18 months later...no regrets!

[Lexsan 104]

Hi do you have loose skin. I'm 5'2 weigh 213 am scheduled to be sleeved on 2/20/13 can't wait my concern is loose skin, Hair loss and pain. Do you have any tips?

[Territravel 217]

You look fantastic and I'm inspired!

[mattr2 32]

Carolina, first key me say you are smokin' hot. thanks for sharing. What you described is exactly how I feel as well.

NtvTXN, that's for sharing. I am about 5 months in and and finding the same thing. I love that I can have a few bites of anything and not have it kill me for a week. The Portion Control is fantastic and empowers me to make decisions and actually manage my lifestyle.

No regrets whatsoever from this low bmi-er!

[debbie0406 59]

I know there are many of you who wonder "is this the right thing for me?" Some of you are a little scared (as I was)' date=' some of you wonder "will this work for me?" or "can I do this?". I'm here to tell you, don't be scared...it will work (if you follow the rules!!!) and YES, you can do this!!! The sleeve has been a wonderful tool. Without it I know I would have never lost the weight and I would probably be heavier than I was back then. I know I would be in worse health, more depressed and still hiding at home instead of enjoying my life. I may be one of the "lucky ones" who really hasn't had any problems, I don't get hungry, and I have only continued to improve my quality of life. I still sometimes wonder..."When will this be over... like so many times before when I have lost weight and gained it back", when I find myself thinking this I immediately remind myself that NEVER again, thanks to my sleeve, will I go back to that dark place!!! I have attached my before and after pictures, looking at before and afters always helped me when I was trying to decide "to sleeve or not to sleeve".[/quote']

You are beautiful. I can't wait until I hit goal. 20 more lbs to go.

Sent from my iPhone using VST

[lose2win 32]

I know there are many of you who wonder "is this the right thing for me?" Some of you are a little scared (as I was)' date=' some of you wonder "will this work for me?" or "can I do this?". I'm here to tell you, don't be scared...it will work (if you follow the rules!!!) and YES, you can do this!!! The sleeve has been a wonderful tool. Without it I know I would have never lost the weight and I would probably be heavier than I was back then. I know I would be in worse health, more depressed and still hiding at home instead of enjoying my life. I may be one of the "lucky ones" who really hasn't had any problems, I don't get hungry, and I have only continued to improve my quality of life. I still sometimes wonder..."When will this be over... like so many times before when I have lost weight and gained it back", when I find myself thinking this I immediately remind myself that NEVER again, thanks to my sleeve, will I go back to that dark place!!! I have attached my before and after pictures, looking at before and afters always helped me when I was trying to decide "to sleeve or not to sleeve".[/quote']

Wow u r an inspiration

Sent from my iPhone 5 using VST

[Diamondeyed 399]

Awesome

[chitowngirl 886]

Wow you look great, congrats on your weight loss.

[carolina girl 56]

Thanks everyone for all your sweet comments...and mattr2, it's been a long time since someone told me I was "smokin' hot" , lol so thanks for that one! Words of encouragement go a long way. NtvTxn- thank you for your update too...hearing from folks that are more than 2 years out is rare but soooo important to me. I love to hear stories like yours..I want to be able to say the same thing in another year!

Lexan ... you asked about loose skin. I do not have much loose skin, some, but not enough to justify spending the cash that it would take to tighten it up through surgery. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to be asked to do any swimsuit modeling anytime soon, but I am 42 so hey- I'm good with the little bit of loose skin I have. I have had three children, so the one thing I would really like to have is a Tummy Tuck. That damage was done by pregnancy more than anything.

I think that there are a lot of factors when it comes to the skin issue. Genetics, age, how long you were at your heaviest, and exercise after surgery all play a part. I did have loose skin at the top of the back of my arms - especially noticeable when I would hold my arms up, but I have seen a huge improvement in that area since I started lifting weights a year or so ago. I do wear sleeveless tops, tank tops etc. and do not feel self conscious. (I will post some pictures soon) I also have lost a cup size in my breasts and believe me, they could use a pick me up, but I see plenty of women in the gym my age and I can honestly say, some their "twins" look worse than mine and they haven't had VSG!! My best advice is don't worry about skin now...enjoy the smaller sizes and watching the scale go down knowing that you are improving and adding years to your life.

That being said, I do believe in weight training- it is critical for women especially over 40. Think of your muscle as the clay that shapes your physique. The skin that lays over that muscle is going to take the shape of whatever is under it. If you don't have muscle to support the skin you probably won't look so good out of your clothes. If that is not a big deal to you, that's fine too. But remember that building muscle (not talking about the magazine body builder type of muscles here) supports your skeleton, prevents osteoporosis, and best of all- muscle eats fat all day long so it continues to help you maintain your weight just by being!

You also asked about hair loss and pain...Pain, I had none. Seriously..NONE. I did what everyone says to do...I walked and walked all over the hospital as soon as my anesthesia wore off and the nurse said I could walk. I never had gas pain at all. I never had pain from incision. hair loss- I did lose some hair, well quite a bit of it, but it has almost all grown back in. Luckily I had very thick hair and it wasn't very noticeable. Start taking Biotin now, before your surgery, it will help you get a head start on the Hair loss or if you don't lose much hair it will make it thicker and healthier than ever. My sister-in-law was sleeved six months after me so she learned from my experience and started taking Biotin before surgery. She was especially concerned as she has very fine thin hair. She did lose hair, but she already had new growth by the time it happened. Most importantly- get enough protein!!! Not having enough can contribute to hair loss- my doc recommends 90 to 100 gms a day.

I wish you all nothing but success with this journey..and I look forward to reading your updates too! We are very lucky to have this place to share our stories and get support and reassurance when we need it.

[sleeve 4 me 910]

HOLY MOLY! I remember when you first started on this site! YOU LOOK AMAZING! YOU GO GIRL!!!!

[Lexsan 104]

Thanks for your reply you are truly an inspiration I have 19 more days to go!!

[nursemeg89 185]

Wow, you look absolutely amazing. What an inspiration you are to all of us!!! Congratulations on your success!!!!

[txtech01 7]

Thanks Annie B..you're sweet!

amytug..sorry I forgot my tickler has been removed and I never put a new one up. I was 220 lbs(probably heavier at times)..now 133 to 137..I teeter back a forth! I wore a size 18' date=' but it was tight... probably needed a 20 but wouldn't buy it. I now wear a 4 or 6 depending on what it is. I was taking 3 pills for blood pressure, ambien to sleep, lipitor, wellbutrin, prevacid and tums all day long! Now I take nothing except for my Vitamins of course! Before I couldn't put my shoes on without being out of breath, now I can run a 5k in about 27 mins! Life is good [/quote']

You look amazing!!!! Congrats!!! I had my sleeve done yesterday so I'm still in the hosp. Same beginning weight. Hope to get down to a 8 at least. How long did it take u to get to your final weight?

[janerose 109]

I needed to see this today - having a rough week and gained two pounds. I am quite a bit older and 15lbs from my goal - you have given me the incentive to get back on track today.

Thank you

[carolina girl 56]

janerose...I'm glad my post happened to be what you needed!!! Believe me ... I have been there and this board can be a great source of support. Just keep on keepin' on!!

Txtech01- I made goal at about 71/2 or 8 months out. My own personal goal was 140 lbs. - Lost down to 130 but my body decided it wanted to level out at about 135, so I guess my body and mind had to meet in the middle! It's hard to go strictly by the numbers when trying to figure out what size you will be...@ 135, I am most comfortable at a size six, but I think if I had the Tummy Tuck, which would take another 5-7 lbs off, I would consistantly wear a 4. I never thought I would wear either!!!

Keep the faith in your sleeve and treat it right...It will take you where you want to be! God Bless.

[RAAinNH 113]

Thank you so much for sharing your success.... it gives me hope! Besides being a lot healthier, you have the extra bonus of looking fantastic as well!!!