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i had an arm lift (and breast lift, and tummy tuck...all in one shot in Dec 2019). i always disliked my upper arms. when i was thin (and thought i was fat) i was self conscious of what i thought was the size of them and rarely wore sleeveless tops. then when i actually got fat i NEVER wore them. if i had to go to an event the warranted (an arm-baring) dress, i always wore a shawl. fast forward to the weight loss and i was left with some saggy jiggly upper arms. while they looked okay when my arms were at my sides, i really did not like the look of them flapping in the wind when i raised them, lol. and i raise them alot, ha...i'm one of those raise-your-arms-in-the-air-and-wave-them-like-you-just-don't-care kinda gals, lolololzzz. so i had them done about a year post op (6-ish months after i reached goal). LOVE EM. while i did wear sleeveless again after the weight loss, i feel a lot less self-conscious about them after the arm lift. and really, it makes all the difference :).. now i do have very prominent scars on my arms (i scar very badly, and knew this going in), but for some reason the scars dont bother me as much as the flapping did. Go figure. recovery is no joke though, i'll be honest. had i not done too much too soon, i would probably have been good to go by 6 weeks...but i didn't, so my recovery was more like 3+ months. that was over 5 years ago now, and i've been wearing tank tops and other sleeveless tops all year round since, hahaha. it really all boils down to what YOU are comfortable with...i was told by countless of people that i didn't need to/shouldn't get it done. but i got it anyway, because the only person who can say i need it is ME. if you have the means and the desire, the option is yours. Good luck! ❤️ some pics: 1st link: 6 months BEFORE the arm lift 2nd link: Day before VS 3 weeks after arm lift 3rd link: 6 months AFTER the arm lift

For those recommending medication over surgery: I am having the SADI surgery on July 25th. I considered medications initially, however, most of them aren't covered by insurance; and if they are, the insurance approval process usually requires a diabetes diagnosis. While I have a BMI in the 50s, my A1C is extremely health, which means I would pay out-of-pocket. The medications are intended as life-long commitments. Stopping them can have serious impacts including weight regain. Out-of-pocket for the cheapest meds I encountered was $900 a month. Out-of-pocket for my procedure is one-time $19,000 (unfortunately, not covered by insurance) If we look at the impact in 5 years of both... Meds = $54,000 Procedure + Vitamins = $19,000 + $3,800 = $22,800 How about 10 years? Meds = $108,000 Procedure = $19,000 + $7,600 = $26,600 The financial impact was a huge consideration for me. Please understand that the decision to move to surgery is not quick or easy. The financial impacts and health impacts are serious and really should be discussed with a trained medical provider. The purpose of this forum is to help guide others. We should be focused on the questions they're asking instead of offering an off-topic alternative. The OP made it clear in her posts that conversations with a trained medical professional led to the decision for another surgery. Shaking her confidence in medical guidance from her surgeon is not our place. We should accept that surgery is her path and give our own anecdotal experiences as references to help her understand what she might experience.

Hi Gracie!! I got VSG surgery at 20 years old. I started my pre-op diet two weeks before surgery at 19. (My birthday is on January 2nd) I’m also a college student and I will not lie to you, getting weight loss surgery and coming back on campus was the hardest thing I ever had to do. My dining hall on campus didn’t cater to my needs during the post-op stage. To be honest, I was going home every other weekend because I knew I would get what I needed from home. I live about an hour and a half away from campus so it was pretty pricey to do so. I’m down approximately 40 pounds since January and I don’t think I have loose skin but I definitely lost my booty lol. It’s not really a big deal for me but I do plan on going to the gym more often. If you have any other concerns or want to know more about my experience, please reach out!! I don’t know much young people that have gotten weight loss surgery but I’m excited for us as we are turning our life around!! I hope everything goes well!!

I am hesitant to say that I have a weight target, because I really want more than that. I want to be able to run and move and wear the clothes I want to wear. I want to have a low resting heart rate. I want to be able to play sports with my son. There's so much more than a number on a scale. I have probably spent 15,000 hours at the gym. I have a lot of skeletal muscle, but it's not really visible. I always felt too humble to want big muscles, but why? I've done the work. Why shouldn't I enjoy and take pride in it? I have been walking. Not a lot, between 6 and 10 thousand steps a day. I have some chronic shoulder injuries, but I can't wait to get back to lifting. I love lifting weights. I am thinking another two weeks off. In the meantime, I want to get back to stationary bike and a lot of stretching!

The pre op diet is so hard! I could only drink milk , I don't know how far your in but after day 5 it gets easier and day 10 i didn't feel hunger at all, good luck you've got this !

I'm officially off my blood pressure medication! I haven't taken it since the day before surgery because my blood pressure was normal in the hospital and low when they released me, but the final decision needed to be made by my primary care. I went to see her today and was at 110/78 so she officially removed the med from my chart. All my readings have been normal the past three weeks, which feels like a miracle. I've been on it for at least 10 years, and even with medication I usually measured 130/85.

SADI surgery coming Jan 10!

I had several stalls - but they all eventually broke and I kept going until I hit goal (actually, about 10 lbs under) 20 months later. When I tried to lose weight on my own, I'd lose at most about 50 lbs before I'd hit a brick wall and my weight would eventually start heading back up. WLS was the only thing that allowed me to break through those brick walls and lose all of my excess weight (100% of it - although I've gained about 20 lbs of it back over the years). I think it's just a coincidence that you're having a stall at your former "brick wall". Just keep plugging away at it. It does get harder the closer you get to goal, though. Those last 20 or 30 lbs were a bear to get off (and It could be that my new, post op "set point" IS where I am now - but this is way, way lower than any pre-WLS set points).

Even almost 5 years out, there are still things that surprise me. Walking around cars in a car park & realised my short cut progress was halted by a post & a dirty car. I thought no way will I squeeze through that tiny gap of maybe 10 inches & thought I’d have to walk back around. Took a breath & decided to edge sideways a little to test it. Slipped through that gap like butter. Didn’t touch the post or the dirty car. I was wearing white too & not a mark. Couldn’t believe it.

Ditto the ditto, and I also wanted to say WOW. 29 lbs in 2 weeks is actually pretty incredible when you think about it. Most non-WLS diets average 1-2 lbs per week at most, after the initial water-retention loss. Think about it -- can you think of any time in your life that you even managed to lose 5-10 lbs per week? 14 or 15 instead is amazing. ^___^ I think it's really important in WLS groups to remember that while we're all here to chime in and give support, share common trials and tribulations -- actual comparisions of weight or inches lost can be a little unhealthy / unrealistic. Everyone starts from a different place -- different surgery day weights, different co-morbidities, different physicalities. Even where we carry our weight can make a big difference in how it comes off. So while it's great to find common ground with others here, please please please never judge your own journey by how others' have gone before you. It's not a contest. The only winner is you, the individual who wakes up every day and makes conscious healthy choices (often difficult -- especially at the beginning) to work towards your goal. ❤️

Last year I had given my daughter a bunch of jeans that were too small for me. I just got to take them back!! She brought me 10 pairs of jeans and 3 pairs I got to send back because they were too big!! The ones I got to keep were size 9’s. I didn’t want to go buy clothes yet because I’m still 9lbs from my goal weight and 19lbs from my surgeons goal weight. Very much in need of toning my stomach though. I keep hearing my surgeons words in my head over and over “skinny fat””skinny fat” if you don’t exercise you’ll look “skinny fat” ugh, this is my stomach right now. Never mind I’ve had 4 babies and that last one I had when I was 38 so my abdomen has not been bikini ready in a lifetime. So small win for me, I fit in a size 9 jeans, big loss…out of the jeans is not as pretty. Time to really get to toning and exercising and move onto the next steps in getting healthy. I haven’t stepped on the scale in a few days. Eating wise I have not been sick in over a week. All my vitamin levels are where they should be. Things are finally falling into place.

Hey guys, I’ve been searching for a community that I can express my concerns & overall thoughts to about my journey. I’m 29 years old and decided for my overall wellbeing & happiness to get the gastric sleeve. The process was pretty smooth. I inquired in November & got my date in May & now as of today I am 5 days post op with my first post op appointment tomorrow. I started out 217 but as you know the liquid diet sheds off alot. On the day of surgery I was 199. Today I’m 195. I’m hoping that with this forum i’m able to navigate this new season. I refused to eat or consume anything at first because I loathe throwing up (let alone what it would feel like to throw up with 20% of your stomach🥴😂). But today I finally had creamy ginnoch soup after slowly just sipping protein smoothies. i felt like… a uncomfortable pressure after maybe 10 sips. (It taste so good). So I immediately stopped and it has now subsided. that’s all for now! If you got this far, thanks for reading😊

Is anybody here familiar with the Carnivore Diet? It's basically a more restrictive form of Keto where you ONLY eat meat, cheese, fat, and butter. The more meat the better. The fattier the meat the better. It sounds counterintuitive to eat this type of diet, but there are several doctors out there who recommend it to help reverse diabetes and fight inflammation. While it's impossible to have zero carbs, the goal is to have as few as possible, less than 10 per day, and consume no bread, fruit, vegetables or anything other than "meat." Now, I must say that I had/have my doubts about the healthiness of this diet. That being said, my husband has been on it for 4 months and lost 35 pounds and his A1C and morning fasting glucose levels are now within normal range. He is going to continue on the diet, or as he calls it, "way of life." I did it with him for 3 months and I lost 20 pounds, but toward the end I was having a lot of diarrhea and my body couldn't handle/process all of the protein and fat without some carbs, so I switched to a new diet in mid-December. Dr. Ken Berry is the person my husband follows on YouTube who explains the science behind it and how to do it. He also said that 1/3 of people can't do it because of their particular body's need for carbs for proper digestion. Anyway, I was curious if anybody here was familiar with the Carnivore Diet or had tried it or was doing it?

*raises hand* warning: this may get long.... now, for me, replace 'whiskey' and 'cognac' with Vodka Sodas or Red Wine or Espresso Martinis. i looked it up and according to North American AND European "standards" i would be considered an alcoholic in North America, as well as partaking in "harmful and hazardous" drinking if I were in Europe, based on my average daily alcohol consumption. I started drinking regularly during Covid, and basically never stopped. I too, consider myself a high-functioning alcoholic...i don't get black out drunk, i dont drink and drive, operate heavy machinery while under the influence, make bad decisions that would harm or embarass myself or others, etc. etc. since surgery i get affected much quicker, and on a lot less than pre-surgery. i'm pretty tipsy just after a single drink...legitimately drunk after 2. BUT.....i sober up really quickly too. the alcoholic buzz lasts me maybe 30-45 mins tops. then it's like i didn't drink a drop....which probably contributes to why i drink the amounts that i do. i am a boredom and social drinker (i.e,. i don't need it to sleep...i am a lifelong insomniac and need very little sleep all my life anyway *shrug*). so if i am busy doing stuff during waking hours that doesn't involve food, friends and sitting around, then i wont drink. i also have a chip on my shoulder, so often when somebody (i.e., Mr. or the Kid) challenges me that i couldn't stop drinking, I totally would just to prove him wrong. I've probably gone cold turkey 9-10 times for about a month each time in the past 5 years just to be right. Mind you, i never actually STOPPED for good, so maybe HE's right, ha. As for my current state of health, I am probably in the best shape in my adult life. I have maintained below goal weight since reaching it at 7 months post op. I am 5'2", 52 yr old woman, and this morning weighed 115.8 lbs. My body fat percentage hovers between 18-20% All my labs since surgery have been satisfactory, the last one being last fall. I don't take any medication any more (i used to take blood pressure and cholesterol and adhd meds). but I do have to take pesky PPIs i continue to need to keep my reflux under control. I have endless amounts of energy, bad moods and bitchiness are a rarity now, i am patient, calm, less stressed since losing the weight. I exercise (yoga, pilates, running, rock climbing) 20+ hours a week. I also dabble with swimming, hiking, volleyball, and dance for funsies. I consume over 2300+ calories a day so i'm definitely not starving myself (mind you, 400-500 cals are from alcohol...) soooo....sometimes i feel like i SHOULD worry about the amount of alcohol i drink, but really, if i'm honest, i don't, really. but if/when i do i feel like its becoming a problem, I can re-evaluate then (though this probably sounds like the alcoholic's battle-cry, no? ha!) p.s. may be worth noting here (not sure why) that i am also an ex-smoker at the moment. i smoked for 20 years, then quit cold-turkey for 10 yrs, then took it up again for 4 years, then quit cold turkey again last summer (am currently 14 months smoke free this time around, yay, me!). p.p.s. DISCLAIMER: i am in no way advocating nor opposing my M.O. to drinking to anyone who reads this. I am merely describing my own experiences. take or leave from it what you will ❤️ ...and scene. lol.

@RonHall908 you look fantastic! Go you! What a difference - you allready look like a new man and so much younger! Im still stalled, but really glad to have you all here, it does help and is making me feel less alone with the struggle of the stall. On the upside I’m in Barcelona for work and finally have a blue sky for the first time since I got back from Eygpt! That’s helping my morale! I have the day of because it’s May Day Labor Day so I’m about to go and visit the Miró Fondation. Also yesterday I was 74 days since surgery and I reset all my step counters at surgery… I’ve done 802 388 steps since which works out at an honorable average of 10 800 and some steps per day or 7.35 km or 4.56 miles a day … and that I’m proud of because walking isn’t always the easiest for me!

I didn't know there were different sizes and no idea what % of mine is gone. After a year I can still feel the restriction, unable to eat too much and rarely hungry though I can take larger sips now. Have gulped a few times totally forgetting there isn't space 😂 Eating now is more of a habit than needing to, had to force myself today to eat some lunch as just wasn't hungry at all but managed 50g cauliflower and 30g hummus. Example of what I can manage; Breakfast is a 125g or 150g yoghurt 99% of the time or sometimes a couple of small protein or banana pancakes as a treat. Lunch is usually homemade soup (150ml) or homemade dinner leftovers or half a shop bought salad (with falafal or chicken) My dinners are again 99% of the time homemade and would still be about 150ml in liquid dishes such as soup/dhals or 4 to 5oz for a bean stew/chicken dish. A while after dinner I will then have something for dessert such as two squares of 85% dark chocolate or a yogurt or a handful of nuts. In between if I can, I try to have a snack mid morning and mid afternoon. like some cottage cheese banana bread, nuts, protein bar etc. Eating out can be super annoying now when I see lots of things on a menu I would like and then realise that in all reality all I can manage is a starter but it does mean my food and dining out bills have dropped so much and if I don't finish it I usually ask to bring it home and it does another meal or three. When I go on holidays in a couple of weeks I have booked dinners out at three Michelin restaurants that have a menu you can chose from so it means for me just one course in each and it will be a bargain compared to having to usually order the 6 or 10 courses.

i noticed my face slimmer after just 10-15 lost lbs. but this makes/made sense to me because, historically, if i gained 10-ish pounds, i saw the change in in my lower cheeks. ive updated all my picture id to look what i look like now except my passport. i had just got one of those 10-yr validity passports a couple months before surgery and today i still have another 5 yrs left on it. it does often cause a delay when i cross borders as the agents always do double takes, ugh. sometimes they comment or ask about the weight loss, and once an agent actually called over another agent to show them my passport and they both looked me over incredulously. that was awkward. but i've never been denied entry.

Scheduled for surgery 1/10/24. I was told my Dr’s office that I will only need to be on a liquid diet for 24 hours before surgery. I’ve always heard that it’s a week or 10 days. Wondering if anyone has ever heard this?

Scheduled for surgery 1/10/24. I was told my Dr’s office that I will only need to be on a liquid diet for 24 hours before surgery. I’ve always heard that it’s a week or 10 days. Wondering if anyone has ever heard this?

Scheduled for surgery 1/10/24. I was told my Dr’s office that I will only need to be on a liquid diet for 24 hours before surgery. I’ve always heard that it’s a week or 10 days. Wondering if anyone has ever heard this?

So relieved to report I finally dropped to a new "lowest weight" after my 2-week stall. Weighed in at 198.6 this morning, a drop of 0.6 since yesterday. I really hope that might continue a few days at least before I hit the next rough patch. The cravings for sweets and carbs are real! I'm fortunate that I do feel a lot of restriction, or at least I do if I am eating the right kinds of foods. I can only manage about 2-3 oz (60-85g) of heavier proteins, which include salmon, poultry, beef, and pork. I also get full at around 4 oz (100g) veggies. Sadly, if I do eat bread or crackers, they seem to go down easy. Same with ice cream or candy. I had really hoped that wouldn't be the case. It makes it that much more important for me not to keep those types of things in the house. I'm struggling with what to eat, especially for breakfast. Nothing sounds good. I'm tired of plain yogurt and cottage cheese. I'm tired of protein shakes and smoothies. I was enjoying smoked salmon with cucumbers on rye crisp bread until last week when it made me violently ill. I've become repulsed by eggs. Plus, I don't usually get hungry until later in the morning. Today, I decided to wait, and I finally started to feel some real hunger at 10:00am. So, I'm having a leftover big Italian meatball from dinner a few nights ago. Lunch and dinner options aren't much easier. Cooking is a hassle when you can eat so little, and my kids don't like the kinds of things I can eat. But I worry it sets me up for grazing when I don't have a plan. I'd really like to do some meal prep and have a list of maybe 10 go-to meals that are bariatric approved and easy to make any time of day. I'd like to spend a few hours roasting a sheet pan of veggies and cooking some chicken to store in the fridge for the week and incorporate into meals. I need to clean out the fridge and pantry. I just don't seem to have the motivation to do any of it. It's like all my energy has run dry, although my bloodwork came back good so it's not an issue of something being off. Just my attitude, I guess! I'm feeling stressed and a little overwhelmed, and it shows in my environment because my house is getting cluttered and I have a pile of laundry that is quickly going to consume me. What I wouldn't give for a housekeeper to keep the place tidy and my own cook to make healthy meals and deliver them to me at appropriate times during the day.

Yes, It is a cheat and off plan but they do not have much in them 10 cals I think. Asda have children's rocket lollies that have very few cals in. I still have them every day. If they would ok a raw carrot or celery just so you can chomp on something, would make things better. Be strong, We are all here for you whenever you need us. Its that kind of forum x

I can't use my weight as an excuse not to do things now. I miss the days when no one would ask me climb a ladder or do anything that requires physical activity (not really) haha. My foot size is smaller now so I can't wear many of my nice shoes. Time to buy new ones. I used to wear size 11 and now between 9.5 and 10

From October up to my two week liquid diet I lost 60 lbs. That was a 4 1/2 month span. Two week pre- op I lost 15 lbs. My surgeon said I will have stalls. But, then I'll have times where it will seem like it's falling off easy. I'm impatient as well. Back in June I tore my meniscus and it requires surgery. They won't do surgery until I hit a certain BMI. I'm within 10 lbs of hitting that number. Lose a couple pounds a week is still a victory. As you said, this process takes months.

Had my speeve done yesterday 3/5. Procedure was quick and uneventful. Woke up in recovery with no belly pain but an awful burning sensation in my chest. Nurse said this was likely trapped gas causing the pain. It has not subsided. I have been able to sleep, take liquid meds and walk a bit. I feel good about the surgery and curious how the next few days will go. I would say discomfort level is about 6/10. Not so much painful, just difficult to get comfortable. Will keep y’all posted.