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I was diagnosed with PCOS a few years ago. I was told hair growth (in male patterns) and acne are both common symptoms. I have always had hair growth above my lip and the older (and fatter) I became, the worse the hair growth got on my chin. I have gone in to have it waxed since high school (15 years). I've only lost 66 pounds, but there hasn't been any change yet. I'm smaller now than I have been in my entire adult life, so I think this might have more to do with age (my mother has it, although not as bad as me) than weight for me. Since you didn't start getting it until you gained weight, I sincerely hope that it's just weight related for you.

Joon, I just wanted to say congratulations on your surgery date! I'm from WA State, so I definitely know what the term crunchy means. My mother went to The Evergreen State College and leads a pretty natural lifestyle when it comes to a lot of things (less so now that she has had diabetes for a decade). I do think you will be able to incorporate your practices back into your life, although you might need to initially incorporate supplements as you heal. I have always been lactose intolerant and pretty much keep dairy to a minimum. You may want to make an appointment with a nutritionist who understands how you'd like to live and have her look over your post-op diet information so that the two of you can brainstorm. Good luck on your journey!

I think you are making a wonderful decision to explore this surgery further. When I was debating between the two surgeries, I too was worried with removing so much of my stomach, but then I discovered that many people with stomach cancer have had this done for decades and lived normal, healthy lives. I also liked the permanency of the VSG. I don't ever want to be fat again, decided I didn't want something that could be changed. Good luck! This is a great place to learn and gain support as you await your new life.

Try this link Weight Loss - Diet Ticker You'll probably need to create a new one.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been hoping to see you post an update...so glad it worked out. Definitely keep us posted, you'll be in my prayers tomorrow.

I am very sorry about your knee. Just know that the weight will still be dropping off because of the reduced calories you'll be consuming. I'll be thinking of you, take care.

That is great news! Today I'm doing Mexican again because it worked so well last time. I LOVE that the sleeve allows us our favorites, but keeps the portions under control.

Hi Sweetie333, I think you have a very reasonable goal. My weight loss is definitely slowing down, but the earlier months will hopefully help me to average 10 lbs. per month for the first 8 months. I am ecstatic with my loss so far, it has far exceeded anything I thought possible when beginning this journey. I also started out in a size 22-24, and now am in a 12-14 (just fit into my first pair of 12 jeans today!). Good luck and enjoy the ride! Pre-op diet (1 month)-down 16 lbs. Month 1-down 21 lbs. Month 2-down 15 lbs. Month 3-down 12 lbs.

CONGRATULATIONS Ryan! You are doing fabulous! I too, feel this is one of the best things I've ever done for myself. Keep up the great work and keep sharing all of your successes.

KZol, I spent my entire life in the overweight range and then in college fluctuated between overweight and obese and finally morbidly obese then back to obese my final year. After I left school I spent the rest of my 20's continuing the pattern of losing and gaining (more gaining than losing) with all sorts of diets, nutritionists, and exercise programs. So I completely know how to lose weight, which it seems you do as well, but could not maintain. I was borderline (not quite 40 BMI) when I went to the seminar with the surgeon I ended up using. He made a point during his presentation to say that it's unfortunate that the NIH does not recommend WLS to patients with BMI's between 35-40 who do not have certain comorbidities because at our weights we were on our way to getting them if we didn't have them now. You may want to explain your situation (bmi) to the office manager when you call to set up a seminar visit or consultation because they can usually recommend how to proceed (whether or not the surgeon will approve you). Good luck in your journey!

I was too worried about this aspect. I've always lost quite a bit of hair just normally, I'll never forget my mom having to call a plumber in 3rd grade after moving into a new place, he couldn't believe how much hair he dug up. Around 2 months I think I started shedding a little more than normal, and now at 3 months I notice a lot more hair coming out when I brush it and/or shampoo/condition. I've decided to stop stressing it so much by flat ironing for now and am wearing it natural, but if I need to I will look into some high-end wigs. I can tell you, the success of losing weight and feeling so much more healthy is so worth the hair loss in my opinion.

Welcome to VST! This is a terrific place to learn with very knowledgeable and caring people. I'm sorry I don't have any answers to your questions. I wish you luck in your research.

Thank you Skye and Tiff for the words of support! Family relationships are just so complex, but I know I wouldn't be who I am today without those relationships (but I probably wouldn't also have been in counseling either :-)

I noticed the same thing on some people this summer when looking around the net for before/after successes. One thing I did think of though is that a lot of times many people's faces just need some extra time to settle back in after the weight loss. It's just a theory, but like pp said, looking older is not a health issue like obesity. On a side note, my mom is in her mid-fifties and in her thirties and early forties always looked a lot older than she really was (she had a lot of stresses then). Now most people think she is much younger than she really is and people that knew her younger comment all the time how she somehow stopped aging. I think stress (and losing a lot of weight quickly probably qualifies as stressful for our bodies) can age us, but maybe it's not permanent? Good luck on your journey!

Isn't it great!

I've never been told that there is a need. We just have a smaller stomach, but all of our insides are the same with nothing extra. I'd be curious to see what others say...maybe there is a reason we should get them.

I don't have any answers for you, but just wanted to say hi and wish you luck on your journey. I hope you learn a lot at your seminar, you can always ask the surgeon about complications and his/her rate.

Welcome and good luck on this journey! I hope you get approved and scheduled soon.

Welcome! I think December would be a great time to get sleeved...it's a wonderful gift to yourself. Just think of where you will be next year. Good luck with your husband coming around. My husband always understood my desire to have this done, but was very worried and kept trying to push my towards the lapband in the beginning because it was less invasive and he was so worried. This was my second surgery and it went so well. I was very scared and nervous, they almost couldn't put the initial IV in me because I was shaking so bad and my teeth would not stop chattering. They had to bring extra blankets in because I was so cold. (The nurse told me I should have told my surgeon about my nervousness and he could have prescribed anti-anxiety pills for me to take.) But that was the only bad part of the surgery and that really wasn't even a part of the actual surgery. The actual surgery, hospital stay, and recovery all went well.

I think it's possible, but if you feel like I did, just expect to be really tired upon your return. If possible, try to clear off any major/intense projects before having surgery.

Welcome LapGyrl! I'm so happy that you have made a decision and can now work towards getting in a position to get it done. I also did this to become healthier and hopefully have a healthy pregnancy in the not so far off future. Good luck on your journey and definitely keep us posted. I have found this site to be such a wealth of information and full of kind and caring people.