On the Fence

[chunkymonkey123 30]

HI everyone,

I have been pondering weight loss surgery for a couple years now . I am currently enrolled in a program at my local Kaiser and am about to finish the nutrition classes which are required to qualify for surgery. I am 5'6 and weigh 242 lbs. I've always been the chunky girl not too big but definitely not skinny. I guess I am just scared that I won't be able to keep up with the requirements of the surgery such as living the healthy lifestyle or committing to exercise 5 times a week. Also I am scared of the excess skin.

I don't know if surgery is the way to go but at the same time I don't want to keep gaining weight. I am pre-diabetic and have a fatty liver I know this may be the beginning of more severe problems to come.

Any input is welcome :)

[kellym1220 473]

How old are you? I know when I was in my 30's, I was not skinny, but not fat. As I got older (I'm 57 now) it seemed like each year another 5 or 10 pounds was "acceptable, but not ideal" I found myself saying "I felt good at 210, if I could just get there!" and then "I was always happy under 230, let me try to get there"...and then I realized I'm going to be at 300 pounds in 3 more years at this rate and decided I needed to do something! I wish I had done it earlier, but who knows? If you are not committed to changing your lifestyle, you might go through this and end up back where you are. Or, you could decide you want to change your life anyway and do it without surgery. I am only 3.5 months out, so I hope I can commit and feel great forever, but at 50 pounds down, I'm committing now!

Also, I have been able to eat out, hang out with friends and still lose weight...I just order an appetizer and take half of it home and have one drink when I would have had several before (PS. I'm saving money, too!)

Good luck on your decision.

Edited November 16, 2020 by kellym1220

[chunkymonkey123 30]

Thanks for your reply I am 41 years old.

[catwoman7 11,211]

re: excess skin. Until the pandemic started, I worked with the pre-op groups at my clinic. Did this for about four years - at least 12 groups a year. Almost all of them are freaked out about the loose skin. I, also, obsessed about loose skin when I was a pre-op and early post-op. I can tell you now that most of us who are out a ways wonder why we wasted even one brain cell worrying about it. In the grand scheme of things, it's really a minor issue. I would take loose skin any day over weighing almost 400 lbs again. ANY FREAKING DAY!!!

for most of us, it's easy to hide in clothes. I eventually had my excess skin removed, but I'm sure I was the only one who ever noticed it. Here's a picture of me BEFORE I had skin removal surgery. Do you see any loose skin? Nope. I tucked my stomach into my pants, wore longish, slightly oversized tops, and wore 3/4 length (or longer) sleeves. Ta da! Loose skin gone!

[Arabesque 7,218]

A little straight talking: Loose skin versus your health & well being? Personally, I think it’s a simple decision.

I have glaucoma & the medication gives me dark, purple shadows under my eyes which nothing will cover (spent a fortune on different concealers). I’m very fair & it’s very obvious. People think I’m sick. But my choice is dark, purple shadows or my sight. Sight wins every day.

How much loose skin you will have depends upon many factors like your age, general skin elasticity, where you carry your weight, how long you’ve been at your weight, your history of weight gain & loss, & how much you lose.

I don’t have a lot of loose skin - just sort of droopy, loose, crepey bits on my inner thighs, inner upper arms & on my belly. A good pinch but not a handful. It all hides well in my clothes. I wear fitted knit dresses without any type of shape wear & even wear tops with wide straps - I just don’t wave my arms in the air lol. I’m not someone who’d have my body on display anyway - no shorty shorts, bikinis, plunging or strapless tops for me at any weight. 😁 So the loose skin doesn’t really impact my clothing choices at all.

I was almost 54 when I had my surgery so I had age against me in regards to my skin bouncing back. Honestly, when I hit my goal I had very little loose skin - was pretty cocky about it too. But the extra 11 kg loss gave me what I have now. I’ve decided I won’t have any surgery to remove the excess skin. I earned that skin & a part of me, for good or bad, thinks I deserve it too. It’s a good reminder of where I was & where I am now.

But it is your decision. We all have things that are personally important to us (for me it is my hair). I hope I haven’t belittled yours.

[chunkymonkey123 30]

Thank you so much for your input 😊

[CWeaver60 10]

I am a newbie. Gastric sleeve on 10/28. I struggled with being committed to my decision to have surgery a few times BUT I am so very glad I went through with it. My experience thus far has been amazing. It is very hard when you read of other people who had complications or struggled in so many ways post op. That will definitely influence your thoughts regarding the unknown outcome. I can honestly tell you I had absolutely zero problems. I live alone and was perfectly fine post-op. Eating according to plan has not been an issue. In regards to sticking with the requirements of the plan, I find that your body will do it for you. You can't overeat (in my experience) as it will make you far too uncomfortable. It becomes a habit to take smaller bites and to chew your food thoroughly. I wish you the best.

[bufbills 316]

15 minutes ago, CWeaver60 said:

I am a newbie. Gastric sleeve on 10/28. I struggled with being committed to my decision to have surgery a few times BUT I am so very glad I went through with it. My experience thus far has been amazing. It is very hard when you read of other people who had complications or struggled in so many ways post op. That will definitely influence your thoughts regarding the unknown outcome. I can honestly tell you I had absolutely zero problems. I live alone and was perfectly fine post-op. Eating according to plan has not been an issue. In regards to sticking with the requirements of the plan, I find that your body will do it for you. You can't overeat (in my experience) as it will make you far too uncomfortable. It becomes a habit to take smaller bites and to chew your food thoroughly. I wish you the best.

You said a mouthful. I had surgery yesterday and I was terrified because of what I've read. I have a little discomfort, but overall I feel pretty good.

[CWeaver60 10]

Congratulations on reclaiming your life! So glad you are feeling well. 🙂

[chunkymonkey123 30]

1 hour ago, CWeaver60 said:

I am a newbie. Gastric sleeve on 10/28. I struggled with being committed to my decision to have surgery a few times BUT I am so very glad I went through with it. My experience thus far has been amazing. It is very hard when you read of other people who had complications or struggled in so many ways post op. That will definitely influence your thoughts regarding the unknown outcome. I can honestly tell you I had absolutely zero problems. I live alone and was perfectly fine post-op. Eating according to plan has not been an issue. In regards to sticking with the requirements of the plan, I find that your body will do it for you. You can't overeat (in my experience) as it will make you far too uncomfortable. It becomes a habit to take smaller bites and to chew your food thoroughly. I wish you the best.

So glad you are doing so well. How much have you lost so far?

[New Me, New Mind 106]

I am 5'6 and weighed 252lbs at my highest(1 week before surgery) and 242lbs on day of surgery (7.27.20). You won't regret surgery. Since i have always carried my weight well and had thick thighs and a booty, I wondered if surgery was really the way to go for me too. I knew i was unhappy and overwhelmed by my weight gain but I was afraid of lose skin too. I have lost 60lbs in total and 50lbs since surgery a little over 3 months ago. I am 192 today and feel amazing. I am a bit concerned about lose skin on my arms but I'll take it with how confident I feel now. I feel more confident today at 192 then i did at 145 before i had kids! Lol. It makes no sense but I've had a complete mind shift with this surgery lol. Best of luck to u!

Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

[New Me, New Mind 106]

I am 5'6 and weighed 252lbs at my highest(1 week before surgery) and 242lbs on day of surgery (7.27.20). You won't regret surgery. Since i have always carried my weight well and had thick thighs and a booty, I wondered if surgery was really the way to go for me too. I knew i was unhappy and overwhelmed by my weight gain but I was afraid of lose skin too. I have lost 60lbs in total and 50lbs since surgery a little over 3 months ago. I am 192 today and feel amazing. I am a bit concerned about lose skin on my arms but I'll take it with how confident I feel now. I feel more confident today at 192 then i did at 145 before i had kids! Lol. It makes no sense but I've had a complete mind shift with this surgery lol. Best of luck to u!

Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Oh and i had gastric sleeve btw..im on mobile so i cant tell which group u posted this in. Regardless of which surgery option u go with, I say it's worth every "negative" ur afraid of right now.

Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

[chunkymonkey123 30]

1 minute ago, regina r said:

I am 5'6 and weighed 252lbs at my highest(1 week before surgery) and 242lbs on day of surgery (7.27.20). You won't regret surgery. Since i have always carried my weight well and had thick thighs and a booty, I wondered if surgery was really the way to go for me too. I knew i was unhappy and overwhelmed by my weight gain but I was afraid of lose skin too. I have lost 60lbs in total and 50lbs since surgery a little over 3 months ago. I am 192 today and feel amazing. I am a bit concerned about lose skin on my arms but I'll take it with how confident I feel now. I feel more confident today at 192 then i did at 145 before i had kids! Lol. It makes no sense but I've had a complete mind shift with this surgery lol. Best of luck to u!

Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Wow we have the same stats I am also 5'6 and weigh 241 currently . I've lost 10 lbs since starting my pre-op program.

[GradyCat 3,695]

I was about your size same before Sleeve surgery and I've lost 60 lbs and have NO EXCESS SKIN. Now naturally if I'd have gone on to lose 100 lbs I might have experienced that, but even at my minimal 60 lb loss I am much healthier, my blood pressure and blood sugar are GREAT and I am in smaller clothes and I am happy.

[MommaJay 39]

I'm worried too. I've been working out (heavy lifting with a trainer) since 2018, so I'm hoping the muscle will help. I'm also going to take collegan and use a toning lotion because "what can it hurt". My stats are 5'6" and 225lbs with a sleeve date of 11/30.

Sent from my SM-G973U using BariatricPal mobile app