51 Year Old Mom; 5'3"; 133 Lbs-fit & Perimenopausal! - Long Island, NY

I've been in good shape most of my life, with just a few times when I've gained 10-20 lbs .I've always been very successful at pulling in the reins and losing the excess weight whenever I've put my mind to it. For the most part, I been lucky in that I have a pretty good shape naturally. I've always been very active and I pay attention to what I eat. I had my one and only child at the "ripe old age" of 44, and I gained about 65 lbs when I had him! After having my son, I really buckled down and got serious about weight loss & staying in shape. For several years, I've stayed a very consistent 120-125 lbs.

Of course, it seems like the day I turned 50, so many things on my body changed! All of a sudden, I had a muffin top and extra weight around my belly, and it would not go away, no matter what I did. So I worked out more and started tracking every calorie and nutrient I put in my body, and still, the scale has slowly crept up over the past year. I did a lot of research on cool sculpting and decided that I needed a little extra help in addressing this newly acquired (and stubborn) fat in my mid section. I went for a consult and decided to go for it.

So far, I've had my lower abs and my upper flanks done. (On Monday, 8/3, I'll be getting my lower flanks done). My procedure was done by an LPN Medical Aesthetician in a plastic surgeon's office. She first addressed my lower abs, and used the large debulker on them. She was extremely happy with how much of my belly got sucked up into the device. It was definitely uncomfortable and unpleasant, but not truly painful. The weight of the debulker was very heavy on my belly, but I was able to tolerate it, and it stayed on me for 1 hour. When it came off, a big, gross frozen roll of fat was there. She was pretty happy about this and then did the massage. I was prepared for this to hurt, and it did for a minute or so. Then I got a little woozy, dizzy and nauseous, but fortunately, that passed quickly.

After a quick bathroom break, we did my right upper flank with the smaller sized device. Then the left. It stayed on each side for an hour. The flanks were much easier to tolerate. I got sleepy while these were being treated. I got a little woozy again after the 2nd flank was done, but it passed quickly (5 minutes) and I was on my way home after I felt better.

I was definitely out of commission a bit after the procedures that day. Not in agony, but definitely uncomfortable and pretty wiped out, too. I had them call in a prescription for the gabapentin, as I wanted to be prepared in case I experienced any of the severe nerve pain like some people have.

The next day (Wednesday, 7/29), I was able to proceed in my day-to-day life just fine. I am happy to say that I am on day 4 and so far I feel pretty good. Just crossing my fingers that it continues. The sensation is strange- definitely not painful but definitely not normal. NUMB, yes. And there's a slight soreness to the touch, sort of beneath the numbness. At night, sometimes my mid-section feels like the way a limb feels when it has gone to sleep.... sort of pins and needles. Like I said, not painful, but something I am always aware of.

I am swollen, although today it does not look or feel quite as bad as it did on Wednesday. So maybe the swelling is starting to go down. My weight is right at 133 today. I am drinking a ton of water daily and I am being careful with what I eat. I started working out again today, mostly cardio, stretches and some strength training, but honestly, I probably could've started back up on Thursday- it's just been so hot here in NY!

After showering, I've been gently massaging the treated areas using Elemis cellutox active body oil. It feels nice and hopefully stimulates the circulation. I also took a bath last night in Elemis cellutox herbal bath synergy, which is supposed to detox the body. Even if it doesn't, it's a nice excuse to relax in the tub anyway, right? ;-)

Right now I am pretty optimistic, but of course the proof will be in the pictures in a month or 2 (or 3 or 4!) I go for my lower flanks on Monday so I will try and update then. And I will work on getting some pics up here, so I can see if there is any change.

These pics reflect "before" (7/28/15) and approximately 6 weeks post lower ab (large debulker used) & upper flanks (smaller contours used) (These "afters" were taken on 9/10/15). I am also 5 weeks post lower flanks in these after pics (I had those done on 8/3/15). I am very happy with results so far & will be taking more follow-up "after" pics at approximately 90 days post-procedure. I tolerated the procedure very well, no real pain, some mild discomfort the first day or 2. Abs were definitely more uncomfortable than flanks, but I feel like (so far) the results are more pronounced on my abs. I actually am about 3-4 lbs heavier in my after pics, due to going on vacation from 8/11-8/21 (including a cruise in that vacation). But I have continued working out and watching what I eat since being back from vacation. I feel good overall, & I like how my clothes fit, so I am trying to not get too hung up on what the scale says. I am excited to see what my results wil look like a little further down the road, & I am considering getting some more cool sculpting done in the future.

Very happy with my results, especially the abs. The upper flanks look good & my waist has nice definition, but I wanted to see more dramatic results with the lower flanks, so I am repeating treatment there in a few weeks. I am also going to have my upper outer thigh ("saddlebags") treated at that time as well. My weight has stayed close to pre- treatment weight- probably 1-2 lbs heavier now, but I attribute that to my continued workout routine & the muscle mass I think I'm building. I feel great & clothes fit nicely, & that is ultimately how I measure success. These most recent pics show comparison to my initial pre-Coolsculpt treatment pics. I had a very easy time with the procedure with minimal discomfort & virtually no disruption to my daily activities.