Most of us have been led to believe that it’s always possible to lose weight quickly; we just have to adhere to the latest fad diet or take up a punishing exercise regime. In reality, however, each of us has a very different body with its own unique physiology. As such, there is no “one size fits all” weight loss solution.
For some people, the weight loss journey is a long, challenging one. Hormonal imbalances, metabolic factors, and medication use can all conspire to work against us while we try to shed excess pounds. Likewise, some people are genetically predisposed to storing fat in certain areas (such as around the midsection or on the flanks). These people often have deposits of stubborn fat that simply will not budge, even when they’ve reached a healthy weight.
If you’re struggling with the issues described above and feeling desperate to get in shape in time for the holidays, we have good news for you: There are medical interventions available. Depending on your medical needs, bariatric and/or plastic surgery can help you both lose weight and reshape your body.
Bariatric Surgery and Nonsurgical Alternatives: Offering Hope to Obesity Sufferers
If you’ve decided to pursue surgical weight loss treatment, it’s important to first differentiate between true weight loss procedures and spot fat reduction procedures. Weight loss surgery generally refers to bariatric surgery, either the placement of a gastric band or the use of sutures to close off a portion of the stomach. Both of these options dramatically reduce the capacity of the stomach, allowing the patient to feel full after eating just a small meal or snack. This helps him or her dramatically cut down on the number of calories he or she is consuming and usually results in rapid weight loss. However, because these procedures also carry risks, they are generally only performed on people struggling with chronic obesity.
For those who don’t wish to have surgery, there are nonsurgical alternatives available. Gastric balloons, such as the Orbera balloon, can be inserted into the stomach without any incisions being made. These balloons, which must be removed after six months, occupy much of the stomach’s capacity, thereby reducing appetite.
Plastic Surgery: Putting the Finishing Touches on Your Body
For many people, getting to a healthy weight is only the first part of the battle. Those who have struggled with obesity often have significant loose skin that needs to be removed once their excess fat has been lost. Additionally, there may still be pockets of stubborn fat that have not responded to diet, exercise, and medical weight loss surgery. This is especially likely if the patient suffers from Metabolic Syndrome, a condition wherein the body is prone to storing fat around the midsection.
To tackle these issues, you’ll need to see a plastic surgeon. He or she will generally recommend that you have liposuction, tummy tuck surgery, or a combination of both of these procedures.
During liposuction, a minimally invasive tube-like instrument is inserted below the skin in areas where fat needs to be removed. The fat cells are loosened with a lubricant and then literally sucked out; this creates a sleek, toned appearance in the treated areas. Liposuction has been performed for decades, so this procedure is well-understood and generally very low-risk. Better still, because it’s not particularly invasive, most patients recover in just a couple of weeks.
Tummy tuck surgery, on the other hand, is a major operation—but it’s an important one. In addition to removing the folds of loose skin that result in a “flabby looking” stomach following weight loss or pregnancy, a tummy tuck addresses deeper structural issues. During a tummy tuck, damaged abdominal muscles are repaired so that they can support the abdominal tissue properly again. This both creates a taut, flat stomach and gives the patient back his or her ability to exercise effectively. (It’s impossible to tone damaged abdominal muscles via exercise alone.) Tummy tuck surgery usually takes about two months to completely recover from (though most of the initial healing is done within the first two to three weeks).
While not a lot of fat is technically removed by either liposuction or tummy tuck surgery (about 5-8 pounds are lost on average), these surgeries make a profound difference in the patient’s appearance. Tummy tuck surgery, in particular, often makes the patient look as though he or she has lost 15-20 pounds. The muscles repaired by this procedure compress the abdominal tissue so effectively that a stomach that stuck out noticeably before the operation will often be completely flat after it.
Tummy tuck surgery and liposuction have an important role to play in the fight against obesity. Not only do they complement weight loss surgery in a physical sense, they’ve been proven to have psychological advantages, too. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, previously obese women who undergo tummy tuck surgery are more likely to continue losing weight than women who do not have plastic surgery. This is an important consideration given the fact that many formerly obese patients are at risk of gaining back the weight they have lost. If you have lost a great deal of weight but still find you’re unhappy with your body, plastic surgery may therefore be the right choice for you.
Sit-ups, planks, and crunches are popular fitness routines that help you achieve a taut stomach effectively. However, it’s not always the case for everyone. If you feel that you’ve exerted all effort to lose the belly bulge without success, don’t give up hope just yet. It may be that stubborn fat and excess skin are to blame for the lack of progress.
They’re difficult to remove but not impossible.
Tummy Tuck Saves the Day
Age, gravity and other factors can affect your chances of achieving a tighter, flatter stomach. When diet and exercise fail, then another great option is to go the surgical route.
Also called abdominoplasty, a tummy tuck is a surgical procedure that can eliminate stubborn fat and excess skin to give you a tauter stomach. Many patients have found it to be an effective treatment to remove the belly bulge and saggy skin. However, many are still confused that a tummy tuck is a means to lose weight.
How Much Can You Lose from A Tummy Tuck?
One question that patients often ask Dr. Mussat is how much weight they can lose if they get a tummy tuck.
To set the record straight, a tummy tuck is a body contouring procedure, and therefore, is not a weight loss treatment.
A tummy tuck does complement with weight goals, though. In other words, it could be your means to an end or the culmination of hard work and diet.
This doesn’t mean, though, that you won’t see any reduction in your weighing scale. You’ll still see a decrease in your weight after the surgery, but not much.
Typically, a tummy tuck will cause you to lose not more than five pounds. That weight is usually from excess skin and fat. If you have massive weight loss, you’ll likely see a drop of about 10 to 15 pounds of excess tissue. For extreme cases, the reduction could be about 30 pounds.
Why Should You Still Get A Tummy Tuck?
Although you won’t see any dramatic drop in the weighing scale, it doesn’t mean it’s a bad option. As mentioned, this will improve your shape and contour. Additionally, researchers have concluded that tummy tuck patients have sustained their weight loss. In fact, many of Dr. Mussat’s patients have also seen tremendous improvement in their goal. One factor that contributed to this is the results they see daily, which motivated them to maintain their healthy and active lifestyle.
Tummy tuck provides amazing results. If you want to achieve a svelte figure, come in to talk to us about abdominoplasty.
Doctor Florence Mussat offers a variety of medically supervised weight loss plan options to her patients at her cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery practice in Chicago. This feature article addresses resolving your weight loss issues for good, the first step toward achieving long term weight loss, and medically supervised weight loss.
For more information on weight loss before plastic surgery, or to schedule a consultation, please contact Dr. Mussat.
The fountain of youth may be something that we only hear in the movies. However, advancement in medicine has led us to expand our life span and battle the visible signs of aging.
If you want to slow down the aging process and age gracefully, it pays to give your body an extra helping hand. Aside from getting anti-aging treatments, make some changes in your lifestyle. They don’t have to be drastic or dramatic, as what other people suggest, because even simple changes can make you feel and look younger.
The simple changes we’re referring to are diet and exercise. Changes may not be apparent immediately once you start diet and exercise, but the effects are long-term. Here are the top three reasons you should include these three important lifestyle changes in your quest to look and feel younger.
- Healthy foods fight wrinkles inside out.
Just like good fuel that will keep your car engine functioning optimally, nourishing food will keep your body functioning optimally as well. When you eat nutritious food, your body will function properly. It’ll be able to produce anti-oxidants to defend itself from harmful free radicals that contribute to a speedy aging process. It’ll also help balance your hormones so the rest of your organs will function at their best.
- Exercise reduces inflammation.
Aside from strengthening your bones and muscles, as well as stabilizing your weight, exercise also helps in keeping inflammation at bay. Age-related inflammation often leads to medical diseases and conditions, such as heart disease. A 10-year study has found that people who are generally active have lower levels of inflammation. Ultimately, this leads to the body being healthy and strong.
- Healthy diet and regular exercise slow down the natural aging process.
With bones and muscles stronger, and the internal organs fully nourished, your body will have a functional immune system that will minimize the onset of any age-related diseases. By boosting your immunity with a healthy diet and plenty of exercise, you will be better able to take on viruses floating around in the winter months. Additionally, the state of your body inside will reflect on the outside. Therefore, if you’re eating right, exercising regularly and hydrating your body often, your skin will glow and it will retain its moisture. This will slow down the formation of wrinkles.
Fighting the natural aging process needs a holistic approach. While advances in cosmetic medicine allow us to temporarily “freeze” the formation of wrinkles and other signs of aging in the body, you can do so much more when you add diet and exercise in your efforts.
For more information about anti-aging treatments, consult Dr. Florence Mussat. Schedule a consultation today.
Are sit-ups and crunches not giving you your desired taut tummy or the proverbial six-pack abs? Don’t be discouraged. It’s not you or the exercise routine you’re doing that’s wrong. The most likely culprit is excess skin, stubborn fat or both. If that is the case, you might want to consider getting a tummy tuck or a liposuction.
Both of these surgical body contouring procedures can help achieve a shapelier contour, but each serve a different purpose.
Tummy Tuck
At a glance, a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty is a cosmetic enhancement procedure that removes extra skin and fat as well as tightens the muscles in your abdomen so you can have a flatter stomach.
Liposuction
Like the tummy tuck, liposuction will give you a svelte contour. The difference is this is strictly for fat reduction, particularly stubborn fat that just won’t budge no matter how hard you exercise or how strict you follow your diet.
How much weight do you lose with a tummy tuck and liposuction?
These procedures can really enhance your figure and make you lose fast post-surgery. However, they shouldn’t be viewed as a weight-loss option. In fact, Dr. Mussat would advise patients to lose weight before getting these procedures. You’ll get a much more optimized result if you do, and there is less risk of complications when your weight is at normal levels.
How much weight should I lose?
The best number is to be your ideal weight based on your age, height, and body frame. Your BMI is also a factor to consider. Here’s a chart that will help you determine your ideal weight.
| Height |
Weight |
| |
Normal |
Overweight |
Obese |
| 4′ 10″ |
91 to 118 lb |
119 to 142 lb |
143 to 186 lb |
| 4′ 11″ |
94 to 123 lb |
124 to 147 lb |
148 to 193 lb |
| 5′ |
97 to 127 lb |
128 to 152 lb |
153 to 199 lb |
| 5′ 1″ |
100 to 131 lb |
132 to 157 lb |
158 to 206 lb |
| 5′ 2″ |
104 to 135 lb |
136 to 163 lb |
164 to 213 lb |
| 5′ 3″ |
107 to 140 lb |
141 to 168 lb |
169 to 220 lb |
| 5′ 4″ |
110 to 144 lb |
145 to 173 lb |
174 to 227 lb |
| 5′ 5″ |
114 to 149 lb |
150 to 179 lb |
180 to 234 lb |
| 5′ 6″ |
118 to 154 lb |
155 to 185 lb |
186 to 241 lb |
| 5′ 7″ |
121 to 158 lb |
159 to 190 lb |
191 to 249 lb |
| 5′ 8″ |
125 to 163 lb |
164 to 196 lb |
197 to 256 lb |
| 5′ 9″ |
128 to 168 lb |
169 to 202 lb |
203 to 263 lb |
| 5′ 10″ |
132 to 173 lb |
174 to 208 lb |
209 to 271 lb |
| 5′ 11″ |
136 to 178 lb |
179 to 214 lb |
215 to 279 lb |
| 6′ |
140 to 183 lb |
184 to 220 lb |
221 to 287 lb |
| 6′ 1″ |
144 to 188 lb |
189 to 226 lb |
227 to 295 lb |
| 6′ 2″ |
148 to 193 lb |
194 to 232 lb |
233 to 303 lb |
| 6′ 3″ |
152 to 199 lb |
200 to 239 lb |
240 to 311 lb |
| 6′ 4″ |
156 to 204 lb |
205 to 245 lb |
246 to 320 lb |
As mentioned, there are several factors to consider when calculating your body weight. So if you’re confused or you need help, ask Dr. Mussat about your ideal weight. If you need to shed excess pounds, she can recommend healthy weight loss options that are right for you.
