Bodylift... just thought i'd mention

elg123 · Feb 16, 2008

As I've said in my previous posts i had lost 170 pounds about 5 years ago. UNfortunatley even when i got down to a 28 inch waist I still had loose skin around my chest and abdomen. I then bulked up as high as 205 and added a good 5 to 6 inches to my chest, none of this helped. As much as being obese hurt my self-esteem, the loose skin was even worse, you feel ashamed like you are hiding some dirty secret from the world. I was very ripped at my leanest(not huge by any means) and you could not tell I had loose skin when wearing a beater. People would always comment how good i looked, and this only made me feel more ashamed.

Anyway on to the point of my post about 4-5 months ago I undertook a life changing decision to undergo a full body lift. This is when a surgeon removes lax skin around the chest and abdomen(I had a pound of skin removed from each). To say this helped my life is an understatement. I'll never forget when i woke up from surgery, Obviously I didn't know how it would heal but, I just felt so much better on the inside. I just don't feel like i'm hiding something anymore. It is a slow process but I am slowly becoming the person that was hiding under all that blubber and skin. My surgeon was awsome, and as invasive and serious as the surgery is, I recovered without even a single dose of advil. The result looks great. I lost muscle in my chest after surgery, but it is coming back with avengence and I am filling it in. I posted this because I
know i am not the only one that has gone through this and people are very embarrassed to discuss this issue. Seeing as this is a fitness oriented board
there may be people lurking around facing the same dilemna I had. I would love to answer any questions any one has about the surgery, as If I can help someone that is going through what i did, I got so much support and have been blessed in life and feel it is important to return the favor

And If anyone doesn't want to post feel free to shoot me a pm, The members here really helped me before I went in before surgery(emotional support) and i would love to return the favor

VNV · Feb 16, 2008

That's awesome. I'm glad you shared your experience with us, and congratulations!

elg123 · Feb 16, 2008

No, problem,

This is something rarely discussed, especially among men, It is hard to find people willing to discuss this matter, and the people that get this often just had stomach stapling to lose weight, so they do not have the same aesthetic concerns as many here would. I got my results through the traditional means of
diet and exercise, and did not want to look like a deflated baloon

I will add this to anyone thinking of getting this, get into the leanest shape humanly possible before surgery, It allows for the surgeon to do a much better job. Even with the skin i had visible abs, the surgeon said this made my results far more predictable and I had less blood loss, and recovered VERY quickly. They can tighten your abs as well and suck out small amounts of remaining, but I did not need this and it saved me time, money, and alot of pain.(the tightning of the muscles is supposedly much more painful)

BTW, VNV awesome avatar

Soulstealer · Feb 16, 2008

elg123 said:
No, problem,

This is something rarely discussed, especially among men, It is hard to find people willing to discuss this matter, and the people that get this often just had stomach stapling to lose weight, so they do not have the same aesthetic concerns as many here would. I got my results through the traditional means of
diet and exercise, and did not want to look like a deflated baloon

I will add this to anyone thinking of getting this, get into the leanest shape humanly possible before surgery, It allows for the surgeon to do a much better job. Even with the skin i had visible abs, the surgeon said this made my results far more predictable and I had less blood loss, and recovered VERY quickly. They can tighten your abs as well and suck out small amounts of remaining, but I did not need this and it saved me time, money, and alot of pain.(the tightning of the muscles is supposedly much more painful)

BTW, VNV awesome avatar

Wow dude ya.... thanks for the post.... pardon me if being intrusive but would it be possible to post pics?... interested in what the before and after looks like of such a surgery...

elg123 · Feb 17, 2008

i will eventually post the pics, I am still leaning out, as The surgey really offset my dietary habits for a bit, once i get back down to the 31-32 inch waist mark(im over 34 now)the pics will be more accurate display of my surgical results. So IN a month or two, I will be happy to, I have honestly not taken any pics since the surgery. When I visit my family i will use their digital camera to take some

here are some older pics I posted in a thread, they don't help to represent the surgery but they show my progress, the last one was taken maybey a month before I went for surgery and is the one in my avatar,
http://www.professionalmuscle.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28196&highlight=elg123

Soulstealer · Feb 17, 2008

elg123 said:
i will eventually post the pics, I am still leaning out, as The surgey really offset my dietary habits for a bit, once i get back down to the 31-32 inch waist mark(im over 34 now)the pics will be more accurate display of my surgical results. So IN a month or two, I will be happy to, I have honestly not taken any pics since the surgery. When I visit my family i will use their digital camera to take some

here are some older pics I posted in a thread, they don't help to represent the surgery but they show my progress, the last one was taken maybey a month before I went for surgery and is the one in my avatar,
http://www.professionalmuscle.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28196&highlight=elg123

Holy shit bro nice progress

... whats that like 35+% BF to single digits good stuff...

TRAPMANJOE · Feb 17, 2008

awesome job man, that's unbeleivable how much you transformed your self.

Chuck999 · Feb 18, 2008

ELG, you are an example of what someone can do when they really dig down and do it! I know a lot of guys who look like your "before" pics and probably don't think it possible to do what you did. Congrats, big time. Awesome.

Chuck999

elg123 · Feb 18, 2008

It's All mental, just patience and persistance.
I used to be the type that always seek out the "secret" or the "shortcut". In the end I wound up "shortcutting" myself into a 52 inch waist. Life is about getting from point A to point B, everything inbetween is one's own story to write. There is no such thing as failure, when one is unwilling to give up.

Patience along with compassion, for both oneself and the world that surronds us, that's what it is all about. I still have much to overcome in life but, when i am down this is what gets me by.

Pekkerwood · Feb 18, 2008

Congratulations! Very inspirational! I always feel that with the exception of the very highest extreme levels that determination, dedication, persistence, and the refusal to quit, will outperform talent/genetics/brains etc.

elg123 · Feb 25, 2008

update

My chest is really starting to fillout and my waist is nearing 34(34.5 now). I plan to be at 32.5 inches within a month. I will definatley be posting an update pic when i hit that goal, as I have really improved since my last pic which was over a year ago, I was almost 20 pounds lighter at the same waist size.183 in that pic(the constipated looking one) and i am now over 200. My question is would you also like me to post a pre surgery pic, I ask as it is very graphic, as the loose skin was very nast around the chest, I don't want to gross anyone out. Like others here have mentioned it is very important to have pics to go with ones name, as it lends credibility, I would not mind showing my full transformation as I have worked hard, I may not be the biggest here but I take pride in my work. but will not if people find loose skin offensive

Chrysler · Feb 25, 2008

elg123 said:
My question is would you also like me to post a pre surgery pic, I ask as it is very graphic, as the loose skin was very nast around the chest, I don't want to gross anyone out. Like others here have mentioned it is very important to have pics to go with ones name, as it lends credibility, I would not mind showing my full transformation as I have worked hard, I may not be the biggest here but I take pride in my work. but will not if people find loose skin offensive

I think you're good to go. If anything it will be inspiring for some. I just read your other thread about the bodylift and whatnot. All I can say is that was some Rocky Balboa shit.

elg123 · Feb 25, 2008

cool, should have everything set up withing the next 20-30 days

I really miss being my leanest, When i was pumped I could see the "spider-web" veins jumping out of my forearms and the striations in my chest. I was small(159)and must of hit the gym 6 hours a day, no exaggeration.
I am older and wiser now and know i was severly overtraining and not giving my body a chance to grow. , but I feel I have something more fufilling to do with my life, and the best results come from putting in an hour a day may

I will be going back to college in june, I want to teach special education for elementray age students. I am learning disabled myself(you can tell by the constant repitition and lack of organization in my writing

). I have been so blessed and fortunate in my life, with the most loving supportive parents and sister. I misbehaved horribly as a child, they stuck in there. I also had great teachers, I have many difficulties and challanges left to over come, I can't do things as quickly as others both physically as well as mentally, but I can look in the mirror and take pride in the type of person i have become, I owe this to all the amazing people and oppurtunities i have been given.

I FEEL it is important to become a teacher, other then a parent it is the most important job in the world, I think every child deserves a chance in this world and I want to do as much as i can to help.

Jethro, I read that you are a teacher, IN my book that makes you a saint, I hope to follow in the next few years