15 Years Post-op with Plastics

Lisey
on 9/9/24 10:05 pm - Milwaukee suburb, WI

I haven't posted on here in many years, but I recall enjoying reading posts from those who were quite far out from surgery.

I had the DS in March 2009. My high weight was 304, my surgery weight was 284. I'm 5'4". I was a size 28 at surgery.

Over the next 18 months, I went to 140 pounds and stayed there for a year or two. For me, that was a size 6. In the next couple years after that, I tended to bounce around between 150-155, a size 10. That brought me through 2013.

In 2014, I had my first child. After pregnancy, I was about 165-175. In 2016, I had my second child. I found myself unhappy in my marriage and overwhelmed working and caring for two small kids. I found myself turning to food again and just eating like crap. My weight went up to 195-200 and I was again a size 18/20. That was 2017-2018.

I got divorced and was determined not to be fat anymore. I cut out all junky carbs. I only ate when I was hungry, and if I was hungry, I did eat, but stopped eating two hours before bed. No eating in the middle of the night. I did have carbs in that I had 2 - 3 servings of fruit/day, always paired with a protein. Just no junky carbs. I lost 25 pounds the first month, 15 pounds the second month, and another ten pounds or so in the next month. That was 8 years post-op, so, yes - the DS will always "work!" You'll always have an advantage compared to how hard it was to lose weight before the DS. Over the next six months, I lost another ten pounds, when I got a fairly "physical" job (I deliver the mail). That was five years ago, and I still have that job.

I easily maintain my weight of 140. I fluctuate between 137 - 143. If I find my weight going up towards 143, I jus****ch what I eat more for the next 2 weeks and it comes right off.

I still don't eat a lot of junky carbs but I'm not super strict with it either. Probably 2-3 days/week when I am with my boyfriend, I eat super healthy because I don't want to be gassy, but that also helps to keep the weight off. The other days of the week, I'm more relaxed with what I eat.

I had a fleur-de-lis with a circumferential belt lipectomy in 2023. I chose the fleur-de-lis portion due to the amount of vertical laxity. It cost $18,500.

Unfortunately, the surgeon did not remove sufficient excess skin around my torso. Once laying down, it slid off to the sides so much that it was deceptive in looking flat until I stood up. He waived his fee to revise, though I had to pay $1200 for the at cost fees for anesthesia and the in-house OR room.

Since I was going under again, I also chose to have my "saddle bags" removed so that if I wear leggings or a tight dress, I have a smooth line. That cost another $6,000.

While I wish my torso was a touch flatter, I'm happy enough with the results. Fortunately, my breasts faired really well through my weight journey since I am a naturally small breasted woman and I tended to be the "pair" shape when heavy so they weren't proportionately as big as one might have expected while heavy. I'm now a size 4-6, though usually a six.

I gained a substantial amount of weight by the time I was 15. Had the DS when I was 32, and I'm now 47.

So that's my weight loss, gain, loss, and plastics journey!




HW / SW / CW / GW      299 / 287160 / 140     Feb '09 / Mar '09 / Dec '13 /Aug '10          

Appendicitis/Bowel Obstruction Surgery 8/21/10
Beat Hodgkin's Lymphoma!  7/15/2011 - 1/26/2012 


Ran Half-Marathon 10/14/2012

First Pregnancy, Due 8/12/14                             I LOVE MY DS!!!
 

EnjoynLife
on 9/16/24 4:28 am

You look fantastic Lisey ! Wow !!

Cautiously_Hopeful
on 10/1/24 4:32 pm
WLS on 07/15/22

Thank you for sharing your story and update. I'm glad you're in a better place. You're an inspiration.

HW 282, LW 123.4 (8/29/23), CW 144.4

Pre-op-33, M1-12, M2-17, M3-14, M4-11, M5-14, M6-5, M7-6, M8-5, M9-22, M10-6, M11-5, M12-2, M13-2, M14-5

Lisey
on 10/3/24 4:07 am - Milwaukee suburb, WI

Awww..thank you so much!!

HW / SW / CW / GW      299 / 287160 / 140     Feb '09 / Mar '09 / Dec '13 /Aug '10          

Appendicitis/Bowel Obstruction Surgery 8/21/10
Beat Hodgkin's Lymphoma!  7/15/2011 - 1/26/2012 


Ran Half-Marathon 10/14/2012

First Pregnancy, Due 8/12/14                             I LOVE MY DS!!!
 

tonyadams
on 10/2/24 11:48 pm

Looking back now, are there any habits or practices that you wish you had adopted earlier in your weight loss journey that might have made things easier? Block Blast

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