Almost goal,Tummy Tuck in Jan...Success but scared :( *Pics*

Your tummy looks just like mine...only a tiny bit bigger. But because of that I think you could possibly lose a little more weight from there before you get the tuck. So think about that a bit first, as it doesn't look to be all skin.....it look just like mine, and I feel I have more to lose from there yet. maybe some walking or some situps and pushups?...that's what I'm trying first.

I have always felt I may have to have a tummy tuck after I have lost all my weight too, as there will be a lot of skin left over, but after just having had my gall bladder removed I don't look forward to another trip to the hospital...the discomfort or the cost. However, that said, I think you are perfectly justified in getting a tummy tuck if you want to....as long as you're confident with your surgeon you should be fine. I have had plastic surgery (nose job, breast reduction) in the past and I really do not regret either, as I feel they were definitely worth the discomfort and the cost. Nothing is ever perfect, and there will be scars, but it should be better and you will feel more confident.

All the best with it. Cheers. :drinker:

My tummy looks like yours when I bend over as well, so I definitely feel your pain. I'd love to have a tummy tuck because I'm self conscious about it but I don't even have the money to consider an operation like that. I may look into it someday when I have kids or something...but I'm mostly worried about it because I'm almost 24 and still haven't met mister right I hope your surgery goes well and that you get the results you want!

I would get a second opinion from a Doctor, not a Plastic surgeon.

I would also research the DR very carefully, the last thing you want is a botched surgery.

I would talk to former patients and go on to Forums about this surgery and talk to people who had it.

My honest opinion would be to wait until after you have children - your stomach will stretch out again and may naturally come back tighter (I haven't a kid so I can't honestly say). I've considered a couple surgeries after I lose the weight but I don't want to do them until after I have kids because I would hate to pay for something and then it either a) affect my pregnancy or b) be ruined by my pregnancy

I just had a conversation with my doctor yesterday about similar feelings. He told me it was time to stop trying to lose more weight and focus on learning to love and be content with the body I have. He said that if someone is physically healthy but unhappy with the way they look, losing weight (or having a tummy tuck) will not miraculously make them happy. There's no guarantee that you will like your body once you've had a tummy tuck. Spend some time learning to love the body you have ... not criticizing it ... not comparing yourself to other people ... just loving your body as it is. I wish it was easy because I'm under doctor's orders to do it!

You know the costs and you have done your homework- you are prepared to have a revision after kids. Go for it. Now my comment on waiting till after surgery is this- I have huge breasts- i have done since puberty- even when I was at my ideal weight. At a few rare times this has seemed like a good thing- but mostly it has seemed like a bad thing- it actually stopped me from being as active as I was growing up and i could go on and on. I thought about a breast reduction in my mid 20s when i met someone who had had one, but i thought i would wait till after kids. Now i am in my mid 30s, i still have no kids and i have carted the things around an extra 10 years. So I am thinking about cutting my loses and doing it now even b4 kids. There is another angle for you- perhaps an encouragement to you. But one last thing, just by the way- You look good anyway.

In the end you should do what makes you happy, and you have most probably thought this through.....

I fully agree - i doubt you made this decision lightly - lots of research and then do whats right for you

Dont live your life waiting till you have kids - you will never have any spare money once you have kids (lol)

As long as you have thought through all your options for a long time and you're happy that this is the best decision for you it doesn't really matter what we think. It's perfectly normal to be nervous about a procedure like this but if you have researched your surgeon - which it sounds like you have, then you shouldn't worry - be excited!
I understand people telling you to wait til you've had kids (I am waiting to be sure we're not having anymore before breast surgery) and if you were planning to start a family within 5 years I would agree with them, but you are obviously quite unhappy right now, you have the money right now and the time to recover and you may find that after kids you're tummy isn't too bad or maybe you won't care as much!
Wishing you all the best and look forward to seeing some new photos once you've recovered!

You might check into skin tyte, it's less invasive.

http://www.skincareguide.com/treatment/skin-tyte

Pics: http://www.doctorsofcalifornia.com/skintyte-before-after-photos/

If it is want you really want to do than go for it. There are plenty of people who have surgery and regret nothing. As long as you have properly researched everything, know what to expect than fingers crossed there should be nothing to worry about.

If I were you I would wait until after I finished having kids but I am a) Comfortable with my body and its flaws b) unable to afford surgery even if I wanted it so would not want to be getting more in a few years.

Only you know if it is the right decision for you. If it is (and if you have already booked it you have obviously decided it is) than good luck with it. I hope your new body is everything you want it to be. If we all spent life waiting for something before we did something else nothing would ever get done. (like waiting until after kids to lose weight in the first place...)

I have had a tummy tuck in 2006, but it was post-children. My belly button doesn't look wierd, it does have a ring around it, which is now silver from the surgery...my scar is hip to hip, not the prettiest, I didn"t heal well due to a small infection...but I can cover it with a bikini bottom, that is higher cut up the stomach. I love my stomach so much now, that I don't care about the scar, even if it is shown.
I would do it all again!

I hated my stomach....no matter how much weight I lost, or exercised it looked horrible. I waited until my last child was 7 years old, my weight was the same than as it was pre-children, so I knew that extra skin was going not going anywhere!

If you have been heavy for a long period of time, and then lose the weight...unfortunately your skin has been stretched out and might not recover, just like if you blow up a balloon and realease it, it goes back into shape, but if you blow it up and leave it for a week, once the air is out it is still out of shape.

Your decision, your body...I say go for it and worry about having kids when it happens. you cannot worry about the future that way, you have no idea what it will hold...you might decided to not have children, you might decide to adopt instead or you might decided to have 1 and have triplets...LOL.

Friend me...I am very open about my surgery and will gladly answer any questions you have...

PS...my stomach looks better at 43 years than it did at 21, even with me being 15 lbs heavier!

Wow, a lot of replies in a short span of time! You obviously hit on a hot topic.

Not being a woman, I will not comment on if this decision should be made pre-kids or post-kids. I just want to share my experience. I lost over 70 pounds 6 - 7 years ago. While I have not kept it all off, I have kept most of it off. Yet even after all these years I still have a belly pouch. I am convinced the only way to get rid of it would be surgery. I have not done it... at least not yet. There are other priorities in my life right now. But I have thought about it and may consider it in the future.

You make the decision which is best for you. I just wanted to let you know, that at least in my case, years of waiting and my skin has still not tightened up from my former belly.

Just saw this, yep me too I lost weight before and had the belly flab and now going at it again I am experimenting with a belly strap. It basically is a wrap that you wear when working out. Another MFP told me she wore spankx for her entire weight lose and got rid of a lot of the extra skin so while I am losing weight and working out I wear the strap. Not sure if it will work but the investment was only $15.00 and it can't hurt. Will see what the results are in a few months when I reach my goal.

You should be able to check and see if he's been reported for malpractice somewhere. Not sure where, but yeah. Talk to him about your fears after you've done some investigation. Also, ask to see pictures of his patients after their surgeries. Good luck with yours.