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I agree with some of the others - you're starting at a very low weight for a WLS patient, so you can't expect to lose as fast as someone who starts out at over 300 lbs. As long as you're following your clinic's plan and your weight is trending down, you're good. btw - even for those of us who start out at over 300 lbs, by the time we get down to where you started (under 200), WE start losing about a lb a week as well. That's totally normal. I dipped under 200 for the first time when I was a little over a year out - and yep, my weight loss slowed down to a crawl. BUT....it kept coming off... P.S. You mentioned people who "eat junk" are doing much better than you. Check back with them in a couple of years and see where they're at...

you're right in that those won't hurt, but like the patches, they seem to work for some, but not for others. Fortunately, most people don't lose enough hair that it's noticeable to others (although we definitely notice!)

The 1st of September was my 6 month surgiversary and what a journey it has been!! I have lost 88 pounds in total, 75 pounds post surgery. Gone from a size 22 (18 US) to a 12/14 (8/10 US), which I have never been as an adult. I feel amazing, so much more energy and excited about fashion and all the non scale victories. The only real downside has been some serious hair loss but it seems to be slightly slowing down now, fingers crossed!! I have about 20 pounds to go to hit goal, and will then see what that looks like and if I want to lose more. I hated taking pictures of me before but I included one a friend snuck in a bit before I started my pre-surgery diet. The after was taken a few days ago. For those out there wondering if they should have the surgery or not, I have no regrets and only wish I had done it sooner!!

My surgeon told me not to exercise at least for 3 months since the first “3 months” is the biggest loss. My surgeon also recommended me not to burn more active calories than what I eat since I could potentially starve my body. I only eat 600-650 calories a day. I don’t think it’s wise for me to exercise this early on.

I'm probably going to try the collagen and biotin supplements for skin and hair. I don't think it will hurt.

Yeah, I had one like that, too - he was continually frustrated that I wasn't diabetic or insulin resistant despite being morbidly obese. He also was always promoting the latest fad diet highlighted in the local media (different one each time.) I think that this is a subset of those docs whose stock answer to any problem you have is "if you'll just lose some weight, this won't be a problem..." They don't seem to like the question "what do you tell your normal weight patients who have this problem?" He also didn't like the idea of WLS, preferring to use off label diabetic drugs for weight loss (as long as you take them, then the weight comes back...) and if needed after that, a lap band. Thankfully, I didn't need to pay any attention to any of his advice outside his rather narrow circle of competence.

I remember my second month with VSG, and I had lost only 4 lbs. I remember feeling disheartened as well but the weight loss continued steadily every month. Unfortunately, a person's body mass is the main determinant of one's metabolic rate. The heavier you are, the higher your metabolism, more calories you will burn. Although lower carbs and protein are important, the fact is If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. People on keto, for example, won't lose weight if they are eating too many calories. I would talk to your team and surgeon about your concerns as well. Perhaps they need to rule out other reasons, like water weight gain (I'm familiar with that one hehe). The weight will come off. It just may not be as quick as someone who is 600 lbs. Hang in there. Things will improve.

I know you said that you don't want to hear it, but it has everything to do with the fact that you started at a lower weight than most. People have high expectations, unrealistic expectations, when they have their surgery. I'm one of those people who was guilty of those unrealistic expectations. Stalls happen. And yes, they can happen early. The fact is, that you ARE still losing. Is it frustrating that it's not as fast as you want? Yes. Does it make you want to scream or throw your scale? Again, yes. All you can do is tell yourself that you are doing everything you are supposed to and maybe just avoid the scale for two or three weeks. I've had more stalls along my journey than anyone I've ever seen on this site. My longest one lasted 40-something days (I literally forgot the exact number, but it was in the 40-something range and was May-June 2021) and I thought 'This is it. This is as far as I'm going to go' and I was beyond frustrated because at that point I was stuck at 186, which was only 6 pounds from my goal weight. Then, my weight loss suddenly kicked back in and in the following two months I lost 8 pounds (which is amazing considering I was lucky to lose even 2 pounds in a month at this point as 1 had been the norm for a few months). I'm currently dealing with a 20 day stall, but I don't care as much because 1. I've already met my personal goal so all the extra weight loss is just a bonus, and 2. I'm in physical therapy for my arthritis so inflammation is a THING! People telling you not to be frustrated, honestly isn't going to help. It isn't going to make it go away. But, it's normal. Also, everyone loses weight at a different pace. Sometimes slow and steady is the better way to do it (honestly, I think your skin may bounce back better that way as well. So maybe just try to look for some positives, even if it may seem impossible to find them with how frustrated you undoubtedly are).

You had a low start weight and not far away from the healthy weight range for your height. You've been losing 1lb a week, you've been going great. I think you may want to reconsider your expectations. You say you are stuck at 167lb? How long for? Stalls are par the course even with weight loss surgery. Patience is needed for stalls, and as long as you are following your post op guidelines the scale weight will catch up. At only six weeks post op you are progressing through the food stages and are probably starting to move a lot more, possibly even exercising. Your body is adapting to change, give it time.

I read a couple of posts from people who were told by Kaiser that skin removal and other post bariatric plastics are not part of their plan. I don't want anyone to suffer for years as I did because of being told the wrong information! I'm learning to push back when told NO since often times the people on the other end of the phone tend to not have all the answers or are told to derail people with questions from learning the real truth in order to save $ Anyway, there was a class action in 2015 against Kaiser sparked by post WLS denials. And as it turns out this can have repercussions for insurance that systematically deems skin removal as an elective surgery that isn't covered in cases of extreme weight loss. Link https://blog.cvn.com/kaiser-ordered-to-broaden-reconstructive-surgery-coverage-after-class-action-trial https://legalnewsline.com/stories/510629463-calif-judge-rules-that-insurer-at-center-of-class-action-over-skin-removal-surgeries-must-broaden-coverage When I went to be evaluated for plastic surgery in 2017, we were told we could have one procedure. Dr said I didn't qualify for a panni because it didn't quite hang low enough, just to clarify...their measurement is 'abdominal skin must cover pubic region entirely'' which is BS with the years of skin rashes I have had. He said I just barely qualified for breast reduction surgery which I had 5 months later, the waiting list was long. He said I would be a C cup (from a DD) and I wasn't happy when I ended up a B but worse things could happen. I'm 16 years Post Gastric BP and should've had a revision 4-5 years ago when weight gain started creeping up, no longer going down... about 15 lbs a year since 2018. I could never break past 170 to reach goal of 155 but I'm goin to pursue the distal revision as of this week. It's now or never, I have to get a social life! The rule is you have to be at your goal and stable for months before a skin removal surgery will be covered by insurance so I'll have to wait longer even longer for that as consequence of procrastinating on a revision! I've been disabled with an autoimmune illness so I never returned to the job I enjoyed after the WLS. I didn't put much effort into pursuing solutions for skin removal after research showed it would be very costly out of pocket expense and not covered by insurance. So I haven't really felt the freedom of losing 140 lbs because I still cover up my body! No swimsuits, no sleeveless anything or clothing that accentuates the possibility of a waist, LOL. I wish I had the confidence of those who wear what they want, no matter their size! I've wanted to leave Kaiser to return the awesome Dr I previously had who actually listened and treated me like a human being. Staying with Kaiser only until these surgeries are done and I'm out of there! Kaiser ruling.pdf

Further to this, RE: excess skin… In my own experience, and sample of ONE, the “notice-ability” of excess skin for me peaked just before I got to “normal” BMI range. I did continue to lose weight after that and then the look of it went from “rolls” to just crepey-looking skin, which in my opinion looks much better on me. Though i credit this to exercise (and further weight loss of course) as the underlying flesh/muscle was more firm. p.s. Full disclosure, i did end up getting plastics so my crepey skin is gone now (well, at least on my stomach and arms, lol. My inner thighs and a$$ are still pretty wrinkly-ish!)

I’m almost six months out and I haven’t had any hair loss yet, but figure if I do the only person I really care about what he thinks is my husband and he is too busy checking out my new, thinner body to notice any hair loss…Just kidding…sorta. In the whole scheme of things a short period of hair thinning (which is what it is for most, it’s not like bald spots) it will still be well worth it. But you are not alone with the doubts. My fear was excess skin and I still am hoping I do not get any, but I am still 22 pounds from my goal and even if I stopped losing now and experienced some hair loss, I would consider this surgery a huge success and very well worth it. But I am still losing, very slowly. There are always clip in extensions if your hair thins too bad. I have thin hair anyways so I have tried them just for fun and my hair looked great with them.

I know the easiest thing to do is get a new doctor but I'm the type that would hang in there with him long enough for him to see my success with weight loss and then dump him. I don't think what you did is childish at all. If you don't advocate for yourself no one else will.

Hi KittyHawk, I can honestly say everyone is different. I know most will say 20 pounds is the standard number for losing after revision but there are cases where you can lose more. My original sleeve surgery needed to be revised for a couple of reasons and I regained about 30 pounds of the 60 I had lost. I went into the RNY revision weighing 181 pounds after losing around 9 or so during pre-op. I had the revision in February and I now weigh 143 pounds and the weight is still coming off. I also weigh 12 pounds less than what I was on the sleeve. It is definitely true about slower loss: I've stalled a couple times and this last one lasted almost 2 months. But it will come off. Good luck!

It’s okay to have some concerns. It’s a surgery you’ve never experienced before. You have nothing to compare it or life post surgery with. The reality is the complications are pretty low especially compared with other surgeries or just from being obese. Many are minor & are related to how you individually react & heal & they pass in time or are easily remedied. Yep, the hair loss can be a bit scary but it’s a short term side effect: 3-4 months usually. While your natural hair loss cycle is temporarily accelerated your natural new growth cycle remain unchanged. So while you’re losing more you’re still growing new hair - it just takes a couple of months for the new growth to get to a length you can notice it (likely as fluffy bits). I mean you don’t usually notice your new hair growing in but it is all the time. No one noticed my hair loss other than my hairdresser & my mum but she was looking for it. I’d so much rather temporarily lose some hair then still be obese - small price to pay really. Much like ending up with loose skin - loose skin wins over obesity every time. All the best & I hope you get your official approval soon.

*raises hand* I cancelled. Twice. I was approved in March 2017, and backed out TWICE out of fear and/or laziness until I finally just said eff it, I'm doing it, and had it done in Oct 2018. I was 46. Looking back i wish I just got it done the first time as I would have had had over a full extra year of being "normal" sized. In fact, I wish I had it done when I qualified for it back around 2012, when I reached the morbid obesity range. Better late than never, I say. Yes, I did lose quite a bit of hair, but its all back now (plus some!) at 3 years out. Would I go through those few months of thin hair again to look as fab as I do now? H*lls, YEAH. Temporary thinning hair was an infinitesimally small, tiny, minuscule, insignificant price to pay. Yes, I was scared. I remember starting to tear up when they put the anaesthesia mask on me. I also remember thinking to myself, "YESSSSS! I'm alive!!!" when I woke up in the recovery room. The way I see it, I just wasn't ready until I was ready. And when I finally was, it was all downhill from there. So no, I do not regret it one iota. You will find a few folks on here who DO regret it, but really, their experiences (nor mine, for that matter) will not give you any indication of how YOU will fare. You won't know until you know. Good Luck! ❤️

1 year post op - ZERO regrets. Hair loss - From about month 3-4 until about 7-8 for me. At around 8-9 months it all started growing back and you would never know it was thinned out some. On the plus side, it dried a HECK of a lot faster than it does now.

4 years post VSG. No regrets. I was 310 lbs at 22 years old. I'm now ~230 lbs but at one point I was down to ~198 lbs. I didn't have any hair loss, but I have very thick hair anyway. I have PCOS so my hormones are messed up anyway too so I was on birth control for the extra estrogen, this could have helped prevent hair loss. My mom had the surgery (same doctor and procedure) at 51 about a year before I did. She has naturally thin hair and was post-menopausal. She didn't lose hair either. It really is just chance and your hormones (particularly cortisol and estrogen/testosterone ratios). You can talk to your doctor about your medical options to help lessen hair loss. But if you do have hair loss, I think you should just embrace it! It will only last a couple of months (usually) and then it will start growing back. But this could be your opportunity to do something to your hair that you've never done before, cut it super short, dye it as close to your skin color as possible can sometimes disguise hair loss, add hair accessories, etc. Neither of us had complications, she even had a hernia fixed for free at the same time! I was up and walking around within hours of waking up. My mom was walking laps the next day (she isn't that great with anesthesia). If I hadn't gotten the surgery I have no doubt I would have been recruited for "My 600 lb life" by now.

zero regrets. I'd do it again in a heart beat, and I should have done it years ago. I sat on the decision for ten years, for the same reasons you are, but I'm so glad I finally decided to go through with it. It's very common for pre-ops and early post-ops to be terrified about hair loss, but most people who are a ways out will tell you that in the grand scheme of things, the hair loss phase was more-or-less just a temporary annoyance. Losing the excess weight FAR outweighs the temporary hair loss. Besides, for many of us, the hair loss isn't enough for others to notice (although WE notice it!). I really didn't lose all that much hair - so I know no one else noticed it. major complications aren't that common. Some of us have no complications at all - and for those who have them, most are minor. You're much more likely to develop complications from being obese than you are from weight loss surgery.

Hello All, Please look at the flyers attached. Frederica is looking for people who are dealing with excess skin from weight loss, specifically women. She intends to gather feedback and information on the experiences women deal with. The goal is the develop well suited undergarments intended to address the needs and wants of women who live with excess skin .If you are interested, feel free to reach out. I am 8 months post op from a gastric sleeve. So far, I am 77lbs down. I have noticed loose skin around my thighs and arms. The skin around my chest is also starting to look saggy. Even though the flyer says 100+ weight loss, any female experiencing noticeable loose skin can reach out. Thank you!

Do you have GERD? GERD is the biggest risk for sleeve - sometimes it gets worse after sleeve, and sometimes people who never had GERD develop it. There are more complications with RNY, but it's still pretty safe. If you take a lot of meds for your anxiety and depression, your doctor and surgeon may recommend sleeve to ensure you can absorb these medications properly; this is what my surgeon said and my psychopharmacologist agreed, although I got a second opinion with a different surgeon, and she didn't think an RNY would be a problem with the meds, but she still recommended sleeve because it's an easier surgery and she feels the weight loss is just as good. I has wanted RNY in the beginning, but with both surgeons pushing for sleeve, and the risks of higher complications with RNY, I chose to go with sleeve. I hope I don't end up with GERD (I had it for a while but it resolved with better eating).

I'm 47 and had my surgery in March, and while the hair loss is real along with the loose skin, I would absolutely do it again. I actually started losing in October so I've lost a total of 115 - 70 of that since surgery - and while I have a few seconds of - oh look at that - or well, there's more hair, honestly, fitting into my oldest daughter's clothes takes that right away. I am no longer diabetic. This summer, I got to ride roller coasters and kept up with my family on vacation. Nerves are real. I had them. I think almost everyone does. But I would do it again, and I had a freak reaction to a shot that shouldn't have been a problem that needed 4 extra days in the hospital and a second surgery - and I would STILL do it again. Everyone is different though, and you have to do what's best for YOU.

I'm about 10 days from surgery, and the nerves are REAL, but I'm not having second thoughts. I am not thrilled with the idea of losing my hair, but I figure, if it looks too bad, I'll get a wig and try out a hairstyle I've never thought about. For me, that's not a big issue, although I would say that my hair is not thin to begin with, and I trust them when they say it grows back (my hair is buzzed on one side and short on the other). I have fears of becoming too sick to travel or do my job, but hair is just window dressing as far as I'm concerned. I want to do this surgery so I can be more active and be more comfortable doing my job and traveling and playing with my nieces and nephews.

I wouldn’t ask for input from only people who had regrets and/or canceled, because… well that’s all you’re going to hear about and you’ll definitely not go through with it (which is fine, it’s your choice of course). I’d ask “can everyone here who is at least a year post op give me a “would do it again” or “would not do it again” please” This forum is a great place. It really is. There are tons of helpful people, funny people, honest people. The downside to a forum like this is it’s much more common for someone who is having a problem to post a question looking for help or advice or just to vent. It vastly skews the perception of the number and severity of problems. The reality is for most people surgery works and works well at achieving sustained weight loss. Very few people statistically have what I would call a major complication. When compared to the statistics of complications (or co-morbidities) of being obese, it’s not even a fair contest. You are not alone in having worries and doubts though, not by a long shot. I had them too, many of us did. But I didn’t cancel and I most definitely do NOT regret having surgery. It was probably the best true free will choice I’ve ever made in my life… no, it definitely was. Being a guy who doesn’t care about his hair, I can’t share my advice about hair loss. It’s a thing that can happen. It didn’t happen to me, but again I wouldn’t have cared if I lost all my hair, I’d have done this again without a second thought. In fact, I would go so far as to say that… based on how GREAT I feel today, even if I had a major complication that required hospitalization post op, I would still go through with it knowing what I know now. I wish I did this years ago, but I didn’t. I feel like I lost some of the best years with myself, my kids, just in general… The following is a cheeze-ball comment but it’s true…. This new me… this is the me that was hiding inside a fat suit almost all of my life… sad, pretty lonely, afraid to come out and just enjoy life like I am now. I wish I met him when I was younger. I wish I was strong enough to do this on my own at a much younger age, but in the end I don’t care how this new me got here… I’m here and I’m not going back inside that fat suit ever again. I am 46 and feel like I’m about to turn 27. I wish you the best, no matter what you decide. But don’t only look for the negatives, because that’s what you’ll find. There’s a lot of us “hell yah I’d do this again!!” people out there, we’re just quiet about it in general compared to the people who do really need help getting through a tough spot.

Having second and third and fourth thoughts are normal! It’s all part of making a huge life change. I know most people have hair loss and there doesn’t seem to be much to do about it except wait it out. You may just have to weigh the health benefits of the hair loss vs all the other improvements WLS will bring. Good luck with your decision. I know it’s not easy!