Manatee

I've spoken to my trainer (he competes in body building contests) about specifically this. Several interesting things came out of the conversation:

1) exercise alone won't get there. Big abs under a layer of fat == looking even fatter.

2) it's all about the body fat %. The average male has to get under 10% body fat before the abs start to show definition. Weights build pecs, diet builds abs.

3) Very low carb, very high Protein, no junk foods at all. This isn't the healthiest way to live.

4) Those guys in the competitions and on the magazines don't really look like that, and certainly don't look like that all the time. To get to that 3-5% look, they quite literally starve themselves and take diuretics before the shows and shoots. Even then, the magazines and such are usually airbrushed.

5) Specifically problematic for ex-obese guys is the loose skin that most carry. Since guys carry most of the excess in the waistline, that skin usually doesn't come back nice and tight. Loose skin will hide good abs. The only fix for this is a Tummy Tuck, and then ya got to measure the scarring vs. the ab gain.

Not saying it can't be done -- It's certainly my goal -- but be realistic about what it entails and the side effects.

Just before Christmas I bought a pair of dress shirts to go with the suit. I really didn't have interview clothes, and so I dropped in to Men's Wearhouse for the shirts.

I've always just bought polo style and other open collar shirts, so I didn't know anything about sizes. The staff there measured the necksize, arms and handed me some shirts. Great, done deal, etc.

Not so fast...

When I put the shirts on just before the interview, they were massive! True, they fit at the neck and at the cuffs, but I could have put 50% more me in there. Billowy, and cut straight down from the armpits. I ended up folding handfuls of the fabric over in the back to hide it.

Turns out the typical male dress shirt is designed in a basic cylinder, and guys with 18" necks and 32 sleeves are usually VERY cylindrical

The way to correct this is to get a "fitted" shirt or a slim-cut, which is tapered more tightly than the traditional cut. If even this is baggy (and it is, on me), then one's options are limited to the rare athletic cut shirt or custom tailored shirts.

Just an FYI.

Once more, a tuck followup

It's been 4 weeks since the last meeting with Dr. Chop-n-Drop. During that time I've noticed that the hard ridge of tissue has softened to what looks like a 'normal' roll of excess fat. No Fluid buildups, no pressure, etc.

Doc took a look and is still Pleased With Himself. The scar is where it's supposed to be -- red and noticeable -- but is fading nicely. Scars don't bother me anyway, I already look like I survived an icepick attack.

The plan now is another 4 weeks of recovery, and then a final liposuction procedure to clear out the last of the roll and belly flab. He might hit the lower back again if he thinks it's necessary. Honestly, I don't care that much about the back because I cannot see it :thumbs_up:

So, Feb 5 expect another update.

Once more, a tuck followup

It's been 4 weeks since the last meeting with Dr. Chop-n-Drop. During that time I've noticed that the hard ridge of tissue has softened to what looks like a 'normal' roll of excess fat. No Fluid buildups, no pressure, etc.

Doc took a look and is still Pleased With Himself. The scar is where it's supposed to be -- red and noticeable -- but is fading nicely. Scars don't bother me anyway, I already look like I survived an icepick attack.

The plan now is another 4 weeks of recovery, and then a final liposuction procedure to clear out the last of the roll and belly flab. He might hit the lower back again if he thinks it's necessary. Honestly, I don't care that much about the back because I cannot see it :thumbs_up:

So, Feb 5 expect another update.

I think the producers put him on there to make a not-so-subtle point about WLS failure vs the traditional diet-and-exercise success.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it?

<offtopic>

You would have to drag me in handcuffs to go see Mary Jo. Maybe it's just the editing, but she appears to have absolutely no concept of the mindfrak that morbid obesity inflicts on people. Clueless, condescending, and cold are not useful traits in a WLS office.

</offtopic>

For some reason, this is the first season where (to me) the contestants actually look as big as their scale numbers indicate. Strange.

I thought they put the contestants through serious physical tests before the selection. Seems to be a hole in the procedure somewhere.

To add the to earlier reply, even medically necessary PS isn't the same as self-pay. My insurance would have covered a medically-necessary skin removal, but not ALL the work that is normally covered in a Tummy Tuck.

Best to plan on paying out of pocket, and start working out the finances early in the WLS process.

Losing ground

I was always warned that maintenance would be the hard part. I've slowly crept up, and now I'm pushing 200 again.

Boredom, distance to the gym, no money, no fill

I could blame many factors for this, but the bottom line is that I have been lacking in discipline and have been eating too damned much.

Going to get a fill on the 9th that should help some, but I need to get focused. Set a goal: 185 by Jan 1. Possible? Perhaps -- but at least it's a focus.

News flash -- hot ladies make dudes want to be hot too.

I don't know whether to list this as a "duh" or "brilliant!" concept.

scale and objectified images, image the impact it has on some poor guy who's been thinking he's a 2 or 3 on the scale due to his weight. Imagine now that weight is coming off, he's moving "up" the scale ("away" from his partner, perhaps?), and yet he still isn't closing in on that 11 and her 3% bodyfat boyfriend. Does he Celebrate the distance traveled, or mourn the remaining gap?

Is there a solution to this? There are those out there who would call for an end to the 11s in the media, and a greater focus on real people, but I cannot agree. There has to be an unattainable goal to drive people onwards. There have always been (Greek statuary, anyone?). I think one should either fully embrace the madness and work at being that 11, or alternately reject the concept entirely. Self-acceptance through lower standards? Should your next New Years' Resolution be "I will be the best damned 6.5 on the planet"?

Back on point (and go COWBOYS)

As others mentioned above, a good strength/conditioning/sports nutrition seminar.

But what I would really like to see is a Dress for Success seminar aimed at the guys. For years I wore baggy and oversized and still have a lot of trouble figuring out how to pick out sizes and such. I realize not everyone would care, but I REALLY want to know how to look really freaking sharp in a suit.

Just a thought.

My doc says aim for a lb a week, that's a safe and sustainable rate. Increasing your workouts will increase that drop without requiring a change in fill levels. Speaking of, I think you'll find your fill was 3 cc or 3 ml, not 3 oz.

I was able to lose 100 or so in a year starting at 285, but really was aggressive about the workout and fills. I would have been healthier with a slower loss, IMHO.

I had a complete unfill, and was unfilled for 6 weeks following the surgery. During that time I gained about 6 lbs. I have just had a minor fill to start working the restriction back in.

Honestly I know I've been eating like crap, and if I simply curtailed it I wouldn't have needed the fill. The inability to exercise during that time didn't help either.

Both of my docs were worried about getting enough calories in to heal properly post-tuck, and thus the unfill. I had my first refill under fluoro so that the band doc could make sure nothing had been damaged during the procedure.

I've been reading through some of the other recent plastics patients threads.

Holy cow.

I think I'm gonna stop whining now. Open holes and months of bed rest and such are just overwhelming. I'm not sure how you guys do that. I'm frustrated with my (apparently) very minor side effects, and some of these folks are really in pain.

I suppose I just have too much free time now to obsess over body shape -- I need to find a volunteer gig or something to give me something else to focus on.

I had my surgery with Dr Stuart Lipton. I quite literally picked him at random. I'm pretty sure that he undercharged, because the amount of work that I ended up with (so far!) exceeded what he told me to expect. That doesn't count round 2.

Dude's been excellent so far, cannot fault his care at all. I just wish my body was cooperating better.

Dr Stuart Lipton, M.D.

Your price will vary

Doc has given up on the "swelling" diagnosis

Went in again today for a scheduled followup. Doc only pulled off a very small amount on the one side, and didn't even bother with the other. He said that he's decided he will have to go in for a round 2. Full general anesthesia, slicing open the sides again, and more Lipo. That is then followed by more time in a compression garment, etc. Fun....

I also went by the lap-band surgeon and got a fill under fluoro. This is the first fill after the complete unfill for the PS. The band is in good position, tubing looks good, etc. We didn't add much, just 3 cc in the hopes it will kinda remind me about my eating without generating a full restriction. If I keep easing up after that assistance then we will go tighter.

As long as the job search is underway I do NOT want to appear medically abnormal in any way, and so the very tight adjustments will have to wait.

Just curious.

Personality? His or her physical shape? Certifications?

Would it matter to you if he or she used to be obese? If he or she had WLS of some type?

Or is it just whoever happens to be working at the gym at the moment?

Overall I'm fine. Still have strange sensations and such, some low level pain, but nothing that's more than an irritation.

10 weeks, minimum

Had yet another followup on the tuck and Lipo. Doc pulled more liquid out, but less than before.

He's insistent that the swelling and such will pull down. I asked him what his thoughts were on a revision, and he wants to wait 10 weeks before making a decision on the additional surgery.

I'm getting pretty impatient, but I will give him the 10 weeks. The only positive in this is this doc is a perfectionist, and is determined to make this look good.

And on we roll...

I appreciate the work, but the latest version of the chat software really isn't user friendly. There's plenty of features, but little room for the actual text. People using large fonts can quite literally fill the page with single sentence, and that makes it hard to follow conversations.

Just my $.02

I really liked the flashchat version we had a long time back.

Heck, my doc didn't ask about that at all. He just wanted to know that the check would clear :eek:

That said, I had been basically stable for 6-8 months

Plastics -- problems?

Had another followup with the doc on Thursday. He pulled out some more Fluid, but not much. That's the good news.

The bad news is that the swelling/scarring isn't going down. It should be shrinking now, but instead it's formed a hard tube of tissue right around the middle. It's almost like having a bicycle tube under the skin. He doesn't know why it's doing that.

He wants to give it a bit more time, but is thinking that it won't go away on its own. He's now talking about a followup procedure to go in and "core out the scar tissue".

Hmmm, I'm not too interested in yet another general anesthesia surgery, but then again I paid to have a certain body shape, and it's not here. At least I won't have to pay for the next round.

In Texas, I paid $5600 for my TT and Lipo, that included all followup treatment.

Back in the saddle again

Feeling pretty good but getting flabby, so it's back to the bike to see if I can ride.

Rolled an easy 13 miles today in just under an hour. Not a great pace but I had no real pains. This bodes well for the future :thumbup:

There's no chance of unifying the country. Both sides are blatantly marginalizing and vilifying the other, and the climate gets worse every cycle. There's simply no middle ground left, and nobody who is willing to talk and compromise can make it past the primary system.

We're headed for a civil war, the only question is when it will happen. The "flyover" states won't put up with the domination by the coasts much longer.