Advice needed - Post-op Wedding Planning

Can anyone help me? I'm trying to plan my wedding, yet the dress issue is frustrating me. How can I determine what size I'll be (about anyway) and how can I prevent/reduce excess arm skin? I'm getting worried & would appreciate any advice. Thanks!

I don't know that there is any way to predict where you will be at your wedding. Until you have surgery you don't know if you're a fast loser or a slow loser. Everyone is quite variable. As far as excess skin, if your skin is stretched out, that is another area that is very variable. It depends on how much you weighed, how long you were overweight, how stretched out the skin is, how much elasticity your skin has. I'm not much help, Sue O.

Thanks, At this point in time any advice is helpful! I am starting at 325lbs, and have been heavy all my life, so I don't know how elastic my skin actually is anymore. All I know is my sister was about the same size when she had the surgery last year & is now down to 165lbs & a size 12. Does anyone know of any excersises that will help reduce the excess arm skin??

Hi Dana, We are having the same problem. My daughter is in a wedding this coming July and had the Vertical Sleeve surgery last Sept. in CA. She has lost 105 lbs after 5 1/2 months so we are thinking that she will hopefull keep losing 15 lbs or so a month. She started at 310 lbs. (BMI of 50) and by July be around 150 lbs. or so. She ordered a size 16 but hopefully it will be to large for her but we plan on having alterations anyway. As far as the arms go, I tell Anne to do as much excercise with them as possible to build up the muscle and hopefully that will help somewhat. Best of luck with your surgery and weightloss journey. Priscilla

Thanks Priscilla! I'm going to try yoga as well as weight training to tighten up those sagging arms. Congratulations to your daughter's success.

Dana - first of all you'll be thin - go buy a dress off the rack - don't pre-order it -- you won't need to do that anymore!!!!!!!!!!! Secondly -- arm fat -- ughhh sore subject with me - I've lost over 200 pounds and i have those "HI JANES" flapping in the wind all the damn time I've had my TT but not my boob/arm job yet -- which I am anxiously awaiting. But this might help you -- my PS told me -- cuz I worked out faithfully SIX days a week -- no matter how much you exercise - with that much fat you cannot reduce it except thru surgery -- because Skin shrinks to MUSCLE it CANNNOTTTTTTTTTT shrink to FAT - so unless and until you remove the fat beneath the skin - ther's going to be no shrinking and you can work out til you're blue in the face it won't matter much Hope this helps - when's the surgery - when's the wedding? Lynne

The wedding is December 29th, 2006. The dress I have picked out is only available if I order it. And I have to order it in July. So here's my guess, I'm currently between a 28/30 and I'm hoping to be a 14 by Dec, so I'm going to order a 16 & hope they can take it in. And since we are doing a 1930's theme, I'm going to wear long tight gloves to hold in some of the arm fat. Here's the dress I'm dreaming of wearing. http://www.edenbridals.com/product_info.php?products_id=754 Thanks for the advice!!!!

Hi Dana! It's Karla. I just remembered something. When I got married in 1990 I was a size 12 but because some wedding dresses ran so small, the one I actually ended up wearing was an 18!! Make sure to talk to someone before you order. I don't know why they do this but some designers must have their own size chart. Just something to keep in mind.

Sorry I can't help with anything. Just wanted to tell you the dress is BEAUTIFUL!! Kimmie

I am getting married in September, had surgery at the end of October. Due to a huge fiasco, I had to get a new wedding dress, which was ordered in February... I ordered it two full sizes smaller than my measurements were (and am already wearing jeans in the size dress I ordered). I know it will still need to be taken in with alterations, but EVERY place will tell you that it is MUCH easier to take the dress in, than to have to take it out. Wait as long as possible before ordering it, and then when measured drop down from that size. They usually make you sign a form saying though that you understand by ordering the dress smaller, you are taking a risk with it not fitting, yadda, yadda, yadda.... Also, everyone looses different so keep that in mind when comparing yourself to what other people have lost at... I have lost much differently than anyone else I know. My dress is strapless... only recommendations I have received for loose skin on the arms is to lift weights/arm weight machines, etc... The way I look at it, even if I have loose skin hanging, I am going to feel SO much better about myself and the way I look at that time, that having loose skin will be ok with me, but I can't deny that I haven't thought about it A LOT! Good Luck! Sarah - 85lbs lighter!