glitter eyes

Surgery date was June 23, 2014 Lost 126 pounds. Lost the majority of my weight in about 9 months.

It probably depends on a lot of factors like age, genetics, length of time overweight etc. Here is my experience. I carried all my weight in my torso. Lots of abdominal fat. My legs were very thin compared to the rest of my body and they were relatively toned. I never even suffered from the dreaded chub rub. My starting weight was 271 and I am 5'3" and 43 years old when sleeved. What has been a puzzle to me is I do have a palm sized patch of wrinkly loose skin on my inner thighs. It is mostly bothersome during the summer when I wear a bathing suit. I have to buy one with a small skirt or some shorts. Lucky it's high enough that it doesn't show in regular shorts. It crazy how our bodies end up. However, it's all worth the weight loss!!! Hope your thighs are some of the ones that tone back up!!!

I drank peach or grape flavored propel for the first year. Then I was able to tolerate small amounts of plain water or I would add flavor drops to water. It was a lot of experimenting to find what worked best for me.

I am at my goal and have been for several months. I started at 271 and now I am 145. My belly hangs down and nothing helps it. It doesn't look too bad when I have clothes on- but naked is a completely different matter. Up until this week I haven't even considered plastics, but now I am tossing the idea around in my mind. I don't mind how it looks, but clothes fit me kinda weird. I have very tiny bony legs and need a size 4, but my stomach needs a 6 so I have to find skinny jeans or pants cut narrow through the legs. It would be nice not to have to deal with it. However, I will take a saggy baggy belly over being overweight any day!!! It's been so worth it. I am 5'3

So very happy for you!! Amazing job. You are an inspiration to us all!!

@@MichiganChic Those bruises look painful, but more importantly your thighs look great. The skin looks like it's going to be tight!! Congrats on your plastics!!

@@cindyw41 let us know how it went having to wear the dreaded clothes!! Hope your first day back went good!! @@Tweety40 Don't even get me started on the bra- I didn't wear one of those for over a week after my surgery. Pure torture they were!!

So excited for you!! What a wonderful feeling to be able to see old friends AND looking awesome!!! So you rock your vanity- it's a good thing.

I feel your pain!! I wore loose cotton nightgowns and robes for almost two weeks. I am short and the waistband of all my pants sat right on top of one of my incisions. When I finally started wearing my pants again they were a lot looser. In hindsight I should have purchased a few pairs of loose sweatpants or yoga pants.

One thing I find myself doing since I have entered maintenance is each season I pick two things to try. I try to pick things that are "outside my comfort zone", and that I would never have done before my weightloss. Last spring: was hiking part of the Appalachian trail and camping, Summer: I learned to kayak and paddle board, this Fall: I rode a Ferris wheel for the first time and went ziplining. This winter we are going to kayak with the manatees here in Florida and I want to hike a 18 mile trail. I find that constantly finding new and different things to try keeps me motivated and I have found a love of kayaking. My husband and I even purchased ones for ourselves. Also, I don't really like the gym, but I know if I want to stay fit enough to camp, hike and kayak then I need to hit the gym pretty regular. I am always looking for my next adventure no matter how small!! This keeps me motivated. The thrill of weight loss does dwindle away.

I had very mild rare heartburn prior to surgery. My surgeon even did a test to check for a hiatal hernia and it was negative. He felt that the sleeve would be fine for me. Post op I began to develop heartburn and reflux. It is manageable with medication and I don't eat approximately two hours before bed and that seems to work for me. I think if I had suffered with heartburn prior to my sleeve I would have chosen the bypass.

145 today

@Djmohr. You look fantastic!!

Thanks TinyTink I will check out that brand

Congrats- that is a huge NSV. Being free again to participate in life is so amazing. Happy for you!!

I have tried almost everything. Tons of over the counter firming lotion brands, bio oil, rose hip oil, caster oil, emu oil, coconut oil, various essential oils.... Nothing seemed to make a difference to me. I think the skin tightening back up after weight loss depends on a lot of uncontrollable things; such as age, genetics, beginning weight etc. I had lost a lot of weight in my early 30's and all my skin tightened up wonderfully. Now I am 44 and things did not go back quite as well this time. So for me age was a huge factor. However, I say try it all- something may work for you.

What brand does everyone use? I looked at my local grocery store today and couldn't find it. I used to love everything bagels so I am sure I would love that seasoning.

@@JamieLogical Holy smokes girly- you look amazing!! Rocking your new clothes. Congrats on a job well done.

I didn't sleep in a bed for two weeks. I didn't even sleep in the bed at the hospital. I used the recliner during my hospital stay. Once home I have a recliner but wasn't comfortable in it so I slept in a big comfy chair with an ottoman. It's up to you but my vote is go with the hotel that has the chair option just in case. You don't want to be miserable if sleeping in a bed doesn't suit you. Good luck on your upcoming surgery.

Sometimes I think my vomit button I broken. LOL. I have never vomited even once and I am 18 months post op. I have on the rare occasion eaten a few bites too much or eaten something that didn't agree with me, but I can not vomit- I have even tried. So I just have to wait it out and have a few hours of nausea and sometimes hot flashes. I still try to measure my food to prevent it.

Happy surgery anniversary!! Your post was very inspiring and is a good example of how freeing this surgery can be. It frees us to live the life we deserve to have. So glad to read about your successes and accomplishments. Congrats!!

I had a hard time tolerating plain water. Some tips I found handy were to take very tiny tiny sips. Input my water in a medicine cup and that forced me to take even smaller sips. Also, try different temperatures of fluid. I did better with very ice cold, some people do better with hot or even room temperature. Another tip is to add some flavor drops to your water or try some that comes already flavored. I like propel water. It was a lot of experimenting to see what worked best for me. I am over 18 months post op and can just now tolerate plain water. Hang in there it does get easier. Congrats on your surgery

Your results are amazing so far!! Glad the pain hasn't been too bad!! Congrats on your surgery.

Amazing job!! Congrats on all your hard work.

146 today