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So I saw this TikTok where instead of recording your pre & post-surgery weight, you buy a pair of jeans that you hope to fit into (like a couple sizes down) every so often. This helps you see tangible results and hopefully mitigate some of the body dysmorphia, at least better than numbers on a scale can. My surgery is on Thursday so I went to Target to buy my "incentive jeans" for my first milestone. This is the#1 store where I've wanted to buy from - off the rack - because it's usually my style AND I've seen them be more inclusive with sizes in the past couple of years. I've seen sizes 18 & 20 on the rack in the normal trendy section so I was really excited to go get my "incentive jeans" (I'm between a size 22/24 and was going for size 18)... So as luck would have it, I go to Target today and they apparently went back to small sizes, large majority of the clothing was size 10 and under... I found ONE pair of size 18 that I didn't like that much that was hidden away in a corner and they were $70 and I just.... Sighhh. My mind couldn't let me 'go there' for $70. All I could think was that I'm wasting $70 because I literally cannot conceive of myself that 'small' anymore. I guess that's a good argument to buy the jeans but all it did was plant fear and doubt in my head. So no real reason for posting this other than to kvetch about Target being jerks and to acknowledge where my mind is at pre-surgery. I don't think it'll ever stop shocking me how much this world hates fat people. Even corporations will risk profits just so they don't have to put plus size clothing on the rack! Bonkers.

Hi, I am 52, 6 feet tall and weigh around 315 (at my heaviest I was around 365). I am thinking about getting surgery because I am starting to feel the effects to my health. 2 Years ago I lost about 100 pounds by dieting and exercise and got down to about 264 (I will also admit that I had just gotten a divorce and was suffering through that at the same time, so that was probably a contributing factor to me losing weight at that time). Since then I have put on half of it and struggle with binge eating daily. I would like to get surgery as I would like to permanently lose weight and improve my overall health. I am thinking of bypass because I do have heartburn every now and again, but mainly when I eat badly. Things that I am concerned about : 1. Complications of bypass surgery. What if I forget that I had surgery and have a huge bite of a steak ? Does that happen ? Or a huge glass of water that I chug down ? 2. Taking vitamins every day, forever. I guess I am just really nervous about this but know that I need to do it. I have my first consultation on the 23rd of March. Is there any advise you can give me that will help me decide ? Thank you!

We've been on 9 Carnival cruises and 1 Royal Caribbean. We took a "carnival break" last year just to check out another line just to see what we were missing - seems not much. We like Carnival better, at least better than RC. We're booked on the Dream from Galveston for a 6 day (now that we've done an 8 day, a 6 day is a tease but it was free, well, with taxes, port charges, and gratuities, not really free, but the room with a window and drinks in the casino are free, so we couldn't say no!). And yes, every cruise I've ever been on has a huge variety of WLS friendly food to choose from. I'm not a HUGE fan of the buffet but we've eaten there occasionally (like when u first board, they corral you there with ur luggage when u first board until ur room is ready). U can always pick at the salad bar and some fish or chicken. We always eat bfast and dinner in the dining room, as I enjoy getting served - that's the whole cruise experience for us. We usually do the steak house once also. And the menu is varied (Carnivals menu is usually the same all the time, however - and that part DOES suck, I wish they changed it up a bit for the people who enjoy their cruises so much! It'd be nice to have a varied menu over the years! lol). But over the course of the cruise from day to day, it's always different. And whats cool about Carnival that I enjoy is they always have something "weird" to try (Ox Testicles, Frog, Snails, Alligator, etc). I always try it. Why not? You only live once. Oh, and btw - you may not enjoy the ox nards! But the alligator is worth it! And the portions aren't huge cuz u can always ask for 2nds (my husband asks for 3rds sometimes on lobster nite! Sometimes he asks me to ask for more, cuz he's too embarrassed to ask for even more!). Lunch is usually either while we're in port or in one of many specialty places (Guy Fieri burger joint, Blue Iguana burrito place, pizza, sushi, etc. Or even room service. Or we may have just eaten a later bfast and are not hungry and skip lunch altogether. We play it by ear. We're not that couple that eats our way thru a cruise that comes out gaining 20 lbs. For sure. The only thing that gets weighed on the scale in the gym on the nite before debarking is our luggage to make sure its not overweight if we have to fly the next day and we don't hafta pay more for it! lol So, have fun! But not too too much fun! There's plenty of healthy safe food to eat on a cruise, both on and off the ship. Just like in the "real world". Just pace yourself. Just watch those beverages also - those can be the death of u! Not only can they be laden with a ton of calories but they can make you feel invincible, like you can eat anything and get away with it! Have so much fun! And if you choose Carnival - AVOID THAT MILE LONG CHOCOLATE BAR THEY PUT ON! It's a trap! lol Marci

Definitively check with your team about what activity they recommend you start & when. There usually are differences in these requirements surgeon to surgeon but generally walking is the go to from when you’re in hospital. Then your recovery, current fitness & health status are usually considered. But listen to your body as lethargy & periods of low energy are common for a couple of months. Personally I was a no exercise person while losing. Didn’t affect my weight loss. Now I only do about 25 mins of stretches, use some resistance bands & some sit ups & do them over two or three sessions usually every day. More for my back & for general toning. Wouldn’t burn 30 calories. But it is a personal choice what & how much you do for your needs.

Echoing what Liveabord and Catwoman said! I got a smart scale from Amazon. Very helpful for those weeks when the number on the scale doesn't change, but maybe your bone or muscle mass increased and fat went down. Or your water weight increases, mine is still low post op. Also, from previously tracking my many diet attempts, it was never in a smooth linear line. One particularly regimented diet that I followed religiously, I lost 3 lbs every 3 weeks. Not a pound a week, but literally nothing for 2 weeks, then 3 lbs. It followed that pattern for 5 months until I stopped. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1UX8RW?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

check with your clinic. They probably have guidelines - and it may depend on your individual situation as well. I was allowed (and in fact, encourage) to walk the first month. At four weeks out, I was cleared for everything except for weights. at eight weeks out, I was cleared for weights.

I feel worried that I'll start gaining weight again now that I can eat pureed/soft food.

Hello Everyone, today I learned that my surgery is scheduled for March 22 2023![emoji258][emoji3059][emoji4]🤎[emoji173][emoji253] I am so excited ready mentally and physically. Is anyone else going to surgery on the 22nd?My weight is 242 lbs. Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

You lost a lot of weight hopefully, I lose that much with a sleeve, I'm 230 as well.

Yup the Clean Plate Club gets me now too. The weird thing is that before surgery I could have cared less, I would eat until I'm full. Now I make a small portion about a half cup size and I want to finish it all even if I honestly can't. I get a little depressed when I can't finish the last 2 or 3 bites. It's definitely a mental game. I'm just getting to the point that people are noticing my weight loss. I deflect it as much as I can or change the subject mid sentence again only if I can.

Sorry you are going through this but as @Sigh said, you did this for you so pay no mind to them. If you do not want to keep talking about your weight loss just politely say it is not up for discussion. Stay focused on you and your journey!

Hello, Just started my liquid diet! How MUCH WEIGHT DID YOU GUYS lose ON IT? I was able to have a bunch of premier protein shakes and Jell-O, and some broth. I seasoned the hell out of that broth! I am so hungry.haha

Welcome! I guess it really depends on your definition of "working out". When you're only getting in 500 calories a day, your body won't be able to tolerate any kind of intense activity. You'll stop losing weight because your body will start holding on to every calorie it possibly can. A few months after surgery, when you're able to start eating more and can take in more calories, then you can start thinking about doing what I would consider a "work out". Walking is encouraged at all stages, but not running. Later on, yes, you'll definitely want to work out. But, not right away. You need to give your body time to heal and adjust.

3 weeks and counting until I smoke after this demonos sleeve. I've read a lot about calories carbs getting protien. Some of the stuff I've read are from 2010 to 2014...nothing really updated but in all those post not once did I read about working out. I thought the sleeve or any weight lose surgery go habd in hand with working out. Getting your body back on shape..getting rid of the flab. Hence needing calories and carbs as well as protein. Granted our eating habit will change due to the sleeve but its not a diet. I will nit treat it as such. So do anyone work out as well.

I had the lapband, and at first it worked well and I reached my goal. I had it because it was reversable. Then I experienced the complications that so many others have, and had to have it removed. I gained all the weight back. I have 2 friends that also had the lapband and also had to have it removed. I was happy to be thin, but at the expense of constantly throwing up, really bad GERD, and landing in urgent care twice because I was so dehydrated. I would highly advise against it! I am now 2 weeks post op with the sleeve, (at 62) and finally optimistic again.

I'm not really struggling with people mentioning my weight - thankfully all of my feedback has been positive. However, I am struggling with the food addiction portion of the program. For a few days, I was feeling more restriction than I had been and I was forcing myself to finish my portion - even though I was full. The Clean Plate Club rules were kicking in - hard. I talked to my therapist and have turned that around. It's definitely a mental game. And you don't have to see anyone you don't want to. If your parents are being stupid, stop seeing them. And I would recommend therapy, if you aren't already seeing someone. It really does help.

Lap bands aren’t commonly done anymore & many surgeons don’t even do them now. (Complications, low success rate - only about 30% lose their weight, greater risk of regain, etc.) Sleeve has become the more popular surgical option & many older people successfully have that surgery. (I was 54 when I had mine but there are many in their 60s & 70s who do.) Are you only interested in the band because it is reversible & makes fewer changes to your body? We all have our own reasons for choosing our surgery so certainly no judgment here. I just find it interesting to hear why people choose their surgery but maybe I’m just nosy. LOL! When I first decided to go the surgery route I thought lap band but then started doing research & realised a sleeve would be a better fit for my lifestyle, medical status & my weight loss/gain history.

I didn’t exercise & I lost all my weight & more. No running or cycling miles or hours at the gym for me. It’s not that I can’t I just dislike it … a lot. All I do are a few resistance exercises & stretches. (I did add some sit-ups but as I do them I tell myself I’m crazy.) I do a series of exercise combinations over three sessions each afternoon & evening. They take me about 25 minutes in total & wouldn’t burn 30 calories. I do them more to better support my back & my oozing discs & a little toning. There are a variety is simple exercises available on line for people with a variety of mobility issues. You could give them a try too & see if any work for you.

I am so sorry that you are struggling— I know what you mean about having everyone think something so private is up discussion, and it sucks your dad is being rude. In the past, I would even self sabotage when people would comment, but i am trying to work on that. Hugs! Remember, you ARE more than your weight or your looks, and you are doing this for your own self- other peoples opinions don't matter. I hope you have someone you can talk to about this- i am leveraging a counselor for the wave I can see ahead of me as well. I’d encourage you stay focused on your goals and your opinions. Sending well wishes your way!

I found everyone's posts about which procedure and surgeon they went with to be really helpful when I was struggling to find the right surgeon so I thought I'd start a thread for mine too. I've lost over 170lbs total and am currently 16 months out from my surgery, and at a stable weight for over 3 months. I just scheduled an extended Tummy Tuck for this August with Dr. John YS Kim in Chicago at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. There will just be a single scar, and even though I do have a bunch of extra skin above the belly button too, he said I didn't need a Fluer de Lis which is great. I had also seen Dr. Shifrin who had recommended a circumferential lower body lift to get all my extra backside skin too, with "auto-augmentation" to make it rounder. Dr. Kim recommended to not try to do that at the same time since the recovery would be quite difficult with both front and back worked on at the same time. I was having a hard time understanding how I would even recover when it would hurt to be on my back, front and sides so it wasn't hard to convince me. I was really unsure of if I was "at weight" or not and as long as I was standing there naked in front of him, I asked if I had more weight to lose or not, or if it was just skin. I find it impossible to tell. He said that I actually don't have much fat, just some on my pubis and above belly button which he'd remove with liposuction at the same time. It's nice to just focus on being a stable weight and not wondering if I'm getting it done too soon. The surgery should take 4 hours, and I would go home the same day, and then see him once a week for the next 4-6 weeks. There will be 2 drains in place and removed 2 weeks later as well. Plus a binder/compression garments for 3 months. The surgeon fee was $16,000 with a non-refundable 10% down when I scheduled and the remainder due 3 weeks before the surgery. With hospital and anesthesiologist fees it came to $20,800. If I change my surgery date, I lose the the deposit so I can't chicken out. 😅 There was another surgeon there, Dr. Galiano, whose fee was $10k less which was tempting, since it was still a great doctor at Northwestern hospital, but I really liked Dr. Kim and kind of wanted "the best". Dr. Shifrin who performs the surgery in an outpatient surgical center at his office would have cost $22k. I didn't feel comfortable doing these surgeries outside of a hospital so that helped narrow down my choices too. I have BCBS and only one of the surgeons was willing to try to document skin irritation so that insurance would pay for some of the procedure. Everyone else was just like "lol no it's cosmetic" and that was the end of it. I get infections from time to time but they do respond to medication and don't happen all the time so I felt like it was really unlikely that I could go that route. Insurance said that if your pannus was below your public line AND you have infections that don't clear up, then they would pay for just the Panniculectomy. The entire experience really convinced me that you have to see multiple surgeons because prices are ALL OVER the place, even within the same practice/hospital, and everyone had a different idea of what work I should do, the combination of it, pain management, etc. After the first consultation, I learned that I suck at asking questions while in a paper gown, and gave the surgeon a printed copy of my questions and asked him to walk through each one with me, which also was a great way to way to feel out their personality and willingness to work with me. My plan is to also get a breast, arm and inner thigh lift but none of the doctors wanted to talk about surgeries that wouldn't happen for maybe a year or longer out. Once I'm recovered from the tummy tuck, then we'd discuss the next area to focus on which for me would be arm/breast combo. So this process is going to take a while, with having to save up all of my vacation for the entire year for each surgery.

Hey folks!!! I haven't been here in a while. I got my surgery on October 3rd, 2023. I have lost approximately 75 lbs. I am going THROUGH it mentally! This started because of all the reactions from folks and I hate that my body is the center of attention, it is very embarrassing. I really don't want to constantly talk about the changes etc...I am still in the thick of it! My dad has made some pretty disgusting comments and it threw me off so I have been avoiding even visiting my parents right now. I've just been so damn irritable and I just want to hide! I know I am so much more than my body weight and just want to be treated normally. I have always hated that aspect of weight loss. Am I the only one?

OMG that is beyond frustrating. The only certainty I've ever had re dieting is that if you get your calorific intake low enough it's impossible NOT to lose weight. Your experience goes against that completely. I would ask my doctor for a full physical and an explanation if I was in your situation. I'm so sorry, the surgery is such a big commitment it's totally unfair that it hasn't worked as you hoped it would (and we all did too). The only other suggestion I can offer is looking at your exercise regime and whether you could alter that in any way. But that's just to try to make a positive suggestion. Best of luck.

I am early pre-op and although I'm getting the bypass, I'm also close to your weight and have a lot of physical problems. My fitness level at this point is practically non-existent so one of my questions in my first consult appointment was whether I should be concerned about undergoing surgery at such a low level of mobility and health in general. This was a physician's assistant and I'm sure each doctor would respond based on your individual circumstances, but she said that the surgery these days is really not that hard on a body and recovery is manageable regardless of whether or not you can exercise. Her words: 'people who have the surgery don't need to run to lose weight, they need to lose weight to run.' Granted, she also sent me home with a print-out for some simple resistance exercises to try. 😄

From what I understand since I’m still under the 1year mark is the reason for the lower calorie. Honestly at this point I’m scared to even up my calories. When I add back different foods I gain weight. Now I’m just not losing. I feel stuck in the 170s. I’ve been here since November

Honestly when I started adding foods like grilled chicken and other veggies I started noticing that my weight increased. I’ve lost a few of those pounds but not all. I’m not back eating just yogurt and drinking protein shakes. Occasionally I’ll eat grilled chicken and veggies but I limit it now. My vitamin levels are good. All blood work is good. yes I’ve talked to my wl team. They haven’t been much help ( in my opinion) they just seem to not believe me 🤷🏼‍♀️ Yes I do have artificial sweeteners. One coffee a day with Splenda and sugar free creamer. Sugar free jello and sugar free redi whip Very little processed food is in my diet. I will eat cheese with my veggies or chichen when I do eat that. Unless what I said above is considered processed. I eat no lunch meat or protein bars. My team has me on low calorie low carb and I stick to it. But occasionally I might go over but it’s not daily or even every other day. I weigh my food and don’t go over the 6 oz of food per meal I get 80 oz of water a day.