39 Years Old- Mother of 4 - Tired of Wearing a Girdle :/ - Houston, TX

After stalking this site for months I finally made an appointment for a consultation with Dr.Cortes. I am 5'2 and gained weight in the two weeks I waited for my appt. I walked in at 138 and felt like a total porker. I walked into the waiting room and was completely shocked. Besides a teenager who was there with her mom , I was the only one smaller than a size 6! I was still hopeful. I waited in the waiting room for about an hour. I was prepared because they called and asked me to come early because Dr.Cortes had to leave early. I figured a lot of people would be there at once and I was correct! I got tired of standing as all the seats were full and waited outside the office near the elevators. I actually struck up a conversation with a nice young lady. She already had a great body and told me she is an exotic dancer and wanted a bbl as well. I showed her how to "stalk" RealSelf and we exchanged numbers. When I finally got called back , my stomach flipped. I was excited and terrified at the same time. I got on the scale and was shocked to see that my cheap scale at home was correct. I was led to a room and instructed to undress and put on a robe. I played with the breast implants and listened to the other patients . Yes , you can hear every single word through the walls. Dr. Cortes came in and was very nice and down to earth. He grabbed my fat rolls and told me to turn around. Then came the bad news. He told me I am not a candidate. He said I need to gain 10-15 pounds to be considered. He explained to me about visceral fat and told me if he did the procedure now, I would be "pissed"! Those were his exact words ! He said eat , eat, and then eat some more and come back in about a month. I told him I had been eating like a hog and he said he said keep it up !on a side note: I work for a major airline And could fly to the Dominican Republic for less than $50. But I am a giant chicken and I know I would never be able to go by myself. I have flown to Santo Domingo about 25 times in the last 10 years. I am pretty familiar with the island. My Spanish is good but I am too chicken !! I am so impressed by the ladies who set their sx date , get their passports and fly to an island they have never been to ! You girls are soldiers ! Really brave. Great example : I am typing this from NicaraguA. . It's very safe ,but I only go outside to get food! I am a real baby ; ) . Ok back to Dr. Cortes ...He is honest and sincere and wants the patient to be satisfied. So I went to talk to Lucy, the coordinator. She was very informative and patient with me. She explained the cost and printed out a breakdown for me. I had a list of questions and a ton of pics on my iPad. We discussed what was realistic for my body and she told me about the results she has witnessed. I was very confident I had picked the right doctor. I paid my $500 and secured a tentative date of July 28. I told her my birthday is in August and I wanted to be able to at least go to dinner. She said if I had gained the weight and had paid in full there is always a possibility that something sooner will pop up. And I would be past the two week mark as far as recovery. As I understand it , people reschedule all the time. They either haven't gained or lost the weight they were supposed to. Or don't have their accounts paid in full. I am hopeful I can do both and get this show on the road! My husband was a little skeptical at first. But he sees that I mean business. I am a notorious shopaholic. So while we were shopping for the kids for Easter clothes, he kept asking when I was going to shop for myself. I told him I am not buying a single item for myself until I get these fat rolls relocated ! He thinks it is hilarious. I am planning to save $3000 a month to have this done. Which will be challenging as we have one child about to graduate and go off to college.And three more who think money grows on trees. However I am a great shopper. Everything has to be a great deal or I don't touch it. I even got a deal on our house ! Foreclosure / remodel ! I am going through a tiny bit of guilt right now. For one I have never really spent this type of money on myself and I keep thinking I could take the kids to Disney or something. My husband is saying I deserve to be happy and if this is what it takes to make me " myself" again he is on board ! I have been suiting up in my corset/ girdle/ waist cincher with a super tight spanx tank on top for years now. I have scars from the boning digging into my skin. I really would like to be more proportionate and feel good about my body again. I will update my journey as often as I can. Which will be a lot because I am obsessed with this site! Anyone who has questions about flying or traveling feel free to ask me. I have been a flight attendant for 17 years. I travel all over the world but mostly the shorter flights now that I have a whole soccer team of kids ! Good luck to everyone. ..

So I have been constantly eating all sorts of ridiculous things. Drinking beer. Everything I can to gain weight. So at Easter dinner a few people commented that I looked a little heavier. I told them I need to gain weight to weigh 150 for a weight loss transformation. Which is true !!! So people started telling me I looked good with a little meat. My husband, who is the only one who knows the details of my "transformation" gets tipsy and starts yelling at me and saying why don't you tell everybody what you really want to do. Tell your little sister what you look at online all day! So my little sister who was visiting from out of town comes to my bedroom at midnight. And asks me what was he talking about earlier . Then she says it's ok if I've been looking at porn ! She has seen it too. I almost died laughing. She is 30 but it was so cute. I told her I've been looking at a website with women's bodies on it. She then told me it's ok if I like lesbian porn. And she always thought I may be a little bit lesbian! FYI our Easter Brunch included a lot of friends and family. Gay and straight. So maybe the whole lesbian thing was just on her mind. Anyway. I had a long talk with hubby and told him not to ever threaten to call me out again. I deserve to have this body put back together after giving him 1/2 a basketball team of kids. I reminded him how I had a 6 pack and 12 percent body fat in college. Now I am covered in stretch marks and squeezing into a girdle just to walk outside because my boys is such a mess. I also demanded that he tell me right now if he couldn't be supportive. No back and forth business. He said he was sorry and begged me to forgive him. I told him I will forgive him but he has to buy me extra foam and garments. He said whatever that means but ok. He said he doesn't even want to know what all these supplies are since I get a box from amazon every couple of days. Before I forget , Old Navy has little dresses for $8.00 today. I'm not sure of the quality because I don't really shop there for clothes , only swimwear for the kids. But for $8 I guess it would be comfy while we are recovering . And if it falls apart after a few washes it will have served a purpose. I am going to check them out this afternoon. I'll let you ladies know just how good / bad they are assembled.
On a different note I must say I am relieved to just eat any and everything. I am always very health conscious. So people are a little shocked to see me eating fried food and brisket and ice cream and baked potatoes and two cheeseburgers all within 3 hours. I also ate two breakfast tacos and two doughnuts when I normally would have eaten fruit and oatmeal. I also have been lazing around whenever possible to keep from burning off my precious fat. It's definitely working. I had to wear slacks to church because even my squeem and spanx tank top with control top pantyhose couldn't hold in my new fat rolls. I think I have crossed the threshold into borderline obesity. Remember I am only 5'1 so anything over 140 is showing up. I actually think my booty is starting to jiggle on its own ; ))

Just thought I would share a few things with the team (#teamplastic).
I have gone from 133 to 142lbs since April 2. So this info will be helpful for those needing to gain weight. And possibly those needing to lose weight as well. Just avoid these items ; ). For breakfast everyday I have been really going for it! Today I had a breakfast sand which , a breakfast taco , hash browns and French fries with gravy and a small Dr.Pepper. Soon after I scarfed down two chocolate eggs compliments of my kid's Easter baskets. For lunch a three meat plate from the bar-b-que place near my house. I had ribs/brisket/sausage with macaroni and cheese and fried okra. With a giant unsweetened tea. I also ate my roll and 1/2 of my husband's. I strolled out the door with a giant ice cream cone. I have made it a point to laze around whenever possible so I don't waste my precious calories. My husband is now calling me "thickness" . Normally on my days off I work in the yard , shop and cook. Now that I am saving money and calories I eat and stalk RealSelf. I had never tasted Dr. Pepper before today and I was surprised it wasn't what I expected at all. I also wanted to share with anyone who is feeling guilty or bad about this surgery how I am coping...
Just since deciding to have this surgery I have done numerous positive things for myself. I have planned and organized a huge garage sale for next month. I have gone through and eliminated all of the clothes I bought to hide my muffin top . Jeans I bought to hide how flat my butt is. Dresses that give the illusion of hips. And numerous spanx and girdles!! I have also received a copy of my credit report and fixed 3 majors errors that I wouldn't have even known were there if I hadn't checked to see if I could get a loan to pay for at least part of my "transformation"!
And since I am in "save mode " I am only buying the necessities which means a lot less clutter around my office and bedroom. I didn't even realize how much I shopped until one of the kids asked what happened to the bags? I said what bags ? They said when they get home , there are usually bags from stores!! That's a shame. So I guess I replaced my shopping addiction with an addiction to fixing myself up. All women deserve to get dressed each day and feel good about their appearance. I for one am sick of the boning in my girdle digging into my ribs. Or not feeling comfortable because I have on a tank top that is squeezing my gizzards out and afraid someone will see all of my armor I suit up in everyday. I am so happy for those who have taken even the tiniest step toward feeling pretty and confident. Good luck to all ...

So my neighbor across the street is having a garage sale. She rings my doorbell and hands me a pile of maternity dresses and shirts and tells me she wanted me to have these items and to let her know how I'm doing! I was totally shocked. I told her I am not preggers but I have put on a little weight and I really appreciate it. We chatted for a minute and I washed the clothes. Now I am sitting in my front yard watching the kids play ,eating my second burger with fries and a frosty and wearing a little maternity dress. I guess I better start posting some picks .I am so,so,so plump. But for some reason my hubby keeps grabbing me and chasing after me. Has anyone else found themselves checking out other women ? Oh me neither ...hahaha! I am looking at everybody's butt @@

I have been reading tons and tons of reviews. I am starting to feel a little bit crazy for choosing to do this. It's like a dirty little secret . Does anyone else feel like this? And constantly trying to hide the real reason I am eating for two... Myself and my new booty !!

What is the deal with people posting "advertisements" on blogs for gurus and healers? Isn't that a violation of policy ? I think it's inappropriate and I wish they would cut it out. I personally don't want to hear about some witch doctor in another country. I want to read about protection , fluffing , and happy healing !! Thanks . Rant over

Projection not protection

For everyone trying to gain weight : I just saw on Good Morning America that an order of buffalo wings is the equivalent of 12 cheeseburgers and the Explosion Salad at chilis is the equivalent of 17 tacos as far as saturated fat. Saturated fat =Belly Fat ! I can't wait to eat both today. Yesterday I ate two burgers from Jack in the Box and an order of curly fries with an Oreo cookie shake. Then for lunch I ate an entire platter of sushi with a sugary frozen margarita. For dinner two baked potatoes from Wendy's with sour cream and extra butter and cheese. So it's official. I'm a baby piglet. Remember I am only 5'1/ maybe 5'2. So eating like a linebacker is reAlly not cute. My Daughter's prom date came by so I could meet him last night. I told her to call him and tell him to bring me a frosty from Wendy's for the "baby"! Haha. I also went to old navy and got two maxi dresses , two 4 packs of wife beaters, two pair of khakis for one of my boys , a pair of summery shoes for my youngest daughter , and two tank tops with built in bra for .... $54.83. Yes baby. The coupon queen reigns supreme. They even had to call the manager to override and give me my additional $15 off $50 for using my gap card. Which I didn't know I could do because I don't really shop at old navy. But I saw the sign and gave it a shot. It worked . Anyway, my husband is now calling me Big Biscuit and is constantly offering to go get ridiculous items for me. Chili cheese dogs, nachos, all sorts of deep fried disasters that I normally would never,ever put in my mouth. I have noticed that eating fast food is far cheaper than what we normally eat. I mean wayyyyyy cheaper. But I feel absolutely terrible. I always have gas and a little bit of a sore feeling in my tummy. My face is breaking out and I wake up a tad bit nauseous . Hopefully this will get better .

I have been feeling a little wishy/washy about my Dr. Obviously a lot of people go through this since I read everyday about Realself members changing doctors. I just want to make sure I don't have any regrets. $10,000 is not pocket change. And I keep seeing how cheap other doctors are and these ladies are coming back with phenomenal results. I keep telling myself it's worth it to be able to recover in my own bed and not have to travel while I'm in pain . But is it worth 3 or 4 thousand dollars? Can I really justify spending $10 k on something that I could get for $5k with a little inconvenience . My husband is not very good at helping me figure this out. He is constantly cracking jokes and not taking me serious. He says I can't always get a deal /bargain on everything. And I should be happy that I live so close to Dr. Cortes . But it's really bugging me that I could potentially get this done for 1/2 the price...

Check out the email I got!! It's $38 per night for two people. May be helpful if anyone is taking a husband or boyfriend for support.

So I have been eating everything in sight. Drinking all sorts of crazy crap. Putting gravy on fries...Today I went to Dr.Cortes' office to make my 30 percent payment. I told them I've been eating like crazy and would it be ok to hAve someone weigh me. Deanna comes and puts me on the scale and I weigh exactly the same. I am so disappointed. My stomach is huge. My pants are tight. My face is fat. And I think I may have a cavity from eating cake and ice cream. My hubby says it's probably because muscle weighs more than fat and I am converting all muscle to fat by laying around and stuffing my face. I think he was trying to help by making me laugh but I am super pissed. I was so certain they would say " you've gained enough. Let's just do your procedure tomorrow !" Wishful. I definitly did not expect this. Deanna gave me a recipe for a walnut shake. It has almost 2000 calories. I was instructed to start with one a day and then go up to two if I still didn't gain any weight. I am seriously running out of time and patience. I don't want to spend the whole summer looking like a rolypoly. On a good note I told my hubby I needed his debit card to make a $2007.00 payment. He handed it over and said he can't afford to feed me AND make my payments! So I promised to buy him a taco and margarita for cinco de mayo.

2052 calories!!
2 1/2 c whole milk 375 calories
1 c walnuts. 785 calories
1 c almonds. 532 calories
1/4 c honey 285 calories
1 banana. 75 calories
Mix in blender and drink right before bed. Good luck everyone. And to my sisters trying to lose weight , avoid all of this stuff !!

This morning he tells me how selfish I am for wanting to do this. How much stress it's going to be on him. This is money that could be spent elsewhere. Who am I trying to impress? I'm going to look like I belong in King magazine and what about my job. On and on and on. Obviously I am looking to have something more conservative because of my job. And the fact that my frame is way too small to be walking around with a giant butt . We have discussed this numerous times. Why is he being such a jerk? It all started when I ordered two monster breakfast biscuits from carls jr. And a large hash brown. He started saying how ridiculous I have become since wanting to do this. And its putting pressure on him to lie for me when people ask what is going on. I am so mad. I told him I will hire a nurse and he can go stay with one of his friends and come home when I'm recovered. Someone who has been through this please advise me. I feel absolutely terrible. And completely alone at this point

I am turning into a ball. Literally. I am so fat it's ridiculous. The problem is the scale is lying. I am only 139 lbs. according to the scale. But my clothes are so tight and I can only wear dresses. Has anyone else experienced this ? I am really tired of eating like a pregnant woman. I feel out of breath and tired all the time. My face is breaking out ! I really want to get this procedure done and over with. But I know I need to have enough fat. I am willing to try anything at this point. All suggestions welcome.

I just ordered a 16 pack of chocolate ensure 350 calories per serving on amazon for $17. I have been drinking 2 per day and am finally putting on the pounds. I have 5 weeks to go and I have noticed my butt is actually getting bigger on its own. Unfortunately so is my stomach. I am so uncomfortable I don't really want anyone to see me. On my days off I lay in bed all day on realself. When I have to work , I work a flight , go to the hotel and immediately get on realself. Sometimes I look up and realize I have been reading/stalking for hours. I want to thank everyone who gives real , true accounts of their experiences . It helps a lot. Even reviews of different weights, doctors, ethnicities . I learn a little bit from each and every one. I also applaud those who spread good vibes and positive energy. To the ladies who just crossed over , happy healing girls. Post pics when you can ; )

I downloaded the LiveStrong app a few years ago just to keep track of what I was eating because I thought I had developed a new food allergy. It asks if you want to lose/gain/maintain weight. Since I've been struggling to put on weight my husband suggested I use the app. So I put in that I wanted to gain 2 pounds per week. The app suggests I consume almost 3000 calories per day. It has been hard. When I come up short I add a few ensure plus drinks . It's a great app to see what you are actually eating each day. And for those of you trying to lose weight it will tell you how many calories you should have based on your height and current weight. As of now I am 144 pounds. I have an appointment with Dr.Cortes on Monday and I want him to be proud of me. So I am hoping to be at least 146 which is only two pounds shy of the 10 he told me I had to gain. I am just so sick of eating. I feel like I am literally going to pop. I forced down a happy meal last night. Just because I needed 600 calories before bed. I had the worst night. It's like my body is fighting all of the fattening crap I've been forcing down. TenK and RedGoddess have helped me in my quest for plumpness. Thanks ladies. And everyone else who has offered a kind word of support or encouragement. Not only to me but to each other as well. Good luck to those looking for a surgeon, saving money , starving, scrambling for passports , recovering , itching , draining , and all the rest

I am really starting to freak out now. I have finally gained enough weight but I am still considered small. Dr. Cortes says I'm tiny. But I have enough to go forward. I can't sleep. I am obsessed now because Dr. Cortes told me at my last appt to choose between hips and projection. I think once my waist is smaller it will give the illusion of hips. But then I start looking at pics and I really want the hourglass. But I don't want to be too wide. I'm going crazy. At least I have all of my supplies. And the house is ready. My husband has thoroughly bleached every toilet , floor , shower and counter top. He is convinced the kids are bringing in germs ! I'm so glad he got on board . We definitely had our ups and downs. For now all I can do is wait.
Beauty2Bee went in today and she is a real trooper. Keeps me laughing and somewhat calm. There's nothing like a girl who keeps it "real". Lets send her some positive energy , prayers , and hugs .

Has anyone seen the show Botched? It's about plastic surgery gone wrong. Do not watch this before your procedure. I am less than 48 hours away and decided to watch it. Of course the girl with the butt implants that fold over ,from the internet , is on there. I am not getting implants. But it's still scary.

I am hours away. I am all packed and ready to go. I will keep you ladies posted. when I went to my initial consultation in April I couldn't imagine July 28 th coming so fast. I am so grateful to all of you who went before me and gave such valuable information . I feel prepared ,anxious,excited, all at the same time .