me when I stopped taking the pill seven years ago. If I have problems post op, I will not hesitate to find a dermatologist to prescribe it again since I don't want to waste time and money BSing around with anything else that I know won't actually work. If the problem is about changes within our bodies, no antibiotic cream or any other topical solution can fix the problem.Yes, Accutane has some side effects, but it's better than painful cystic, hormonal acne (esp. as an adult), and you don't have to take it forever, just 6-12 months, depending on what the dermatologist says.

I agree with @Loveit2012. I feel like this is an uncomfortable thing to say to a stranger online, but from everything you've said, he does indeed sound abusive, and it doesn't sound like this is a recent development. Have you considered leaving? At the very least, you should get some distance for a week or two. Take any kids or pets that may be involved and just get out for a while. Go stay with family or friends.

Just a tip for the clear iso-whey drinks, I've been putting them in popsicle molds and freezing them. They're way more pleasant that way, and unlike regular sugar-free popsicles from the store, you get some protein!

You could add a Protein shake as a snack or a last meal of the day. I think as long as you're still getting most of your calories from regular food, getting some extra protein from a shake is nothing to look down on (I have the impression the vast majority of us use them for a while after surgery, some people even into maintenance).

Thank you! I'm about 5'6" and I'm 23. My loose skin isn't as bad others but I definitely notice it: but I'd rather have loose skin than skin filled with fat. Have you had surgery yet? Nope, I'm getting cut on Wednesday! I'm so excited/nervous! I'm 5'7". My starting weight is a wee bit lower, but I'm also a couple years older than you (27), so maybe it will even out. I'd be over the moon for results like yours, so fingers are tightly crossed! And again, congrats on your success!

My surgeon just required high Protein, low carb for two weeks before surgery. It's been ok. I've lost about 8 pounds so far. I'm a vegetarian though, so my carbs haven't been as low as some people might be able to get them, but I've been average 54g of carbs a day (18g of which are fiber) and 95g of protein, so not too bad I think. Mostly I'm looking forward to being more physical, but also to the clothes! I'm skeptical that I'll ever be able to wear "normal" boots though, since my calves are a bit disproportionally large and very dense. In the past when I lost weight, they were slowest to change, and even at a size 12, I couldn't wear boots without laces. So, we'll see.

Wow, great results? Can I ask how tall you are? Also maybe your age? Your loose skin situation is practically non-existent, and even though I know it's futile, I keep trying to figure out what I can roughly expect...

This is a great question, and I'd love to hear from some veterans. I'm also someone who has been overweight since grade school (quite petite until we moved states when I was 6, then I was bored and lonely and gained a lot of weight I've been dealing with since). I haven't yo-yo-ed too much, since I know it's bad for you, so I've only really lost any weight twice, and of course gained it back. But I was never the sort to lose 50, gain 60 over and over again. I'd love to hear if anyone know how weight history affects sleeve success.

I'm May 28th in Germany. I hope we can get a thread going!

@@PdxMan thank you so much for your post! It's so important to hear long term success stories like this!

I think traveling healthy is one of the things we all look forward to being able to do post-sleeve, but usually when we picture it, we're already at or near goal, or, at the very least, mostly adjusted to our new ways of life. I'm still pre-op until next Wednesday, but if it were me, I think I'd wait. I know the idea of just getting it over with is appealing, but from what I've read, you're going to be wanting to spend the first few months after surgery just figuring out things at home, not worrying about your new stomach while you travel. I know some people have to travel for work soon after surgery, but that's a necessity and rarely much fun anyway. I don't think you want to see your vacation ruined by a too recent surgery. I think you should just enjoy your summer, have some food funerals if you need them, but also use the time to start working in some lifestyle changes. Then have surgery in September and plan your next vacation for well in advance when you'll be able to enjoy it. That way you can get excited about all the NSVs that will come along with traveling when you're ready!

What about places other than your torso? Arms, knees, lower legs, thighs?