wheezysmom

With no support mine look like tube socks with nickels at the bottom. Before losing weight they were probably a 44F/G. Now they are a 34/36 C/D. My only saving grace is that they look fantastic in a VS sports bra (those are the only bras I wear) so I don't feel an urgent need to get them done.

My kid was a month away from turning 2 when I had surgery. I wasn't supposed to lift him for a month, but I probably started picking him up a little bit around 3 weeks post op. I needed a lot of help the first week, my kid went to daycare all day while my mom or grandma took care of me. The pain meds made me sleepy and loopy. The second week I was a lot more alert but if I let my kid stay around me he just wanted me to hold him and that would involve him trying to lay on my stomach which was no bueno.

My goal was also a size 10... I am currently a size 6. I would be extra pissed if I bought a bunch of clothes that I could no longer fit. I personally wore clothes until they were literally falling off of me then I would go to Good Will and buy a pair or 2 of jeans that fit. If I had an event to go to that required me to look nice, I would buy something from the mall. When my weight loss seemed to stabilize/I didn't want to get any smaller is when I went out and actually started shopping.

I am a year post op. My HS was fairly active in the beginning post op but in the last couple of months things have died down tremendously. I may have had one or two nodes that popped up but nothing has opened up and drained in months. Like I said, if something does pop up, it seems to just go away on its own. Fingers crossed it stays like this for me. I had it bad under my arms.

For me, options ended 5/27, I got a call around June 7th, set the appointment for June 12th and I had surgery on 7/6. Good luck to you!

You for sure don't even look like the same person. Congrats to you!!! You look amazing.

These bad boys are sitting on my lap. I went from a 44F or G to a VS 36C. If I dare step out of the house without a bra I will most likely be captured, tagged, and released back into the wild.

First of all, I am so sorry for your loss. I have no advice because I have never been in that situation but I do want to say you have admitted your mistakes and your substance issues, there is NO shame in that. You are acknowledging it and that is one step closer in correcting it. Good luck and I wish you nothing but success!

I remember feeling that way early post op and it was definitely food triggered. I would get sad seeing my mom or husband eating normally while I am trying to force down some broth. I also had a lot of pain so I was really regretting my decision. It got better because that was just a stage, once I was able to eat "regular" food I felt a lot more normal. Once I started to be able to swallow without it hurting, I was happier. Once my clothes started falling off and people noticed the weight loss (lord knows I didn't see it lol), once I realized my back pain was disappearing, once I could stop all the medicine I was on... I knew I had made the right decision. Right now I am at goal and I haven't been considered a normal weight since probably early middle school and I couldn't be happier with my decision with weight loss. I also wonder if I could have done it on my own and I wonder where I would be in my journey if I just did diet and exercise. The answer is in the same place I was 18 months ago, because I can fantasize that dieting and exercise worked but realistically I would have given up about 2 months in because I would have had little to no progress and then gained back the weight I might have lost and then some. Good luck to you!

I have lost about half of the total amount of hair I had on my head. It was extremely thick now it's probably a normal amount. It happened pretty evenly all over and it has definitely slowed and I even noticed some new sod coming in on the fairway (I have lots of new little strands sticking out). If it got any worse I would have gotten a wig and went on my merry way, because hair will grow back but for the first time in probably 10 or 15 years I am not overweight.

I saw the surgeon during the consultation, the day after my surgery when he told me I couldn't go home just yet, and the first follow up appointment (maybe the 2nd too, I am starting to forget). Otherwise, I see his PAs. It doesn't bother me that I don't see him, the PA has always handled any issue that I have had. As long as I have someone with a valid medical license that I can go to, I'm good

Definitely talk to your nutritionist and/or Doctor. I was in the same boat, none of the protein shakes were sitting on my stomach and the only one that was even sort of working was Optifast but it has a lot of sugar. When I told the PA that Optifast was working she didn't like the sugar content but was willing to compromise because it had the protein that I needed. Good luck to you!

Hollister. That was really big when I was in high school and college and I was 200+ lbs by then so no way was I going to fit into it then. I just bought a pair of jeans from there and I love the way they fit. Don't judge me for chasing high school dreams lol

Did she make that comment before or after you told her to mind her damn business?

We went to marshall's to find my husband a shirt. I wandered over to the women's section and was just looking around when I came across the swim suit section. Right in from of my face was a monokini (I had been looking into them). The two sizes in front were a 6 and an 8. I tried both on and the 6 fit the best but my boobs are still larger than "average." But the point is I was able to find something without having to dig or search and it was a great feeling.

I did not have a drain.

Congrats! I know that was a good feeling.

I have a herniated lumbar disc. Severe lower back pain that radiated down both legs. My doctor referred me to the surgeon and that was one of the turning points for me, I am not afraid of surgery but I am petrified of back surgery. I decided to try and get into the bariatric program. While in that program the lead bariatric doctor told me that once I lost the weight, the disc may still be herniated but your symptoms may disappear. I had the sleeve done in July 2015 and I am currently close to goal (if I am not already there). No back pain and no pain radiating down my legs. I am off all meds relating to my back pain. Getting the sleeve done was one of the best decisions I ever made and I wish I would have done it sooner. Good luck to you!!

I can most definitely see a difference.

So you lost 250lbs and an unsupportive partner? So you probably lost a total of 400lbs, congrats!!

I read this thread a couple of days ago and started watching the show on YouTube. Before surgery, I had no problems watching the show, I still have no problem watching the show. But the main thing was that before surgery, I would watch and say to myself "I am fat but I am not that fat..." As I proceeded to eat a brownie the size of an iPhone 6 Plus with some ice cream in top. Now I watch the show and think to myself that could have been me, that would have been me if I didn't take control when I did.

Congrats Elode!! I also lost all of my ass and it also hurts when I sit in chairs with no cushion for extended amounts of time. I have some of those underwear with the ass built in sitting in my Amazon cart. My husband doesn't care and loves me for me, I am buying the butt underwear for myself lol

My ass was the first thing to volunteer as tribute. I didn't have a big butt before but at least I had something. Now I look like an ironing board from the back. But it's all good because I am no longer morbidly obese. I am just going to buy those underwear with the butt built in and go on with my life lol

That's incredible! Are you planning on maintaining at 150, or will you keep going down? 150 was my original goal, but I think I'll try for 140. Eh I'm not actually sure. I am thinking I should stay at 150 because I may look too thin at 140.

I decided that I wanted to be a 10. I am 3lbs from my surgeon's goal of 150 and I am between a 6 and an 8 and a small or medium. I never thought I would be this small, especially since I did weigh 150 at some point in high school and I was never in a size 6 (but I was also shopping in the juniors department, not ladies).