Allison925

I've decided I'm on a mission to get my body to a point where I feel comfortable in a bikini. I've been working very hard with food choices and hitting the gym, and have been very very pleased with the results so far. I'm happy with my back, arms, and even my thighs... BUT the dreaded stomach is killing me!!! :cursing: My skin has been very kind to me, and I feel fortunate to have decent elasticity still. My lower stomach (formally known as my "pooch") is ok in my mind. Its the area above my belly button that I am having issues with. It's like my belly button has created a little shelf for a pocket of fat and skin to sit on and it won't go away!!!! Grrr... lol Additionally, I have a protruding port that doesn't help the matter (which also sits right in the aformentioned shelf area) and makes me look even more lumpy. DH thinks my tummy looks great as is (smart man!), but also believes having a port revision will help my concerns drastically. I'm not so sure. I have an upcoming consult with a great plastic surgeon, just to pick his brain. I want to know if I'd theoretically be a canidate for lipo, or a mini TT, or if a full TT would be necessary (hope not!). Is anyone else experiencing this? Any suggestions?

Hi All, I had been at goal for quite some time, and went in last week for a port revision. I didn't have any big port-related problems, but had lost enough weight that the port was protruding from my stomach... It was just not nice looking. Anyway, the surgery went super well. I was up and dressed in a matter of hours, and on a plane home that same evening. I've had some discomfort and bruising, but have gone back to my normal life with relative ease. I'm posting because my swelling is INSANE. Surgery was 10 days ago, and with my overall swift recovery, I'm shocked that I am so swollen... Assuming its swelling.. None of my clothes fit (living in workout pants), and today I weighed in 25lbs heavier than on my port surgery date!!! DH just about took my head off for weighing myself while recovering, but that's a different story.... Anyone know if this is normal? How long until my body goes back to its presurg proportions? I appear to be swollen everywhere; chubby legs, rings don't fit, rounder face, etc. It's very frustrating after all that work!!! I also had a complete unfill, and have been unable to work out, but I logically know there's no way I could gain 25lbs in 10 days. I just feel out of control of my body and it's a very hard feeling for me... Input is greatly appreciated

Just a quick update on my flat stomach quest! I had a port revision last week, and am hopeful for the results :-) I'm still swollen and bruised, but I can't feel my port anymore! I've been taking some photos, and will post progress pics after the swelling goes down....

I've read this thread a couple of times in the last few months... But now seeing that it's been viewed 2,500 times, I feel like I should throw this out there... No matter what country you choose for your PS, please be sure to do your research about who the doctor is and what his past patients say. There in an influx on the internet, and on this very board, of 'fake' people providing referances for Plastic Surgeons. For instance, MakeOverTravel.com is mentioned just a few posts ago, in a beyond glowing review. Upon looking at their website I realized that they do not even reveal who your surgeon will be. After a google seach, I found this negative review buried among fake positive reviews --lots of other shadey stuff over there too. Every positive review I read about MakeOver Travel, scattered over the internet, was always from a newly made account (< 3 posts), and are written by someone that one does not use English as their primary language... perhaps the same person over and over? Another doctor brought up in this thread is Dr. Gutierrez Romero. The implication that he's good as gold simply because he works with Operation Smile is insane. Just because he's OK in their book, does not make him beyond reproach. There are serious complaints here and a news piece by CBS that discusses a confirmed death after tummy tuck by Dr. Gutierrez Romero. I'm not advocating these doctors/organizations one way or another. I just stress to do your thorough homework on a doctor, whomever you choose or where ever the recommendation comes from. Best wishes to all.

I'm 5'3" and remember my GP suggesting I need to be 125 --I literally laughed at her. I said my body is simply not designed to be that small. My surgeon and I settled on 145-150 as a realistic goal. I could have very well stayed at 150 comfortably; I felt great, looked good, lots of energy, wore a size 8, and didn't feel 'over-weight' despite what my BMI claimed.

Hello again, I've been collecting info the past few days and thought I'd share what I found. I met with a great plastic surgeon, and he, without hesitation, said "full tummy tuck." Grumble grumble :-/ I guess I was somehow wishing for a new magical procedure to emerge between lipo and a full TT! lol With that info, I posted photos and my question over at realself.com and now have 10 out of 10 plastic surgeons agreeing that I'd get pretty great results with a full TT and possibly some liposculpting. If you click the link it will take you to the photos of my stomach; I welcome anyone else's respectful opinion on my conundrum. My hesitations with a TT are of course the invasiveness, recovery time and cost, but honestly my #1 concern is going through all of that and just trading in one odd-looking belly button for another. Many people look fantastic after their TT, but after looking at hundreds and hundreds of TT photos, I have to say that very often the navel is left looking a little "off." Maybe I'm being trivial, but I'm just not sure it'd be a fair trade off for me personally. Those of you that have had a TT, do you like your new belly button? vonhelzing: Thanks for the compliment! Congrats on your weightloss and TT :-) I'd love to see photos! Jachut: I'm so glad you stopped by and commented! I've followed you progress and think you look fantastic! I don't know what's up with this belly button shelf thing, but it's always nice to know you're not alone. You look amazing in your bikini though! I think my problem is significantly more severe than yours (for example, the word deformity is kicked around on the link I provided). I'm working on the self-love-rock-what-I've-got attitude. Its funny, I feel very confident in any type of clothing nowadays, it's just the flippin' bikini that brings the insecurities out! smsmithart: I appreciate the heads up, you look so great! How long would you say it was until you felt totally 100% again after you PS?

Hi there! Stress certainly can tighten my band. Many things do it to me though; flying, stress, my period, early mornings, emotional crying, time changes, it goes on. I will say though, that it's never been a prolonged tightening... 3 days max as I approach my period, and I've never tightened up for a month at a time. Are you PBing or getting stuck frequently? Taking in enough calories? If not, you may need a slight unfil, regardless of the cause factor of the tightness. I hope you're able to destress soon!

Barb, Thanks for answering my question and for the great compliments. I'm sorry to hear that you're having a down day... There's really no excuse for a friend not to be supportive and kind. Your body is healing and it will take time to settle into its new shape. I'd be willing to bet that your friend's reaction had more to do with her own personal insecurities than with how you actually look. Your photos are phenominal! I would never had guessed that was the same person in both :-D We're very similar in height, but I'm about an inch shorter than you. I just hit 130 yesterday morning, and am just at the point where people are commenting not to lose any more. I'm pretty comfortable here and feel great, but wish I could mix and match body parts; I'll take my rear from 140lbs, and my stomach from 120lbs, please! lol No, I haven't had any PS surgery since my weightloss. I had a breast aug about 6 years ago, and they've held up surprisingly well through the weightloss journey. My skin has generally been pretty forgiving, except for my stomach, which is -hmm, kind of lumpy? So I'm weighing my options now for fixing that. How long were you near goal before deciding to go forward with your PS?

Hi Barb! Your results are incredible, I think you're going to be so happy with the results once you're done healing... Look at that tiny waist now! lol I've been following your progress, and really appreciate all of the candid info and photos you've been sharing. Quick question for you, as I am researching some of my own plastics options: now, at 3 weeks post-op, do you think you could sit on a plane for 3 hours and not be absolutely miserable? Thanks again!

I have to second Val's oppinion; get to you doc asap about the pain! As far as plateauing... How much more do you have to lose? It certainly gets tougher as you approach goal. Have you tried keeping a food and exercise journal? It's possible you are consuming as many calories as you are burning, and therefore not losing weight anymore. Decrease your cals or up your exercise if that's the case. Another possibility is that your body is getting too little calories and goes into starvation mode. Been there :-( Not healthly, and no weightloss regardless of time at the gym... Sounds weird, but if that's the case, you have to eat more to lose more. Good luck to you! I hope you get these issues worked out and get back to losing soon!

Hi MarilynJ6354! I've always equated any liquid diet to a kind of Jenny-Craig-Syndrome. It's all fine and dandy while you're on it, but humans are not made to survive on Clear Liquids (or prepackaged meals) alone! As soon as you come off of the diet, your body has to reregulate and adjust to not being starved anymore. Your body is just figuring things out right now. While the pre-op diet is essential, truth be told, it's main function is not to make you lose weight. They put you on liquids in an effort to reduce the fat around your liver, making for an easier surgery (and less chance of complications). Some of your liquid diet weightloss was Water weight, and with your exercising now and increased food options, the water weight has just returned. I know it's hard because your band is so new and exciting, but try not to stress about your weight too much right now. Let your body heal, follow your doctor's instructions, and your big weightloss will happen when you're back to real foods and have restriction. For what it's worth, I think going back to liquids would be a HUGE mistake. The only way for us to loose weight long term is to change our daily habits to something healthy and sustainable. A liquid diet is neither healthly nor sustainable. And you will experience the same weight gain everytime you go back to other foods. Hang in there! You're on the right path :-) Just try to focus on making good food choices and keep hitting the gym. The rest will fall into place.

Hi LauraKey! Congrats on such a successful weightloss :-) Your body is in the groove of losing weight, and if you want it to stop, one of your variables has to change. To simply maintain, you have to completely balance your caloric intake with what your burn throughout the day. The way I see it, you have two options to do this: tweak your band or tweak your habits. 1) With a slight unfill you will be able to eat just a little more of your healthy food choices at each meal and maintain your weight while continuing your current exercise routine. 2) Cut back your exercise to 3-4 times a week, and healthily increase your caloric intake (maybe add another small meal or snack to your routine) I think #1 is the better of the two options, but it's a personal choice. Another thing to keep in mind is that it's completely normal to have your weight flucuate a bit. Perhaps instead of maintaining exactly 165, you can maintain a range of 160-170 or something like that. If you start to fall outside of that range with your new 'tweaks,' you can sound the alarm and reevaluate what needs to be done to keep you within that range. Good luck and congratualtions again!

Yes, I would do it again. Although I struggled to lose weight my first 2-ish years, I have no doubt that, despite my best efforts, I would have packed on at least 100lbs since my surgery date had it not been for the band. Now that I'm close to goal, I'd like to think that I would be able to maintain my weightloss if I were to lose my band completely. The new habits I've learned, along with a smaller stomach, would be enough I hope... but for most that's not the case. Honestly, I'd be nervous to go band-free now. If I were to have WLS nowadays though, I can say that I would be considering the gastric sleeve over the band (not an option I had heard of when I had my band put in). It's a very personal choice though. Best wishes to you, Esam, on your weightloss journey, whatever you decide!

I think a level of denial is very very common in most people with weight issues. Myself, well I've been heavy my whole life and it was all I ever knew. I spent years and years dieting in secret, but always played the part of being a confident and sexy bigger girl.... I think in some ways, I was trying to convince everyone else that I was ok with my body and not just another big-girl-that-wishes-she -was-skinny (and therefore a failure). Now, when I look at the few full body pics that I have at my heaviest -- WOW, I don't ever remember looking like that! The idea in my head of how I looked was very far off from reality as I see it now. I remember being at my highest and seeing others on The Biggest Loser around the same weight... "I must have really dense bones" or "glad my proportions are much better than that!" HA, it's amazing what we tell ourselves to feel better. Oddly enough, as I approach my goal, I feel like I've become much much more realistic and critical of myself. I swear the female psyche can be a dangerous thing :-)

Congratulations on scheduling you sugery! I would agree that nerves and jitters are completely normal. You are having surgery after all! :-) But fear not, the time will pass quickly and I'm sure you'll be in good hands. Maybe even try to enjoy the excitment a little, as this is the first step on a great adventure. The boards are great for support, whether you post or read. I find it so helpful to know that no matter what band question/problem I have, someone on here has probably already asked about it. And if not, a quick post gets plenty of help. It's nice to know there are others in the same boat and only a few mouse clicks away. Congrats again!

As always, this board is an amazing source of inspiration! I always get so excited looking through the new photos. I'm currently past my goal and in the process of firming up and maybe losing just a few more. Also preparing for a port revision, as my flat-ish tummy now makes my port look like a large golfball growing under my skin. Not so pretty. On a side note, I can't believe how few photos I have at my heaviest... Ahh, the world of digital photography; I look fat in that photo? DELETE! lol So I have some slim pickings from my preop weight. I haven't seemed to lose my love of black tank tops though, hmm...

Hi there! Can I jump on the bandwagon too? Never done one of these before, but I think it'd be great to have people to check in with and have the support. I'm going to Hawaii the last week of May and into June, so I'm feeling very motivated to kick the WL into high gear. NAME.......Start Weight......... Goal......... Current Weight.... To Go Allaboutme...........238..................165...............211....... ... . 46 Angie4b1g........... 237.8................205..............237.8........ . 32.8 Ariel....................199...................169...............199 ............30 babs0101.............216...................190.............. 216..... ...... 26 Bigbaby...............207...................167...............207.... ....... 40.0 CQQlgirl...............220...................195...............220.... ..... ... 25 Foofy...................244...................199...............244.. .......... 45 Hazeleyegrl1........233.......... ........200...............230.9......... 30.9 Hungryforchange..225...................190...............225.......... ..35 Jeni 85................ 214.4 ................184.............. 214.4 .........30.4 Jfran....................181....................145..............181. ...........36<o:p></o:p> Legster................216....................174..............216.... ....... 42 Luluc...................166....................135..............166... ......... 31 Mamato3.............242....................199..............242....... ..... 43 Mary-2b150.........225....................150..............193............ 43.0 Nadean...............204.6..................160..............204.6.... ..... 44.6 Nhanson............. 226.....................196..............226............30 Rainer.................256.....................216..............256 ............40 Redtulips3...........245.....................199..............245..... ....... 46 Stacy73..............226.4...................194.............226.4 ......... 32.4 Starryeyed..........280.....................199..............237...... ... .. 38 Suzzzie ...............297....................243..............297............ 54 <u1:p></u1:p>Wombat712........152.8..................120..............152.8........ .. 32.8 Georgia Girl.........275.....................237..............275............. 38 Allison925...........175.....................145................175..............30

I've traveled to the Philippines, Egypt, Thailand and Southern Africa all since being banded. I think the most important thing is to just be prepared ahead of time. I highly highly recommend travel insurance anytime out of the country. Not only will they cover your medical costs if something goes wrong, but they will pay and arrange your evacuation to get you to a place or that can properly help/treat your banding problem if necessary, or simply get you home immediately. Additionally, I suggest you get an unlocked quad-band phone from eBay. They're cheap enough, and then where you arrive in your destination you simply buy a SIM card for a local carrier (they're a few dollars usually) and load it with prepaid cards.This way you can always stay in touch, and not pay the $3.99 a minute that your US phone with charge you (if it even works there). My last suggestion would be to get to know your band. If before you're leaving it's still finikey (ie pb-ing at random, etc), get a slight unfill before leaving. Obviously you won't have the same restriction, but it will lessen your chances of having a problem while out of the country. I'm not a professional, so take that for what it's worth, but that's how I go about traveling. Hope this helps some! Enjoy your trip!

Hi all! I don't get to check in as often as I should, but have always found this board to be an AMAZING source of inspiration. I'm still a work in progress, but getting there... slowly I'd like to lose another 35lbs. by September for my 2 year bandiversary.

Jergen's makes a skin firming lotion that's supposed to work well. It was made for cellulite, but you can use it anywhere you need it. It takes a few weeks, but it's supposed to tighten things slightly. I think it will very from person to person, but it may be worth a shot. From their website: "Smooth over entire body, paying special attention to areas prone to cellulite and any parts that could use a little lift. Skin will be visibly firmer with continued use." http://www.jergens.com/products/index.asp?action=viewProduct&id=6