January 2013 Tummy Tuckers Check In Here...

Kim525 If you figure it out, then PLEASE share with me! I really thought my weight would have started dropping by now, ...but NO it just stays within the same two or three pound number. It's not like I'm eating everything in site!I just can't figure it out, so you are not alone in this by any means.

Honestly girls, I stopped weighing myself about a month ago. It's not that I am "letting myself go," rather that I realized that number was really making me crazy and think about trying things like the hcg diet, which I don't think is really appropriate or sensible for someone with five or six lbs to lose, you know? My thighs are my "new" trouble spot, but I feel like unlike the saggy belly skin, they will go down with sensible eating and working out consistently. I really want to eat sensibly and teach that to my daughters (by modeling that behavior) instead of going down the rabbit hole and starting the crash dieting and liposuction of more areas which just is not going to lead to long term success and health. Just my two cents.

I'm sorry, Kim525. The surgery is wonderful yet frustrating, isn't it? Maybe you are still swelling and it's moving down your body. How many weeks/months PO are you? Hopefully you will stop swelling soon and see the changes you were hoping for.

I'm at a higher weight then before surgery, have been since the surgery. I was at a lower high weight and right now am at a higher high weight, if that makes any sense! But I do believe a lot of it is swelling because things seem to fit the same or better and I don't look any bigger. I always gain in my face and haven't there yet. It is so weird! I'm hoping at 6 months that the lymphatic system will be doing what it's supposed to be doing again, but I know it can take up to a year. I'm not going to stop working out, even though it may make me swell.

Good for you, NewSelf - I've always told people that the scale is not your friend. I only weigh in once a month because I know that in the past those dang numbers can make me crazy. I think that you are able to know your weight by the size of clothes you're wearing - so why hop on that piece of plastic with a bunch of numbers and depress yourself? Right now I think I'm quite content with wearing between a size 5 and 7 (that could change - lol) I enjoy working out too much to quit - it truly relieves my stress from the day. All of these years I've taken care of hubby and the kids - now its time to take care of mommy. I mean I still take care of the family, the house and the business but now I make time for me. Stay away from the scale girls - focus more on how you feel :)

Girrrrrrrrlll! Get you to your nearest Pure Barre class! Lift tone and burn the thighs butt arms everything in fact will be shaking and quivering ... Can ya tell I have a new obsession ;)

I haven't been on here in a while. I've been doing a lot of Zumba, and Total Body Conditioning classes. Although, I have not done ANY abdominal workouts (crunches etc.). Have any of you been doing abdominal work??? I was told not to because I had a larger hernia repair with my full tummy tuck. Just wondering when I can start working my abs. Anyway, ZUMBA is a lot of dance moves and fast leg movements so I think it is working the legs well.

Thanks, Cici! I have not tried Pure Barre but it sounds awesome! Dana, I have been doing all ab work since I was fifteen weeks post op, but I didn't have any hernia involvement. Just a full tt with MR and some lipo to abs only.

My PS said ab work is okay after 4 months, but not before.

I try for 60 min of cardio,(usually elliptical), 2x's per week and then strength training and 20-30 min cardio 3x's per week. I may go an extra day, but haven't gotten back to that yet. Plus my lower back keeps kinking up on me, but I know it's my body way of trying to get me to stop. I went to the chiropractor and all is good. I want to try P90X or Insanity. There are people at my gym who keep trying to get me to go. I'm going to have to try it! My trainer did show me a squat where your legs are very far apart, toes pointed out to the side and you squat low, you can use dumbbells and swing them between your legs and swing them up into an X above your head, great for inner thighs and shoulders.

I go to the gym 4 to 5 times per week (1.5 to 2 hours/night) and I alternate upper body/abs and lower/legs. I start out on the elliptical for at least a 20 minute warm up and move to the machines. Plus I'm almost halfway through the 30 day squat challenge - moving on to the 30 day arms challenge when finished with this one. I just read about those inner thigh squats yesterday, Dragon. I'm not sure if I'm just being extremely critical but I'm not real happy with my inner thighs and upper arms (inside) lately - anybody else noticing parts that weren't so bad pre-op but really bothering them now?

Pandapam you must have read my mind!! I'm seeing alot of things I guess I never noticed, or chose to ignore before my TT. Do you think we will ever get to a place of complete satisfaction with our bodies?? Probably not, oh well I guess that we will keep our PS's in business!!!

So maybe we'll be chatting under the "January 2014 after TT procedures" section next year? :)

Probably,...probably so ..Pandapam. If so that will be OK by me!!! :)

Yup, my back. Now I feel like I'm shaped like an upside down triangle. I have great legs, decent torso, huge upper body. We have to stop being so hard on ourselves!

I guess we'll all be hitting that magical 6 month mark soon - I'm hoping that on 6/16 (my 6 month) that some magic wand is waved over me and all the swelling is gone. I won't quit working out because it makes me swell - if anything the swelling pushes me harder. I was to the point that I came to terms with the swelling as just part of the recovery but now I need to either do something about my inner thighs and upper arms OR realize that I'm only picking on them because I no longer have my tummy and "twins" to pick on.

I have not tried it, but definitely will. I will probably use that in conjunction with the other things I listed. Because this scar is so far outside my belly button and tight, it is constricting the skin inside and causing it to puckrt out so I'm dealing with two lovely issues. However, if I could hide the scar that would be one thing down! Thanks :-)

Lourdes, you need to come up with a good story and rock a Barbie bandaid or something! ;) I am sorry you have to deal with it this summer...I was just going back and forth on my asymmetrical lipo issue AGAIN but after remembering about bathing suit season, compression garments, etc, I am thinking no!

NewSelf, yes! Maybe I could make up a story and say that I had a belly button piercing that turned infected and now have to keep it covered all... summer ...long ;-). I can't imagine going back to square one with compression garments. I've about had it with postop restrictions and recovery. My husband is really sweet, and doesn't want me doing more than I should right now. Even though he's well-intentioned, it's starting to get on my nerves. I want to be able to do things for myself again. Yesterday, I started peeling an orange and he told me to give him the orange. He said that I should not be peeling an orange because I'm really not supposed to do anything to engage my pecs. I'm sure he was right, but I threw a little fit and got all dramatic saying that I just want to do things myself and I'm not child. It was ridiculous of me, but I'm just at my limit. My OCD extends to my house as well. I can't vacuum or mop yet, and the floors are driving me absolutely crazy. I know he would do them, but he already does so much I don't want to ask him. Happy place, go to my happy place...

Lourdes, sorry but the orange peeling thing made me laugh! Your husband is trying so hard but I know it can get over the top. My husband would not let me sign up for a 5k in May because he thought I might push myself before I was ready and hurt something. Here I am running five miles before the race is even here!

Oh and the floors! We have a blended family of five plus a dog and our floors are awful, especially if the boys have their rugged teenage friends over tracking muddy sneakers in...don't get me started...thefloors were an absolute disaster for two or three months post tt. We are now down to only hard wood floors, no carpet, between doggie accidents, and kid messes, at least on the main floor. That way I can use Swiffer stuff on everything before it gets too awful! I discovered the Swiffer magic when my foot was broken a few years ago, and now I prefer hardwood; it is so much easier to maintain with kids and pets.

KCmama, Thanks for the suggestion! Is it better than Dermablend?