Tommorow....

[donescobar2000]

I am getting a getting a cosmetic procedure done. I am getting abdominalplasiti. This is due to a massive weightloss. I am down to somewhere around 10% BF, but of course I have the excess skin. Anyways, I will be out of the gym for at least a month. My question is what should my diet be like? I was cutting till today. Should i keep eating in defficit? Or should I just multiply my wieght by 15?

My stats

5'3.5 Height
170 Weight
Meso Endo

 

[Babyfaced Assassin]

i too lost a hell of a lot of weight and had some excess skin (though i have managed to tighten most of it with exfoliation and brushing and lots and lots of cardio and clean eating.)

i've always been interested in the procedure so please keep uis posted with how things go and good luck!

 

[donescobar2000]

I will let you know. Thanks a lot.

 

[sawastea]

Good luck! Get back to the gym soon

 

[donescobar2000]

I will try. I hope recovery is fast.

 

[donescobar2000]

Anyone have any suggestions on my diet while i have no gym activity? My only activity may be walking around my campus to get to my 3 classes.

 

[jenscats5]

I assume you are getting a "tummy tuck"?? When you first get out of surgery, you won't be able to walk much & should rest as much as possible. You most likely will not be able to do much for the 1st 7 days & may have to walk bent over & sleep in a recliner. The first week is tough!! Eat whatever you want & whenever for the first week & then for the 2nd week cut back a tiny bit. For the first week after surgery your body will need extra calories to heal plus you will want to eat easy to prepare foods, cuz you won't be able to cook much.

Get puddings, mac N cheese, microwaveable meals (salt is unimportant at this point), soups, crackers, water, Gatorade, etc. Make sure you eat enough to be able to take your meds. Vicodan & Percoset can make you sick to your stomach. You may not think you need the meds, but you'll probably hurt more than you think you will. Watch moving around too much too & wear your garment!!!!!!!! You don't want to pull out your stitches.

Also, have whoever is taking you home to bring lifesavers. Coming out of anesthesia can give you the worst dry mouth ever!!!! It's awful & no amount of ginger ale will fix it. Also drink LOTS of Gatorade cuz it helps prevent blood clots, which you don't want to get.

Any other questions, ask.

 

[donescobar2000]

Great. Thanks alot. So basically I should eat a lot of carbs?

 

[jenscats5]

Well, just don't worry about the % of carbs, protein, etc. Don't diet & eat enough! Your body will burn extra calories to heal, or at least it seems that way. Don't stuff yourself with pizza & junk. Try to fill up on healthy stuff, but eat. Plus, having something in your stomach will help the meds be easier. Don't eat or drink anything 10-12 hours prior to surgery as instructed.

Another tip: wear easy on/off clothes cuz it'll be hard to get dressed after surgery when you leave.

 

[jenscats5]

If nothing else, make sure you drink Gatorade. And move around as much as you can to prevent blood clots.

 

[Toozee]

I didn't know Gatorade helped prevent blood clots......that's pretty cool. How does it do that?

 

[donescobar2000]

im moving every 15 minutes.

 

[jenscats5]

....

"didn't know Gatorade helped prevent blood clots......that's pretty cool. How does it do that?"

Actually I'm not sure how it does that, but I read an article that the combination of electrolytes in Gatorade have been shown to help prevent blood clots in people who fly often more than plain water. Who knows whether it works or not, but when recovering from major surgery, it's better to be safe than sorry. Plus, the Gatorade will do him some good in recovering from his surgery. The first week is tough. And Gatorade isn't too bad for you!

 

[HumanShell]

Good luck with it, are you keeping a photo-journal? Here's to hoping you were in better shape than this guy when you went it...

I don't know why someone would have something like this done without first loosing as much fat as possible. I would much rather have the before picture mid-section than the after one with the smiley scar.

 

[jenscats5]

The TT is to remove excess skin only, nothing to do with fat loss. If there is excess fat, liposuction will be done to remove it. With women who have had children, muscle repair would be done during the surgery as having kids will cause the muscle to be stretched & it needs to be sewn back up.

The pic you showed does show someone who appears to have had a TT with really not a ton of excess skin. I've seen lots of pics that were worse! I'm surprised the surgeon agreed to it, but some are after the money after all.

Don -- if you read this how are you doing?

 

[donescobar2000]

thanks for all the great advice. Of course I am in pain. But i will be ok. I am eating clean carbs. Not much protein in the house though. Is it ok if i take my shakes? Anyways I have more mass than that guy. I am practacally shredded aside from the excess skin that i had. I will check for replys on my palm pilot. Thanks anymore advice will be appreciated.

 

[overhead]

Glad to see you are doing well. How much weight did you lose to create the loss skin? How long did you wait for the skin *tighten* on its own? I dropped 50 pounds and currently plan on dropping another 10 pounds of fat or so. I have some lose skin, but it seems to be tightening up on its own, SLOWLY.

 

[donescobar2000]

I lost a 100 pounds in 1 year. The 30lbs came off slowly. As time went on the skin did not seem to tighten up. It just seemed like it was wrinkling more and the fat was coming off. I had a ton of skin. I probably lost an additional 10 lbs. I don't know what it looks like yet I may wait maybe like 2 or three more days.

 

[overhead]

Holy sh**, 100 pounds in a year. That is unreal. Congrats on that. Did you have any skin on your sides that had to be trimmed also? You know, love handle area?

 

[jenscats5]

Don -- congrats on the weight loss! You rule!!

At this point try to move around but no exercise. Watch pulling the stitches so you may need to hunch over. Drink your shakes!! You will need the extra protein. Eat pretty much whatever you want but I would say keep it healthy.

The first week is the hardest. Do you have any before pics?

 

[donescobar2000]

yes i did have love handles. So they removed that too. So far I have kept everything healthy. I am trying hard to move at least 5 minutes out of every hour. I do have before pics I will have them for you guys to see. I will have my shakes as well. SO far I have only had 2 4 Oz. chicken breast as protein. Lots of gatorade, crackers and a bagel with Peanut butter and a sweet potato. I dont't know if I mentioned this but I am using my palm pilot to answer the thread. If any of you guys have AIM my screen name is the same as the forum. The same is for yahoo. My MSN address is [email protected]. I look forward to chatting with any of you guys via chat on my palm pilot or on the thread.

 

[donescobar2000]

My sis bought me a McFlury 2day. Should I eat it? I don't know whether I should since I am just sitting in my lazyboy. I know Jen Z u suggested to anything but if I did eat it would it affect me that bad?

 

[overhead]

I would think it would be ok, when I was younger the day after surgery they let me eat ice cream. But I am not a doc so I really do not know for sure. If someone does not answer quick you will be drinking it with a straw

 

[donescobar2000]

lol youre right.

 

[donescobar2000]

Youre right. Im gonna eat up. Thanks.

 

[jenscats5]

I don't think it hurt you too much. From what I was told the body burns more calories during the initial phase of healing & needs the extra fats, etc to heal properly. Just make sure you do eat so the meds don't make you sick & that you get enuf protein. In about 3 weeks after surgery, then you can start really watching your diet again.

How ya feelin'??

 

[INNOCENT]

i have been considering this surgery also... in 1999 i was 270 pure fat...then that summer i dropped about 65lbs then now im at 180lbs...but i still have loose skin on my lower abs. but its going away slowly..but seriously thinking about the surgery..but i will start more cardio and see how that goes.. keep us updated!

 

[donescobar2000]

Im getting stronger everyday that goes by. I am getting up by myself and sitting down by myself. I'm feeling ok. but I woke up with a bit of a headache. I don't what it could be. Oh well...i assume it will go away. I am also supposed to wash up 2day but I don't know how. Lol. I see if I can figure it out. Talk to you guys soon.

 

[AlbinoAssassin]

My advice would be to just eat clean and make sure you eat enough to maintain your muscle mass. If you keep eating in a deficit you will undoubtedly lose muscle, this us due to the fact that you won't be creating a stimulus (lifting) strong enough to require your body keep it's current level of muscle. Keep the protein high, carbs moderate, and a decent amount of good fats. Good luck bro!

 

[jenscats5]

RE: showering today, be careful. Are you wearing a compression garment? If so watch the first time you take it off cuz you'll probably get dizzy & feel like you're going to puke or pass out. Take it slow & be prepared to lay down quick if necessary.

The headache could be from the meds or leftover from coming out of anesthesia. The anesthesia can really mess your body up for a couple of days.

 

[donescobar2000]

I am wearing some type of garment. I loosened it a little thinking it may be to tight, cutting off circulation. I may wait till later to wash up. I am really afraid to take it off. Other than that I am sitting here in my lazy boy playing my video games. I can not wait to get better. There is nothing on t.v. lol. I guess ill get through it. Today I have to make an appointment to see my surgeon he says that he is going to take off my strainer and decapitor.

 

[jenscats5]

Don't loosen the garment too much! You need the compression to help the skin reattach. If it's really really really tight loosen it a tad but it's supposed to be tight.

My advice is to have someone help you shower. Like stand in the shower with you so you can hold onto them. Why? Cuz the sight of the surgery areas will freak you out, cuz taking off the garment will cause your blood pressure to drop & you'll feel like you're going to pass out, puke or both (& weak) & when you feel that way you can't wash up & rinse off. The first shower is so very hard! You'll be exhausted afterwards!

Where in MD are you?

 

[donescobar2000]

I live in Hyattsville. In Price Georges County. 5 min from the DC borderline. I loosened it a bit but it is still tight.

 

[donescobar2000]

Today is my first visit to my doctor since surgery. I finally washed by myself. I go tired so fast but I got through it by simply sitting on the edge of the tube. Yesterfday evening was horrible. I had a headache that kills along with nausea. My mother put a cold pack on my head and told me to relax. I finally went to sleep after constant sounds of pain coming out of my mouth. I think when that happens I need food. Today I had a slight headache again but I ate and it kinda went away. I have been eating whatever mostly healthy food. The worst of it may be a serving of ice cream, cheese and brocolli soup, and a Tuscan Sub, from Quiznos. Its a sub place. Anyways I talk later. I am at the doctors office.

 

[jenscats5]

Yeah, time after surgery sucks!! There's nothing on TV & you just plain hurt! Again the first week is the hardest. It'll get better next week or the week after!! I wouldn't worry about what you eat this week. Just make sure you eat enough.

How much did he take off you? Pounds wise? Did he remove your drains today?

 

[donescobar2000]

Yea I removed my drains. I really don't know how many pounds came off. The doctor said I am going to love my results. Especially when ibecause I worked my butt off at the gym. I can not wait to finish my dream. My dream is to become lean as possible. My guess is a good 10 lbs of skin was taken off. I weighed 172. It flucatuated a lot because I know I carried a lot of extra water weight because of the skin. I look so tiny now. Before I used to look like gained weight overnight.

 

[donescobar2000]

Getting much stronger. Finally am getting around to playing my video games. Oh and I am eating everything. Metal Gear Solid baby. Had for almost 2 years and finally took it out the wrap.

 

[overhead]

Just out of curiosity did your insurance cover that, and if not how much was it? I was trying to figure out how one could convince an insurance company that it was a required procedure. Good luck with the recovery.

 

[donescobar2000]

Insurance does not cover it at all. It ran me about 11000. But is was that much because i also had some chest work done and it also included the anestesia and the operating room. The tummy tuck is probably 6000. Personally I used to retain a lot of water, because of the skin. Now im havin more trip to the bathroom than before. I also think the fact that I used to tuck my stomach under my pants it would conflict with my digestion process. I don't know if it's the colate that is helping now or the fact that my stomach is gone. I take more trip to have a bowel movement as well.