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Circumferential Abdominoplasty (360° tummy tuck) One year post-op scar update
Hey! It's been a year since my circumferential abdominoplasty surgery (also called a body lift). It was a fantastic experience but it did create some significant and visible scarring. People have asked how the scars have fared over time, so here is the one-year update on that. Bikinis are not in my future, but the scars…
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Circumferential Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck plus Butt/Thigh Lift) pics before & after
I wanted to share what feels like my final hurdle in this LONG journey. I lost 130 lbs in 2.5 years. I maintained for about 9 months, then went ahead with the cosmetic surgery to solve the "drippy candle" effect of the loose skin. First some background: Age 51 5'8" SW 302 FW 170 My before and after pics BEFORE surgery: I…
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Circumferential Abdominoplasty (Body Lift) *Final Pics*
Today was my final check-up with the plastic surgeon so I wanted to share the final pics. Swelling and bruising are all gone. The scar will take about a year to fade to clear. I posted the whole story two months ago here:…
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Book recommendation--weight training for women?
I'm looking for more information on weight training. I'd like something more organized than what I get randomly bouncing around the internet. I'm basically a newbie--been working with free weights for about a year, but without much of a plan. (The gym's trainer showed me how to do about 2 exercises per body area, and…
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Goal Reached! 135 lbs down--please be encouraged if you have 100+ to lose!
It was success photos here on MFP that kept me going, so I'd like to share my own in hopes it will encourage others who feel like they are facing an impossible mountain. My doctor's advice before I got started? Women with PCOS can't lose weight. The most they can hope for is to maintain... Age 50 5'8" (& large frame) SW…
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What the plastic surgeon told me about loose skin...
<sorry if this is posted in the wrong section--couldn't figure out best place to put it> I had asked a question here awhile back about determining when you've lost weight and the only thing left is skin. Most people responded that skin is very thin, so if there is any thickness to the skin, you still have fat to lose. I…
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Tear in calf muscle?
Tonight while I was running (very slowly-5 mph) on a treadmill at a slight incline, around the 1.8 mile mark, I felt a huge pop in my lower calf. I limped home from the gym, took ibuprofen, and parked myself on a recliner with an ice pack on it. I plan to go to a walk-in orthopedic clinic in the morning. I'm guessing it is…
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Planet Fitness-Red Light Booth-Before/After
This is a different sort of before and after picture than what you normally see on MFP. There is a lot of skepticism about the red light booth at Planet Fitness so I thought I would show my results. I had an accident on Memorial Day (involving low blood pressure, unconsciousness, my face and a pile of rocks). I had read…
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Where to go from here? Muscle maintenance.
Quick history: I'm female, 50, 5'8", and lost 132 lbs over the last 2 years (300 to 168). I started weight training 10 months ago and have been in a caloric deficit the whole time (~1200/day). I'm just now starting to transition to maintenance (~1450 x 1 month) as I get through the last 5 lbs very slowly. I'm guessing…
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Beginning Running Advice Wanted
I just lost 125 lbs and am transitioning to maintenance. I'm 50. I had never run a day in my life, but I have been going to the gym for about 7 months now--elliptical and strength training (thank you MFP friends!) So some local friends challenged me to run a 5K with them sometime in the future. I did look up the C25k info…
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Weight of loose skin and determining goal weight
I've read several threads on MFP on this topic, but none had any answers...so maybe there isn't an easy one. But I'll throw it out there again. Is there any way to estimate how much the loose skin and associated connective tissue after weight loss weighs (without actually cutting it off and weighing it--I read all the…
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Psychologically handling the new me
I guess what I want to know is how normal (or abnormal) some of my feelings are--if anyone else has experienced this. After almost 30 years of being obese, I have successfully lost 117 lbs. I'm about 8 lbs away from my original goal where I plan to switch to maintenance, or at least reevaluate. It's a number that is still…
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384 Sticks of Butter Gone Missing
The title comes from early on in my weight loss journey when I discovered counting in sticks of butter (1/4 lb pure fat) added up a lot faster than pounds...making the weight loss sound more encouraging! It also gives a really graphic visual--how could I ever have had the equivalent fat of 384 sticks of butter stuck to my…
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Issue with machines (for newbies)
I thought I would post something about this because I finally had an epiphany--and no one adequately explained this to me in the beginning, leading to confusion for me. So I post this, one newbie to another. I started strength training for the first time in my life about 5 months ago. (I'm 50). It took me about 5 minutes…
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Super-Slow Weight Lifting
Is anyone familiar with this concept? It's a form of high-intensity training. I searched the message boards but didn't see any other threads on it. There is a book Body by Science by Doug McGuff about it that I was considering getting. I would welcome any opinions or people's experience with it. My personal goal is to lose…
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Basic squat help needed
Everybody talks about doing squats so I feel pretty stupid that I can't seem to manage doing one. Yep, just one good one. I've watched tons of Youtube videos. I had the trainer at my gym show me--he had me do them with the bar on the smith machine and I could manage that but they are difficult. But bodyweight squats I just…
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Knee issue
I am new to weight training (about 3 months now). I wasn't aware of having a knee problem previously, but once I started working I began to notice one was a little tender. Now there are certain exercises like a leg press that I'm afraid to go heavier on because of the pain in my knee, even though my leg muscles could…
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Muscle pain with weights
I've been using weight machines since July. First time in my life for doing anything with weights (I'm 50). In July, I was pretty shocked how weak my legs were--apparently carrying around 300 lbs for a decade does not strong legs make. Anyway, I've come a long way with the weights in my lower body and abs. I put the weight…
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How do I balance exercise/glycogen metablolism with insulin resistance?
I was hoping someone could explain or direct me to an article that explains how to do this properly. Everything I have found on the net hasn't really addressed this directly, or talks about needing to lower insulin sensitivity with exercise which I desperately need not to be lowered but increased. My history: I am a 50…
