Tummy tuck while losing? Looking for personal experiences.

Edit: If you aren't comfortable sharing publically, I would appreciate a private message as well. I'm just looking for insight.

I should probably ask this on the plastics board, but I figure you guys can tell me more as we all started at SMO. And this is totally embarassing, but I'm just going to lay it all out here.

I started this at 375. My thighs never touched though. I know, right? I have a really oddly shaped body in that all of my weight was mostly in stomach. I still lost on my arms (which look nasty too) and thighs (not too bad, but not great), BUT my stomach is where the problem is. It hangs down about 8". It doesn't touch my thighs anymore, but it's like a big bag of fat just hanging from my body - AND my upper stomach too. My mons also hangs down. It's just one big nasty mess.

I currently weigh 207 and am 5'6". I'm still losing. With all the fat just hanging from my body, I still wear a size 20 pant. You can SEE the bones on my hips and waist. It looks freakish. The last time I was this weight was probably middle school.

The problem is that I've been experiencing significant pain from the pulling of both "inner tubes". My lower back and mid back where it hangs off just causes constant pain. Ellipitcal work has become challenging - and some weights where I have to bend over the mess there. It's like someone with very large breasts that tries to run and it flops and pulls.

I want to make an appt with a plastic surgeon, but has anyone had plastics while still losing? Did you get a good result? Did it help? Were you left with more sagging skin when you lost more? Were they able to remove the fat deposits as well?

I'm REALLY not looking for a shortcut. If I have to keep enduring this until I'm closer to goal, it's totally okay, but honestly, I'm at a breaking point today. I'm just not sure how much more I can deal with this.

Rashes (because I know people will ask) - I do get them, esp under my lower stomach where it flops over and in my belly button. BUT I don't get them often because I totally rub the area down with baby cornstarch (note that cornstarch works, the powder does not). It keeps it dry and the friction reduced. It really is just the constant pain that is the problem.

Insurance - I have it, no idea if they cover it or not. I'm not too worried about that part because at this point, I'm nearly ready to sell a kid.

Doctor - I know of one and I can get a consult, but I'm looking for personal experiences here first.

I'm preop and I don't have an answer for you.. Looks like your not that far from being at your goal...

I know for me I will have hanging skin that will need to be removed. I would consult with a plastics dr and talk to them... let him/her know what your goal is, how far you are away and see if they recommend waiting. You might have 15+ lbs or skin/fat hanging that will bring you close enough to goal that if you loose the extra weight wont make your skin look bad again right?

My concern would be if I remove it now and then loose another 30-40 lbs will my stomach look all saggy and gross again...
I am assuming this is your question... right?

Yeah, that's kind of what I'm wondering. I mean, the doc will say one thing, but I am hoping to see some real life experiences. It's becoming a burden. I'm also wondering if I just keep losing will it get better too and won't pull as much. I'm working it... working it hard!

How much do you have left to loose?

Have you tried getting shapewear to maybe hold off a little longer?  something that will hold everything in tighter to you until you are almost at goal...

I don't know the answer but I wish you well... :)  I wonder what the answer will be.

Yeah... shapewear doesn't work because my thighs are TINY and my stomach is still so huge and baggy. It's the same problem with underwear... my panni just hangs out of the leg holes and puffs out under it... looks like I have testicles! LOL

 LOL. The things us gals go thru......you made me smile with this one. Best, Sharon

Ha! I have really reached the point where it's laugh or cry and frankly I have spilled too many tears over this whole process. Besides, it kind of does look like that. I'm really glad my husband has a really dark twisted sense of humor like I do because otherwise he'd probably run away screaming at this point :)

I'm not at my goal but ive scheduled my plastics - goal or not, im getting it done. Im over this hanging skin!!

Maybe I'll post pics of me in my compression clothes that I work out in. It' ssome roll hugging, tight ass spandex that holds most of my skin in but its SOO UNATTRACTIVE. I dont care cause i dont kill myself doing jumping jacks, but I wear really tight clothes. It helps with the pain b/c if workout in loose clothes, the flaps bounce around too much and it hurts my back.


I have seen several people do plastics before their idea goal weight and around BMIs of 30. As for good results, most were happy but depends on what your goal is really. If you want a flat stomach, I'd wait. If you're okay with some sag and little pouchy belly - do it before.

Plastics will usually ramp up your metablism for a bit afterwards while you heal, so its always a possibility that you will lose more post op. Im hoping between excess skin removal and plastic process in general to help me get to a normal BMI but who knows.

Thanks, A. Did you find the last 20 pounds you've lost came from your tummy? I don't know where else it COULD come from at this point. I'm hoping it will just deflate soon. I'm kind of a mental breaking point with it. Let me know how yours go. I would MAJORLY grateful for any photos. I do wear a size smaller than usual workout clothes too to help with that. It just pulls so badly and in regular clothes it's a freaking mess. If you are willing to share photos, you can do so privately. I promise I will delete them. I'm tempted to post half naked photos of myself to see if this is normal because this is in-freaking-sane.

Ok so you have basically posted the question that I'm ALREADY thinking about. I had surgery 7/2 and am down almost 90 pounds and I will tell you coming from 450 I see this coming. 

Of course fat me had large arms, BIG BELLY, and large thighs/legs but with just the pre-op and post op weight that I have lost my thighs already look like balloons filled with cottage cheese (no joke...seriously it actually lays there when I'm on the couch laying sideways) and my belly I can see is headed exactly that way and is already causing me back problems to the point where I am considering going to see a chiropractor to get a brace or something just to be able to walk (not just exercise even simple things like cleaning the house/grocery shopping hurt...I have the energy just not the strength because my back kills me after like 15 minutes). 

So I'll be following this topic too...I have always had the irritation issues (part of being diabetic I could TELL when my sugar was really raging out of control) but the baby cornstarch part I may definitely take away as a tip (I currently just use regular baby powder) but it's getting worse as well. 

GAAHHHH! I will ALWAYS take losing this weight and being healthy over being fat, unhealthy, and miserable but honestly I did not think I would be this...this...*crumbly* this far out...

*sigh*