My Bariatric Life

@@jenn1 yeah, I think I might be. I drove a wave runner for the first time this summer and got it up to 71mph!

@@bobbyswife I used to be afraid of bridges, too. I think it ended when I started driving... maybe feeling more in control as the driver of the car had something to do with it. But I do remember being stuck in traffic on a bridge as a new driver and getting very nervous about the bridge shaking as I sat there stuck in my car, on the bridge, unable to get off because of the traffic jam.

@@bobbyswife Thanks! I was much more afraid of the height the first time I did the course. I had a REAL fear of heights but no more. I want to jump off a 70' tower (in a safety harness, it simulates a parachute jump). I checked out of it the first time but I will be back. It is very freaky to jump off something so high. I just could not force myself to do it even though I was psyched to do so... until I got up there, that is!

I recently completed a very challenging 4-hr ropes course (an obstacle course set high in the tree tops). I conquered my fear of heights and I cannot describe just how good it felt to push my body to the extreme even when I wanted to quit. I did the first half of this ropes course in early August and could not continue because I injured myself. So I went back last Sunday (Nov 2) and did the entire course. Here is a short vid of me doing the easy part of the course:

http://vimeo.com/111289215

Since having my plastic surgery (Capella Plastic Surgery, Winslow Facial Plastic Surgery) after massive weight loss from Bariatric surgery, I am all about breaking through my boundaries. It took me years to find the courage to have my plastic surgery; and I backed out of my bariatric surgery the first time around. No longer overweight or obese, now I am living life fully. Never again will I allow fear to hold me back from doing the things I want to do. I love having the confidence and challenging my body to do the things I've never been able to do before! Plastic surgery is about so much more than aesthetics. It's about finding the person you were meant to be.

Live a life you love. Love the life you live!
My Bariatric Life

<iframe src="//player.vimeo.com/video/111289215" width="500" height="889" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p><a href="

You look fabulous!

Talk directly to the plastic surgeon. That is what I did any time I had a problem with the administrative staff.

Ladies, if you are happy with your plastic surgeon why not state his/her name so others might go to them for a consult? It seems to me that it would be very helpful.

Here is what I paid all inclusive for my surgeries in 2013:

Tummy Tuck $7k

Convert TT to LBL, extended arm lift, breast lift, inner thigh lift $18,000

Dr. Joseph F. Capella, Capella Plastic Surgery, Ramsey NJ

Facial plastic surgery $14,800

Face lift, neck lift, smas to tear troughs, chin implant, lip lift, upper eye lid lift, cut the muscle between my eye brows, filler

Dr. Catherine Winslow, Winslow Facial Plastic Surgery, Carmel IN

Before and after video: http://vimeo.com/mybariatriclife/mybariatriclife-transformation-video

That's very high. I have a breast lift and augmentation, full Tummy Tuck, and Lipo on my thighs, lower back, and flanks scheduled for next month and it cost 20K for one of the top doctors in FL. Keep looking- you will absolutely find something more realistic. My TT price alone was about 12K before adding in the discounts for multiple surgeries.

Who was your surgeon?

That seems kinda high to me. I had an extended Tummy Tuck, he did my flanks as well, breast lift with implants and brachioplasty... All for $18,220. I live in Virginia and I know prices vary by regions but my surgeon was one of the best in the area who also specializes in weight loss reconstruction. I would get other consults before I committed to that price.

Who was your plastic surgeon?

I've got to chime in here about Dr. Joseph F. Capella. I've written extensively about my experience with Dr. Capella (Capella Plastic Surgery) on RealSelf and HealthCentral. My results have been terrific aside from a serious complication that I had with my right arm from the brachioplasty. A long time ago I spoke with Dr. Capella about writing about the complication and he encouraged me to do so. He felt that patients should understand that complications can and do happen. And even when a few patients tried to cancel their surgeries because of the photos of my arm that I posted, he still did not hold it against me.

As far as there being only vanity surgeries posted on Dr. Capella's photo gallery??? He has more photos on his gallery than any surgeon I've ever seen and he takes on so many of the tough cases that other surgeons won't touch. There are very deformed bodies in his photo gallery. He has operated on people with pannis down to their ankles. As for me, I had a monster crouch that belonged in a freak show. Even when I was thin the damn thing was an anomaly. Want to talk about shame for a woman? But Dr. Capella gave me a sexy tight little kitty, to be blunt about it.

The before photos must be nude because they are vital for him to refer to during the operation. Why does he need nude photos when you are lying nude on his OR table? Because you look different when you are lying down than when you are standing erect. For my after photos we did one nude set and one set with the thong, which he has in his office. It is important to have the nude after photos for the medical records and the thong photos can be used for publication.

I have written fair balanced reviews of Capella Plastic Surgery staff and Dr. Capella, including issues I've had with staff and my complication, as well as my amazing results. And BTW as a journalist I am required by the FTC to be honest so that my reviews are ones that patients can trust. And despite my issues with his staff and my complication, this I believe is true: Dr. Capella is very talented at reconstructing the post massive weight loss body AND his prices are comparatively reasonable. People are of course entitled to their opinions, but I would hate to see a patient deterred from going to Dr. Capella for a consult because of some of the misperceptions stated in this string of posts. I would not do my body contouring with anyone besides Dr. Capella, which is why I have flown from IN to NJ to have him.

I wish that I knew how to post photos, but you can see my before and after photos in this video: http://vimeo.com/mybariatriclife/mybariatriclife-transformation-video

I had my body contouring plastic surgery with Dr. Joseph F. Capella in Ramsey NJ and I lost 50 inches and 50 pounds, going from a size 14 to a size 2 jeans. I am very happy with my results, aside from a serious complication with my arm lift. A friend of mine had her plastic surgeries with Dr. Stephen Kovach at UPenn in Philly and loved her results. 

http://vimeo.com/mybariatriclife/mybariatriclife-transformation-video

A friend of mine had her body done with Dr. Peter Fisher and he did a fabulous job. I also know many patients love Dr. John LoMonaco. Good luck!

Hi! I am a writer on the web as My Bariatric Life and I am one year out from my body contouring plastic surgery with Dr. Joseph F. Capella in Ramsey NJ, and approaching one-year out from my facial plastic surgery with Dr. Catherine Winslow in Carmel IN. The scars on my arms are dark, but I've seen other patients of my surgeon whose arm scars were practically invisible at 3-mos. Generally speaking the lighter your skin the less noticeable your scars will be.

I also will say that other scars on my body, also made by Dr. Capella, have lightened more than my arm scars have lightened, So therefore, I would say that you cannot assume that your arm scars will be light or dark based on previous scars you've had from plastic surgery. The area inside the armpit is an area of great tension and that is where my scars are darkest.

I also had a series of serious complications with the right arm that caused darker scars in that arm. I've been battling with the complications for more than a year. You can read about it beginning here (note there are a series of posts that chronicle the worsening complications). I've lost full range of motion of my arm and I have intermittent pain that can sometimes "hit the high note." I was supposed to have surgery to correct the injury. Why that did not take place is explained in the articles.

Aesthetically, the shape of my arms is very pretty. You will see the before and after photos in the linked articles above, as well as photos of the scars and complications. I've been waiting for someone to ask me if I regret the surgery, and how I might answer that. The thing is, I am just not the kind of person who believes in regret. There are no do-overs so I cannot even think in terms of regretting something I've done. Whether something is good or bad, it is all part of the experience of life. I don't want to make too light of what happened. I struggled long and hard to make peace with the complication, and I still get depressed about what happened, because in matters like this we as human beings always feel "it should not have happened" and "its not fair." Well, my dears, "what is" and "what should be" are not always in alignment. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. We all know that; we just never expect it to happen to us.

Maybe a better way to put is that I do not regret the surgery. I do not regret my choice of plastic surgeon. What I do regret is that there was a complication that could have been avoided (as is true of most complications). I remain an advocate of plastic surgeon after weight loss and I still refer patients to Dr. Capella. I look and feel wonderful and am living life fully since having my plastics, doing things I would not / could not have done before. I've attached a pic of my victory in completing a challenging ropes course this year.

So my point of view is that you do the procedure because your bat wing arms will look very out of proportion with the rest of your now tight body. I would make sure that the surgeon does not put the scar behind the arm, because it is very visible there (some surgeons prefer this technique because they feel there are less risks). If after a year your arm scars are dark, you can try laser -- either r IPL or v-beam to lighten the scars.

Good luck in your decision making!

My Bariatric Life

@@HappygoSusan thank you and a big congrats on your amazing weight loss! YOU are inspiring!

Awww, why thank so much @@Jonathan Blue for such a lovely comment. Dr. Dennis Hurwitcz who I believe invented the total body lift says that you should train like you are training for a marathon for one of his surgeries. While I did not go that far, I did workout leading into my total body lift, versus being a couch potato for my stage 1 surgery, and I will say there was a huge improvement in my recovery. Any cardio that you can push yourself to do given your physical limitations and abilities will be helpful. There also are Vitamins and supplements that you can take to help with recovery and healing. Continued success on your journey, Jonathan!!! This si such a wonderful thing that you are doing for yourself and your life.

@@*Lexie* wow, the US, me too. I guess I'll have to contact YouTube and find out what to do about the video. Such a pain!

Moving onto nicer things... first of all congrats on your WLS and PS!!! I know how you feel!!! I had a Tummy Tuck for my first surgery and the results were so amazing that I was thrilled to move forward with my stage 2 surgery, adding lots more scars to my body and costing a ton more money (only $7k for TT versus $18k for 2nd stage surgery). My surgeon converted my Tummy Tuck to an LBL, did a breast lift and extended arm lift, and medial thigh lift. I asked him to take a pic of me on the OR table after he had done the surgery. I expected I would be a tiny thing but when I saw the pic the next morning I was disappointed because my wist was so thick (swelling).

The first few weeks I wondered if I had made a mistake. BUT then the magic happened and I fell in love with my body. Hang in there. The magic will happen for you, too. It took 3-mos for me to see the results of my tummy tuck. My second stage results happened much sooner than that. Good luck!!!!!!!!!!

@@mona832 thanks so very much!!! I appreciate your support.

My Bariatric Life

@@*Lexie* thank you, first of all, for the nice comment. YouTube is a bit of a pain in my neck. I am using royalty-free music in the video but some countries won't allow it to be viewed because I do not own the copyright. What country are you viewing from?

Please try viewing it on Vimeo:

Thanks again!

My Bariatric Life

I am a writer and obesity health activist known as My Bariatric Life and I am one-year out from my body contouring plastic surgery with Dr. Joseph F. Capella (Capella Plastic Surgery) and approaching one-year out from my facial plastic surgery with Dr. Catherine Winslow (Winslow Facial Plastic Surgery). I am 11-yrs out from my RNY gastric bypass with Dr. Vishal Mehta (Mehta Obesity Center).

My words cannot do justice to the life changing transformation plastic surgery has been for me this past year. The physical changes were outstanding. From the plastic surgery I lost 50 inches and 50 pounds and 6 jeans sizes. I look about 15-years younger. Dr. Winslow gave me back a matured version of the pretty face I had in high school – yes, believe it or not, I was thin and pretty before I became morbidly obese in my adulthood. And Dr. Capella gave me a body better than what I had in high school. Someone told me that they took me from a 1.5 to an 8.5. It is true. Weight loss surgery may have saved my life but it left me with a distorted face and ugly body. You can see the change for yourself in a video montage I put together https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rtWmhfv8plU&list=PLwh-Yteu2O1vFUSpIoVEU6ulkJpyMdVm2 All in all, I lost 11 pants sizes and 135 pounds from the night before my gastric bypass to today. The side by side photos do not even look like the same person.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rtWmhfv8plU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The emotional changes have been magical. It is an amazing thing to experience your body changing so dramatically so quickly. To understand just what that feels like must be experienced for yourself; those whom have gone through it know exactly what I mean. One patient told me that "plastic surgery is so much more about finding the person you were meant to be." Another person told me that weight loss surgery saved her life and plastic surgery saved her soul. At one-year post plastics, I am now focused on finding myself and living life fully. I was never a wall flower but there were things that I let hold me back from doing exactly what it is I want to do. Well, no more. I am breaking through all my barriers and grabbing life with both hands. I’ve got a lot of life to live and I intend to live a life I love.

I am very blessed to have been able to afford plastic surgery. I envy the patients whom get insurance coverage. I sacrificed $40,000 to transform myself from my eye lids to my knees, and that was a big investment in myself, but worth every penny. I am equally blessed to have found TWO plastic surgeons who are at the top of their categories in reconstructing massive weight loss bodies. It is CRITICAL that your plastic surgeon be an expert in post massive weight loss plastic surgery. Even though we post massive weight loss patients are normal weight now, our bodies metabolically are still morbidly obese. We are not getting simple Mommy Makeovers to tighten up a little flab and loose muscle. Our bodies and faces are literally being reconstructed. So be sure to choose your surgeon(s) very very carefully. The most important questions you can ask your doctor for each procedure that you are considering is, “How many of these have you done and how often are you doing them?”

Today I am a size 2 and living larger than ever!
My Bariatric Life