artschoolgirl Member

Thank you ladies!

The drugs help with the pain :) My results & experience are not the typical. I had a hematoma & had to have a second surgery (the first time my doctor ever had such a case) but if it was not for that everything would have been great! I had the second surgery just a couple weeks after the initial & felt AMAZING afterwards &…

I had the surgery about a year and a half ago. I have a link to my blog on my profile documenting my journey. I haven't updated in a year or so because I really don't have any news to report! After I shed these last 5lbs I'll post new photos. Good luck!

It is different for every person. For me, even though I was young & lost weight the right way over a period of time I still had significant amounts of excess skin around my stomach & the rest of my body, but tummy area being the worst. I work out 5 days a week, working out hard & eating right, but this wasn't going to help…

Happy to hear the blog gave you an idea of what to expect! It is absolutely worth it, especially after so much hard work! Best of luck in February & let us know how your progress goes!

I just moved to a new city and have been on a tight budget as well until I start my new job. Here's what I've found has worked well for my boyfriend and I- 1-We're lucky because we have a Costco below our apartment building!This is good for certain things, but I think the savings we get on the things we can buy at any…

Every time :) But, just as Ladybug said, some times you just have to give-up on tracking & have it on a treat day. On days I'm counting, I usually try and find the average of the different entries. I just moved to Vancouver, which is like the capital of sushi, and it is sooooo ridiculously cheap. I find I'm always eating…

I would avoid putting in any sugary powders or mixes. I would encourage you, as the others have, to mix fresh fruit or have like green tea instead. I love my water, I always have a nice big jug of water in the fridge at all times that is ice cold & I find I drink way more water if I use my water bottle. Just some tips!

Me too! This is a constant problem everyday. My tip, don't count the fruits, just worry about the processed sugars. I'm always fine on carbs, protein, sodium, calories ect, but those darn sugars!!

I posted this information on another Special K post the other day. I LOVE cereal, but you have to be very careful with the amount of sugar in each serving. If you're doing this, just make sure that your snacks and other meals have a low sugar content as the two bowls alone will send you over your daily limit. Just my…

I take part in the Critical Mass ride every month, which I encourage everyone to do in their local areas to raise awareness about sharing the road. I just moved to a new city & I am very impressed about the designated bike lanes for cyclists. During this past Friday's Critical Mass ride, I was shocked by how many…

I love the Special K Satisfaction & Vanilla flavors. My problem is that they are more like a treat for me. They taste amazing, but I don't feel like they leave me full. The other problem is the sugar content. Be sure to be keeping track of your sugar because cereals like this will dominate most of your sugar consumption.

It's always going to be a roller coaster of emotions. Some days you'll feel great & other days you'll feel flabby & gross. I deal with this everyday still. I think the key for me is putting in extra effort. When I say this, I mean I usually feel bad when I'm in my pj's or sweats just being a bum with crazy hair & no…

Thanks everyone for your feedback! I know i've been eating the yogurts that are typically higher in sugar, really anything that's 2 for $5 at the store haha but I try and keep it pretty limited to a 1/2 cup a day. I've been wanting to switch to Greek yogurt but I don't have a grocery store close by & have to go with what I…

I think you should do everything in moderation & decide what would work for you. I know for me, I could never go on a carb restricted diet because I enjoy my my whole grains & lots of fruits and it's just not something I could stick with 100%. I think you need to make a personal decision to decide if you can cut back that…

Oh yes, the white bread too! Lots of white bread, oil & vinegar. I was meeting my boyfriends parents for the first time & most all the conversation was in Spanish, so I found myself muching on bread at every meal since i couldn't participate in much conversation haha. Thanks so much Miqisha! It's still a journey & I'm not…

I just got back from my vacation the day before yesterday & can see the pouch & feel the jiggle. I haven't dared step on the scale yet, I just spent a good, hard hour at the gym last night & started counting calories immediately. It happens & it will probably go away just as fast as it came on. I know I had lots of sugar &…

I think it's more important to get in your exercise than to avoid it because of a calorie deficit. It would have to be a very drastic deficit, like a couple thousand calories I would imagine, to make not eating exercise calories that much of a health risk. I would recommend taking in around 1,500-1,700 calories a day. I…

Awww...sometimes it feels like a downside, but doesn't it feel so much better to have the weight off? I just had a tummy tuck on January 20th & they removed 3lbs of just skin! It seemed like there must have been at least 15lbs of skin there haha. Remember, the important thing is that you're getting to a healthy weight and…

Yes for me too. I just turned 24 and lost 115 lbs in the period of about 3-4 years. I had to undergo a tummy tuck just a month ago! The doctor removed 3lbs of skin & he told me it was just skin, no fat to be removed. So yes, it can happen. I did lose weight the right way...at a good pace, eating healthy, tons of water, and…

I just had the hip to hip. The doctor thought it would be fine & could do it without the vertical...well, I have some strange swelling he thinks that I could have I guess the flatest result with the vertical down the road. I'm feeling confident that I'll be happy without the vertical once my swelling goes down. I just need…

Drains are still in...sigh...but only until Monday morning! He said on Friday that if I really, really, really wanted them out that I could, but the longer I could leave them the better. We made a compromise to have them taken out Monday morning before I go to work. Fewf!! I did not want to go to the office on Monday with…

Thanks so much ladies! The swelling has been getting me down, but I've been doing lots of reading this morning to reassure myself that there's other cases like mine & that it's going to take a few months. It took me 5 years to get here & a few more months won't hurt :) I'm getting ready to go to my doctors appointment &…

Thanks ladies!! I'm doing a bit better each day. I'm on day 8 now and have a bit more energy. I just wish I could fast forward to a couple months from now. I've been loving blogging about my experience & doing my best to keep it accurate and real because I know there are many people out there just like me who are going…

Thanks Arewethereyet! I felt like it was a responsibility that went along with the tummy tuck experience. I would find only really old blogs about people experience & I also noticed that a lot of people didn't keep them up to date after a couple postings. I know that a lot of people have children & other duties that keep…

Wolfena, I'm glad to hear you're following! I waited for 3 years for my tuck & was always searching for blogs & any information that would give me the full human experience of a tummy tuck. I'm doing my best to update my blog daily in my first couple weeks. I include as much information as I can, depending on my energy for…

Thanks for keeping me in your thoughts today! Well, I didn't have to get the minor operation in the end, which is always good. The doctor said he could empty out the trapped blood, but it wasn't necessary. He felt my swelling had gone down since he saw me & was really happy with the way I was healing. He said he was really…

Thanks Arienna for posting that again! The scar will go from hip bone to hip bone. Hopefully it will fad a bit, but overall, having a bit of a scar is okay compared to having all that excess skin hanging off of me! As I just mentioned in my last post, I'm going ot the hospital in a couple hours because I have really bad…

I have two drains above my pubic area. They are starting to become painful & bother me. The doctor thinks that I have blood trapped in my stomach that is blocking the drain tubes, so I'm going in to the hospital in a couple hours to open my incision a bit & drain out some excess. I'm incredibly swollen right now! I feel so…

Thanks so much Vhuber! I'm so lucky to have all this support! I'm feeling really positive tonight & going to try and make an effort to eat a bigger meal to give myself energy before the dreaded shower tonight. I'll be posting to my blog later tonight about my binder, drains, stockings, and the shower experience I think.…