49, after losing 87 Lbs It's Finally Time for Fleur de lis TT and BL in Raleigh, NC

So I started off meeting with Dr. Pyle for a consultation in October 2015 to discuss TT, BL and arm and thigh lift when I was 25 lbs from my goal weight. I did quite a bit of research looking for a Dr and had my mind made up that Dr Pyle was the Doc for me. I like that they have a stand alone surgical suite away from the hospital and I like that he does the drainless TT among other things. During the consultation I knew I made the right choice. He has an impeccable bedside manner and immediately put me at ease. He explained the procedures I was interested in starting with the TT and BL. He briefly went over the thigh lift and arm lift as they are planned as the 2nd surgery and he would go into more detail later. He gave me an opportunity to ask my questions, which I had plenty. Now I just need to lose the weight and move forward.

Well, after a lot of hard work at the gym and completely changing my diet I have lost 77 lbs since I started this quest in July. I have adopted a healthy and active lifestyle and I think that is the only way i could maintain this for my lifetime. I was heavy the majority of my life and "diets" just don't work for me, I always gained it back. I am ready to move forward and finally schedule a tummy tuck and breast lift. I am opting not to have a breast augmentation as i have hard large breasts my whole life and have always wanted smaller perkier boobs. i get excited just thinking about all the clothing options! My daughter is now 22 and i breast fed her for 10 months and my boobs deflated and started heading South. Now with weight loss and age they really hang uncomfortably low and going without a bra is not happening. Even with great support bras they hang really low. I've wanted this for a long time and so excited I now have a date set for April 4th 2016.
My arms and thighs are scheduled for December as I really enjoy hiking. This break in surgeries will give me time to heal, hike and then recover from 2nd surgeries during the colder time of year.

It's easy to hide things with your clothes on but baring all really puts it out there, warts and all. I will post pictures once I get over myself and the insecurity I have about my body image, it's not going to be like that for much longer and I know there are many out there that can relate.

My 1st of 2 surgeries is scheduled in three weeks and I can barely contain my excitement. I know the nerves will kick in at some point. I log my food daily just to make sure I'm on top of my calorie intake. Meeting with a dietitian monthly has been invaluable to me during my weight loss and now working with me as I "play" with calories as I'm maintaining an active lifestyle, again during recovery and then yet again when I go back to exercising and living life. I have promised her I will not weigh myself during recovery and a friend has offered to keep my scale at her house with the offer that I can call it everyday LOL! I must sound a bit nutty but I like to weigh myself everyday and drive myself crazy :) I have ordered the majority of my supplies and this site has been a great resource. I realize everyone is different and I bought what applied to me. I found that getting in and out of my bed was going to be a challenge so I decided to rent an electric recliner. The store will bring the chair, set it up and take it away when I'm done. I tried out the zero-gravity lawn chair and found that was not going to work for me. I am finally posting my "before" pictures as I know many brave women before me have done. After years of losing/gaining weight and breastfeeding my daughter for almost a year (she's almost 23 but my breasts never recovered) I now have large deflated breast which is never a great combination. My tummy area is mainly hanging skin. Friends that have not had weight issues suggested cocoa butter to reduce the sagging skin. Although they meant well, there isn't any amount of cocoa butter that would ever get rid of that much skin. Many of you ladies have already done this and I'm sure have nuggets of wisdom from your experience, words of wisdom are encouraged :)