Question:
With all the discussion of how much/if you had to "suck it in" pre- vs. post-op, I've really begun to realize how much I really do suck it in all the time. I've also discovered that I probably suck it in way more than I thought. I was taking a look at my tummy, relaxed it (I thought), and then really made a conscious effort to "let it all go" and I look about 4-5 months pregnant! So it's like my tummy has 3 stages:
1) sucked in = looking good (except for some loose )
2) somewhat relaxed = loose skin and flab becomes apparent; reminds me of meeyow's pics
3) totally relaxed = 4-5 months pregnant (and an over 5" increase in my waist size!)
My PS is planning on a FTT. She says I have excellent muscle condition, but will of course be doing some muscle repair because of my two pregnancies (with 8 and 9 pound baby boys), plus of 40 pounds. She thinks she may do some on the flanks, but wasn't sure because she felt there wasn't much there and she agreed with me (and DH!) on the importance of curves. I work out 5 times a week and do my best to watch what I eat. I'm currently 5' 2-1/2" and 135 pounds.
As I get ready for my pre-op appointment next week, I'm wondering if I need to be prepared to talk about more lipo. Is that pregnant belly I'm seeing when I really "let it all go" fat, or just really stretched out muscles? Can I look forward to my results being close to what I see when I suck it in (minus the extra skin)? I haven't seen many s that look exactly like mine, so I'm really wondering if any of you were in the same boat pre-op — and what were your results.
Answer:
HI! It sounds like you are exactly like me, except I am 5 3 1/2 and weigh 113. I too ccan suck it in totally flat, concave, except for the . Letting it all hang out I too look about 4 months pregnant, like a pot belly. The dr's I have seen all say i have very little fat, no need to do , its the muscles. I want lipo on the flanks so I have curves, and am not just straight up and down. well see...im still searching for the best in the world... Kim
Answer:
The fact that you're able to suck it in means that you're muscles aren't too bad off. It also means that a mr is going to take care of most of your problems. Before I had surgery I couldn't suck in. When I did you could hardly tell I was because my muscles were in such bad shape (10lb baby) and I had a lot of localized fat. Now I'm completely flat and when I suck in my belly is probably only 20 inches LOL. You're going to love having a mr
Answer:
Thanks, ladies! I'm feeling much better now. I did some more research and found an Abdominal Self-Assessment you can use to test if it is fat or muscle. I thought some others might be interested, so here it is:
Tighten your abdominal muscles by trying to flatten your tummy. With your abdomen tight, pinch your and fat. If you can gather more than a fistful, you probably have excess fat. Tightening your abdomen helps you to distinguish between excess fat and a loose inner .
So doing this I now know that it is a loose inner girdle and not excess fat. I can definitely pinch some, but definitely not more than a handful. Sounds like the MR portion of the TT should do a lot for me. I'll have to remember all of this during my pre-op so I can get my PS's take on what type of results I can expect.
These occasional "freak outs" pre-op are going to exhaust me!
Answer:
Heck, I can still grab a glob and I had MR/TT and ab ....and I'm only 118-120 pounds
Unfortunately, my body loves its fat way way too much and won't let go, eh? [my update thread discusses my angst!] LOL
good luck with your procedure, robin