ms.sss

Been a while! I'm a fan of closure/wrap parties/lessons learned meetings lol, so I wrote up a blog entry for a 1+ year final update on this.

Totally forgot about these blog entries. Its been over a year since I did a little write up about my (body) plastics, so I feel compelled to do one now, since I am seriously contemplating moving forward with facial plastics (but this is a topic for another blog entry later). Sooooo....here we go: Tummy Tuck: Overall, I am very happy with the results. My abdominal muscles are pretty visible at rest (more so when I'm low-carbing). No muffin top when I'm wearing tight low-waisted stuff...well, at least from the front. The area around my waistband from the back is not nearly as tight looking. I suppose if I had a full lower body lift, this would have been addressed. I kinda wish I did have a lower body lift, but then I look at my scars and think, nah, i'm cool. My TT scar is still pretty dark. At least it's flat now, thanks to 2 rounds of steroid shots, but nowhere near as UN-noticeable as others on my same timeline. I've said it before, I knew I would scar badly based on my history, but still. The scar though is easily hidden even in my smallest bikini, so I'm good. But if I wear a high cut one, you can see the ends of the scar on my hips...so, I just don't wear high cut ones. The only people who see the scar in its full glory is me, Mr. and my doc. Now i'm going to nit pick here, but I'm allowed to since its my blog, LOL. What I am a little bummed about (just a little) is that I my abdomen is actually not a flat as it was pre-plastics. I have a visible roundess on my lower abdomen. I attribute this to the fact that all the other places have been thinned out and it just looks more pronounced to me now. Doc said this is normal because there are organs there, but still. If I am wearing a fitted dress, you can see when I've eaten. Its sorta fascinating sometimes, cuz I can actually see it get smaller as my body digests. Today my waist measurement is 26". Which is weird because *I* think it looks smaller, but I was actually 25.5" pre-TT. Breast Lift: This is still by far the surprising winner of my procedures. The difference (to me) is amazing. And the fact that I can go bra-less for days on end and still be perky makes me happy. The scarring is at the same level as my TT, and if I wear a string bikini top you can see the scar ends at my sides, if I lift my arms up. I LOVE that I have no "side boob" oozing. There is no excess skin spilling out anymore near my armpits when I wear a fitted tank/bra/tube top. There are times I wish I had a little bit more boob (and got some implants), but then I remember how much they annoyed me before, and it passes. Today my bust measurement is 33". It was 32.5" pre-BL. Arm Lift: I also love the overall results of my arm lift. I always hated my arms, even pre-WLS, and getting these done was my #1 wish. While not as drastic an improvement as my breast lift (in terms of both looks AND quality of life), I am really happy with the shape and size. My biceps are more noticeable at rest with all the skin gone, but I do have to say my triceps need to flexed to be seen....but this is likely because my triceps just need some more work (I HATE tricep work...dips and extensions SUCK.) The scars here are the worst of them all, and while the 2 rounds of steroid shots have greatly improved them, there is still along way to go before they go unnoticed. I was always self conscious about the size of my arms when I was bigger (and actually even when i was "normal" sized", and then self conscious about thier flappiness when I got smaller after WLS. Now I so totally fine with wearing sleeveless stuff even with the scars. You can't see them unless I raise my arms, but I am a "Whoo"- girl, so people will see them regularly, LOL. Today my arm circumference is just a smidge over 10". It was 10.5" pre-AL. Would I do it all again? HECKS YA. What would I do differently?: Listen to my doc about NOT doing to much too soon. My stupidity probably added 2-3 months to my total recovery time. NOT smoked. Did more self-massages as I was instructed to break up the scar tissue. I know I did less than what I should have because it really hurt me to do it. Had I done it as prescribed, I probably wouldn't have had to have 2 sections of my scar on my right arm cut due to reduced mobility. Now these two sections where he made incisions are darker than the rest of my scar. Asked for a V-shaped TT incision vs a straight one (so it would be hidden if I wore high cut bikinis) Did my rounds of steroid shots earlier. I was scheduled to have it done 3-4 months post op, but then Covid happened, and I ended up getting them done 13 & 15 months post op. Asked for some lipo on my lower back while I was on the table. Really though, I am super happy with getting the plastics, thoroughly recommend it to anyone who is interested, and the minor annoyances of the process and 1 year results are completely overshadowed by how awesome I think my bod looks now. I am not interested in doing any more body plastics work now (or ever, we'll see). I can live with the rest of my perceived imperfections (i'm looking at you ass, and inner thighs, and lower back). Next UP: doing something about my face!

Now that I think of it, I should probably mention I was on the small side when I had plastics...my doc said I was one of (or THE, i can't remember now) smallest persons he ever worked on, outside of burn patients). You mention that you have about 25lbs of skin to remove...I only had 400g removed. I am not sure, but I would think that the more "material" to remove, the longer it would require? But don't quote me on that...best to discuss with your doc. Good Luck! Excited for you ❤️

Mine had a preferred 6-7 hour max op time as well (or was it 5-6? I can't remember). He was able to do a tummy tuck, arm lift and breast lift in that window.

Mr.'s eating habits aren't the greatest, never has been the entire time I've known him. He eats ALOT...of everything, except maybe vegetables (which he will eat if its the only thing there). And he's a big snacker too. And drinker. BUT...he is super fit, and runs/swims/rides/works out/plays sports ALOT. According to his BMI, he is overweight, but he is in no way fat...his body fat percentage is like 10-15%. There have been times over the years that he decides he needs to lose like 10 lbs, or gain some muscle, or whatever to prepare for a race, or some sport season or whatever, and he just does. So annoying! When we met, I was "normal" sized and ate what I think was probably more than what a "regular" person would (this is based on comparing what I eat to those around me). I'm not sure if how he ate had any real effect on my own choices that lead to my obesity. I just know that after the Kid was born years later, I ate/snacked more, and moved less. Now that I'm post-wls, he still eats the same way as he always does, and I just eat my way. The house is filled with a whole bunch of food that I don't eat, and I even cook a whole bunch of food I don't eat either. The Kid eats alot too, but she is blessed with his genes and is an athlete herself. I don't feel right forcing my way of eating on them, so I don't. If anything, I sorta influence them a bit, because they eat alot more salad because they often eat my leftovers. Oh, and they probably eat more now when we go out to eat (pre-covid) because they my leftovers there too, along with their own entrees. LOL. So I suppose the short answer to this is: no, MY eating habits don't seem to be influenced by the eating habits of those I live with. But they may be being influenced by me. P.S. Unrelated, but I will say that his exercise/activity habits have greatly influenced me post-wls. He always encouraged me to join him with his various activities, and I almost always said no. Now, I almost always say yes (ok, maybe not "almost always", i probably say yes 60-70% of the time....he asks me ALOT! lol)

Here you go! Dessert : Biscotti.pdf I have been playing around with the sugar content, and I have gone as low 1/2 cup sugar (vs the stated 3/4 cup) and was still good. I went down to 1/3 cup once but it was a little bland (esp cuz it was a chocolate flavour base). Am going to try with the extra egg + the egg wash from @catwoman7's link above next time....

Hmmmm....this is basically the same base recipe I use, except this one has one extra egg + the egg wash. Will def try this one, when I have hazelnuts on hand. Thx!

Went a little nutso with some biscotti baking tonite. I couldn't decide what flavour to make, so I made them all. Lemon Ginger, Cinnamon Apple, Maple Bacon, Espresso Chocolate Walnut, Cranberry, & Almond. I ate an entire Almond one (about 2-3 inches long), plus a taste test bite of the end pieces of each of other five. I have no idea what the calories are but I marked it down as 250 calories. The majority of these are going out for delivery tomorrow morning. I just leave stuff on their doorsteps, ring the doorbell then run/drive away, ?

I love grilled meat! I got a question for you, lol: I recently started using a leave in food thermometer, and been practising with different food items. Today I pan fried some chicken breasts and waited until the specified temp, but by the time it was served it was not perfect (a little on the over done side). I was thinking I should take the meat of the heat just BEFORE it reaches temp to avoid this....but not sure at what temp exactly do that at...?? What is your strategy? (cuz your chicken looks pretty juicy in your pics!)

Sigh. I know, right. Planes are not in my near future either. Though I am ok to get on one AFTER we get the vaccine AND a couple months have passed once getting it, AND if the vaccine is proven to be effective against any of the new (or future) variants. So yeah, a while still. Sigh. I am, however, already planning out all the vacations I want to go on immediately after all the above conditions are met. A girl can dream.

Constipation is the WORST. Even if you don't want to eat/drink, just try to keep up with the water, it really helps. For prevention, I added Benefibre to my protien shakes. Like @Arabesque, if I hadn't gone after 2-3 days, I'd start taking more action: I'd do a dose or 2 of Milk of Magnesia, and if still a poop no-show after 1-2 more days, I'd resort to a glycerine suppository. The suppository has worked for me within 30 minutes each time I have taken it (probably 7 or 8 instances in the past 2+ years) except for 1 horrible period of constipation that lasted THIRTEEN DAYS. That time I think I had to do a suppository for 3 mornings in a row for anything to finally come out. I wasn't in pain or anything in those 13 days, which is why I let it go for so long, but if I was in pain, I probably would have gone to the hospital. Good Luck ❤️

Ugh. Yeah, the pain/soreness is a b*itch. I took pain meds for about 1-2 weeks (*i think*) and yeah, it still really hurt so I can only imagine what it would have felt like to me if I didn't! First tip: Do not push yourself to do more until you actually can without discomfort. I was a dolt and did to much too early and kept reopening my incisions. Sucked. Second tip: if you aren't doing so already, cover the incisions with scar tape. It may help to reduce the appearance of the scars, but more importantly, it provides a barrier so that when stuff rubs up against it (clothes, other body parts) it wont hurt as much. I also found that it reduced the feeling of itchiness. I have even read on here that someone tucked panty liners up in their pits for the same effect. Third tip: Try to keep your arms up higher than your heart (propped up on pillows or whatever) to keep swelling and achiness at bay. I had a tummy tuck and breast lift as well with my arm lift, and the arm lift recovery was by far the worst of them. But even with all the hassle and pain, I'd do it again in a second. Good Luck! ❤️

Oooohh...there's that butter again *smacks lips*

It really depends on the person. If you have a history of bad scarring, then you will likely have to go through what me and @2Bsmaller18 have to go through. I could have just let them heal on their own, but it would take for-EV-AH. I'm just impatient. I have lots of other scars from various other things (surgery, accidents, etc...) that have virtually invisible. It just takes time. But the majority (if not all) of the scars I've seen on here are are much better than mine.

I would, but truth be told I HATE/distrust Zoom calls (or any other video-based communication) with a firey red hot passion. I'd rather chat it up in real life. Though if I were to put it out there...would there be any interest among the BP plebs for some sort of group meetup IRL? Like pick a city, and "see ya if I see ya" kind of thing? Just wondering....

Yep, I had dizzy, eyesight-darkening, woozy episodes when I moved from sitting to standing, bending over, or just move suddenly. I had to hold on to something (or someone) to get steady. I never fully blacked out though, but came close a few times. This happened pretty regularly the first couple months, and decreased in frequency as time went on. Now (2+ years out), it happens very rarely (if at all). The last time was probably before xmas. I understood it to be low blood pressure (even though my doc was not concerned about my BP readings back then). Or that orthostatic hypotension thing that @Arabesque was talking about: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/orthostatic-hypotension/symptoms-causes/syc-20352548

YAY!!!

Tummy Tuck, Breast Lift and Arm Lift for me in Dec 2019. Yep, I have scars, and yep, I was hurting. Still one of the best things I've done, though ?

Mine is similar...I wanted to be able to put sunscreen on my feet without contorting myself.

awwwwww...you look so purty!!! ?

Yuuuuummmmmmmmy

Was planning on grilling some jerk pork for dinner tonite, but didn't realize it takes as many hours as it does! I've never done it on the grill before, only oven or instant pot which is way quicker. Sooooo am going to let the meat marinate another night and start grilling it tomorrow morning. Tonite was going to be the first time I broke out Mr.'s valentines day present he got me a few weeks ago: a super-cool food thermometer with a wireless transmitter. I think it was a subtle dig at my tendency to over cook stuff lol. (I haven't used it until now cuz I was intimidated by it, honestly) Anyhooo, since the jerk pork is moving to tomorrow's menu, and I had already psyched myself up to try out this toy, I decided to make some chicharron from the skin of the pork I was going to throw out anyway, using the thermometer to monitor the temp of the oil. O.M.G. I am in love with this thing. Only perfectly cooked food coming out of my kitchen from now on. Plus I like wearing the transmitter around my neck....lolololzzzz. Check out this perfectly crispy, crunchy goodness-ness (unless of course deep fried pork skin is not your thing, in which case, look away.) I ate 10 pieces (44g): 241 calories

Beef and Sweet Potato Empanadas. I ate 1 (the one in my hand!): 197 calories. I can never seem to get the dough thin and uniform enough for patty/dumpling -type applications, so I busted out my pasta roller/maker...works wonders! Am thinking I could probably use this to roll fondant too ? Hmmmmm..

Ahhhh, the purée stage. Don't worry...it won't last long ❤️

How YOU doin'? (correct answer: you look like you are doing great. your weight loss stats are impressive! welcome to the thread!)