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Guest montedog
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Guest montedog

I am considering having liposuction done. Has anyone out there had it and how satisfied are you with the results? I am 33 years old, 5' 8" and 200 pounds.

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>I am considering having liposuction done.

> Has anyone out there

>had it and how satisfied

>are you with the results?

> I am 33 years

>old, 5' 8" and 200

>pounds.

 

My 2 second answer...don't do it.

 

Liposuction, even in the “best” hands has a VERY high complication rate. Yes, including death. Hello!?!? Dying to get rid of your love handles? You may end up doing just that! You’re only 33 years old for christ's sake. Join a gym, get a drop dead gorgeous trainer, work your ass off and get the body you want with no risk to life or limb. Your heart, mind, and soul will thank you for it.

 

I can hear half of you already…but I do go to the gym and I do have a fabulous body but I just want a little help with those “problem” areas. Let me repeat myself….YOU COULD DIE! I’ve seen it happen. Is it really worth it?

 

As Cher said so eloquently "face it...if it came in a bottle, every one would have a good body".

 

Of course she's had plenty of "work" done so maybe that wasn't the best example...hehehe.

 

One final note on choosing a plastic surgeon: rarely are famous or well-known plastic surgeons actually very good surgeons. Are they social wizards with amazing PR abilities? Yes. Are they excellent surgeons? Rarely.

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Guest blankman

A close friend of mine had it recently. I have to say I was shocked when I heard, it seemed like something people always talk about but which ordinary people (i.e. not Cher) never really do.

 

The procedure was successful insofar as a lot of adipose tissue was removed (eight liters! but there are, I'm told, differences from state to state on the legal limit of the amount of fat that can be removed during a single procedure. This would have been illegal in California, he told me).

 

He had to wear something like a girdle or corset for six weeks after the operation. The doctor of course wanted to do it only in combination with an exercise program, smoking cessation, and diet. Of these three, my friend has really only held to the third. So far his weight seems to be stable.

 

Post-operative pain and discomfort were, for him, really minimal. He had a prescription for percoset which he didn't use much. (I'm sure if it had been me I would've been popping them like candy...)

 

I think he's happy with the results. He does look better -- not perfect -- just better. But as far as the impact on his life in general, I don't think it's been that big. I think he's happy to no longer have a lot of fat around his abdomen, but at the same time he isn't any more sexually active than before and no closer to finding a satisfying relationship. But I can't really know what goes on inside his head.

 

I "looked" once at the results. It doesn't make you look "young again." Typical complications seem to include excess skin and wrinkling, which can go away, but frequently require additional, and costly, fix-up procedures. So far my friend hasn't needed any of these. He seems to have been a lucky one and his surgeon was well-regarded.

 

Bear in mind that this is a sample of one and I'm not really very informed about it.

 

I think if you're really serious about this as a personal choice, you should consider the cost not only of the operation but also of the fix-ups that often have to be done. Also I would read everything I could about it, both "success" and "horror" stories.

 

A distant cousin of mine died during liposuction. He weighed something like 400 pounds and this was years ago. For a hugely fat person, cardio health is compromised to begin with, making general anaesthesia more hazardous.

 

Good luck.

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>I am considering having liposuction done.

> Has anyone out there

>had it and how satisfied

>are you with the results?

> I am 33 years

>old, 5' 8" and 200

>pounds.

 

Liposuction is intended to get rid of a FEW pounds, generally which are limited to a specific area. It is NOT a weight loss method. An example of a good liposuction candidate is a guy who diets and exercises, but can't get rid of pads of fat around the flanks... or the woman who can never get tight thighs. As the amount of fat removed increases, the risk starts going up like crazy, both for bad results and death. Anythings over 5 pounds is probably a bad idea. Depending on your muscle mass, you may be about 40# overweight. Removing a few pounds here and there is not likely to make a big difference. It sounds trite, but the best thing you could do would be buy an exercise machine to use on a daily basis, and to switch to a low-fat, low-calorie diet.

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Guest jizzdepapi

hi montedog.

 

good advice from above posters. sound like liposuction is really a last resort (would be interesting to do yahoo [or other] search on "liposuction" and "lawsuit" and see what's out there.) also u dont mention anything about ur medical background, exercise, food intake, family background (possible genetic condition) and the like. it's good ur speaking up about this. obesity has certainly taken hold in this country and ur having the same problem as many of us.

 

a few friends of mine got a lot of help from either Weight Watchers or Overeaters Anonymous and exercise, as others have mentioned. If weight has been a major issue for u, some people have trouble making changes by themselves but need the support of others experiencing similar problems. i'm happy to report that both of my friends have maintained major weight losses for several years now and are much healthier and happier people than when they started. they've also made very good friends with people from these groups.

 

you can just show up at these groups and not say a word if u like; just check them out.

 

anyway, good luck,

 

jizz

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Guest Tampa Yankee

I agree with the good advice on the liposuction limits...

 

> It sounds trite, but

>the best thing you could

>do would be buy an

>exercise machine to use on

>a daily basis, and to

>switch to a low-fat, low-calorie

>diet.

 

I disagree... not with the sentiment but with the prescription. Based on statistics, it is a prescription for failure IMHO. It is correct in theory but fails to take into account human behavior.

 

Few people manage low-fat, low-calorie diets successfully -- just a fact. And of those that do, few of those make the necessary accommodations for a life stye change and end up in the same boat as before -- another fact.

 

A third fact, I believe, is that few people stick with exercise machines in the home environment. Basically, exercise of many sorts is no fun... but in solitude it's boring in the extreme -- hence, for most, doomed to failure in the long run. In addition it is a feedback deprived environment where your sole success or failure is the only feedback you receive -- which can make for some tough going when the going gets tough..

 

There are diets that work and that are workable, at least for me -- I lost 110# in the last year. The secret is not suffering feelings of deprivation and hunger, which go hand in hand with low-cal diets. And exercse is part of the prescription -- in a social environment that provids mental distraction from the task at hand. It also provides positive feedback of obvious success stories and also reinforcement that others in a similar condition are biting the bullet and sticking with the regimen. That, in addition to the variety of exercise which can be undertaken in a gym, makes the experience better than acceptable, at least for me.

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Guest Kenny

Above was excellent advise. Stay away from liposuction. Instead, join Weight Watchers, probably the most sensible of all weight loss plans. They now have the "point system" and it does work while allowing you to satisfy your cravings. Rosie O'Donnel is presently on this diet and it is noticeable how she has lost weight. An exercise program (preferably at a gym) is also in order. Liposuction is expensive and, like many above have pointed out,risky.

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Guest Kevin 2

I must say WOW what great advice being given on this subject. Congrats to Tampa Yankee on losing 110 lbs. I myself have been overweight since I was 10 (I'm 29). It finally became too much for me when I hit 270 and I'm 6'3",yes my height does help but I was FAT. I'm now down to 225 and working on my goal of 190-200. It's a long hard road but I have lost the weight the HARD way by diet & exercise, I know I will keep it off that way. BTW I know others who have had Lipo they said they would never do it again. My 2 cents worth for the day :)

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Guest thulewx

I've known 2 men who've had it done and both said it was painful, and within 6 months both looked likeit had never been done. I'd considered it for removing my beerbelly which almost looks like a pregnancy, but decided against it after hearing their stories - not worth the expense, pain for 6 weeks, bruising for 6 weeks, and depression after the fat returns. IMHO.

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Guest ibimusbtms

Seems I am in a minority here. I had it done four years ago and it was the best thing I could done to take care of the love handles around/behind the hips. A total of 1 lb was removed, one of the most painLESS operations I could imagine, was up and around that afternoon and back to work the next day. Granted, the spandex girdle around the waist was a bit of an inconvenience, but that was only 5 weeks, and not 24/7. No sagging skin, and no complications. I could do cardio all the time and weight train like my life depended on it, and that particular area never showed much improvement. Now, twice a year I do a cycle of oxandrin to lose the rest of the body fat, and that, combined with proper, constant exercise, makes for quite an improvement.

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Guest bottomboykk

>Now, twice a

>year I do a cycle

>of oxandrin to lose the

>rest of the body fat

 

What's that? Never heard of it.

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I think having only one pound removed is quite different than what the originator had in mind. I would think that removing such a small amount would cause much fewer complications and less pain than someone having a lot of fat sucked out. (Sorry for the language, but that's what it is.)

 

Did anyone else see that Discovery channel show recently on various cosmetic surgeries. They showed actual procedures being done, including liposuction. If watching the procedure being done doesn't discourage someone from undergoing it, I don't know what would.

 

>Seems I am in a minority

>here. I had it

>done four years ago and

>it was the best thing

>I could done to take

>care of the love handles

>around/behind the hips. A

>total of 1 lb was

>removed, one of the most

>painLESS operations I could imagine,

>was up and around that

>afternoon and back to work

>the next day. Granted, the

>spandex girdle around the waist

>was a bit of an

>inconvenience, but that was only

>5 weeks, and not 24/7.

> No sagging skin, and

>no complications. I could do

>cardio all the time and

>weight train like my life

>depended on it, and that

>particular area never showed much

>improvement. Now, twice a

>year I do a cycle

>of oxandrin to lose the

>rest of the body fat,

>and that, combined with proper,

>constant exercise, makes for quite

>an improvement.

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>also u dont mention anything

>about ur medical background, exercise,

>food intake, family background (possible

>genetic condition) and the like.

>it's good ur speaking up

>about this. obesity has certainly

>taken hold in this country

>and ur having the same

>problem as many of us.

 

Obesity has increased over 50% in the last 20 years. The gene pool has not changed that amount. I'm therefore skeptical about those who claim obesity is inevitable and "in their genes." Every year I have to eat less and less and exercise more to stay in the same shape. Everybody has to just learn about good nutrition and lifestyle issues.

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Guest jizzdepapi

Obesity?

 

i don't know if that's right, unicorn. no doubt, the overwhelming majority of Americans who are obese can do something about it by precisely the steps you suggest, watching food intake and their lifestyle.

 

there are a small percentage of people who have a genetic condition which predisposes them to obesity. maybe someone on this board has more extensive knowledge about this. try as they may, thse folk will have a much mightier struggle than the rest of us in losing weight and maintaining weight loss. it must be very sad and frustrating for them.

 

jizz

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Guest curious

>Obesity has increased over 50% in

>the last 20 years.

>The gene pool has not

>changed that amount. I'm

>therefore skeptical about those who

>claim obesity is inevitable and

>"in their genes." Every

>year I have to eat

>less and less and exercise

>more to stay in the

>same shape. Everybody has

>to just learn about good

>nutrition and lifestyle issues.

 

Its great to know that you have determined that overweight people simply need to just eat less and exercise more. I suppose you are also on-board with the latest research published showing that homosexuality can be cured as well, just by having faith and will-power. Give me a break. The fact is that we don't know why people are disposed to being overweight any more than we know why some people are gay and probably never will. For some people, eating less, learning about exercise and nutrition will do wonders. For others, it won't. The brain, genetics, metabolism, psychology and a host of other complex factors are at work here. Advances in genetics are leading scientists to a whole new group of treatments for obesity. Unfortunately, its comments like yours that make some overweight people feel that they have to do the extreme like liposuction and stomach stapling- because they should smply be able to control it themselves. Its not that simple.

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What you say is true in many cases, but not all. I'm currently trying to lose weight by changing my diet and exercise.

 

I saw *another* Discovery channel program last night on obesity. Two things struck me as I watched. One involves something I wasn't aware of. People are born with a certain amount of fat cells. Once you get to be a certain size, your fat cells will start multiplying. Even if you lose weight, you will not lose those additional fat cells (without surgery). This makes it even more difficult to keep off weight after you've been heavy.

 

The second thing that struck me (not surprising, really) is the disturbingly harsh view of what constitutes obesity. They showed lots of video clips of people with maybe just 10-20 extra pounds and did not distinguish them in the voice over from everyone else depicted. They showed a "fat farm" camp for teenage girls, too. While the majority of the girls there did, indeed, look "fat", some of them were only marginally overweight. There was no discussion of the psycho-social implications of being "fitness obsessed" -- no discussion, for example, of the alarming increase of anorexia nervosa among teenage girls at a time when the general US population has an increasing level of obesity. Frankly my feeling was that it was unethical for that camp to be allowing some of those girls to attend, but I'm sure the several thousand dollars per camper is hard to turn down. If the people who run that place truly wanted to help all of those girls, they should have just referred some of them to counseling and other self-esteem building programs instead of allowing themselves to identify as "fat" when they clearly aren't unless one uses supermodels as the yardstick by which all are to be measured.

 

Okay, off my soapbox now.

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>Its great to know that you

>have determined that overweight people

>simply need to just eat

>less and exercise more.

>I suppose you are also

>on-board with the latest research

>published showing that homosexuality can

>be cured as well, just

>by having faith and will-power.

 

Well, it certainly may be that there are reasons other than diet and exercise (or lack thereof) which cause obesity, but these are certainly important factors. Too much driving through the fast food pick-up window to get the fried food and sit around on the computer. And there weren't video games and the internet when I grew up. Those have certainly got to be factors in the obesity epidemic over the last 20 years.

And homosexuality doesn't lead to diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and arthritis. Why would one want to "cure" homosexuality? I kinda like being homosexual. It helps with the planet's overpopulation problem, too! I've often wondered what it would be like to be heterosexual. It's hard to imagine sex with a woman could ever be as good as sex between two men, who are in sync in so many ways. I've had sex with a number of bisexual guys, and have never met a single one who preferred sex with women.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest montedog

Wow!

 

Hadn't checked back in a while. Thanks for all of the input.

 

To address some of the things brought up...

 

I go to the gym 4x/week and spend 45 minutes each time on a Precor (the elliptical stairmaster thing). I had a trainer 2 times a week for about 8 months (@$350/month)with very little effect. He may not have been great -- I'm not sure. I absolutely hate lifting weights. I used to tell my trainer, mostly jokingly, that I saw the weight area as a medieval torture chamber.

 

Over the past 5 years, I have been as low as 165 and as high as 215. When I have lost weight, it seems to take an inordinate amount of effort to get the same results as everyone else. In the past this has meant adding a 3 mile run on a treadmill to the precor and being sure not to go to the gym any less than 5x/week.

 

This is in addition to cutting down on my caloric intake -- which leads me to my next hurdle (excuse?). Eating great food and drinking great wine are one of my biggest social activities. I've had a terrific boyfriend for the last year and a half who shares this passion. We talk about helping each other control and exercise but, so far, it hasn't worked. He's a super hot guy who has freaked out about the 10 pounds he has put on during our time together compared to my 40. Fortunately, he's been very sweet about the weight gain and still seems tremendously attracted to me regardless -- at least that's what he said when he was on top of me last night...

 

Anyway, I think I am leaning toward doing it. I know these may all be excuses but I think I will feel better about myself. Of course, feel free to post your responses. I will check back sooner. Thanks for the advice.

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Along with working out at least 4 or 5 times a week (aerobic and weight lifting) and a mainly fat-free diet, I highly recommend two additional regimens: (1) sports activities (because a gym can get pretty dull after awhile), and (2) copious amount of recreationals (because working out and a fat-free diet can get pretty dull too).

 

Later.

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Guest bluboy

It cannot be genetic since there is no obeisity in the third world. Americans are overweight because we eat too much food. The restaurant servings here are enormousa nd the food is greasy. I lived in Paris for 2 years and now live in NYC- 2 ostensibly cosmopolitan cities. I never saw in Paris the same amount of overweight people I have seen in NYC and parisians do not even have the obsession we have about weight. The problem of fat is the problem of the rich american lifestyle. Do not let yourself off the hook by saying it must be my genes- its too easy. In my early 20s a therapist convinced me that I had a lazy gene which is why I could not keep a job- the belief in the gene kept me unemployed for longer than I should have been. Had someone said to me "get off your worthless ass, there is no free lunch" I would have cured earlier. So "stop stuffing your face and get off your ass- shake your booty on the dance floor, walk up those stairs instead of taking the elevator, and have lots of sex." blu

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Guest blankman

>Over the past 5 years, I

>have been as low as

>165 and as high as

>215. When I have

>lost weight, it seems to

>take an inordinate amount of

>effort to get the same

>results as everyone else.

 

I certainly can relate to this. My weight has during my adult life fluctuated by 65 lbs. I have gone up and down and up and down, from "way thin" to "more than pleasingly plump."

 

Here is what I think:

 

First, once you've gained a lot of weight I think it is true that, for whatever reasons, it's difficult to lose it again and it's difficult not to gain it again. I'm not sure what the reasons are, whether metabolic or behavioral but this is simply a fact which most people who have ever been obese have to simply accept. Therefore it is not surprising to me that it seems like a lot of work, especially if, as you say, eating and drinking are major enjoyments for you and your partner.

 

Second, liposuction is not a weight loss method, it is a fat removal procedure which normally is limited to a certain area of the body. The friend of mine whom I mentioned in my above posting was in some ways a very good candidate for lipo -- he too worked out every day like a fiend but found himself left with fat deposits in his back and belly which seemingly would not go away no matter how hard he tried.

 

I think the best way to think about it is this: suppose you were somewhere a little above your "ideal" weight (by this I don't mean the anorexic weight that a lot of fat people wish they had, but some sort of sensible, unextreme weight for your height). Since your weight has fluctuated then at some time in your adult life you've probably been near or at this approximate ideal. Then think about how your body was at that time. Did you still have a lot of fat in places you didn't want, and it seemed like THEN you couldn't get rid of it? In my case I thought I did, but my sense of myself is so whacko I couldn't even tell you: I have lost all insight. But assuming you still have some insight about your appearance, and you answer the question with a "yes", then liposuction may make some sense, in my opinion, as a way to get rid of tenacious fat cells that have accumulated during periods of obesity and just won't go away. But you shouldn't think of lipo as a way to get thin, only as a way to perhaps rid yourself of some of the difficulty involved in *staying* in shape if you've been fat once (or, four times, like me!) I really do not think you can use lipo as a way to lose weight, because once you have it you are *still* going to have to exercise religiously and be careful about your food intake -- for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. This is the point most people don't get about diets, weight loss methods, etc. It is really about changing the way you live, and if you want to change your body forever, you have to change your behavior *forever*.

 

I'm sure you've heard some or all of this before, but I just wanted to make sure that you heard it again, and from someone who knows where you are coming from and has true empathy for your situation.

 

Final remark: some medications and some conditions slow the metabolism so that weight gain is well-nigh impossible. I'm assuming, for example, that you are not taking any psychotropic meds that do this and that you've had your thyroid function checked, and so forth. Certainly I'd get a complete physical with blood work to rule out such disorders prior to surgery.

 

Hope this makes sense to you. Whatever you decide to do, I hope you find peace with yourself.

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