Finally got a TT after 25 Years! Los Gatos, CA

Well really it's been 7.5 months now, but I took these pics at the 7 month mark. :) I don't feel like I look too different from the last set of pics, which is good because I have put on a few lbs on the scale. I have been working SO HARD to lose them but it's really a struggle. I don't know if my hormones got whacked from the surgery, but it's been super difficult to lose weight. I already had a slow go of it due to my thyroid and other hormonal imbalances, but this has been even worse than my usual turtle-pace progress. I will just keep plugging away at it. In the meantime, here is where I stand at this point post-op....

1) Two areas of my incision have formed keloid scars. I am starting to use my essential oil mix just last week, so that should help break it up and have it reabsorb into my body. I wasn't very consistent with using the EO blend, which might be why I have 2 sections of keloids now. The rest of the scar is continuing to fade and is starting to look more silvery than pink.

2) Compression/Swelling - I started slacking on using compression garments around 4 months, and now I am back to using them again because I am still getting swelling on a fairly regular basis, especially after workouts. I'm wearing a moderate compression corset at night about 4-5 nights per week, and the tight compression (waist trainer) at least a few hours per day. It really DOES help with swelling, so I guess I just need to keep using it and not slack off like I did before. The swelling is a lot less, but it's still there and a few days a week it will be bad - like back to the barrel shape.

3) Workouts - as of January (6 months) I was 100% back to my normal workout schedule AND my energy levels were back to 100% as well. I was around 80-90% for several months in a row with little to no change, so January was a breakthrough month. I am able to do all exercises with no pulling or discomfort.

4) Body shape - I still have some lumpiness in my upper belly, which might still be from swelling. I also have a small pooch on the right side lower abdomen that has been there since about month 4. I hope it goes away, but to be honest it looks like a pouch of fat. It was not there before that so I don't know if it appeared once my swelling went down enough to show it as a leftover from surgery, or if some fat migrated there over a few months post-op. My doc said we would reassess at the one year mark. Otherwise, my waist is good, tummy is flat despite the rippling and small pouch of fluff. Overall, an amazing change from before! :)

5) Bellybutton - small scar on the right side which should fade over time, overall looks perfect! :)

That's it for now. I'll make more of an effort to get back in here and update on a monthly basis.

Hi friends! Yesterday I got myself to row 3 on the hooks of my waist trainer (the tightest row for this size)! I remember the first time I put this thing on (Friday 18September) I could barely get row 1 hooked and I worked up a sweat getting it on. Now I can see that I will definitely be getting into the next size down fairly soon. I am closing in on the end of week 3 and have worn it every day except for one. The time varies, but usually I wear it for 4-6 hours, occasionally up to 7 or 8 hours. I am planning to buy a couple more actually, so I can wear one during cardio and one while sleeping at night. I need a slightly less constricting one to sleep in at night because the one I have is super strength and it's really uncomfortable to wear to sleep in. Wearing one during cardio increases your sweating so I need a few spares so I can wash the sweaty one while wearing a clean one after a workout.

In recovery news, I am closing in on getting back to my normal workout routine. I still don't have the stamina to do weights + cardio both in the a.m. so on the days where I would normally do that, I am going to have to do cardio later in the day. It's only a couple days per week that I double up weights/cardio, so doing 2 workouts on those days won't be a big deal. Also, my cardio is mostly just power walking right now. I will get back into the more intense cardio in the next month.

My scar is fading slowly but surely, with the middle part of it (where I had the slow healing) not really progressing much at all. I am still numb around my BB (which is beautiful, btw!!!) and in my lower belly. Still self-massaging and getting PT lymphatic massage regularly.

I am still struggling to lose the lbs I gained from mid-August to mid-September. It's coming off but it's really slow. Usually my weight is pretty steady without counting calories as long as I stick to my Paleo/Whole30 style eating plan, but it's been quite a struggle the last few weeks despite my eating being spot on. In the past, my weight drops down quickly from "transgressions" once I get back to my normal eating plan. I might have to start counting calories for a while if my body doesn't release some of this fluff!

Here are my pics at nearly 13 weeks post-op... I am a little swollen in these pics, so I don't feel like they look any different than my last set of progress pics. I think with getting back to my usual healthy eating and being able to workout more now (still not back to my "normal" routine yet) that I will see some more fat melt off overall. See my post from Friday last for other updates on recovery. :)

I was not able to wear my waist trainer in the morning yesterday because I had to leave early for a cheer competition. I didn't get an opportunity to wear it until 7pm, so I used the 1st set of hooks since I was swollen by then. This morning, I was able to use the 2nd set of hooks and get them done up EASILY! And it was after a workout too! Maybe I just got to it before the post-workout swelling set it, but I was glad I was able to get it on the 2nd set and hopefully it controls the post-workout swelling. I can't believe how quickly this thing is working. Maybe it's just pushing the swelling out of my mid-section, or maybe it's that I am dropping some lbs. Either way, I am not complaining. ;)