Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) and Umbilical Hernia Repair with Mesh.

4+ months since my life changed forever. I had been dreaming of a flat stomach my whole life. I planned and prepped and worked for it. One of the things I naively thought, was that if I got rid of my hanging belly, then it would be so much easier to lose weight. I can say now, it's not easier! But it is better! Before surgery I talked to a friend who had a tummy tuck and does not like the results. She told me she wishes she would have lost 20 more lbs before surgery. I didn't want to have that regret. So I made physical fitness a priority BEFORE surgery. I was exercising 6 days a week and eating clean. I think that has helped me SO MUCH in the past few months. I have this nightmare fear that my body will naturally go back to the way it was. So taking 6 weeks off of fitness was terrifying. And I will not lie, it was really hard to get back into it. I felt my motivation slipping. All of the sudden I saw the scale# start creeping ? UP. Then one day I stepped on the scale and I weighed as much as I did the day I went in for surgery. ???? I was devastated. I saw my worst fears coming to life. It was a real wake up call for me. I recognized that clean eating and regular fitness are not options for me. That is the only way to live my life. So I went back. And I am so happy. My life is much more vibrant when I make good food choices. I sleep better when I exercise every day. And I'm not overdoing it or being obsessive. I just make sure I sweat for 20 min every day, and don't eat breads and pastas. That's it.
Thankfully, the weight came off, and MORE. I'm down 12 lbs since surgery. The reason I say weight loss is better now is because I can tell a difference when I lose 3 lbs. Before, that would not make a difference at all. Also, every exercise I do is a LOT more comfortable. I'm addicted to running. Not having a belly bouncing around really turned that page for me. I can do yoga. Lifting is more fun. Ab workouts are actually quite painful, though.
Any way, I hope this helps someone who is reading this. Don't be afraid. You can do it. But just know... Surgery is not magic, you still have to WORK.

I don't have a single regret. The pain is just a memory now. I'm working out. I can swim. I have tightness and my sides feel sort of like they are always sore. But my Dr said that's normal. My incision scar has some really lumpy thick areas. He said i need to rub them.

I'm officially past my 6 week mark. I started exercising earlier this week because I couldn't stop myself. I feel great! But the swelling everyday makes me feel like I'm gaining weight. I'm not, thankfully. I've lost 10 lbs since surgery day. I can't really tell because my body is different now. One thing that annoys me now is the massive size of my breasts. I look like I'm going to fall over. But I'm not even thinking about surgery again. I've had my fill for a very long time. I'll just keep losing weight and wear minimizers. Shopping for a bathing suit for summer is so fun, but also impossible because now my breasts don't match my tummy size.
Some stuff that has been hard... Finding a comfortable compression garment is really tough. I like the ones that you can wear your own bra with and have straps on the shoulders. But 2 weeks ago I developed the most excruciating upper back pain on one side and then in a matter of days it had spread to my arm and fingers and then the arm and fingers went numb while somehow still shooting pain. It was really bad. It's still bad. I'm getting treatment now and the steroids are helping but I still can't feel my fingers. Any way, I think it was caused by the way the compression garment pulls on my shoulder while I sleep. Or maybe it's just from me compensating for the lack of abdominals. I don't know, but I thought I might put it out here in case someone else can use the info. So now I only sleep in a compression garment without straps so my shoulders are free. I can't do the corset only ones because they push on my pubic area weird and I was getting a permanent indent in the wrong spot. So the garment has to pull up my pubic area as well.
Intimacy with my husband is about a million times more fun. I actually pulled the tags off of the lingerie I got for my bridal shower 9 years ago, and wore it. Good times.
I still love my results. But there are some not so ideal things. My belly button is a good inch off center. It honestly doesn't bother me that much. I will NOT be wearing a bikini. There's no reason for me to show my stomach in public. And it is a really good belly button! It's just in the wrong spot. My side crinkles are going away slowly. But they still look funky. I think they always will. One side of my scar is higher than the other and the whole thing is higher than I hoped it would be. But again, this stuff doesn't really get to me.
I don't have much pain except on my sides/flanks when I bump into something or jump or run. I can use my abdominals without too much pain. The longest I can plank right now is 1:06, then I feel a burning pinch.
I'm putting up some pics