Couple Celebrates Wedding Anniversary with a Tummy Tuck for Two! 40 Yo Male / 41 Yo. Female--St. Louis, MO

Before we got married, I (husband) was 300-320 pounds, very sedentary and unhealthy. I had been an athlete, but wasn't too motivated to stay in shape after high school glory faded. My wife, on the other hand, was in great shape when we married. She exercised regularly, watched her diet and weighed around 145. Somewhere, in our decade-plus together, we met in the middle, weight-wise. I adopted a healthier lifestyle, dropped weight (putting it back on to an extent) and shifted my eating. My lovely wife delivered our two amazing children - both via caesarian and neither too small when they entered this world.

We have really exerted efforts to make a healthy lifestyle our focus in the last several years. We work out together (P90X, Insanity, T-25, etc...), shift our eating together (Weight Watchers, Atkins, etc...), encourage each other, and generally share life. Unfortunately, our efforts have been less than successful, at least to our expectations. I (husband, again) just have always found myself with a spare tire and loose, hanging skin that would never go away, no matter how much I exercised. My better half has been left with an abdomen that bears the scars (literally) of two C-sections, that no amount of ab work will resolve.

In any event, we have discussed strategies and possible solutions for years. We actually met with a local plastic surgeon to discuss the Vanquish procedure, but afterwards, we found ourselves asking why would we invest several thousand dollars each and not get the full results we desire. So, one discussion led to another, and we both agreed that a more aggressive approach was a worthwhile option to explore.

My wife had undergone a breast reduction before we married and she had an amazing experience with her plastic surgeon. (She had previously had a reduction prior to this one that had no real results, leaving her scarred and without sensation.) So, in spite of the fact that this amazing surgeon was no longer just across town, and was more accurately now across the state, we scheduled our consult. Full honesty, we were both convinced that if the consultation went well, we were going to commit right then and there. And, of course, it went wonderfully.

So, as I type this, we are BOTH scheduled for a full abdominoplasty in 3 weeks. Each of us is also scheduled to undergo liposuction of flanks and abdomen during the procedure. I am also having some chest liposuction/gynecoplasty performed as well (this explains the differences in our prices). We have been told by a few people that we are absolutely crazy to schedule at the same time, but our perspective is that we are blessed with an amazing support system, that has agreed to step in and help out with getting the kids to and from school, helping out as needed, and caring for us both following the surgeries. We also feel that this will be an amazing experience to share with one another, as we both shed physical aspects that stand in the way of improved self image and a greater degree of confidence.

Hi :) This is wife! We wanted to share our story as when we were contemplating doing this at the same time we couldn't find any other "couple experiences" to read about--which would have been very nice. In the past decade we have done P90X, Jillian Michaels Revolution, Insanity, Asylum, T25 and various other workouts and diets, why not go to the knife and cut it all off together?!

We think there are several pros doing it simultaneously!

Also at this point however we are not sharing with others---only those who need to know--my parents as they will be our amazing caretakers, while my friend watches our kids at my house. As far as my children know we are going away for our anniversary--which is true. We just omitted the part about being cut and sucked on!

I still debate sharing with others. On one hand would love to show you our faces---we don't have two heads a piece! On the other hand, the anonymity of it is kind of fun. And really it is very weird putting barely clad pictures of yourself on the internet for all mankind to see. Man oh man!

Who knows! I can see myself impulsively blurting it out to my friends and co-workers because I am a share-the-experience kind of gal, but on the other hand the melancholy in my doesn't want the judgement of others regarding the indulgent or vain expense or thinking I am taking a lazy way out to look thinner.

I know I don' t have to justify it---but it took me 2 years to justify doing it to myself when there are children starving in poverty! I guess I am looking at it as a home improvement. We invest in our home to keep it up to date and in great condition---why not do the same for our bodies? We also truly have been extremely self aware of health and body though I feel never have much to show for it. Though in 14 years together we have embarked on diets and workouts, in the big picture we lean toward always living a healthy lifestyle. 3 months ago we gave up white sugar all together and overall try to include lots of fruits and veggies in our diet. We are not junk food or fast food people, but as I said the outside does not tell that story. So if it sounds like I am justifying our surgery--- I totally am! We are not perfect and obviously flawed in our attempts, but I believe have given it heart and soul and surgery is not seen as just a quick and easy way out of the work.

So what is your opinion? Tell or don't tell? Justified or not justified?

Hubbies procedure will cost $12, 232 and Wifes $8,974.