Tummy Tuck After Weight Loss - a Fat Chick's View - Las Vegas, NV

Chosing to do a tummy tuck for myself was a scary idea my story starts out with initial deciding to beat obesity it runs in my family by the age of 15 i had was over 200 pounds at the age of 23 I weighed 290 .I had no pregnancys to credit my weight gain to i simply had heridity and a lifestyle . I started my "makeover" at the age of 24 During this time i relised I had to look at every aspect of my life and make changes so i began . I changed careers I gave up a career that paid me ridicuolously good due to my 10 years of experience and education in it and i started at the bottom minimum wage salary in order to start my passion . My previous career paid great with tons of benifits and i always had plenty of money but the truth was at the end of the day my career was just like my body it looked good to everyone else but i hated it . When I changed careers people gasped they were shocked and i loved it i loved going to work at my new job working 2wice as many hours for less pay .I simply loved what i was doing . During this make over phase i also changed the friends i hung out with and my prioritys changed i knew that if i was gonna lose 100-150 pounds i would have to miss birthdays and miss nights going out simply put there would be to much food around ..When you begin to change people around you change they offer you more food they get insicure as you lose weight or build confidence . My journey continued for the next 2 years of my life ..2 years ? yess 2 years if someone tells you you can lose 100 pounds and not gain it back ever in a year there fooling you not only do you have to lose it you have to deal with why you gained it . Once i lost 100 pounds my first cosmetic procedure was to fix my breasts i went in for a breast lift and ended up almost dying from it that surgery resulted in 10 more to fix what the first Dr did wrong . The tummy tuck i decided to do after losing over 120 pounds i could fit into a size 7 and size 9 but my stomach was just squishy and i had lots of skin ..To be honest i only decided to do the tummy tuck since i was gonna already be unconsious to have my breast fixed ..I did not look into tummy tucks alot before hand i never saw myself as wanting or needing one i always thought the skin would retract . Well i decided the summer of 08 that when i went in for my breast getting fixed i was gonna go ahead and get my stomach taking care of at the same time ... The day of my procedure I was focused on my breast not my stomach i was more scared of something going wrong with the breasts since I had been hurt before and had delt with over 18 surgeons my Dr and his nurse were incredible they always have been however this was still my first surgery with them . I remember waking up and going home and the most bizaree incredible feeling hit when I looked in the mirror ..my stomach was gone < it was gone ! That completly floored me that morning I had woke up before surgery I had the same squishy stomach and now 12 hours later I was standing there with no squishy in fact there was this belly button ..I had no idea what I looked like with a belly button! I hadnt seen mine since I was 12 and even then I didnt remember it ..I think my belly button shocks me the most I was used to a squishy line for a belly button . The tummy tuck itself knocked the strength out of me prior to the tummy tuck I had been used to working out alot and now it felt hard to sit up ! The pain Was So diffeent it takes your core strength i had to remind myself it was temporary medicine did relieve most of the pain but it was a feeling you feel like you will never forget .. Its been 11 months since my surgery and today i dont remember exactly what the feeling was i just remember thinking all never do this again lol . The results of the tummy tuck were great however im going to be honest cus alot of people just post good results or bad ones all tell you what i went through emotionally ..When i was able to be out of the garments required and the stitches were removed I was in shock and estatic over the little things I remember the first time I went to a dressing room I went to the walmart just to try on a pair of low rise jeans I was so amazed to see the belly button I texted my Dr and said wow thank you ! Its funny though how once your body looks good your mind will try to go back to the old way of things if your heavy do to life style or food I think this is important to know before a tumy tuck so you will be ready for it . I found myself getting lazy with the food choices now that my stomach was flat in fact I found myselfnwanting to be able to just eat like a skinny girl and not care what I ate .I found myself depressed over the little stuff when ever I would eat now my stomach would get super tight and make me feel really fat and the skin was tight ..when your used to food being a comfort it is a hard feeling to deal with when all of a sudden your body is screaming dont put anymore in me .. I had to learn how to take care of my new tummy a couple of months after the tummy tuck I began working out again and I actually put on 18 pounds I could see my belly starting to get fat again and I could see the result of not eating the right foods for my body and it scared me i realised even though the tummy tuck was done my weight loss journey didnt end . I would have to continue to take care of my body and make even smarter choices .. There was times i had to reprogram my mind to accept the fact that my stomach was gone .I had to go look in the mirror to make sure it wasnt really there .I had lived with a belly for so long that I had so many new feelings going on ,even physically I had no idea what it was like to lay on my side and not have a squishy stomach laying next to me ..so when i first laid on my sides my body was not used to it ! I think these moments are amazing the little things you dont know that you will go through .. People treated me different after the tummy tuck they went from being proud of me for losing weight to acting like I was stuck up for chosing to do a cosmetic surgery ..clothes fit different and guys acted different towards me ..that feeling bugged me I couldnt beleive that People could treat you so different based on a squishy tummy or a flat fit looking one .. My job gave me better locations to work in this really pissed me off ! I was the same girl before the surgery wearing the same suits and working just as hard and now that my suit size was smaller they placed me in better hotels which in return ment better money . As a single mom I was soo sick to my stomach to think that my kid had a better life financially based on a suit size ..when things like this started happening I started missing the old squishy me I missed knowing people loved me for me not a body .. I attract a different crowd of men now and it actually makes me mad living life as a fat girl and then living life as typical size girl is 2 different worlds ..now that my body looks better to guys they think they can talk or treat you anyway they want ..Guys dont talk to me anymore cus im funny or smart or cus i have a passion and zest for life ..Now they talk to me based on how I look that day .. Women dont talk to me the same anymore and that sucks I see the fat girls and they figure im like the rest of the world so they dont talk to me or figure al look down on them ..my friends who are over weight hide from me they dont talk to me the same now and the ones that do always bring up there weight before I see them ..if I invite them out or to the movies the first thing they do is mention that they dont look that good ..this sucks im the same girl I was before but my stomach is gone and my size is different my auttitude hasnt changed and I dont judge people I still dress the same in fact I think I dress more modest then before . It has been almost one year since my tummy tuck and today I ask myself would I do it again ? Physically I would say ..yes since i can not imagine going back to a stomach ..emotionally I would say no I kinda miss that squishy girl and I miss knowing im judged based on personality not on looks and im still adjusting to this body.Is it great to be able to throw on a bikini ..YES ..But I miss knowing that even in a one peice I am okay . I have a scar now it is fading but its there when i look in the mirror I still get suprised by it i just never imagined myself to have a scar across my body ..Im more self consious when it comes to taking my clothes off I have not done this in front of a guy yet and to me its crazy cus at 290 pounds I was fine with it .. I go to the gym now and its harder to build back the strength I had prior to the tummy tuck my body seems to not be as flexible I cant do the same yoga poses I could do before but I figure its because my stomach is now tight .. I do eat alot better now im more consious of what im putting in my body because i can see the results right away if i eat to big of meals a couple days in a row my belly will show me . I look at the work it took for my Dr to create the belly I have and I value that so I do take care of my body differently now . Having a tummy tuck can fix skin issues but it cant fix the issues that led up to gaining the weight and if your used to being a certan weight or living a certain weight then it wont fix those issues in fact it might show you more issues in your life .. I am learning to live in this new body and each day is still a challenge but 4 years ago when I used to weigh 290 I knew it would be a challenge and I knew id have to relearn alot .. This is my opionion based on being overweight for my teenage years and also the start of my adult life . Cosmetic surgery is simply that its cosmetic it cant fix the inside of you it can change the outside .. My suggestion to anyone looking into surgery is do it only for yourself make sure you find the best Dr not the best price < make sure you feel comfortable with his or her staff make sure they dont seem to busy or to rushed when you call alot of offices are really busy but its important to know your a priority as well , dont pick your surgeon just based off of pictures or just based on a friends results pick your surgeon because you beleive he understands what your goal is .When the surgery is done your the one living with the body . Make sure you have a real idea and sense of what to expect after surgery and during recovery and even the months after . And once you have surgery be ready to take care of the new body you have it will mean maintaining it and one other thing I noticed is that as your body changes to be more like an 'ideal shape" you will notice stuff you didnt notice before hand be ready to handle that and keep in mind a goal and most of all make sure you dont lose your self in the process of changing.. I have experinced lots of different weights and sizes and small breasts large breasts I have went threw phases of being really really big and phases of my ribs showing the main thing I can say is make sure you know what you want . I would not be able to have the body shape I have to today if it wasnt for the help of an amazing surgeon . As a patient , as a thick girl , as a girl who had already lost 120 pounds before my surgeon met me I valued the fact that when I told him about the tummy tuck he didnt make me feel like a fat girl he listened and told me the pros and cons of doing it now vs later . My Dr also looks at what will look best for your body type he creats realistic expectations and takes the time to do this . When I told him i wanted to do a tummy tuck he said okay but he also planned on having my flanks lipod and doing lipo with the tummy tuck those are things some surgeons skip over if you dont ask for them to be done ..i wouldnot have known to ask for that or that that is needed to get the shape you want my dr also asked what type of clothes do i wear what kind of panys pantys ect he took the time to decide where to place the scar.. Make sure your Dr is listening make sure when you leave his office you feel better about your goal not worse . Good luck to anyone considering a tummy tuck or any other surgery my final reviews on this procedure would be based on the facts my Dr removed over 6 pounds of skin < no diet could have done that . I added some home photos just a couple random ones I have and YES there me =) people always are shocked my exhusband didnt reconize me that is priceless !!