It's not uncommon for people who have a tummy tuck to have a smaller appetite for the first three to six months following their surgery. The tightening of skin and muscles in your abdomen may cause your stomach to feel constricted, encouraging you to eat less.
Patients who undergo a tummy tuck may feel that their appetite has changed. They may only eat a small breakfast and then not be hungry again until dinnertime. In most cases, this is temporary, resulting from tightened abdominal muscles, which may result in repositioned stomach and/or intestines.
After your tummy tuck surgery, you may probably weigh 4 to 10 pounds less, and this is due to the removal of excess skin and a bit of the fat layer attached to the excess skin. In other words, you won't see a drastic drop on the scale after the surgery.
Long-term effects
Some people experience numbness or a pulling sensation for weeks or months after a tummy tuck, but this is typically normal and often fades with time. It can take up to three months for the swelling and bruising to go down completely, and it may take longer than that for your scar to fade.
It takes six weeks for the body to heal from cosmetic surgery. Swelling may last several weeks, but most patients are fully recovered in three months or less. At this point, it's safe to begin exercising and resuming normal activities.
This is a positive psychological effect of Tummy Tuck or any Body Contouring Surgery. For the first 4-6 weeks there is a metabolic change in the body to catabolism which can promote weight loss.
It is even harder to keep the weight at bay from your tummy once you've lost it. Recent studies are showing patients who undergo abdominoplasty – better known as a tummy tuck – are keeping the weight off and even losing weight long after their surgery. Learn more about the long lasting benefits of the tummy tuck.
Monitor Your Diet
After your tummy tuck, make sure you eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, and healthy fats. These foods can help you maintain a healthy weight and provide the nutrients you need to help your body heal.
In the first week after tummy tuck surgery, Dr. Patronella recommends patients take short walks of 10 minutes, gradually increasing this to one mile, twice daily by days 10 to 14 days after the procedure.
If you have a “mini tummy tuck” with a smaller incision, you'll likely need between one and three weeks of elevated sleeping. On the other hand, full-tummy tuck patients require about four weeks, with six weeks of limiting any strenuous exercise or lifting.
After a full tummy tuck, you'll typically be advised to sleep in an elevated position for at least two weeks and possibly up to four to six weeks. After a mini tummy tuck, you'll be instructed to sleep with your upper body raised for at least a week and possibly for two or three weeks.
While minor weight fluctuations among adults are normal, significant weight gain (generally over ten pounds) after a tummy tuck can lead to the accumulation of excess fat in the stomach once again. In addition, stretch marks and loose skin may return, all of which can impact your tummy tuck results.
Avoid abdominal exercises and strenuous activities, such as bicycle riding, jogging, weight lifting, or aerobic exercise, for 6 to 8 weeks. For 6 weeks, avoid lifting anything that would make you strain.
It is rare, but possible, to have complications years after tummy tuck surgery. It sounds like you may have a chronic infection, possible along a deep, non-absorbable suture. It is concerning that you are draining pus from the belly button.
Most women lose between 2 and 3 pants sizes after a tuck, but there are patients who lose even more. If you had a lot of loose skin before the procedure, for example, you could go down 4 more pants sizes.
Having said this, most women after a tummy tuck will go down a size or two. Some will go down even more! However, some patients will not have a change of size, and rarely, some will actually wear a larger size. Most women will go down a size or two after an abdominoplasty and be very happy with their new appearance.
Answer: Why is Waist Bigger After Tummy Tuck
If it is soon after your surgery, this could be due to swelling. If it is more than 6 weeks after surgery, it is possible that you have gained weight.
Will fat come back after liposuction and tummy tuck? The fat cells that are removed via liposuction during a tummy tuck will not return, but this doesn't necessarily mean the cosmetic results are permanent. Weight gain can generate new fat cells and cause the remaining fat cells to become enlarged.
It is quite common to feel fatigued after surgery, regardless of whether it was a minor or major procedure. This is because your body expends a lot of energy afterward trying to heal.
Answer: Caffeine and Tummy Tuck
I generally ask my patient to refrain from excessive caffeine for the first couple of weeks. That means a cup a day is fine or they can drink decaffeinated coffee. My concern is with increasing blood pressure and heart rate resulting in bleeding or excessive fluid accumulation.
During body contouring procedures like a tummy tuck, fat cells are eliminated from the body and cannot return. Because of this, patients may gain weight in other places like the buttocks, legs, arms, and breasts.
Answer: Weight gain following tummy tuck
Weight gain may be caused by swelling or consuming more calories than you burn. All may be contributing, but make sure that you do not gain fat postop if you want the best results from your surgery.
Because the fat layer is not addressed, some patients can end up having a boxy look after the tummy tuck. This means that the tummy is flat and firm, but they don't have any curves, and they look more or less like a box.