Pros: Fast, effective, natural and permanent!
Cons: Slightly painful and fairly expensive. Also, not a solution for obese people.
My Motivation: Spot fat reduction to reveal my six-pack that I've been working for for over 4 years!
The Outcome: TBD - results to follow!
How Has It Changed My Life? TBD - results to follow!
What I Wish I Had Known Beforehand? Nothing - the information out there is very comprehensive and if you do even a little research, you'll learn everything you need to know!
My Story:
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I am a 6'3", 32 yr old male, strong, fit and healthy. I eat a clean diet and exercise regularly. In 2010, I hit my goal weight and body fat percentage of 185 lbs and 6.4% body fat, from 210 lbs and 16% body fat. However, despite this huge victory my ultimate goal of revealing my six-pack eluded me - this led me to be exceptionally discouraged after realizing that no matter how careful I was with my diet and no matter how hard I trained, I would never be able to beat my genetic pre-disposition of those pockets of fat around my lower abdomen and flanks. Also, for those of you who have come down to single digit body fat, in my experience, you know that it's not very comfortable living that lean. Because I'm tall, my elbows and knees get knobbly, my hip bones get sharp and protrude out which hurts my wife during love-making and all around, I'm starving hungry all the time because my metabolism is racing so fast! Not really practical for normal living. However, not be outdone, I did some research on how to beat your genetic pre-disposition when it comes spot fat reducing, which lead me to find "Ultrashape". Google it for more info - it's an awesome procedure and would recommend it HIGHLY! I had it done in 2011 and it worked great for me although I was only able to get 2 out of the 3 recommended treatments done because I was on vacation in a foreign country and ran out of time (Ultrashape was not FDA approved or available in the USA at the time of writing this). Treatments with Ultrashape are spaced 2 weeks apart to give your body enough time to pass the fat which gets mobilized but I only had 3 weeks available so could only squeeze in 2 treatments! Results were exactly what I wanted but just not enough to see my six pack although my torso shape was DRASTICALLY IMPROVED! Then 2 years later, after some more searching, I discovered Coolsculpting which IS AVAILABLE here in the US and after reading many reviews and doing my homework, decided to go for it!
The experience was very pleasant experience - not as good as Ultrashape but not bad. My target area was the fat pockets directly below and to either side of my navel. What I found interesting is that they had to do it in two sections as they said they did not want to suck the skin over the belly button up into the vacuum due to the possibility of injury - they said that they had someone's navel bleed before doing it that way so they preferred to do each side separately. Ultimately, the cost would be the same so I only lost an hour doing it that way - no big deal. I did not have any trouble with the skin sucking up into the vacuum as other people said - it was a little uncomfortable, but not really sore or anything. The mild discomfort came when the machine started to cool my skin/fat cells and as most reviewers say, it only lasts 5 minutes and then you're numb. The hour went by fast and then we were on to the other side - same process and experience as before, a little discomfort as it cooled down, but once numb it was all good. The massage of the frozen area afterwards was a little uncomfortable but again, nothing most folks couldn't handle. The real discomfort came when the treatment was over and the area started "thawing" - I was doubled over in pain at that stage and while it passed fairly quickly (about 5 mins), it hurt like hell at the time - probably an 8 or 9 out of 10.
It's been 1 day so far and to be honest, I barely know I had any procedure at all. I feel slightly swollen and bruised on the treated area but literally no pain unless it is touched or pushed on. Area is numb to the touch, but again this is 100% normal and to be expected. I am SOOOO looking forward to seeing the results in a few weeks and will try to post the after pictures at least once a week. Thanks for reading! :-)
Pleasant, Easy and Fairly Painless Experience! - Oceanside, CA
-
Quaddy
- Not Sure
- Cost: $1,500
- Amir Moradi, MD, Oceanside, CA
Pros: Fast, effective, natural and...
*** UPDATE 2/20/2013 *** It has been getting...
*** UPDATE 2/20/2013 ***
It has been getting progressively more and more painful just below the treated area (just above my pants belt line). The pain fluctuates between a 2/10 up to a 5 or 6/10. It's not a sharp pain, just a kind of dull burning/aching sensation. Nothing that some ibuprofen can't fix I've been finding that because it creeps up on me so slowly, I tend to try and ignore it without pain meds which leaves me grumpy and irritable. Not so nice for my wife and doggie! :-) Other than that, I have not seen any major visual physical change, but at only 1 week, this is to be expected!
It has been getting progressively more and more painful just below the treated area (just above my pants belt line). The pain fluctuates between a 2/10 up to a 5 or 6/10. It's not a sharp pain, just a kind of dull burning/aching sensation. Nothing that some ibuprofen can't fix I've been finding that because it creeps up on me so slowly, I tend to try and ignore it without pain meds which leaves me grumpy and irritable. Not so nice for my wife and doggie! :-) Other than that, I have not seen any major visual physical change, but at only 1 week, this is to be expected!
For the most part, the pain has gone and I'm left...
For the most part, the pain has gone and I'm left with a numb area where the coolsculpting was done. Sometimes the area is slightly painful to the touch, but for the most part it is pain free. No major results yet as it's only been 2 weeks but looking forward to seeing some results as time goes on!
Almost 3 weeks since my last update and much has...
Almost 3 weeks since my last update and much has changed since then. Pain is completely gone and the numbness is now only a distant memory. I have been working out consistently and eating a very strict diet to start cutting body fat in general for the upcoming summer but also to assist my body in getting rid of the fat that will be discarded from the procedure. What I can say is that the treated area is now much "thinner" when I pinch it - this is a big milestone as that area has always been very "fat cell dense" and has never pinched well for caliper testing. Interestingly enough, yesterday I measured my overall body fat with my Accumeasure Fat Track II calipers and it gave me a reading of 11.3% which blew me away! So far it's been just over a month and the results are looking very promising indeed. I'll keep this updated until the 90 day mark at which time I'll give my final verdict! :-)
Been two weeks since my last check-in. Visible fat...
Been two weeks since my last check-in. Visible fat reduction has seemed to have slowed/stopped. However, I can feel the subcutaneous fat between my fingers has defenitely gotten substantially thinner since before. This is acutally quite a big deal because once those fat cells are gone, they're gone. All that's left is diet and exercise and the proportions I'm looking for should be there. However, it hasn't been the full 3 months yet so I will reserve judgement until then. Side-note: It may seem like I've gone backwards in progress for this weeks pictures however I believe this to be mainly water retention due to the creatine I've been taking. Once this has flushed through my system, the "ripped" appearance will come back.
Final Update
Ok so it's been quite some time since my last update. This is mainly because there has been little to no more fat loss in the treated area. I've attached pictures none the less.
My final verdict is: No - it's not worth it.
I paid $1,500 for the procedure - had it been $750, I would have most likely gone a few weeks/1 month and been happy with the price:result ratio and then probably gone back for one more treatment which would have upped the doctors income two fold. The result would have been a satisfied customer AND $1,500. Now, unfortunately, it's one the latter.
My final verdict is: No - it's not worth it.
I paid $1,500 for the procedure - had it been $750, I would have most likely gone a few weeks/1 month and been happy with the price:result ratio and then probably gone back for one more treatment which would have upped the doctors income two fold. The result would have been a satisfied customer AND $1,500. Now, unfortunately, it's one the latter.
Google.
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