will plastic surgery make me feel like I look better?

I am well over a year out of surgery and have hit a brick wall here at 185-190 lbs at 5'8".  I have everything from a 10 to a 14 in my closet that fit well.  I wear a size 36 DDD bra, during certain times of the month I feel I could cry when I take it off at night.  Other than that the boobs are too big they don't look bad, not so droopy for a 45 year old woman and they have good shape.  My belly needs some work and would love to have my arms lifted a little bit too.

I guess my real question is: if I can manage a boob reduct/lift/aug, a tummy tuck and an arm lift will I feel better about not having reached my goal of losing another 35-40 lbs?

I'm not sure I fully understand what you are asking.........
Will plastic help you feel/look better?? Probably.
Will plastic help you reach your goal of losing another 35-40?  Probably not!  Skin/tissue weighs a lot less than you think.  It may only take another 5-10 lbs off you depending on how much skin you have.
My recommendation would be to step up or change your exercise to get closer to your goal.  Most surgeons want you to be at goal or at least within 10 -15 lbs of goal. 
Otherwise once you lose those last 40 lbs you'll have sagging skin again!  Trust me I know......I'm having a second breast lift because I lost more weight after my breast reduction/lift last year.

Hope that helps.....
Let me know if I misunderstood your questions and I'll try to answer again.

Best wishes to you

I don't know that I will ever be able to lose that last 35-40 lbs

What I want to know is -

will I be more satisfied with where I am now, after surgery, even if I never get to goal

I'm 5'8.  Before tt & breast reduction I weighed 179.  Bra size was 40 DDD.  I was stable & weight loss had stopped.

Now I am down to around 150 after 6 mos. after ps.  Surgery dulled my appetite, made it much easier for me to move, & gave me a heckuva lot more energy.  BTW, I am 60.

I did the surgery for physical problems.  I was tired of back/neck pain & taking drugs with no future outlook except more of the same.  Insurance covered some & I also self-paid.  Having the two done at the same time was uncomfortable but it sure worked for me.  If I'd just had the br, don't know if I would have ever gone back for the tt.

Boy, did it change my life!  I hadn't counted on the psychological lift being so strong.  If you look better, you feel better.  My by-pass surgeon also believes having surgery gives you more incentive to keep the weight off.  If you feel better, you take better care of yourself.   

I say- go for it!  I thought that my weight loss was finished at 179.  The extra kick that the p.s. provided sure worked for me.  I still keep losing slightly because I am so active & careful over what I eat (protein first- generally).  My friends laugh at me & wonder how I continue to lose as I eat so often (graze).  The trick is that I don't eat much & stay active.  I know that I look really good and this provides a LOT of incentive.  Yahoo!

Good luck!  Hope that this helps.

Plastic surgery definitely made a difference to me.  It feels differenct to live in this body now.  It may work the same for you, but, who knows.  If you are unhappy about not reaching your goal, you may still be unhappy about not reaching your goal weight after plastics.  But then too the surgery may jump start your weight loss too.

Red

I had an upper and lower body lift when I was not at goal.  I have some suggestions and points to ponder.

I'd suggest you go back to hard core basics on your eating, but make sure you are getting plenty of calories for your activiy level.  Exercise faithfully.  Do this for three months.  See if you have lost weight.  You will then truly know if you are able to lose more.

You will look and be smaller after a tt and you will feel better about your tummy, but alas you may notice any thigh imperfections more.  Isn't human nature wicked?  LOL 

Unless you want your breasts to be much smaller, think long about having your nicely shaped breasts altered.  Really ponder how unhappy you are with them.

Most arms don't qualify for a mini arm lift.  Ask if yours do.  I don't go sleeveless, but I decided mine weren't that bad.  Now that the finances have taken away the option of doing my arms, I am feeling braver.  :)

If you don't or can't lose any more weight, adjust your goal.  Don't go around feeling that you haven't made it.

BTW,  I weighed 180 @5'2" when I had my LBL and they removed 15 pounds.  I weighed 165 at my UBL.  I now weigh 145.  The weight loss has made a difference in my breasts.  Good luck, Loris

If you are considering PS because you are unhappy about yourself, as you say, then the thing is to spend time finding out why you are unhappy about yourself.

Reconstruction will NOT make you happier about not having achieved your WL goal.  You should be satisfied with your WL, and weight-stable, BEFORE you pursue plastics.  Make sure you ae having plastics for the right reason, because this surgery will NOT remove 35-40 pounds from your body, in all likelihood.

It seems as if you are fishing around ... not even quite sure what the question is.  It's fine to go for consultations, but WOW ... this is a huge step to take if you're not sure . . .

Put another way:  Have you spoken to your surgeon about why you are not closer to your goal?  Does the surgeon say that things are good and stable?  

This kind of uncertainty -- asking strangers whether this kind of surgery will make you feel better about yourself -- seems odd.  If you asked whether other peoples' surgery made THEM feel better about themselves, I might feel differently, but your original post has potential regret written all over it.

But then, what do I know!