33yo TT - Duluth, MN

I am a 33-year old mom of 2--first was natural and second was emergency C-section. I have always struggled with my weight. I am 5'6" and 195 lbs. I was this large in high school but was able to successfully lose 45 lbs when I was around 20. I felt and looked great!

By the time I became pregnant with my son at age 26 I was 175 lbs. I only gained 20 pounds with him and lost it all by the time I checked out of the hospital the next day. Needless to say, my stomach was now a deflated belly from losing the weight so fast. Not to mention, it was all concentrated in the stomach---even when I was 8 months pregnant you couldn't tell I was pregnant from the backside. It wasn't until I turned around and my little basketball poked out at you!

By the time he was one I was able to lose even more weight (I believe I was down to 160) and I felt really good about myself. Then, I got a fulltime job that involved travel and long hours (the joys of being salaried). By the time I became pregnant with my daughter in Summer 2011 I was 195 lbs again.

I gained 37 pounds with her. Yikes! As with my son, there was a lot of amniotic fluid because, believe it or not, I lost all 37 pounds by the time we came home from the hospital four days later. To make the deflated balloon even worse, I had an emergency C-section which is hard enough on the stomach itself.

I know I have portion control issues, but I have worked on them tremendously. I do workout on a regular basis and I do fluctuate in weight. The biggest issue I have with my body is the shape of the stomach. Regardless if I'm 175 or 195, it is still a deflated balloon. Also, with how my stomach hangs, it makes really hard exercise difficult---nothing like going for a bike ride or run and having your stomach slap your thighs. :(

I really am comfortable with the rest of my body. I am choosing to have a tummy tuck in order to get rid of the lower abdominal pouch. I am fully aware that this is not going to drop 50 pounds from my body. I am fully aware that I will still have work to do to get down to my goal weight of 160. But, I believe this will ease the discomfort of exercise as well as give me a motivational boost to keep going.

I met with Dr Weber in June to discuss my case. He agreed that side lipo, tummy tuck and muscle repair will give me a nice shape and provide relief to my lower abdomen. My surgery is scheduled for August 22nd.

These really show the lower abdomen.

I'm so fortunate to be busy, I guess, because it's hard to believe surgery is next Friday! I go in for my pre-op appointment in two days. I'm slightly addicted to this site so I think I'm prepared.

Went shopping for shareware the other day. It was actually fun going through the clothing department and looking at all the clothes I'll be able to wear soon!