48 Yr Old Male, Stubborn Flanks - Jacksonville, FL

I had the procedure performed at Dr. Fee's clinic, Coastal Cosmetics in Jacksonville. The procedure itself was pretty uneventful with minimal discomfort, and that discomfort being very short in duration.

I did take before pictures just hours before the procedure that I need to crop and prepare to post here (but I will). I also took some immediately following the procedure, at their offices, as well (more on that later).

I am relatively fit, with my BF% hovering around 15% or so (using a standard body fat scale, but BIA testing for BF% is notoriously inaccurate/inconsistent). I use a scale that syncs with my phone so I don't have to worry about recording the data and can easily track trends. I check first thing in the morning upon rising, for consistency. For the last several weeks I have been right around 15.5%. The day after the procedure it read 19%. It could be the extra water I drank the night before (although I stay pretty hydrated in general, even before), or all of the "released" fat from the targeted fat cell. I considered this a positive sign (to be clear :)).

As far as discomfort I slept just fine the night of the procedure and yesterday (the day after) I did my normal work out, including planks (inner ab exercises), both front and sides. I did not feel any discomfort (other than normal strain doing planks :)) or range of motion issues for any of the exercises.

Pictures to follow, along with some more commentary.

I am all about the science of a thing. So I will continue to measure my BF%, weight and waist circumference and will report here at least weekly. I realize that the expectation is that my BF and weight will not change, but I will be reporting on those to provide a fuller picture of the changes to my body and not just shape.

As you can see from the pictures I have some flanks and lower back fat pockets that I needed to take care of. That was my primary focus for this Sculpsure procedure.

The pictures I took immediately after the procedure were because I noticed that the pads were not necessarily over my flanks (or at the risk of being blunt, my fat roll). The pads were placed horizontally, two on each side. After placement I did note to the technician that there was more than a little fat bulging up over the top of the pads. I was told this was because they had to have a tight fit against the skin. The procedure then commenced. Afterwards, when I was getting back dressed I noted that it appeared that the pads were positioned over my butt cheeks more than my flanks/fat pocket. I am posting this in hopes of eliciting some feedback.

Here is my planned measurement and exercise protocol:

I also intend to continue working out 3 times a week and may even add in some cardio. I do know that I am asymmetrical, something that is accentuated by lower back issues (bulging discs at L4, L5, S1) that can at time cause a bit of lateral curvature to my spine (when they pinch a nerve). So that may make one flank/side appear "fuller" than the other in the pictures. But I picked up a roman chair and added hyper-extensions to my workout routine last week to help strengthen my lower back (from past experience I know that this helps my back and posture in general). I also do not do ab "crunches" or any other exercises that can make the abdomen look bigger (unless you have single digit body fat). I do perform planks at the end of each exercise day (so 3 times a week), but front and side planks, working the traverse abdominus (spelling?), which can help minimize the appearance of the waistline.

Measurements are taken immediately upon waking (after having freshened up in the restroom), before eating or drinking anything. I take the BF and weight measurements on an Easy@Home scale that sends the bio-metrics to my phone. BIA measurements are notoriously inaccurate for BF readings, especially with any increase in hydration being read as an increase in BF, with the only other alternative the water displacement test (and a lot of $$), but it is a reasonable alternative for at-home measurements, especially if keeping enough other variables constant (such as time of day, etc). I then use a body tape to measure my waist, at a point approximately 1/2" below my belly button. I did notice that when I took the measurement that even with no pressure (other than the spring load in the tape winding) that it pushed into my flanks a bit on both sides. I hope that came out well enough in the picture.

Here are the metrics so far (I neglected to measure the waist before the procedure, but it should not have changed dramatically between Tuesday and today.

Before procedure
Weight 162.0
BF% 17.4% (I had reported it as lower before, but double checked my records and corrected it here).

Day After procedure
Wed 2/3
Weight 162.0
BF% 18.9%

Thur 2/4
Weight 162.0
BF% 18.6%

Fri 2/4
Weight 161.0
BF% 18.0%
Waist 34"

I also did a couple of waist circumference checks these last couple of days and need to correct my earlier published measurement. I took it later in the day, versus first thing in the morning, as I should have. The actual measurement before any food or drink in the morning is 33 1/4". So that is my starting point. Weight and BF% have not changed.