2 years out!

Lots of changes, so little time. Since the last update I had so much on my plate! Moving to a new city, going back to school & all that life stuff that happens in between. I wanted to do a quick update for all the loyal followers who still check in with me & those who come across the blog wondering how I'm doing now.

It's hard to believe that it's been two years! I've been scrolling through all the old pictures of my journey this morning & realizing just what a transformation it has been. My body is finally settling with the results of the surgery, meaning no more crazy swelling around my stomach. I had read that this would happen, but it sure does make me a whole lot happier with my results now that i've passed that phase. And the abnormal creasing in the abdomen has really smoothed itself out, or at least gotten to a point where I don't dwell on it.

As far as finishing off my journey, a good 5-10 pounds would be great to get off, but I just haven't put the full effort that it requires to do so. It's not a 5-10 pounds that really bother me, and I know I do my part with my eating & gym routine, so time & patience is all I need. I contemplate additional surgeries, such as a leg lift or reconstruction on my saggy arms down the road, but for now, that's not a need.

Thanks to all who send me such kind messages & still check in on me! You really helped me through my surgery on those hard days!

8 Month Update

Hello Everyone!

This is just a check-in post to let you see my progress 8 months out of surgery. As you can see, not a lot of change since the last update! My tummy, especially the lower portion, is in a constant state of swelling during the day. Some days it's severe & others it just gets a little bloated looking. This photo was taken first thing in the morning before the "swell hell" could go in to full effect.

I've been hitting the gym hard as usual, but the only part of my body that I'm having any luck with toning seem to be my back. I'll be starting with some new gym classes in a couple of weeks & hope that will make a bigger difference because I have to be swimsuit ready by the end of December! Unfortunately there is only so much that I can do as I do have so much extra loose skin that is around my torso, arms, and lower legs. I've accepted that I can only do the best that I can do, and that involves lots of gym training, staying active and appreciating my curvy body just how it is!

Thanks to all who have been checking in! I will update when the big 1 year mark comes around! I cannot believe that I'm already 8 months out!!

5 Month Update

Hey Everyone!

I've gotten lots of e-mails for an update. I must say that I've had very, very little time to update in the past couple months as I've been in the process of moving a distance to another city & the preparation, apartment hunt, job search and all the loose ends have been taking up all my time! Not to mention time at the gym, work and daily life.

Anyways, back to the task at hand....So really, there's nothing to report! I'm at the 5 month "swell hell" that I had been reading about. I'm working out as much as I can but not seeing a lot of results. Looking back at my pictures, I feel like my last update photos were looking better than how I look now. I feel parts of me are getting a bit more toned, but overall, not a lot of change.

It feels a bit discouraging in the past few weeks. My stomach is still saggy & i'm wondering if I should have gone forward with getting a vertical scar. Though my doctor said that was something he could do for me, he said the scar would be substantial & that it depends if I can live with a bit of sag or a wide, vertical scar. Now that I'm moving cities, I've kind of lost my opportunity now to undergo the vertical surgery with my doctor.

I've come to the conclusion that my body transformation will require an additional surgery or two to get to the point where I'm comfortable with my body. Years of weight gain & not taking care of myself has been very hard on my body & made recovery and getting to a comfortable space a long, hard journey. For now, I can only do my best & keep up with the gym & eating right as much as possible. I'm hoping new surroundings for my boyfriend and I will help in progressing though this & raise my spirits.

Thanks to everyone for your concern & well wishes!

Update with no update

I know it's been a couple of weeks since my last post, but really, I got nothing to share! Everything is remaining the same, I'm pretty stable, and the overall appearance of my tummy has pretty much remained the same. Nothing new!

I was suppose to have a doctors appointment today, but it got pushed back to June 1, which will be the almost 6 month point! I can't believe that i'm almost at 3 months....what a difference that time has made.

5 days left until vacation! I'm very excited to get some new pictures with my new tummy & to be able to show off my form in vacation photos rather than putting a big bag in front of me or hiding myself. Yah!

The Scar

I've been without internet services for over a week & it's left me behind on responding & posting! Well...I have received a few requests on updates on how my scar is looking/healing. I'm quite happy with how thin the scar is & that it is placed in a good location. I do have three holes in around my pubic area from the drains as well. The original drainage site where two tubes were shoved in to one, teeny, tiny, itty, bitty hole is quite massive. I may update pictures of those for the next entry. Overall though, I'm quite pleased & the scar doesn't bother me, though it does itch sometimes.

I've hit the gym for the past 4 days in a row & have been riding my bike and running in my apartment at night. I feel constantly hungry, but I've been tracking my calories and staying within my "budget" almost all days, minus the weekends where I haven't been tracking, but i'm consciously counting during that time & work out to compensate. My stomach swells after a hard workout & takes a while to go down. I mentioned this before, but he swelling feels hard, almost as if my stomach was a waterbed that was filled too much.

The belly button is improving, not too butt-like lately, but still not perfect. I'm convinced that I could have some sort of tiny stomach lift, or little scars place under my breasts to make the little bit of belly button flab go away haha. It sounds crazy, but I'm still going to ask the doctor when I see him on April 6th. I'm very excited to hear what he has to say on my progress.

Okay, over 2 months now...crazy...Now that i'm back with the digital world, i'll continue updating regularly. Yah!

7.5 weeks

Not a lot of updates this week. My wii fit, aka my scale, is out of batteries...i'm out of batteries...I couldn't weigh myself this week...I don't mind as I think that my swelling is so erratic that it's discouraging to weigh myself & i'd rather focus on the results that i'm seeing in my photos. The lower part of my stomach has been very swollen for the past couple days, like a hard swelling that isn't budging much throughout the day.

I only got to the gym a couple times this past week, but this week is open & I'm looking forward to it! I feel like i'm working out strong & making the most of my hour each visit.

This week also kicks off clean eating week for me. I have just a few short weeks left until vacation, so I want to be as good to my body as I can! I'm going to be keeping track of each thing that enters my mouth & how much I'm burning off.

Until next time...

6.5 Weeks

So here's some updated photos of me at 6.5 weeks. A couple weeks ago I gave the update that I was down to 150lbs, well...now i'm up to 153lbs. The good news is that I'm full force at the gym & doing a lot of weight lifting & toning. My diet hasn't been outstanding, but not horrible. I think seeing the scale go up has really put me in my place haha. Being back to the gym makes me feel like eating nothing but healthy food & being the best to my body that I can. I can't wait to up my routine this week. Only 5.5 weeks left until vacation, so I've got to get moving!!

The crease....it doesn't seem to get better. When I bend over there's skin that still hangs. Before the surgery my belly button would be lost in a horizontal flap, and now it's a vertical flap of skin that's obstructing my belly button. I've gone the whole week without wearing my binder, so i've decided to put it back on today & maybe wear it every couple days. In my heart I know that I'll probably have to have the second procedure for the vertical incision to remove this extra skin. I'll do my best to be patient and wait it out.

Well...I had another weekend of shopping haha. Two new shirts and a pair of pants! I'll update in a week with new photos of week 7!