Close to 2 months P.O. Los Angeles, CA

Well... I had a baby 9/11/2001 while i was active dutyand my body never came back from the emergency C-section... the fact that I have never really been small didn't help either. So I was up to 240 pound before I had my baby. I have been considering it for as long as I can remember having this "flap" that I couldn't seem to get rid of no matter what I did.

So after losing weight over the years I was down to about 175 but still with a flap belly-and then slowly gaining it back over the past 2 years at the final point of 204. I had had enough and committed myself to losing it and keeping it off.

I went to the VA for a consult in January due to the fact that the excess overhang was irritating me (rashes and such) and quite simply put- just ugly to look at on top of that as asked what the odds of my getting a tummy tuck were. I went for an initial consult in January- and I was told that I would need to get my BMI down which was an immediate set-back that made me think about how I was going to do this; as this would certainly be the response of an outside surgeon as well. So I somewhat BS'ed due to my being unmotivated because I hadn't gotten an immediate scheduling lol...

The follow up appointment in March had me in an exlpain position that I needed to be at a goal weight of 180 lbs to reach before I could even be taken into serious consideration for the procedure and I was only at about 195. Keep in mind, for the surgeon it's about what will yield the best results and you want to be mostly done with losing weight before performing a tummy tuck. Otherwise, you'll have to get a revision and nobody wants to be cut on multiple times. The best part about the procedure is- it was going to cost me NOTHING. Yes, you read right... Not one red cent and if that isn't an incentive to lose some real weight then, I don't know what is!

In April 2012, I had completely changed my outlook on working out regularly again and changed my diet to something DOABLE not ridiculous for the sake of having a procedure done but for an overall healthier lifestyle AND he perk of a free tummy tuck. I created workout and a eating regimen that I could actually stick with. And yes- I still eat on occasion- things like chili cheese fries and oreos... in moderation of course!

The next follow-up appointment was in June of 2012 and I had only lost about 5 pounds i was hanging in the 191 realm so the doctor then scheduled the next follow up in September hoping I would certainly be in my goal zone for scheduling... I kept on moving with my workouts and eating right and yesterday 9/5/2012 I went in the weigh-in room nervous as all outdoors because I know that if i haven't arrived- I'd be sentenced to another 2/3 month wait to "see" what they would do. I knew for a fact I had lost some major weight, because I am now back to fitting clothes I haven't been able to and everyone else sees it too.

I took a deep breath and stepped on the scale... *waiting...waiting for the infamous beep of completion* 184... but -2 lbs for clothes and -2 lbs for lunch = 180... :I wanted to SCREAM!!! :o) I was given the good news that I would be scheduled for the tummy tuck procedure on November 2nd, 2012 and given my pre-op dates as well. What a joyous day! Follow me on my journey if you'd like...