bobbyswife

I’ve spent a great deal of time researching ways to combat loose skin, and while there’s no promise of perfect skin after losing a lot of weight, I’ve come up with the most common things that have supposedly been helpful when talking to and reading about people who have lost up to 100 pounds and more. No, I’m not a skin specialist, but these are the top 10 things that I think I will do in these two months prepping for surgery Dec. 18th. None of these items would be negative, so any benefit that does come from them will be… well... a benefit! Feel free to chime in with your own tips, too. I’ll be putting together a blog post on this soon. These are in no particular order 1) Coconut Oil – I’m slathering myself in this every day after my shower and before bed. Coconut oil keeps the skin’s connective tissues strong and supple, and can even help with skin blemishes. I’ve already noticed a major improvement in my skin health. I’ve always been prone to itchy skin and it has all completely stopped in a matter of days. Also, cooking with coconut oil is the healthiest in my opinion. Cooking with oils such as olive oil is counter-productive because once it reaches a certain temperature it starts to oxidize and release free radicals. That’s never good. 2) Body Brushing aka Dry Brushing - Releases toxins, stimulates the lymphatic system and improves circulation. Always dry brush in a circular motion, brushing toward your middle. 3) Water, Water, Water – Drink, Drink, Drink. If you’re an adult, you know this. Enough said. 4) Weight Training - Work those muscles. This one is tricky for me because I am so arthritic and have fibromyalgia and I have to literally micro-manage my every move in order to prevent adrenal fatigue, but I am so hoping, praying and wishing that once some of this weight comes off, more weight training will be possible because I love it! 5) Say NO to sun bathing and chlorine – both of these dehydrate your skin. If you’re like me and love to be in the sun, use sunscreen or good clothing coverage. But, for me, I’m personally going to avoid too much direct exposure, at least between now and goal weight. It’s a healthy practice to get into anyway. Unfortunately it can be a catch 22 though, since so many sunscreens are full of skin harming chemicals. Your best bet = cover up! And for Heavens sake – stay out of the tanning bed! If you must go swimming, even in an indoor pool, wash that chlorine off ASAP. Can you say dry skin? 6) Regular Massage – I’m a big believer in massage for too many things to list, but treating your skin to regular massage stimulates your blood cells and lymphatic system. Your skin is your largest organ – treat it nicely 7) Protein – Lots of lean protein will give your skin the collagen and elastin that it needs to stay healthy. If you eat a bunch of crap – expect your skin to be crap, too. I know this from first hand experience. Any time I get off track and start feeding my body junk food, my skin is the first thing to suffer. 8) Use Decent Soap – it doesn’t have to be the most expensive thing on the market, but cleanse your skin with a decent moisturizing cleanser and avoid over-cleansing. 9) Essential Oils – my sister has recently delved into the essential oil world and I’ve really been impressed with some of the studies that have recently been put out. Lavender oil and almond oil just to name a few, are amazing things. I add a few drops to my bath when I feel like soaking. It’s good for the skin and is relaxing, too! 10) Body Wraps – this one I hesitated to add to the list because there’s a great divide among people as to whether or not they really work. I’m not keen on the big name multi-level marketing companies, so I won’t mention any names, but seriously, you can make yourself a DIY wrap at home if you just Google how to do it. Can’t hurt, right? I’d love to get feedback from anyone with other ideas!

I'm 3 months post op and I guess I'm considered slow, too. But, I'm not so sure I buy into this "honeymoon" period nonsense. I think that line of thinking happens as a result of people naturally getting lax after a year, and not so much a result of the tool itself. I think the tool works as long as you work the tool. In other words, even if you lose slow, you still lose. Just keep doing the right things.

When I was first post op I was THRILLED when I was in the lb/day phase. Now at 3 months post op I'm lucky if I get a lb a week sometimes. Then out of nowhere I'll get 6 in one week. There is NO normal lol. Roll with it, girlfriend - this is a crazy ride!

It's so minimal, it really doesn't matter. What matters is what you put in your body post op. Protein, protein, protein.

Awe dang! I missed it!

Well heck, you got engaged on my surgery day, so I'll definitely vote!

YES

It gets better. WALK, WALK, WALK. Honestly, that's the best thing. I remember my second night after surgery I was so uncomfortable I walked laps between by kitchen and livingroom for 2 hours in the middle of the night. It helps so much!

I posted on this preop and got a variety of answers. Now that I'm post op I can attest that my shoe size has gone down almost a whole size and I still have 50 lbs to go. But, maybe some people don't have as much fat on their feet? I dunno...

Yeah.... it works. Don't over-think this. It. Works. Don't waste precious time and energy worrying - that's the one thing I wish I had done differently. Look forward to all the exciting changes! Best thing I've ever done for me!

Happens all the time now!

I would have spent less time worrying that I was making the wrong decision and spent more time looking forward to how it was going to be. This surgery was the nicest thing I've ever done for myself. I wish I had done it years ago!

I'm so close to 50 lbs I can taste it! My highest weight was 259.6. I was 246.6 when I started the pre-op diet. I was 229.5 on the day of surgery (12/18/14). 213 today when this pic was taken. 16.5 down in 4 weeks since surgery. Total of 46.6 down. I'm 40 years old and 5'3".

Get a lawyer.

I quit a little over a year ago. I had surgery to get healthy, and decided that smoking defeated that purpose. I'll never go back!

I have a totally new normal, and it's light years better than the old normal!

Have you called your surgeon?

I'll never forget that day when I got my date, it was Oct. 15th. It's going to be a great ride - don't have doubts, it's amazing!

Syntrax Matrix peanut butter cookie, cookies-n-cream, mint chocolate chip Genepro

Famous last words. If you don't want to be, don't be. Open relationships are touchy, if you don't know what's involved in that, don't play in the deep end. Don't fool yourself. Get OUT of your relationship and stay OUT of others relationships. Regardless of whether or not they say they are "open".

@@wannaBthinsoon You're getting close!!!

GIRL you can do it! I am 6 weeks out and I am SHOCKED when I see the changes already. You will do great!

I've said this on many posts before, but here it is again. My tonsillectomy a few years ago was a thousand times worse than my VSG. It's the best thing I've EVER done for myself, hands down.

Be glad you can have food! Some of us had nothing but shakes and that sucked!

Completely normal. Be glad you can get in fluids, that's the main thing you need. But, remember, just because you CAN eat the whole thing doesn't mean that you SHOULD. Listen to your body and the minute you start feeling full-ish, stop eating. This is a good habit to start!