Considering Liposuction

[soos_mite_ah]

I'm considering liposuction in my stomach. It is my biggest insecurity and no amount of therapy, self love, diet, and exercise has been working for me. It has helped significantly but I still find myself hitting a wall. I have been adopting a healthy diet and healthy relationship with food and I usually workout 3-4 times a week. 

I'm not looking at this as a substitute for weight loss (like I see myself probably losing max 10 lbs if I go through with this). I am fairly small in other areas of my body and this is just how my body typically distributes weight. I think it would really help me to clear up space my mind because I find myself being fixated on this emotionally and mentally. I often find myself body checking and being tempted to back slide into unhealthy habits because of how my stomach looks. Having this stomach and always having weight loss for the sake of spot reduction in the back of my mind is really taking a toll on me. I know for certain that if I were to aim for a flat stomach through diet and exercise, I would easily spiral into dangerous habits because my body is not naturally built like that.  If I were to get this surgery, I would only focus on my back (to even some things out/ so that it's proportional) and stomach both because of cost and because I feel like doing anything more would just be me nitpicking and doing the most. I feel like every other body insecurity I have is something that is either in passing or that I have made peace with but the stomach thing has been constant for a very long time. Other than my stomach, I more or less love the way that I look most of the time. 

What are some signs that plastic surgery or liposuction is right for you and that you are doing it consicously? Have any of you guys considered it or have gone through with it and why or why not? 

Edited July 22, 2022 by soos_mite_ah

[Leo Gura]

It's a bad idea because you'll just gain it back and it will look worse because you will have lost valuable fat cells forever.

Instead I suggest you get serious about optimizing your diet. Stop eating grains and refined carbs and I guarantee you'll lose the weight and keep it off forever. The reason you have belly fat is because you're eating refined carbs and other junk food.

It's not a lack of exercise, it's the bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc that you eat.

[ZenAlex]

Here's an idea that may work - 

Go out to the beach and don't hide your belly. Walk out with it showing. Do this regularly for a while. It's exposure.

If you can walk around looking like that in front of people, not deliberately drawing attention, but just walking around, then It may send signals to your mind/brain that there's no issue.

Your issue is with how it looks.

I find when I spend less time looking in the mirror, I feel better. I was insecure, for some reason, about my hair at one point. So instead of styling it, I would often go outside doing nothing with it, and let it be messy. 

It may not make the insecurity go away completely, but it may make you care a lot less.

[Jannes]

7 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

It's a bad idea because you'll just gain it back and it will look worse because you will have lost valuable fat cells forever.

Instead I suggest you get serious about optimizing your diet. Stop eating grains and refined carbs and I guarantee you'll lose the weight and keep it off forever. The reason you have belly fat is because you're eating refined carbs and other junk food.

It's not a lack of exercise, it's the bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc that you eat.

You can way easier overeat on fats then on complex carbs. 
Sure fruits, veggies, lean proteins are king for saturation relative to their amount of calories but complex carbs like legumes, potatoes, rice, whole grains, etc. are also great and filling. What is that carb hate about ?

[soos_mite_ah]

12 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

It's a bad idea because you'll just gain it back and it will look worse because you will have lost valuable fat cells forever.

Instead I suggest you get serious about optimizing your diet. Stop eating grains and refined carbs and I guarantee you'll lose the weight and keep it off forever. The reason you have belly fat is because you're eating refined carbs and other junk food.

It's not a lack of exercise, it's the bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc that you eat.

I've tried the low carb route and it personally hasn't worked for me. I am working with a nutritionist with this and I have made excellent progress on my blood work as I was deficient in multiple things and my horomones were out of wack due to my history of restrictive dieting over the years. Elimination diets are personally not for me mentally or physically. 

And also, during the times i have lost weight, very little of it has been on around my stomach. I'm relatively lean and muscular in other parts of my body except my stomach. 

 

[ZenAlex]

22 minutes ago, Jannes said:

You can way easier overeat on fats then on complex carbs. 
Sure fruits, veggies, lean proteins are king for saturation relative to their amount of calories but complex carbs like legumes, potatoes, rice, whole grains, etc. are also great and filling. What is that carb hate about ?

It's the type of carb that matters, but I've heard many fat people say low carb helped because fats and proteins satiate them for longer than carbs.

[Jannes]

5 minutes ago, ZenAlex said:

It's the type of carb that matters, but I've heard many fat people say low carb helped because fats and proteins satiate them for longer than carbs.

Yes but it’s not clear that Leo only excluded these. Bread, pasta and rice can be wholegrain and potatoes are literally the best diet food. All different kind of studies independently found out that potatoes have an absurd high satiety index (satiety for the amount of calories). So that’s what kinda triggered me.
 Oh and also it’s about the the kind of fat source as well. Raw almonds for example will keep you full for way long the let’s say peanut butter > oil > refined fats. 

[soos_mite_ah]

I have a healthy diet and exercise routine. I decided to work with a nutritionist so that I could get a professional opinion because following waaay too much diet advice from not the best reputable sources gave me a very fucked up relationship with food to where I lost my hunger cues entirely. My current diet has a lot of fruits and vegetables, carbs, protien (plant based and other wise), and healthy fats. I have variety in my diet as well as flexibility to where I'm not paranoid about the kinds of foods I encounter. I can also eat foods that might not be considered "healthy" in moderation without guilt. I haven't binged for a very long time now. I have more energy, more stable moods, and better blood work. I don't snack constantly nor do I have intense cravings. I had to put on a little bit of weight because of that which I am now ok with for the most part because I was basically starving myself before. I also built a good amount of muscle which I am proud of. I have an excercise routine that I genuinely enjoy and often look forward to which consists of weight training and low impact cardio depending on what I'm in the mood for. 

It's just that even with all of this, I naturally carry some weight in my stomach which I won't be able to get rid of unless I were to be extremely strict and go back to dysfunctional habits that will mess with my health over all. Because I still have body image issues which I'm afraid will cause me go back to restricting again, I think it's best to just get the surgery so I don't have to think about it ever again and continue with my healthy habits without being fixated on my appearance. I feel like it would help me greatly for my mental healthy both from a confidence stand point but also from the standpoint of addressing my body image. That said, since I'm otherwise happy with my body, I don't see this as something that would be spiraling out of control and result in me getting multiple procedures. I have thought about this for a few years now. I have made peace with the limitations of my body to where I'm not going to get on a crash diet to be something that is unrealistic for me but I also recognize that maybe a change is necessary for me to be at peace with myself. 

[something_else]

Are you sure your stomach is actually big? I've met at least 4 or 5 girls who were absolutely convinced they had way more fat than they really did. Especially in stomach/thighs.

I've also met jacked guys who thought they were skinny because they'd spent so much time looking in the mirror wondering if they were too skinny. Your mind warps your perception of your body soooo badly when you spend a lot of time obsessing over a single feature.

[soos_mite_ah]

@something_else Well... it certainly isn't flat that's for sure

[something_else]

15 minutes ago, soos_mite_ah said:

@something_else Well... it certainly isn't flat that's for sure

If a jacked dude can think he's as skinny as a twig, it's also possible you perceive your stomach as much less flat than it really is

False perception of your own body is super duper common, almost everyone has it for at least one or two features they feel insecure about so it's worth considering

[soos_mite_ah]

@something_else It's something like this. 

Like it isn't so much to where I would need to prioritize weight loss before the procedure and I can hide it with most clothes. But it is enough to really bother me and get under my skin. I would estimate that I have about 5lbs of fat here. 

[soos_mite_ah]

@Something Funny I've experimented for 10 years and got myself several nutritional deficiencies in the process. 

I would consider something granted that it isn't overly restrictive or unrealistic but honestly, surgery seems like the thing that would put this to end once and for all with less complications. Recovery takes 4-5 days and then it takes a few weeks for your body to settle in to it. 

[John Iverson]

3 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

It's a bad idea because you'll just gain it back and it will look worse because you will have lost valuable fat cells forever.

Instead I suggest you get serious about optimizing your diet. Stop eating grains and refined carbs and I guarantee you'll lose the weight and keep it off forever. The reason you have belly fat is because you're eating refined carbs and other junk food.

It's not a lack of exercise, it's the bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc that you eat.

If i jog is it okay for now to do that? 

[Razard86]

5 hours ago, soos_mite_ah said:

I'm considering liposuction in my stomach. It is my biggest insecurity and no amount of therapy, self love, diet, and exercise has been working for me. It has helped significantly but I still find myself hitting a wall. I have been adopting a healthy diet and healthy relationship with food and I usually workout 3-4 times a week. 

I'm not looking at this as a substitute for weight loss (like I see myself probably losing max 10 lbs if I go through with this). I am fairly small in other areas of my body and this is just how my body typically distributes weight. I think it would really help me to clear up space my mind because I find myself being fixated on this emotionally and mentally. I often find myself body checking and being tempted to back slide into unhealthy habits because of how my stomach looks. Having this stomach and always having weight loss for the sake of spot reduction in the back of my mind is really taking a toll on me. I know for certain that if I were to aim for a flat stomach through diet and exercise, I would easily spiral into dangerous habits because my body is not naturally built like that.  If I were to get this surgery, I would only focus on my back (to even some things out/ so that it's proportional) and stomach both because of cost and because I feel like doing anything more would just be me nitpicking and doing the most. I feel like every other body insecurity I have is something that is either in passing or that I have made peace with but the stomach thing has been constant for a very long time. Other than my stomach, I more or less love the way that I look most of the time. 

What are some signs that plastic surgery or liposuction is right for you and that you are doing it consicously? Have any of you guys considered it or have gone through with it and why or why not? 

Its your life so I won't tell you what to do, but this doesn't solve the problem. We all will eventually get old, if you cannot love your look, when you get old you will suffer immensely. This isn't a physical issue its an acceptance of your beauty. You are way too hard on yourself.

[Michael569]

See if living without Instagram, Facebook & Youtube (100% removal of apps and locking of accounts by another person) would help you feel better about yourself one month from now  Burn all magazines related to fitness, beauty and that sort of crap. Hell I'd even consider not using any makeup during this period. The stress of constant comparing with yourself with your beauty standards isn't probably helping. 

Spend some more time in nature. Grab a backpack and go on a hike few times a week if you can. Helps you reflect better and takes your attention from withing more to the outside. Maybe pitch a tend by the lake sie and spend a few nights on a solo trip. Lots could be unravelled during that trip. Look at the stars, observe birds, fish, bugs and animals. 

Nature can help you spend some time reflecting on your strengths, on your positives and on what makes you special and unique.

If you do all this and still feel like lipo is the best way forward, then do it. 

[soos_mite_ah]

@Michael569 Definitely taking note of this. 

I'm not planning on going through with this any time soon. I still don't know how things will come up as far as cost goes or if I'm an ideal candidate for this at all. If I do decide to do this, it might be a couple years from now once I graduate, move out, and save up some money.  Who knows, maybe I'll reconsider and not go through this at all. If that is the case and I find that kind of self love in myself, then I'll be more than happy to let this go. 

I'm venting at this point and putting my thoughts out there: 

I just think that it's a good idea to talk through this. I hope this isn't how I'm coming off as but I don't want people to come on this thread thinking that I already made up my mind and that I'm looking for a fight in the thread. I just want to talk things out to make sure if this decision is coming from a reasonable place. I am aware of the obvious pitfalls such as using surgery to escape unhealthy eating habits, getting addicted to fixing things, and making an impulse decisions for these things. But I guess what I'm look for is a sanity check to make sure this is coming from a consicous place. 

I'm not going to sit here and act like this is a super empowering decision for women in general. I am aware that a lot of the thoughts that I have about my body don't exist in a vacuum and have things like misogyny, capitalism, and whatever current trend there is affecting my perception. I also don't think that plastic surgery, lipo, or any surgery for aesthetic purposes should be stigmatized because that adds to the problem of people not disclosing things and perpetuating unrealistic standards. At the same time, I do see these kinds of surgery as a form of last resort if nothing else is working given that you're otherwise psychologically stable (i.e. as in not having an eating disorder, not having a 1000 things you want to fix, not doing this for approval etc.). This is definitely not for everyone and it isn't something to trivialize or normalize. 

And I know that I do hold myself to an unrealistic standard. I know that if I eat right and exercise, I'm still not going to be as lean as other people who do the same thing because we're all different and healthy doesn't have one look. But at the same time, my stomach is still something that really bothers me. I have worked on self acceptance and I will continue to do so until I have the means to do this but it's only doing so much. Again, maybe in a couple years I'll be able to move on with my life idk. I'm just wondering if I'm at that stage of *this is my last resort*

[Pavement]

Have you heard of ‘EMS’ training ? I have a few friends who do it.  It’s some kind of electric pulse that works out the muscles, you do it with a trainer. I know a few people who started doing it along with there usual workouts and they are happy with results 

[Average Investor]

5 hours ago, soos_mite_ah said:

Because I still have body image issues which I'm afraid will cause me go back to restricting again, I think it's best to just get the surgery so I don't have to think about it ever again and continue with my healthy habits without being fixated on my appearance.

Do you think if you went through with surgery that you would really never have to think about it again? Would it solve the root issue? 

 

[something_else]

6 hours ago, soos_mite_ah said:

@something_else It's something like this. 

Like it isn't so much to where I would need to prioritize weight loss before the procedure and I can hide it with most clothes. But it is enough to really bother me and get under my skin. I would estimate that I have about 5lbs of fat here. 

Again you aren't an impartial judge. Your perception of it will be a lot worse than reality because you're insecure about it