54, Fit, and Fabulous - Carmel, IN High Lateral Tension Abdominaplasty New pics!

Hi Ladies! I'm officially 4 months post op and really excited about this next phase. I made it through Thanksgiving/Christmas and all of the fabulous fattening foods without tooo many issues. LOL. I do continue to swell. Case in point my grand baby came for a visit and the side were I carried him on my hip paid for it. My waist was swollen as well as the outer thigh/hip on that side. Over all I continue to go down though not always even. I still wear my compression garment when I work out and my lifting is back where it was before the procedure. The hardest part for me now is to get the diet/eating portion back under control. I never realized just how much people over indulge in food during this time of year! I was called a "food [RS bleep]" for trying to eat healthy for goodness sake. It's not my style to force or talk about my fitness goals but a lot of my friends/family/acquaintances hadn't seen me since I dropped the 75+ lbs. Some people were genuinely happy but some folk- men and women- wanted to scratch my eyes out! This has been a real eye opener. For now I'm posting a few photos. I do have a slight stretch mark that occasionally pops out that will be snipped at 6 months. I am very pleased with my results and working very hard to continue to shape my body and become even more fit for this next phase of life! I have a new bounce in my step. My confidence level is through the roof....I honestly hadn't realized how much my belly affected my self esteem. I love my babies but that ugly scar and belly had to go! Enjoy the holidays, I will post in a month.

Hi Ladies,
I had my 3 month po visit and I'm officially released to do everything, no restrictions. I'm still swelling and I wear my cg when active. There is still a little stiffness on occasion but for the most part I feel back to normal. I will go back for one more visit at 6 months. Right now I've relocated back to MO and seeking out a good local gym. I'd like to tighten everything up and shed a few pounds before my 6 months final visit. If my boobies get any worse I may get a lift. I am really pleased with my results. I will post photos at after Christmas and then a month later when I can just to show the changes. Keep going ladies, YOU ALL are looking FABULOUS!

Hi Ladies,
I've been traveling a bit so I've only been able to follow using my phone. I'm twelve weeks now and there have been quite a few changes.. My spitting stitches have now completely healed and the incision line is getting thinner as my swelling decreases. If it remained it's current thickness the results are excellent!

Right now I only wear my cg when I'm working out. I'm also sleeping on my side. I do find that I am stiff if I sit for long periods but gentle stretches seem to help. As soon as your doc says it's ok to toss the cg, please do so. After I stopped wearing mine I noticed my abs were a little weak so my posture initially wasn't as good. Focusing on that posture is helping to strengthen the core even though I'm not able to do abs.

My eating was atrocious during my traveling, but I did manage to bring my protein and eat fresh as much as I could. I've dropped about 11 lbs and my bodybugg has been recording 4000 cal burns without hitting the gym! So now that I'm back home I'm plan to focus more on watching what I eat....but sometimes your body needs a little extra because we are healing. Don't stress and don't eat junk!

Just in case I didn't say it, I'm still in swell hell!!!! -and uneven at times!!!

I'm going to include some photos of me at about 11.5 weeks. For those that don't know I've had a High Lateral Tension Abdominoplasty (sp) which places less tension on the scars. I included links in earlier post for you techies. It results in an hour glass figure and better scarring. It's great for all women but for me I liked the looked and it addressed my problem areas best. People who keloid or scar poorly may want to look at this procedure. Most ps do NOT do this procedure so ask. I do not use any products on my scar but I do massage a couple of areas to break up a little scar tissue. Oh and some of the lighter areas near the incision are skin issues , all will fade in time.

I feel GOD blessed me to find an excellent, skilled, caring physician whose work is phenomenal! Just look at my before pics!

Oh and and some days I wake up with ab definition...Dr. Slatton rocks!!!