Tummy Tuck: Stories

Here I sit the night before surgery standing in the mirror finally really looking at the only part of my body that refuses to change despite my 100lb weight loss after surviving endometrial cancer (I've maintained the loss for 7 years)....I also box & train in the gym 6 days a week so my frustration finally made me take action! In less than 12 hours I will be undergoing extended abdominalplasty & I'm excited! I've spent countless hours reading everyone's stories, peeking at before & after pics here....I am truly grateful for the honesty of other women because it has eased my fears. Two things I'm dreading.....getting up at 5am & being constipated!

Day 1 of PO.....I'm laying on the couch just waking from an incredible nap.....my fear of not pooping comfortably ended up that it wasn't bad. LOL now I'm waiting to feel comfortable enough to take my binder off but is it possible it will all fall "down"....using my humor to get thru my boredom. I'm staying very hydrated taking all my vitamins & other scripts prescribed to me. The strangest thing is despite my swelling its so strange to see a flat abdomin & without giving too much graffic details a normal vijay jay facing the way nature intended! I'm so happy & my surgical team was awesome....my fave thing are my peas 20 mins on 20 mins off :)

I finally took the binder off & got a good look at my new self.....holy crap it's amazing & even with swelling I'm amazed at the incredible work! The shower took a lot out of me & I slept for a long time afterwards. Still shocked I've had only one Percocet & without narcotics during the procedure my fear of pooping isn't even an issue! I'm starting to get bored but my family & friends have blessed me with ready to eat foods & company. Dr. Wiesberg & his team are angels! Shopping is gonna be so much fun :)

Once again I'm "snuggled"

Well I'm going stir crazy.....I go to my first PO visit today & for some reason my energy level today is ZERO! Anyway wanted to post a few pics of my changes thus far :)

My 1 week PO appt went great & I'm healing my PS said in his words "beautifully ahead of schedule....minimum swelling & nice tight flat tummy" :) However this morning things are starting to itch & it's driving me insane! I'm also bored bored bored & ready to rock jeans & boots.....tick tock lol! I go back in 2 weeks :)

Im driving myself insane......(my mom too) Not sure the hunger with no appetite; the hot with the cold; the exhaustion with insomnia; I am swelling more today so it's back to 45 degrees pillows & peas.....I'm anxious to go to dr next week for my three week check up.....more questions about what to expect (cg to purchase, tape therapy, scar cream) I'm impatient.....it's not like me to complain EVER! Sorry just know that ill look back on this & laugh! PO day 17 blahs

Oh dear lord I wish I could have my PS live with me....spoke to him bout my emotions swelling etc yesterday & he said its time to remove the tape (was surprised it was still even on) And my biggest fear besides everything falling out is that without exercise & laying around I'm getting FAT! He explained again the emotional roller coaster & said go eat Chinese for once it won't kill you.....just drink h2o & rest rest rest! Now my questions are.....how to remove adhesive residue & do I use silicone tape? Anyway what day.....pics to post soon!

I'm so excited to finally be cleared to hit the gym :) I'm 27 days PO & saw my PS last week.....everything is healing nicely & yesterday for the first time I felt "skinny" FINALLY :) my weight loss is at 13 lbs but I suspect besides the 5-7 lbs of skin & fat it's prob muscle but whoop whoop life is good! I'm still wearing my binder BC it feels weird having clothes touch my skin & haven't tried on jeans yet! I have no regrets about being on the flat side.....oh except by the end of the day I'm wiped out :P ill post pics later today!

Haven't updated in while....things are going well (slow BUT well) I've been back in the gym strength training only BC I realized the cardio effect of boxing caused major swelling even though I was certainly not up to my normal pace. So, I've listened to my body & taken it down ALOT!

My biggest discovery after having bruises in my thighs from my cg & also feeling like a sausage was my new Bally Fitness Workout Binder. Found it at TJMaxx for $10! It has three zippers & I was shocked to discover I could zip it on the smallest one :) it promotes sweating but I absolutely love it & wear it almost all the time (except at night cuz I hate being hot) But, it has helped control the swelling & it's comfy....so much so that I bought a second one. I'm so glad I didn't spend hundreds on uncomfortable ugly garments!

So today I start the Dr. Oz 3-day cleanse & boy am I excited :) With the $ I saved on cg I justified purchasing a NutriBullet (made by magic bullet) & it's pretty awesome! Stocked up on all the essentials....it was slightly higher than his estimated $45 but I'm ok with getting the best for my new body. I'm planning on sticking around the house this weekend just in case the toxins in my body say FU & send me to the bathroom lol. I know a lot of cleanses have the hunger effect (I did master cleanse for 10 days....lemons lots of lemons in the fridge) but this is mind over matter & I'm more excited than worried. My goal is to have this jump start my body & hopefully engage my body to heal faster & get rid of the residual swelling! I will def keep you all posted ;)

Also will try & upload new pics (I've had trouble lately) anyway Happy Friday fellow TT's :)

So it's the morning of Day 2 & I slept great, which for me is a HUGE deal BC I battle with very poor sleep. I'm sipping on my green tea with lemon & looking forward to the day ahead. So here's what happened during Day 1:

First let me explain I LOVE veggies & I generally eat healthy however, after laying around for 6 weeks taking meds, undergoing major surgery & dealing with swelling I figured this is the time to cleanse my body....remember it's only 3 days! I will weigh myself at the end but I'm not doing this for weight loss but rather to jumpstart back to optimum health :)

Day 1: The breakfast shake was yummy! It was easy to drink & I will now be starting my day with a protein version using spinach, flax seed & almond butter to my usual whey protein :) The lunch shake was not as good....can't even lie is was awful I thought I made it wrong dumped it out & did it again....nope it's just VERY green & after doing some research it was suggested to warm it so its more like soup so ill be doing that today (mind over matter right....plus what's better than a warm veggie soup for lunch) I chose the b.fast shake as my "choice" snack shake....obviously YUMMY! Dinner shake was good...I enjoy savory things so the creamy avocado with the cayenne pepper was interesting.

I took my multi vitamin, probiotic & omega three, drank plenty of water (I'm a huge water drinker). Ended the day with the detox bath (I'm not a fan of baths but hey it's only 3 days)....side note make sure you're cleared for baths before you "jump right in"

Goodmorning TT's hope everyone is healing well & feeling great....if not hang in there BC there IS light at the end of the tunnel! As for me, spent my first day doing normal activities without needing a break. Yesterday, around 9:30am I started my day getting my hair done, next did some shopping (not for clothes yet), back home I decorated for Christmas & finally cleaned sitting down around 8:30pm....with that said I developed small "kanga pouch" from my BB to my midline. Swelling, swelling, swelling....it's happens! Now for my Day 2 review:

Day 2 started with the YUMMY b. fast shake :) I ran out for an appointment & when it was time for lunch I just kept thinking about yesterday (did I buy veggies bigger than norm...maybe that's why it was awful & bitter) but I put that thought out of my head & went for it! Instead of the suggestion of warming the shake up to be like soup I just closed my eyes & chugged it. It's not the taste that bothers me its also the texture....however I will admit it was NOT as bad as Day 1. I chose b.fast shake again as my "choice shake". Now, surprisingly dinner shake was DELICIOUS & I plan on choosing that as my choice shake today. Drank lots of water & took my vitamins.

With all of my activity I did find myself hungry at two points....while out shopping & late at night. Normally when I'm out I keep a package of almonds or a protein bar in my purse so I always have a healthy option (& I always have water with me) ...without this I immediately made my snack shake when I walked in the door. The late night occurred around midnight. While most of the world is asleep I'm a night owl & decided to answer a call from my BFF...two hours later I was wide awake & starving. I was SO close to just nibbling on something small (lean protein) but fought through it. There was NO way I was wasting my MONEY & my PLANS to get thru! Plus I'm not a "liar" & I knew I'd have to confess to my lady friends if I cheated. So my mind was stronger than my hunger!

Side note: I can NOT imagine doing this cleanse while working out....no way would this sustain me!

So, Day 3....here I am & the only thing I'm doing is a quick run to the store for a few items, a load of laundry & parking my butt on the couch for some football! I'm looking forward to finishing the cleanse & there will be a weigh in report TOMORROW!

Happy Sunday Funday :)

Goodmorning ladies :) with MUCH anticipation not only from myself but from lots of my TT gals I have updated weigh in, new pics & my honest opinion/review of the Dr. Oz 3-Day Cleanse :)

First, it's early & I'm WIDE awake without any sluggish feeling what so ever....anyone who truly knows me would ask "are you ok?!?!" I am NOT a morning person so I'm amazed!!! Second, the cleanse is over & I can have whatever I want to eat or drink right now....but I'm not craving anything & my mind is carefully planning out my meals for the day. I don't want to undo the time, money & effort I just invested over the last three days! I'm excited to share the things I will implement into my daily life after going thru the complete cleanse. Remember I did NOT eliminate, substitute or change anything that was outlined....I followed the cleanse exactly as instructed. Okay ladies here it is:

I stepped on the scale this morning (naked after emptying my body of course) & in three days I lost a total of 4.8 lbs! Now, I have been in the weight loss, fitness game for a LONG time & I completely understand this is water weight....I didn't do the cleanse for weight loss I did it to rid my body of toxins & jumpstart myself back into optimum health! I do not believe this is a cure all but with the huge amount of money spent on sculpting my body, the time I spend in the gym & my ultimate healthy goals.....this certainly IS motivation to put myself back into "BEAST MODE"! We all come in different shapes & sizes....I accepted a very long time ago after getting down to my lowest weight of 138lbs even at a mere 5'4" I looked absolutely sickly & it was so hard to maintain. I have a very athletic build & my comfortable weight is between 145-150 (that was pre surgery #'s so maybe that will change). I vow to NOT live my life by the number on the scale although my weekly weigh ins over the last 10 years definitely keep me in check.

Day 3: I won't bore you with repeated details of the cleanse, we all know I LOVE the b.fast shake, dinner is GREAT & my struggle was lunch. Only change yesterday was lunch ACTUALLY tasted good to me :) I again, drank lots of water took my vitamins & ended the day with the detox bath. I was not hungry at all yesterday & wasn't tempted to have even a morsal of anything. However at the end of the day I was happy I reached the end & couldn't wait for a real meal today.

This is what I will be implementing into my daily routine:
1. Starting my day with a cup of green tea & a lemon slice
2. Continue with the probiotic along with my usual handful of vitamins
3. Adding flax seed, almond butter, almond milk & spinach to my post workout protein shakes
4. Soak in an Epson Salt bath for 15 mins 3x a week

At the end, I feel great! My mind seems clearer, I have more energy & I'm satisfied with the outcome. I didn't set myself up for any expectations but this is a cleanse I most certainly WILL do again :)

Onto uploading the new pics.....have a great day

Hi ladies :) I'm very excited to share that today for the first time in 7 wks I wore jeans & after running around doing errands they are falling off my hips sooooo.....donation pile for my fave pre-TT jeans! The best part was NO muffin top....not an ounce of muffin no where near this girl! I don't care if I was a size bazillion, if I can live life free of the muffin I'm a happy happy happy chick :) Now, someone at the thrift store is gonna score big on my relentless name brand shopping habits!

I also slept "commando" last night

^ the above post didn't include the last two paragraphs but I'm laughing hysterically at the fact that it appears I shouted "I slept commando"....not gonna fix it just gonna say "AWESOME"

Hey girls....wow I can't believe it's been almost 10 wks since I've posted an update OOPS :/ I got busy busy & when I think of blogging an update I'm no where near a computer.

Things are good....scar healing nicely BUT I'm still numb, experience swelling & hate anything touching my stomach. I also get pooling & tightness right below by belly button....it's my TT Kanga Pouch lol. I ended up with strep throat & lost a week of training at the gym but I'm back at it & bought my FIRST bikini today :)

Saw my PS today regarding a spitting stitch & he said I look great & to see him in July! Now, I know I'm athletic & curvy (I like that about myself) but I'm prob gonna have a small lipo procedure in the flank area around my 1 year mark. But, ill make that decision in July.

All my October TT's look great & I hope your moving along & happy! I"ll post pics in a few days :)

Took a few minutes to take new pics....I'm dealing with end of the day swelling & hiding a large gauze but I'm happy!