Clementine Sky

You look fantastic! I stalled out more than an old car in need of repairs, haha, but I eventually reached my goal. My longest stall lasted for months, and then boom, I started dropping again. One perk of my body taking its sweet time in losing weight is that I don't have loose skin, and never lost much hair. So the stalls, while frustrating at the time, were beneficial overall.

For me going through Mexico was the far easier route, for two main reasons. The first was what I wrote about in my previous post - my BMI was around 32 at the highest, and my insurance only provides coverage if your BMI is over 40, or over 35 and you have co-morbitidies (my conditions do not qualify with them for eligibility). So I would have had to gain a substantial amount to be covered, and even then would have to go through a lengthy process. Or pay $29,000 to $35K which wasn't feasible at this stage of my life. The other reason why it was so much easier was full control over when I had the surgery. I didn't have to go through six months of nutritional classes, psychiatric evaluation, or a plethora of tests. I felt confident I was a strong candidate based on my endocrinologist's recommendation for having the VSG and the research I'd done on it specifically for low BMI women with PCOS. She ordered a full panel of blood tests to rule out cause for concern before I booked the surgery. I also had a blood test and EKG in Mexico before the surgery. I was able to choose the exact date for the surgery. I'm a professor and was wanting to fit it in during the stretch of time I had between quarters so I could recover before returning to work. It was an uncomplicated and stress-minimal experience. In some respects I think going to Mexico requires more work on the patient's part to become informed because you have to educate yourself instead of receiving all the info from your surgeon's office. I did receive information from my surgeon's office - a binder - but that was after, not before, the surgery, and I wanted to be prepared in advance. It was simple to do, though, with the ample amount of information posted on sites like the ones for the Mayo Clinic's bariatric center, Stanford, UCLA, etc, plus learning from forums, YouTube, and the like. I also loved that I paid for the surgery, and that was that. I've gotten sucker punched by medical bills before, such as when I was treated in the Emergency Room and found out later on that the doctor was not in my network. That was painful. People on here have written about getting similarly unpleasant surprises, such as huge bill for an anesthesiologist who wasn't in-network, even though the surgeon who performed the WLS was. So when someone says going to Mexico is the easier route, I don't take offense to it at all. As Einstein said, "everything should be as simple as possible, but not simpler." Some people really benefit from the educational classes their surgeon provides and all the required testing, and they can get their surgery fully covered by their insurance. For them, having the surgery locally makes perfect sense. I do think that going to Mexico because you were deemed to be too at-risk for the surgery in the US would be an entirely different situation. Someone over 65, diabetic, with a history of blood clots, etc, would be taking on far more of a gamble with their health than someone like me who was low-risk. The woman who died in Mexico might have had risk factors that contributed to her death after WLS, and she might not have; she might have been in fine health besides her weight. One of my friends who was never overweight, never drank, never smoked, was a runner, and the epitome of health died in January of a heart attack at age 32. She had no idea she had a heart problem because she'd never shown any symptoms of it, and was too young for the routine testings older people have to detect issues and treat them.

I don't mind at all. My surgeon was Dr. Fernando Garcia, and I was very pleased with him and the surgical team. My room at the clinic there was much nicer than at US hospitals. My only regret is in not getting the single incision, which was only $1000 more with him. Besides that, I couldn't be more satisfied.

My husband is a physician at a top-ranked Los Angeles hospital, and it's not uncommon for their patients to decide to make the short trek down to Mexico for a myriad of treatments, because of the extreme difference in costs for comparable care. Even with top-of-the-line insurance the costs can be astronomical. Medical tourism has become so common that several US insurance companies now provide coverage for it. The Canadian government has reimbursed some of the costs affiliated with bariatric surgery for their citizens who have it in Mexico, mainly to avoid the lengthy wait periods (in some areas it can be a decade's wait). It's not just WLS, but cancer treatment, orthopedic surgeries, and a whole host of other medical issues that people seek treatments for, and so long as the facility and doctors they chose are reputable, the outcome can be comparable. It's why it's imperative to do due diligence when researching and considering any type of surgery, in the US, Mexico, or anywhere else. I personally went to Mexico for the VSG because my BMI was under 35, and even if I gained weight I still would not have met my insurance's eligibility requirements because my conditions (PCOS and hypothyroidism) did not qualify. My endocrinologist had recommended the VSG to me to boost fertility, and said that other women my age and size had successful outcomes with the surgery. I first consulted with local surgeons, and the quotes given were $29,000 to $35,000. I would have had to pay this entirely out of pocket. I then asked my doctor if she ever had any patients who went to Mexico for surgery, and she said she did. She'd apparently made a wildly inaccurate assumption about how much money I have, which is why she hadn't mentioned that option to me at first and instead had recommended the local surgeons I saw. She agreed to provide me with all follow-up care for having the VSG in Tijuana. The total cost of my surgery was $4200, which included two nights at the Marriott. I had no complications, and a very positive experience. That was 18 months ago. I've been maintaining at a size 2-4 for about six months. Many of my issues with PCOS have been alleviated. Just the other day I was reading on here about someone's surgery costing $70,000. $70,000 vs. $4200. Surgical complications and deaths can occur at any facility. At the hospital where my husband works patients died due to medical equipment that hadn't been properly cleaned (the fault mainly lying with the manufacturer of the equipment for providing inaccurate directions on how to clean it) and caused massive infections. Healthy young people have died during routine surgeries right here in the US. Teenagers have died having their wisdom teeth removed, most often from an underlying medical condition unknown at the time. People have died from blood clots after very routine procedures. Joan Rivers died in NY from an unexpected complication to a minor surgery. I'm not at all surprised that a patient died after / during bariatric surgery. What needs to happen is for the surgeon's office and the coordinators working with him to be transparent about what happened. That's what other reputable facilities / surgeons have done after a death - provide the factual information about what happened. What looks shady is obfuscation.

I was so baffled by how I was fitting into clothes that were much smaller sizes than when I weighed the same amount in high school 10+ years ago that I did a search about it and found a Washington Post article with a chart showing what sizes were in the past and now. I agree with the OP that sizing is a bit arbitrary. I was helping my aunt move recently, and she had clothes in her closet dating back to the 80s. I've been wearing a size 2-4 in modern sizes, but a size 8 my aunt says is from about 1994 was snug.

Take the emotions you're feeling and put them to use by building up your resolve to improve your eating habits. What stage are you in? Under your name it says pre op, but how close to surgery are you? If you're on a strict pre op diet and having surgery within the next few days you might want to discuss this with your surgeon's office. Otherwise I'd just move forward. If you have to follow a liquid diet or something, then finding recipes for more enjoyable protein shakes might help to lessen the temptation to indulge in sweet desserts. The blog The World According to Eggface has some great recipes, and you can find a lot on Pinterest, too. By the way, you look beautiful in your picture! Feel positive about yourself, and forgive yourself for your mistakes.

Wow. $70K is steep, though it doesn't shock me considering the expenses of American healthcare. My insurance wouldn't cover any of my expenses because my BMI didn't meet the qualifications, so from the start I was planning on being self-pay. I was quoted $29,000 to $35,000 in Los Angeles. I ended up going to Mexico in August of 2015 where the VSG was $4200, and the experience very positive. I've been maintaining a size 2-4 for six months now. If insurance would have paid for my surgery, I would have had it locally, but I think the reputable surgeons and facilities in Mexico are a good option for those who will have to pay out of pocket.

I tried the keto diet in college, and like many others, lost weight rapidly, then gained it back even faster. A girl I follow on Instagram who had the VSG a year before I did (in August of 2015) raved about keto and how it had aided her in losing weight as someone who started out with a low BMI for WLS. My pre-surgery stats and goals were similar to hers. She does still recommend the keto diet, but cautioned that it must be followed diligently, and with a resolve to never stop it. She reached her goal weight in 2015 and maintained it for months, then in 2016 tried keto again to lose a bit more. She lost the weight she wanted, but then gained far more back very quickly when she stopped following it, and was back in the overweight BMI category. For me, the keto diet just isn't sustainable. It also makes me obsessive about carbs because I feel deprived, and to feel like I'm living to eat instead of the other way around. I've lost and kept the weight off by following a lower-carb, but not low-carb diet. I try to keep it under 80 net carbs a day. I've followed a plan from The Insulin Resistance Diet Plan & Cookbook by Jennifer Koslo. I checked the book out from the library, read it, and then just followed the guidelines. I don't literally follow the menu suggestions for each day. I recommend it, especially for any women with PCOS.

Popsicles that only consist of frozen fruit are lower in sugar and carbs. GoodPop has decent stats for most of their flavors. http://www.goodpops.com/flavors/

Halo Top is lower in carbs and sugar, higher in protein, and decent in taste. One aspect of it that helps with portion control is that you cannot eat it straight out of the carton because it must sit on the counter for about 15 minutes to reach a creamy consistency. What I recommend doing is scooping out a half-cup size portion, and then immediately putting it back into the freezer so you cannot have any seconds. It's a bit pricy, but superior to other low-fat ice creams. I would avoid high-fat, caloric ice creams that are going to just slide right down and not fill you up, because they are going to sabotage your progress. Something like Halo Top would be fine if you portion it correctly. I only have it once a week or so, when I'm really craving a dessert. There are also yogurt popsicles that are higher in protein and low carb. Be sure to check the labels. You could make your own using a yogurt like Siggi's, though I haven't personally tried this yet.

I'm in Santa Monica. I'm in Santa Monica and would be happy to chat and / or meet if you'd like. Just send me a message. I had the VSG in Mexico, so I won't be able to give any insight on local surgeons, though.

I'm writing this while munching on a Dove dark chocolate heart to satisfy my sweet tooth. I'm 18 months post-op. It's that time of the month when chocolate feels like a biological need, haha. For me the cravings for sweets never went away, but I did find satisfying substitutions that I believe actually aided my progress rather than derailed it. In the past whenever I'd feel deprived on a diet I'd eventually cave in and binge on the danishes or ice cream I yearned for, but by having very small, reasonable desserts and snacks that have stayed within the goals I set, I've kept myself contented. During the liquid phase post-op my favorite protein powder was the chocolate one from Unjury. I added in unsweetened cocoa from Trader Joe's for extra chocolatey goodness sometimes. I also like having it with PB2 and iced coffee, or Torani sugar free syrups. I invested in a Nutribullet before surgery, and have really made use of it. I really liked the protein shake recipes on The World According to Eggface's blog, too, and recommend checking them out if you haven't yet. She's got a really winsome attitude and a lot of fun recipes for all stages. When I could start eating solids again I looked for sweets that were lower in carbs and sugar. One of my favorite desserts are the chocolate covered banana bites (Doles makes them, but the brand I like best is at Sprouts grocery stores) because they only have around 15 carbs for a four piece serving, and are just enough to be satisfied but won't derail progress. Trader Joe's also has slim Belgian chocolate bars that are only 100 calories and low in carbs. Other favorites from Trader Joe's are their macrons (three for 15 carbs), lemon bars (I think they're 10 carbs each), and Belgian waffles (big, fluffy, yummy and only 13 carbs!). Chia pudding, Siggi's yogurt, and smoothies made with high protein yogurt and frozen berries are also sweet enough to be enjoyable while still healthy. The cocoa sounds yummy. My main suggestion is to use something like MyFitnessPal to track everything you eat during the weight loss phase so you are really aware of how everything adds up. That way you can make adjustments to be able to add in sweets while still staying on track.

My husband encouraged me to find the humor in my bizarre, completely unexpected cravings for fast food when I absolutely couldn't eat even a bite of it during the liquid phase of post-op, after years of turning my nose up at it, haha. The pre-op me would have never believed that's what the post-op me obsessed about. The fast food meals I've actually eaten had have been reasonably healthy (unlike the ones I craved during the liquid diet) and I always enter them into MyFitnessPal to keep track of my daily nutritional stats. I think if I were to eat a Big Mac and fries my stomach would protest, and I'd probably get an acne breakout in a day or two. The only fast food burgers I've eaten since having the VSG is a kids size one from In-N-Out, Steak-n-Shake, and Freddy's, all of which uses better ingredients than most of the others. What I eat most often are the grilled chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-a, and occasionally the fried ones, and the bowls from Chipotle without the rice. El Pollo Loco has a menu of items under 500 calories, and they're pretty tasty. At Panda Express you can order the entrees, like the grilled chicken, a la carte, and without the rice added on it's reasonable. I also eat from local fast food places (there are a ton in LA), but choose better options. Healthy food you make for yourself at home is almost always superior, though. There's a girl who lost something like 150 pounds after having the VSG, and a huge part of her success is making meals for the week on Sunday nights. (She used to be on Instagram with the screen name Fit Miss Bliss, but I think she disabled her account.) She had breakfast, lunch, and dinner all planned out, and lunch stacked up in the refrigerator for each day. I admire those who plan out that well, but haven't followed suit. I just try to meet targets with each meal, and keep track of what I've had thus far that day. It's awesome you're working with a trainer and nutritionist. You seem to have the attitude that will lead to great success!

In the five years prior to having the VSG I ate a total of three fast food meals. Two of those three were when I was in China and needed a place that had picture menus so I could just point to what I wanted since I speak only a few words of the language. The third meal was in London, and only because you were required to make a purchase to be able to use the restroom. This was during the time when I was in grad school and most of the eateries on campus were fast food. I had a bit of a snobbish attitude about it, but the bagels and pasta I was eating in its place did me no favors. In the nearly two years since having the VSG I've eaten numerous meals at fast food places, and worked my way down to a size 2/4 on a 5'8 frame. I grew up in Florida loving Chick-fil-a, and when one finally opened in my area of Los Angeles, I was pumped. It became my routine to go to the one near the gym after workouts and get a kids meal with nuggets, a fruit cup instead of fries, and a diet lemonade or milk in lieu of a soda. I also eat at El Pollo Loco fairly regularly now. One benefit of fast food places and other large chains is that they have all of their nutritional information on their websites, so you can quickly access it and make better choices. It can also be sobering to look up what you're craving and see how that one meal has more calories and carbs than you'd typically eat in a day (or in some cases, two). For me, cultivating sustainable habits has been the most critical for keeping the weight off, and a big part of that is informing myself about what I'm eating, tracking it, and planning. So I do eat ice cream and candy, but very rarely instead of regularly, and it doesn't have the impact that it would if I wasn't eating healthily the majority of the time and exercising regularly. During the first month post-op I was bombarded with cravings for fast food, despite having not eaten any regularly in years. It was like some strange lady moved into my mind, because the obsession for Papa Johns and Jack in the Box was completely bizarre to me. I even watched YouTube videos of fast food reviews, to consume it with my eyes and not my mouth, lol. I looked through the Instagram pictures of a donut shop I loved, and other similarly unhealthy eateries. Food was on my mind constantly. When you're only able to consume liquids, and the majority of commercials are for fast food places and highly caloric snacks, you can start to desire things you ordinarily wouldn't. As I wrote before, I never made any threads asking when I could eat x, y, or z, but I benefitted from others asking them and reading about horror stories. I knew it absolutely wasn't worth the risk, so I never ate any of the food I was obsessing over while healing. I eventually ate the breakfast from Jack in the Box that I'd been weirdly fascinated with during the first month of post-op - about 15 months after surgery, when I'd been in maintenance for months. It wasn't nearly as good as I'd thought it would be, and I have no desire to eat it again. Reading on here about how others also had head hunger helped me a lot. I knew it was common, and that I'd get through it, and I did. It's why those threads don't bother me one bit.

Siggi's Icelandic yogurt is the lowest flavored yogurt I've found, and to me it's quite good. I prefer having it as a snack or a dessert, but it's good for a quick breakfast since you can get it individual cups and just grab one and go. http://siggisdairy.com Liberte yogurt is low-carb in some flavors, like sweat cream. I've only found it at Whole Foods, though, and it's a bit overpriced. For breakfast I most often will make a smoothie using Trader Joe's brand of plain yogurt that has 23 grams of protein and 7 carbs (if memory serves) with some frozen berries and kale.

I've never participated in any Facebook group for WLS, but have read numerous threads on this forum from people asking when they can eat ______ (insert notoriously unhealthy food or drink here) post-op, and have never felt disgusted or frustrated by them. Quite to the contrary, I am glad the person has the forethought to ask their questions rather than to just eat whatever they are craving and not seek any advice or feedback about it first. It's especially important during the crucial first few weeks post-op when the stomach is still healing and you're very vulnerable to substantial harm from eating improperly to be fully equipped with knowledge about the risks. By asking the question, you can gain that awareness, often through personal experiences or anecdotes that will resonate more coming from a community than from a nutritionist who may not have ever had WLS herself / himself. It certainly kept me in line. Reading about someone needing surgery to remove food she'd eaten too soon kept me from making that mistake. For those who are more advanced and can safely eat most foods, I try to make recommendations for healthier alternatives that might still be satisfying. Or encourage them to look up the nutritional stats for whatever they're craving and consider if it's worthwhile. If it is, then it can be planned for so that it doesn't derail progress. I think success following WLS is about about psychology nearly as much as it is physiology. For many food has served as a hobby, a joy, a comfort during times of stress, a companion in loneliness. The thought of forever being deprived of a beloved food can discourage some from proceeding with surgery, or lead to self-destructive actions like "food funerals" where they binge pre-op on all that they love. I think it can be a relief to know that they can have those foods, but not until after they've fully healed, and in much smaller quantities on far rarer occasions. At least for me it was. Maybe it was a case of reverse psychology because, paradoxically, knowing that I could eat something I loved actually made me crave it less. I didn't feel deprived. During my first month post-op I had fierce head hunger and obsessed about foods I ordinarily wouldn't even want. I told myself that when I hit specific goals I could have what I craved, but by the time I hit those goals interest had often waned.

I agree. I strictly followed the guidelines in the first month when my stomach was still healing because I viewed that more as a prescription than a diet, but beyond that my focus was on cultivating sustainable habits, which for me meant not prohibiting any foods. When something becomes a proverbial forbidden fruit, the temptation for it tends to intensify. In the past I rapidly lost weight and then gained even more back even more speedily when I binged all that I'd deprived myself of while dieting. In the time following properly healing from the VSG I've had cheesecake, Diet Coke, pizza, Chinese food - all the things that make the naughty list, but the substantial difference is that I've had them rarely, and in far smaller portions. I lost weight at a slower pace than many (a perk of that has been no loose skin), but exceeded all my goals and have maintained a size XS / 2. I do urge people who post on this forum to follow the guidelines in their first month out, because the risks of harm are too high then. Beyond that, everyone needs to figure out what works the best for their own success.

I had the VSG in August of 2015; I've exceeded my weight loss goals and do not have any loose skin, but I lost at a much slower pace than many others. If you experience stalls or a slower rate of loss, try to not be discouraged because they could be silver linings for you, as they were for me. I also never lost much hair. There are many factors that contribute to whether you'll have loose skin, though, such as your age, the amount of weight you lose, how long you were at your highest weight, and your rate of loss. I've read that swimming is excellent for firming your skin, though I haven't personally incorporated it into my routine. My main form of exercise has been biking to and from work. I use an in-shower body lotion and scrub, and apply another body lotion while I'm still damp after getting out and lightly drying off. I've never taken supplements or regularly used special skin tightening creams (I tried a few, but did not repurchase them). Best wishes.

My highest BMI was 32, and it was 30 on the day of surgery in August of 2015. It's currently 19.5. I put the scale away because it was so discouraging then. I was barely fitting into a size 14 and XL tops and skirts, and am now in a size 2/4 and an XS. I'm 5'8. I lost weight at a slower pace than most do after WLS (about a year), but I eventually met and then exceeded my goals. I had a fantastic experience in Mexico! I live in Los Angeles, so it was a simple morning's drive down to the border. There's a long-term parking lot with reasonable rates we were instructed by the coordinator to leave our car at, and the driver met us and took us to the Marriott in Tijuana. My surgeon was Dr. Fernando Garcia, and I thought he was kind and caring. I didn't spend that much time with him, but I felt at peace. The medical team took good care of me, and were attentive. I had discomfort and some pain the first day, but was given ample medication to prevent anything too intense. My period started during surgery, and it seemed to amplify the cramps. Had that not happened I think the pain would have been even more minimal. I'd brought a heating pad with me and it helped. Still, I was up and walking around within a few hours. I was actually told to slow down because my laps were too fast, haha. I slept most of the time the first two days, though. I'd brought an HDMI cable to hook my laptop up to, and had it loaded with movies to keep my parents entertained (they were my support team since my husband was working) while I snoozed. They could have stayed in the room with me, as some other family members of patients did, but it was more comfortable for them to stay at the Marriott. The hotel was a bit dated, but still quite nice, and they were eager to please. The shuttle took my parents to the clinic and back every day, and also to other places. There is a little shopping center down the street with an Applebees, Starbucks, and Walmart. They paid a bit extra to stay on the executive floor, and it included access to a little dining area that served breakfast and light dinner fare. We all felt perfectly safe. Once you move beyond the border there are some really pretty and nice areas. On our last day there we played tourist and had fun. We then went to the outlet mall on the American side of the border before heading back to LA. I felt fine by then. The only problem was an irritation caused by the surgical tape. I spent one night at the Marriott before the surgery, two nights at the clinic, and then one more night at the hotel before we left and headed back to LA. I was given the medications and wound care that I needed. The only additional money spent was on the x-ray of the leak test, which was $20 (and optional). My room at the clinic was spacious and comfortable, and had a private bathroom. The total cost was $4200, which included the 2 nights at the Marriott, and ground transportation from the border to the hotel and back. Since my BMI was under the eligibility requirements for my insurance, I would have had to pay for it myself in the US. I'd been quoted between $29,000 and $35,000. I feel confident that the results would have been precisely the same. Another huge perk of having the surgery in Mexico was far more control. I didn't have to jump through insurance hoops or wait months for a surgery date. I scheduled it for precisely when it was the ideal time (three weeks in advance). I see my endocrinologist for follow-up care. My blood work has been excellent, and I'm just taking two Flintstones with Iron a day. I met with a nutritionist there and received a folder with information. You definitely don't get the same level of patient education as you would if you were attending six months worth of classes or whatever the other requirements are for American surgeons, but between the info I was given and what I found online, I've felt equipped with all I needed to know to succeed. Reputable bariatric centers like the ones at UCLA, the Mayo Clinic, and Stanford have nutritional information and instructions online. I also thought Dr. Matthew Weiner's YouTube videos were helpful. I'd bought a book on Amazon about what to expect with bariatric surgery. The few times I had any questions, I posted them here and received informative responses. I'd do it all exactly the same if I could rewind time, except I'd choose the single incision. That's it. Otherwise, I'm very satisfied.

I only regret not having the single incision surgery, because even though the scars have faded they're still visible. For the first time in many years I feel confident in a swimsuit at the beach, but I can't wear a bikini because of the scars. The coordinator I'd worked with for booking my surgery in Mexico had discouraged the single incision because she said that after she'd had the VSG she had so much loose skin she needed a surgery to remove it, and so the extra cost would be wasted. I appreciate that she was trying to save me $1000, but the advice wasn't solid, because there was a tremendous difference between our starting weights, making me far less likely to have the loose skin she experienced. I don't have any loose skin, but if I had lost 200 pounds instead of 80 I probably would. So I'm glad the OP is having the single-incision. That's literally my only regret. This surgery changed my life for the better.

We have similarities in our experiences. I also rapidly gained an astonishing amount of weight on Zoloft. It was the descent into obesity for me. My endocrinologist recommended the VSG to me and said that women my size (almost the same height, BMI, and pre-surgery weight as you, but a bit younger) with PCOS had benefited from it. Even without the PCOS I think there's prudence in obtaining better health now, before you reach morbid obesity and all the health problems associated with it. I had an extremely positive experience in Mexico having the VSG (mine was with Dr. Fernando Garcia) and in the 18 months since then have exceeded my goals. I think you'll be extremely happy with the results as well. Be aware that since you're starting at a lower BMI, you'll likely lose weight at a slower pace. It took me a year to lose what some do in a few months. The silver lining for me is that I've had no issues with loose skin or hair loss. I went from squeezing into a size 14 / XL to wearing a size 2 or 4 / XS. I switched to a low dose of Wellbutrin a few months before surgery, which has thankfully helped to alleviate some of the depression and not caused me to gain weight. Many people taking a higher dosage have commented in reviews of the prescription that it helped them to lose weight by curbing their appetite, but unfortunately the higher dosage caused hair loss and anxiety in me when I took it, so I've stuck with the lowest dose. If you continue to take Zoloft you might still experience weight frustrations even after surgery. There's a surgeon on YouTube named Dr. Matthew Weiner who has made several useful videos, including one about why people gain weight after having WLS. Medications were at the top of the list, with antidepressants being a notorious cause. Your surgeon might be able to offer some advice. Best of luck to you!

Thanks for sharing about this product. I'm going to check it out. I had the VSG in August of 2015, and my scars have faded and flattened considerably since then, but are still visible. I'm extremely fair, so it shows up a bit more on me. For the first time since high school I actually want to wear a bikini at the beach, so I'm going to try this product and hope for the best. @VSG4Mag - Congratulations on your surgery! I'm grateful for having mine every day. Your life will change for the better.

I had the VSG in August of 2015, and to date the only ones who know about it (besides medical professionals who've treated me) are my husband and my parents. I'm not in the least bit abashed about having WLS, but I also don't feel the least bit obligated to reveal my personal health matters to anyone else. Some people benefit profoundly by being very open about their surgery, most often because they're receiving positive feedback - support, encouragement, nurturing accountability. Some have expressed on this forum that they intensely regret being open about it, most often because of negative feedback they received. They've written about family members and friends not discouraging, criticizing and second-guessing them; co-workers lacking discretion and crossing into personal boundaries by commenting on food choices or giving unsolicited advice and critique. And then there are those of us who simply aren't seeking feedback beyond what is given by doctors, and perhaps what's offered up in forums like this one. People have noticed my weight loss, but they've also noticed that I now bike to work instead of drive, that I eat more nutritiously, that I don't drink (mainly because it impacts me much more than it used to) and other lifestyle modifications. When asked how I've lost the weight, I've told them it's by tracking what I eat on MyFitnessPal, and exercising as a habit. That's the truth. The main reason I had VSG was to help alleviate problems with PCOS and hopefully boost my fertility; it's an intimate and sensitive matter to me. It was perhaps easier for me to not be as bombarded with questions or curiosity because I lost weight at a relatively slow pace in comparison to others. I also didn't have to do a pre-op diet, or take any time off from work. Anyone who wishes to keep their WLS private is perfectly entitled to, for whatever reason, and anyone who wishes to be open about it is perfectly entitled to, whatever their reason.

I had mentally prepared myself for the probability of loose skin after having a VSG in August of 2015, but I've been below my initial goal weight for quite some time and do not have any at all. If anything my skin seems firmer now, mainly because exercise has helped me to be more toned. I believe losing weight at a much slower pace than many others who've had WLS did gave my skin more time to adjust. It was discouraging at the time because I wanted to step on the scale and see a much lower number than the previous month, but slooooooow and steady worked out for me. I also didn't lose much hair. There are several factors for loose skin, though: your age will affect your skin elasticity; the length of time when you were at your highest weight, how much you lose, and how quickly you lose it. Staying hydrated, exercising (swimming is supposed to be particularly good, though I never did during the weight loss phase), and using body lotions may help. I used some specifically for firmer skin at first, then switched to lotion for dry skin. I use an in-shower moisturizer, and then when I step out I lightly towel off and while my skin is still damp apply lotion. Good luck to you! Your life is going to change for the better.

I didn't experience feeling ravenous post-op, but I remember reading about other people who did and how acid reflux was a major contributor. Apparently excess stomach acid can mimic hunger pangs in some people. I know you mentioned reading about stomach acid when trying to find answers, but have you tried any medications to see if they help? I believe you can get Nexium over the counter. My surgeon had recommended drinking 2% milk when hungry in the first month post-op. I drink Fair Life which has more protein. I'm mindful about how much of it I drink, but it is what I'll choose if I'm hungry and need to be satiated quickly. It tends to fill me up and prevent me from wanting to eat something less healthy. Best wishes to you!