Mummy of 4... Finally Ready to Get Tucked! *NEW PHOTOS, over 55lb lost!*

Hello! I'm a 30 year old mum to 4 little girls aged 7, 6, 3 & 9 months.
I was always slim & healthy before I had kids. But I got the shock of my life after I gave birth to my eldest, almost 8 years ago. I gained an enormous 24kg (53lb) during my pregnancy & ended up COVERED with stretch marks, with separated abdominal muscles & a saggy "apron". I decided back then that I would look into abdominoplasty once I'd finished having babies.
My second daughter arrived 19 months after my first. After she was born I worked my butt off & was the thinnest I'd ever been - an Australian size 8, which is healthy for my petite 159cm (5ft 2 1/2) frame. But despite being so thin, my belly homestly looked like a flopped souffle.
Unfortunately, the weight piled back on during my third pregnancy. After my daughter was born, I got a referral to se Dr Julie Lawrence. I was completely overwhelmed when she told me that due to the amount of excess skin I had & the damage to my ab's, I was eligible to have a TT with muscle repair for NO out of pocket expense as a public patient!!!!! The wait was around a year, which I was happy with, because I wanted to lose more weight.
Fast forward 11 months & I get "the call" to book my pre-surgery consult, except... I'm pregnant AGAIN, hahaha!
So I had my beautiful (& very planned) last baby & was devastated: I was the most overweight I'd ever been... 28.8kg (63 1/2 lb) more than I was after my second baby. When she was 6 months old though, somethjng just clicked & I felt ready to look & feel like me again. So I joined Weight Watchers online & started doing zumba, high impact group personal training & running.
I called my surgeon's office not long after & was shocked & excited to find out I didn't need to wait another year for surgery & I could book in whenever I was ready!!! I made my appointment for February 27th 2014 & my surgery will be around 8 weeks after that. I wanted to allow enough time for me to breastfeed my baby until she's 12 months or so & her birthday is March 27th, so I'm hoping it all works out well :)
So here I am, with 2 months until my pre-op consult. So far I've lost 14.1kg (31lb) in 13 weeks & I'm feeling incredible! I can't believe that in 4-ish months I'll have the flat tummy I've been dreaming of for 8 years!

** I'll add some pics soon of my weight loss progress & also me at my goal weight - I can't do it from my phone :-/ **

I thought I'd add some progress pics of my weight loss & also of me at my goal weight.
I'm actually another 4.2kg (9 1/4 lb) lighter now, so I'll try and get a more recent one soon. I was sucking in so much (don't we all!) Once I'm closer to my surgery, I'll share a photo of what my jelly-belly looks like under my clothes. Oh also, I don't usually wear a headband & legwarmers... it was an 80s theme night at Zumba, hahaha!

I was going to hide my face, but I'm too lazy to edit the pics, lol, so this is me!

My surgeon would happily operate at my weight now, but I want to be at my goal weight, or as close as possible, to get the best results. She agreed that the less body fat I have, the more loose skin she'd be able to remove

One more random thing - I caught my 6 year old skipping & singing a little tune the other day, she was so proud of herself:
"Pizza dough, pizza dough
My mummy's belly is like pizza dough.
Squish the dough & bake the bread,
Mummy's belly is pizza dough."
"Did you hear my song mummy? Its because your belly feels just like dough!"

NOT FOR LONG!!!!!!!

Hey girls. Thanks so much for your encouragement so far :)

Quick question: do you know if I can change my Dr details? I'm not too concerned if I can't, but there's another review on here that links to her actual profile "Julie Lawrence, FRACS" So I thought it would be nice to have her details listed correctly on mine.

7 1/2 weeks until my pre-op appointment, where I'll book my date, YAY! I'm starting to write a list of questions to ask.

Also (I totally forgot to write it initially,) I'm also possibly having a breast lift with Dr Lawrence too! I enquired at the end of my last appointment & she gave me the info & said we'd discuss it at my pre-op. I was a 12DD prior to having kids & ended up an enormous 12G when I was pregs/breastfeeding, I'm probably a deflated 12DD/E now & I'm still feeding, so I'll go down a whole lot more once I wean my bubba in a couple of months. She mentioned a BR as well as a lift, but I'm so deflated after losing weight & breastfeeding 4 kids for close to a year each, that I don't think I'd have much left to reduce once I stop BF, bahaha! I still have a decent sized bust, but not a decent amount of volume anymore (just a decent amount of SKIN!) ;)
She said that I could actually get a lift under the public healthcare system too, providing that I met a few criteria... the age of my kids (can't remember when the cut off was) & whether my nipples had sagged lower than the fold line under my boobies (um, unfortunately yes). I'm not getting my hopes up though. It would be incredible to have the full mummy makeover, but I'll just be so thankful to finally have my tummy back, after 8 years of waiting!

I thought I'd put up a more recent update pic of my weight loss :) Over halfway there now!!! 7 1/2 weeks until I see my surgeon again.

Reality is starting to kick in a little. My husband & I were looking in the calendar tonight, trying to work out the best time for my surgery. In theory, it will be 6-8 weeks after my appointment on the 27th of Feb: so sometime from April 10-24.
But there's so much to think about! My mum will be in Africa until the 17th, Easter is 18th-21st, school holidays start on the 28th... Aaaaargh!!!
I can't work out whether it will be less pressure having all the kids home at first, so that my husband won't have to worry about school & Kindy pick up/drop initially, or to wait until everyone is back at Kindy & school. Hmmm.
So he's going to speak to his boss this week, to find the ideal time for his leave to start, then we'll at least have a better idea for when we see my surgeon next month.
Anyway, all this talk ended with me having a little freak out & bursting into tears! I still want this, more than ever. But I'll be in hospital for 3 nights after surgery & I've never actually stayed away from my girls for that long before :( My littlest will be barely 13 months old. My husband will bring them in to visit every day & I know it's only 3 days, but I just got a bit emotional thinking about it :'(
Most of the time I'm so certain, but I do feel a bit of mummy-guilt creeping in, because I'm choosing to have such major surgery done while my kids are so young.

If ever you girls need something to remind you why you're doing this, I'd highly recommend running on the treadmill in your underwear.
I'm not kidding.
That's what I did this morning. We've had a big heatwave this week, with temps up to 46 degrees C (114.8 F) & today is a steamy 42 (107.6) So because it's just too hot for clothes, I went for a run at home in my undies & sports bra. My goodness, it was disgusting, but helped me feel so motivated & inspired me to finally get the courage to share some "befores".

Keep in mind that I still have another 12-13kg (28ish lbs) to lose. But I'm losing weight every week & looking forward to reaching my goal! The bad news is that my belly is even more deflated when I'm thinner, but the good news is that my surgeon is getting rid of it all, hehe.

I've never been one to carry weight around my middle. I know some people naturally have that body shape, but I don't. I've always been more of an hourglass... DD bust, smaller waist, curvy hips & thighs. So inheriting a belly was a bit of a shock! I'm really hoping to get good results from my surgery. It's been almost 9 years, but I miss my flat tummy!

Its 5 weeks today until I have my second consult with my PS :) In that time I'm planning on continuing to lose weigh & also possibly weaning my baby from breast feeding.

Weight loss is still going well! I was down to 71.9kg/158 1/2 lb at my weigh in yesterday! 16.9kg/37 1/4lb gone in 17 weeks so far, woo hoo! I'm now fitting perfectly in my Aus size 12 jeans (I think that's about a US size 8) & I'm hoping to be down to a size 8 (US 4) by my surgery in 3 months.

That reminds me, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to share in here (admin please delete if I can't), but I've created a Facebook page to share my weight loss journey. Up until now I've been doing regular updates on my personal profile, but I've decided to keep it separate & stop clogging my friends' newsfeeds with my weight loss posts! If anyone's interested, it's called "Tina's Slowly Shrinking"

https://www.facebook.com/tinasslowlyshrinking?ref=settings

Hope everyone's wait until surgery isn't dragging too much & those of you who are recovering are doing well! xx

My long-awaited appointment with my surgeon is getting so close now! I've now lost 18.4kgs (40 1/2lbs) & I'm still hoping to lose around 10.4kgs (22-23lbs) before I go under the knife in 2-3 months.

I want to write a list of questions to ask her at my next appointment, does anyone have any suggestions of what to ask? I'm really concerned about scar placement- one of my friends had a TT with Julie & although she looks incredible, her scar is quite high.

I've added an updated weight loss pic. I'm sucking in, lol, because this is the pic that I shared on my Facebook page "Tina's Slowly Shrinking." I was so excited because these shorts are an Aus size 10 (US size 6)! They're still way too tight to wear in public & as soon as I move my belly spills out, but they do up, woo hoo!!!!

I did a HUGE workout tonight - 90 mins of boxing, weights, burpees, squats, lunges, Zumba & pretty much every nasty exercise imaginable, lol.
One exercise I did was "the plank"where you hold yourself up in a pushup pose & it works your core. My stretched, separated tummy muscles we're struggling & my saggy belly was hanging & all I could think about was how much I can't wait for my surgery! To have my core properly supported, have nothing hanging when I'm "planking" & to be able to push myself (eventually) to my true potential. I seriously can't wait!!!!!
No other updates from me, just a random pre-surgery thought

Firstly, only 10 days until I see my PS to book my date, woo hoo!

But for the first time since I started losing weight, it's slowed for the last couple of weeks :( last week I only lost 0.2kg & the week before I only lost 0.4kg. I don't weigh in officially until Wednesday, but it's Monday here today & I've barely lost anything this week either. I'm hoping I pick up some momentum again soon... I was hoping to be 10kg lighter by the time I have surgery, but that could be as soon as 8-10 weeks away :-o
I've stopped breast feeding too, so hopefully my body is just adjusting to that change. Part of my motivation to stop feeding was for my surgeon to be able to see my non-inflated boobs, haha! I'm still hoping to be eligible for a BL too, but I think I'll need to have another 12 month wait for that one.

Anyway, I'm just rambling now! Looking forward to being able to start my official countdown to surgery next Thursday, rather than chatting :)

After 8 years of waiting, I'll have a date locked in for my TT & muscle repair at 2pm on Thursday (Australian time) I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!! I'm about to sit & write a list of questions for my dr. I just realised it's been 2 1/2 years since my initial consult in 2011, because I had another baby in the meantime.

A little update on my weight loss: I started at an Aus size 16 (obese for my petite 5ft 2 1/2 frame) & I'm now fitting is SIZE 10 JEANS!!!! (around a US 6) I've lost over 20kg/45lb. I'm pretty much at my before-kids weight now, I just want to lose another 8.5 kg & get back down to the size I was after 2 babies.

I'm on cloud nine right now, I've just seen my surgeon & I'm all booked in for June 17th!
We talked about recovery, my scar, etc & I'm feeling so confident & comfortable. I mentioned that I was worried about my scar lifting too high, so she's cuttin a bit lower into my mons area, to allow for it to lift a bit. My scar will be huge, but I was expecting that.
I ended up forgetting my list of questions, haha, but I'm feeling great & SO happy! 15 weeks & 5 days to go :D

Well, almost ;) I'm down 49 1/2 lb now (22.4kg) & I'm weighing less than I did when I fell pregnant with my eldest daighters, nearly 9 years ago!
If one more person tells me I don't need a tummy tuck though, I might scream! I hide my belly well, I hold in pretty much constantly & I am fit & slim (size 6/Aus10) BUT my abs & tummy skin are destroyed! I almost want to start wearin midriff tops around to show people the truth. Well maybe not, haha, but you get the point ;)
I think people hear "tummy tuck" & think it's something fat people do to lose weight, by it's not about that at all.
Anyway, I'm rambling, lol! Less that 3 months until my surgery now & I'm feeling great, but starting to get nervous about the hospital stay & the recovery.
I'll post some updated pics of the flopped souffle belly next time ;) There's so much skin now that I've lost so much fat!

Here's my latest pics. The first is the difference a year has made... I'm now over 66lb (30kg) lighter than I was just before I had my 1 year old!!! I'm only a few kg off my goal now & down around 51lb/23kg from when I started losing weight 6 months ago :)
The second 2 are my letting it all out & me trying to suck in. My Aus size 10/US size 6 jeans are starting to fall down now, but THIS is what's hiding underneath :-o
81 sleeps until my new belly

Tomorrow I start the 2 month countdown! I only have 3.7kg (8ish lbs) to lose now & I'm just starting to fit in some Aus size 8/US 4 clothes. My belly is looking pretty shocking though, I have handfuls of skin!
I tried on the hottest dress last week & my 8 year old said, "Mummy you look so good, but you do kind of look like you have a baby in your tummy."
Ugh, bring on my new belly!

"Mummy, I will miss your squishy pizza dough belly when the doctor cuts it all off! Its so soft & wrinkly & snuggly."

~ Summer, 4

;)