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POSTED UNDER Body Lift Reviews

My Bariatric Life from Fat to Fab in 1-year! Dr. Joseph F. Capella Transformed Me! Body Lift, Arm Lift, Breast Lift, Thigh Lift

UPDATED FROM My Bariatric Life
3 years post

Thankful November

WORTH IT$18,000
November is traditionally a time to give deeper consideration for all that which we have to be thankful. I am three-years out from my facial plastic surgery with Dr. Catherine Winslow (Winslow Facial Plastic Surgery) and body contouring plastic surgery with Dr. Joseph F. Capella (Capella Plastic Surgery). My plastic surgeons removed the last traces of my former obesity — the hanging skin that remained from massive weight gain and loss and had interfered with my daily living and inhibited my self esteem. The plastic surgery was the completion of erasing the sins of my past, getting rid of the telltale skin that was a constant reminder that I was a failure with regard to respecting my body for so long.

My words cannot do justice to the life changing transformation plastic surgery has been for me. Having gone through my transformation, I think that I now know how people feel having hit the lottery after decades of living in poverty. My results from facial rejuvenation with Dr. Catherine Winslow and body contouring plastic surgery with Dr. Joseph F. Capella are so good, that it is sometimes surreal. After a decade of not having achieved the body and face I wanted to achieve after bariatric surgery, there are times when I feel as if my transformation is just a wonderful dream. And I might awaken from this wonderful dream, lying in my bed in my former puddle of flesh, and not caring much about how I looked.

Weight loss surgery saved my life but it left me with a distorted face and ugly body. I now have the face and body that weight loss surgery could not give me. You can see the change for yourself in my amazing transformation video. The side by side photos do not even look like the same person.

You Have the Power to Change Your Life.

I am grateful that I persisted in doing that. I am thankful that I had insurance coverage for my bariatric surgery with Dr. Vishal Mehta. I am blessed to have had the money for body contouring and facial plastic surgeries after massive weight loss, because mine weren’t covered by insurance. I am deeply endeared to my two very talented and relatively affordably plastic surgeons – Dr. Catherine Winslow and Dr. Joseph F. Capella. Most of all, I am so very thankful to be the person I am today.

My Bariatric Life's provider

Joseph F. Capella, MD

Joseph F. Capella, MD

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

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You may read my previous review of Dr. Capella here for my tummy tuck surgery: http://www.realself.com/review/ramsey-nj-my-tummy-tuck-results-more-than-expected As for this surgery - a body lift of my entire upper and lower body and an inner thigh lift - he has been extremely supportive and compassionate beyond what I think any other surgeon would have done. The man is simply remarkable. I have gone through many stresses leading up to the day of my surgery and Dr. Capella was always there when I needed him, whether it was to resolve a problem or spend countless hours consulting me. He has gone above and beyond what any other surgeon would have done. I felt safe under his care both during surgery and in the recovery period that followed when I had some minor complications. There are certain special people who come into our lives that leave their imprint upon us forever. I will never forget how much care he provided to make sure that I went into surgery comfortable emotionally and with all of my questions answered. And I will always have the wonderful body that he to sculpted for me. Dr. Capella is the top plastic surgeon for post-bariatric and massive weight loss patients. He is an innovator and pioneer in the field and has one of the largest experiences in the world having performed more than 10,000 body contouring procedures. He truly excels at sculpting beauty from gobs of fat – not only am I living proof of that but also check the many hundreds of patient photos on his website who are living proof, too! I went from a size 14/16 to a size 2 in just 10-months! I promise you that if anyone can make your body look good, it is Dr. Capella. He seems too good to be true, but he really is THAT good. This I promise you.

Replies (2)

wonderful story - so incredibly happy for you. I too have been on a journey but didn't doc with pictures unfortunately. Had an abdominoplasty in 2012, just finished arm lift; hope to do thigh and butt next Oct. The arm lift turned out to be painful but I know in the end it will be worth it all. Reading to see how others have survived the struggle of recovery. Really just wanted to tell you congrats and I know how great it is to feel good in your own body. Life is good and God is awesome!
Hi love, I just now saw your post. I hope that you are healed well from surgery and enjoying the results. I agree, life is good and G-d is awesome! (((hugs))
UPDATED FROM My Bariatric Life
3 years post

Follow your heart, no regrets!

Reposting this sound advice......"The struggle you're in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow... In the end we only regret the chances we didn't take, relationships we were too afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make... The cost of not following your heart, is spending the rest of your life wishing you had..."

Realize how truly powerful you are... that there's really nothing that you cannot do, if you really want to. Anything you can imagine for yourself and your life is real and it is attainable. It may not be easy, but it will be worth it. [RS bleep] ooo

Replies (0)

UPDATED FROM My Bariatric Life
2 years post

Update on My Arm Lift Complication

I think that I've posted somewhere in this very long story/review the woes of my serious arm lift complications. If not, I have written a separate review for each of my procedures and you can read about my brachioplasty here https://www.realself.com/review/ramsey-nj-arm-lift-flankplasty-breast-lift-body-lift-medial-thigh-lift#entry-684028.

I finally did regain full range of motion in my right arm, although I still cannot sleep with it tucked up under my pillow with my head resting on my pillow, which is the way I've always slept. It's painful. So I've learned to sleep on my back or my sides... its supposed to be healthier than sleeping on your stomach anyway. Every cloud has a sliver lining :-)

However, the same problem manifested in my left arm/shoulder. I have had many treatment modalities: physical therapy and sports medicine, chiropractic, acupuncture, reiki, therapeutic massage, prescription lotions and therapeutic grade oils, Celobrex, tuning forks vibration, cryotherapy, float tanks of epsom salt water... everything that I can think of, really. The problem has persisted for I don't know how many months now... 6? 7? 8?

So far I have not had full range of motion returned. Not even close. But the good news is that only recently have I begun to see some improvement, so I am hopeful!

The way it was explained to me by several of my HCPs is that all of the stress and tension on the body caused by the right shoulder/arm injury spread to other parts of my body because they are all connected. I was told, imagine a bed sheet that you pull in one quadrant and how that creates a ripple effect that messes up the sheet in the other quadrants.

Look for future updates on my brachioplasty review.

Replies (2)

I'm inspired by your story and posting...I personally have lost 143 pounds...I did this by diet change and exercise...no surgery...but it has and still continues to be my journey and story...I have done brachioplasty and mastopexy, I do plan on doing a tummy tuck in the near future as soon as I finish paying for the previous surgeries...I have honestly not made up my mind yet on the thigh lift...I did very well on the skin quite honestly as even my ps said I could get away with just skin removal on the lower part of the abdomen and he will move the belly button but that I do not need a full tummy tuck...so for that I'm thankful...honestly you have such a great out look and I wish I could be as comfortable in my skin as you seem...I'm thankful for the weight loss and the fact that I have done so well and I am truly blessed...but I struggle to feel great with me, my accompaniments and I still see that big girl in the mirror...even when I was down 102 pounds..I admire you and your pics and your confidence..keep it up!
Oh, Lisa B, I am very proud of you being able to do this without bariatric surgery. That is not to take anything away from the accomplishments of people like me who do need bariatric surgery to help us. I am proud of everyone who overcomes obesity. I just don't know how you can do it without the surgery... and 143 pounds!!! WTG!!! Congratulations!!!

It is amazing that you have lost so much weight and don't need muscle repair. That part of the procedure is painful. As far as the thighs, in time you will know what you want to do. It took me a very long time to decide on my breasts... roughly two-years. I will give you the advice given me: Be a patient patient :-)

Thank you for the lovely compliments. I truly appreciate them. I would say that the psychological transformation is as much a process as the physical transformation that we go through. It can be had if it is something that you wish to undertake. It also takes time to simply adjust. I was right where you are with regard to my body image. I am reminded of a conversation with Dr. C when I asked him why I still felt big and he said maybe my mind just hadn't caught up with my body yet (or words to that effect).

I wish that I could tell you do this and do that and you will find yourself (or as Jung puts it when he speaks of individuation, you will create yourself). Realize, though, how truly powerful you are... if you were able to lose all that weight and keep it off then there's really nothing that you cannot do, if you really want to. It takes work and it takes patience... if it were easy then everyone would do it... but anything you can imagine for yourself and your life is real and it is attainable.

Mine was a spiritual path. So, too, was it a spiritual path for Jen, another weight loss surgery / plastic surgery patient whom I met on ObesityHelp and later interviewed for my website. Jen said that change requires being open to being guided and looking for the lessons and messages in that guidance. Since you are spiritual yourself, you may wish to look inward... prayer, meditation, getting out in nature, silent retreats are all practices that can help you listen to your inner guidance. Jen also had a counselor and I had a spiritual advisor to help us process things. And we both tried new things to discover what brought us joy and to push ourselves physically. I think that latter part helps us to find our inner strength. We broke out of the old mold of our former selves and created our new selves.

I am not the same person that I was when I began my plastic surgery. When my daughter saw me at Christmas (she lives outside the country and had not seen me for a year) she said that she and her husband had noticed how at peace I was. She said, "Mom, I don't know what you are doing, but keep doing it."

[RS bleep] ooo