Tummy Tuck

It’s been four years in the making. My first cosmetic consultation was in the fall of 2009, and I have since had four additional consultations. In late 2012 I finally selected the surgeon who will perform a tummy tuck + flank liposuction on me Friday, February 22nd.

MY BACKGROUND:

I’m an African American woman that, according to that gawd-awful BMI calculator, is morbidly obese. I’ve always been overweight… I was a big baby, a big kid, and as a young woman, always looked older than my true age because of how “developed” and mature-looking I was; I just wasn’t BUILT like the girls my age. And even though at different stages of my life I’ve been smaller than I am now, I was still overweight nonetheless. Today, three days before my procedure, my weight is 311.20 pounds.

My weight, height and overall physical characteristics are the result of two things… #1. Genetic predisposition. I come from a long-line of “Amazon” women. All of the women in my family (predominately my father’s side of the family) are big women. I’m 6 feet tall and pretty-much BIG all over. There are no skinny/slim/petite/short women in my family. .. seriously, none! #2. In 2011 I was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome); being diagnosed was bittersweet, as it’s a blow to find out you have any kind of condition; however, the diagnosis finally answered the many puzzling questions I’ve asked, but never got answers to. For years I’ve suffered afflictions that were abnormal, like, facial hair growth (one of the most popular symptoms. I’ve suffered chin and jawline hair growth since I was a teenager), the inability to lose weight through diet and exercise, and the worst of all, the massive amount of centralized fat that I carry around my midsection, hence my desire to have a tummy tuck.

Although I'm a big girl, I don't dislike my size... it's the SHAPE of my body that I hate. I envy big women who are flawlessly curvy, with flat tummies who don’t suffer from “muffin top.” Although the biggest concern I have with my physical appearance is my midsection, the next area I plan to address are my breasts... my 38JJ/K breasts. And maybe even butt augmentation. But both of these are much later down the line.

People typically don't make change until they're fed-up, and that's where I am in my life right now... I’m fed-up with not liking what I see when I look in the mirror, with and without clothes, and I'm fed-up with being a slave to wearing smoothing and cinching undergarments every day, Spanx and the horribly uncomfortable Body Magic.

I’ve been a member of RealSelf for a few months now, and I’ve admired the bravery and dramatic results of the numerous people on this site, and now I’m joining-in to share my story… and the journey begins!