Tinatx

Are you speaking about loose skin, if so, that really depends on your build. I was almost 400 pounds, but I don't have a lot of hanging skin. I was denied the Panni, due to not having enough of a "loose" skin in the abdominal area for the surgery, but I was approved for the breast lift/reduction. I think it has a lot to do with the build of the person vs. the weight lost. If that makes sense. I've seen women who weighed less than I, who have a huge amount of loose skin. My Dr. says, it has a lot to do with age and the level of activity we commit to.

I lost more weight pre-op (22 pounds in 3 weeks) than in any month post-op (the highest was 18 pounds in a month). But did I ever second-guess my decision to self-pay for my surgery? Absolutely not. Anyone can lose weight. The problem I think almost everyone here has is that it's almost impossible to keep off - the body fights back to get back to where it was. You get the dreaded plateau and start to gain again. In 6 months post-op the scale has only gone down for me (like a series of steps - holds steady for a week or two, then just drops). That has never happened in 20+ years of trying to lose weight. Think of the surgery as a reset button for your body - it gives you a fresh start, instead of the enormous handicap (metabolic set-point, possible insulin and leptin resistance, etc) that you will be dealing with if you don't have the surgery.

No, I didn't have success with the pre-op diet and I was miserable and starving the whole time. All it did was convince me I needed surgery. Losing weight without being hungry is amazing.