Now, what I'm about to tell you, might shock some of you. I've managed to keep this little secret a secret for a long time now, telling only close friends and a few family members (unless gossip made it through the grape vine). I wasn't planning on taking this public, but since I'm trying to be brutally honest about my weight gain and my goals to lose, I may as well be honest with my audience.
In February of 2011, I underwent Smartlipo Liposuction at Sono Bello, in Murray, Utah. The areas targeted were my upper and lower abdomen, hips/sides, and pubic area (which was actually thrown in at no charge because the doctor saw it was needed).
For those of you who don't know what Smartlipo Liposuction is, this is straight from Sono Bello's website:
Smartlipo™ laser liposuction techniques use a tiny (1mm) micro-cannula (metal tube) housing a smaller laser fiber which is inserted beneath the skin and directly into the fat layers. The laser energy acts to liquefy the fat cells, allowing them to be gently suctioned by cannula, while also helping to control the level of bleeding and providing a superior recovery. Additionally, the Smartlipo™ laser acts to contract and tighten the collagen in the overlying skin, providing a smoother and tighter look as the end result. The tiny micro-laser is able to contour small areas that previously were difficult or impossible to treat, including the chin, neck, and upper arms. For larger areas (like the thighs, stomach, and back), where substantial fat removal is required, our liposuction specialists will often combine the Smartlipo™ procedure with traditional tumescent techniques in a ‘laser-assisted liposuction’ technique that achieves dramatic results and improved recovery.
Why did I decided to do liposuction? Well, my body was the biggest it had ever been. I weighed 230 lbs, I looked pregnant all the time, I hated how nothing fit me, and I just felt embarrassed by my looks. I felt UGLY. Most of all, I was scared. Scared for my health, my happiness, etc. I don't have much self-confidence, either. My husband battles me all the time about my body, because he loves it just the way it is, but I deserve to love it too!
At this point in my life, I felt like perhaps there was no hope for me, and that liposuction was the only option. Another big reason, was because they were having a HUGE promotional discount; the lowest prices they'd ever have. I had just barely made the promotional deadline when I found out, so it was literally now or never.
This was a decision met with prayer and support from my husband. I sat in my car, begged with my Heavenly Father if this was a good decision. I had just finished my consultation with the doctors at the Sono Bello office. They gave me a price, detailed the work that would be done, and gave me satisfaction that my life would be put on the path for a healthier body. After a discussion with my husband on the phone (who I am forever grateful for his understanding and supporting me through this), and an answer to my prayer (a comforting feeling, which I took as a yes haha), I decided to set a date and go in for my procedure 2 weeks later.
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| Staying calm before the procedure |
I remember being SO scared. I am a wimp when it comes to pain! But the staff and nurses were comforting as they sat me on the table. Along with local anesthetics, the cannula's also inject anesthetics simultaneously, numbing the areas targeted while breaking up the fat. They also gave me laughing gas to help me relax.
I was able to listen to music on my phone with my earbuds. The doctor joked and made small talk while he got to work. Yes, it hurt, at least the first part did. There were a few sensitive areas that almost made me cry, but once everything was numb, it was smooth sailing from there on.
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| The fat as it entered the buckets. |
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| The tools they used on me |
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| Closer shot |
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| That's a lot of fat! |
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| Full buckets of fat! |
The recovery was a blur. I came home and crashed on the couch. They gave me Vicodin to help cope with the pain, and literally don't remember the day after the procedure.
I had to wear a compression garment for 6 weeks after the procedure, which was annoying, but it was essential for forming my new body.
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| You can already see a HUGE improvement in my abdomen. |
In the months that followed, working out as much as I could and fixing my eating habits, my body started to transform, and it looked TONS better than it did before the procedure! See the before and after photos for yourself (below, right).
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| 6 months before and after shots |
I lost inches, not weight. Fat isn't very heavy, but inches are what are more important to me than what the scale says. The post op photos show more or less what my body looks like now. But I'm at 50% right now. My weight loss journey is far from over. The liposuction just paved the road.
Like all decisions in life, there are pros and cons to my procedure.
The upside: it is difficult for fat cells to grow in those areas again, and have since stayed under control.
The downside: with removing fat cells from those targeted areas, fat now gets distributed to other places; for me, my face and arms.
Another downside, and perhaps the most unfortunate (which as worsened since the post-op photo): excess skin. All that skin was holding in tons of fat, and now that it isn't, gravity is dragging it down... My pant size would literally be 3 or 4 sizes smaller if it weren't for all that sagging skin. And because it all hangs there, it looks like I'm fat again. :\ The only solution to that problem is a tummy tuck later on, which is something the doctors recommended for me in the future. I plan to get one with a c-section when the next child comes along.
Well, was it worth it in the long run? YES. I'll never regret my decision to undergo liposuction! The pictures prove enough, my body is much lighter feeling, and it gives me a huge head start in losing weight.
Thanks for reading!
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