Teresa and Tonya UNPLUGGED
Teresa & Tonya UNPLUGGED is a heartfelt and inspiring podcast that chronicles the personal journeys of two friends, Teresa and Tonya, who have dramatically changed their lives through bariatric surgery. With a focus on weight loss, wellness, and the ups and downs of life before and after surgery, this podcast offers a unique blend of personal stories, expert advice, and supportive tips for those considering or navigating the path of weight transformation.
Teresa Parent and Tonya Spanglo, having experienced the challenges and triumphs of bariatric surgery firsthand, share their insights, lessons learned, and the lifestyle changes that have helped them maintain their health and happiness.
Each episode features discussions on topics ranging from the emotional aspects of weight loss and the importance of mental health to practical advice on nutrition, exercise, and navigating social situations.
This podcast is more than just a weight loss podcast; it's a community where listeners can find motivation, encouragement, and understanding. Whether you're curious about bariatric surgery, in the midst of your own weight loss journey, or looking for ways to support a loved one, Teresa and Tonya invite you to join them in this unplugged version of the podcast.
Teresa and Tonya UNPLUGGED
Our Plastic Surgery Recovery Journey
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In this deeply personal episode of Transform Your Life, hosts Teresa and Tonya open up about the emotional and physical hurdles they've faced post-surgery. They share the highs and lows of their plastic surgery experiences.
Both hosts emphasize the unexpected challenges they encountered, including Tonya's breathing complications that led to life-threatening situations. Teresa relates with her own post-surgery breathing difficulties, shedding light on the stark realities of recovery.
As Teresa and Tonya reflect on the transformative nature of their journeys—from Tonya's newfound self-confidence to Teresa's revitalized outlook on life and love—they encourage listeners to embrace change, push out of comfort zones, and build supportive communities. They tackle criticism head-on, sharing how they respond to negativity and focus on the empowerment that their transformations have enabled.
📲 Follow & Connect:
Follow Transform Your Life Podcast on Instagram: @transformyourlifepodcast
Follow Tonya: @takingmylifebackat42
Follow Teresa: @transformingteresamarie | TikTok: @transformingteresamarie
Welcome to Transform Your Life with Teresa and Tonya, where we talk weight loss and all things in complete.
Ready to transform your journey from bariatric surgery to weight loss, to plastic surgery, to recovery? Top Recovery Systems is here to guide you every step of the way. With our unique comprehensive support system, we match you with top surgeons, provide customized wellness plans, and offer financing solutions to make your dream a reality. From concierge wellness, mental health, to nutrition, our team is dedicated to your success. Don't navigate this path alone. Join Pop Recovery Systems and experience a seamless supported transformation. Visit us at poprecoverysystems.com to learn more and start your journey to a new you.
Hey, guys. Welcome back. Tanya and I have been recovering from skin removal surgery, and we are so excited to be back recording our next episode. I am 1 month, 1 week post op plastic surgery. I had a full bilateral thigh lift with monsplasty and liposuction. And my girl, Tanya, how are you doing?
I'm doing really good. So I'm 1 month out today. I cannot believe it's been a month. I had the Fleur De Lys. I had the full all the way around, which you guys know I struggled with making the decision to go all the way around just to the front on the lower body lift. I am 100% so glad I went all the way around because the recovery is I haven't even noticed my back, like, at all. That's been my least part is my back. It's giving me no trouble at all.
And then I had a breast lift, and then the fact that they removed from liposuction areas on my back and my saddlebags and my armpits and my stomach.
They took the good fat
and put that in my breast because I didn't want implants. And so I'm one month out today and, my life is forever changed. Like, Doctor. Redmond. She is my hero and I've called we've talked almost every day since then we have, my friend, we talked last night because I'm having a small little issue with my belly button, but it's nothing to be, like, too concerned about. And she always eases my fears on my butt about this. Look at this. I sent her so many pictures, and she's like, Tanya, it's fine.
Like, I Yes. I see these pictures all the time. It's fine. But, yeah, my life has changed. I have on clothes today, pants that I wore a couple of months back, and they were so tight. And I didn't feel comfortable in them. And I have the same pants on today, and they fit. They're almost too big, actually.
Everything has changed in 1 month for my life, so I'm super grateful for that.
You know, you have me covered in chills. The Internet has been buzzing with your recovery. My DMs have been blowing up with people concerned, you know, wanting to know how you were doing, and you and I have stayed in, like, constant contact and everything. And I've gone through a very similar surgery to what you have gone through, And I know how life changing that surgery is, how intense the recovery can be, and no matter how much you prepare for a surgery like that, there are always things that come up. So I wanna dive right into you and your surgery journey. I know we went round and round before about you not wanting the surgery to do the full around for your back and everything, and I'm so glad that you did. We said that doctor Wrennan had told you people regret not doing it, but no one regrets doing it. So
Yes. I tell us a little bit about
what your recovery has been like. I know that you had so a really scary moment, you know, that you haven't shared publicly maybe, but, it's important for people to know that, you know, these these issues are real. Plastic surgery, as much as you can prepare for it, things come up, but you have had an amazing support team, your family, PAP recovery, and everything. So tell us a little bit. How are you doing? How are you feeling? And what were some of the moments that stood out to you good and bad through this whole journey so far?
So I'm feeling good now, but I was not feeling good for a long time. I was weak. I short of breath. I'm a shallow breather. I never knew that. Doctor Redmond was the one that found that out. My surgery went about 3 hours over the time limit that it should have gone because they could barely wake me up because I was a shallow breather, so they couldn't get my oxygen level to where I could stay awake. I just kept kept going back under.
I just kept going back to sleep. It could not get me awake. So for me, that wasn't scary because I didn't know it was happening. But for my husband, who was there and my med Miami nurse was there, and Charvelle for pop recovery. They were all there. That was very scary for them because they were like, what is taking like, what is going on? My husband got to a point to where he was like, okay. Like, what is happening? It's been 3 hours longer than it's supposed to be. They could not keep my oxygen level up.
They let them come back, may and thought that maybe my husband could wake me up and keep me awake. So it was really scary. It was scary for them, not me, because I didn't know that was happening. So I'm a shallow breather, which means I can get pneumonia very easily after surgery. So I have a little breather. I was gonna put it on my desk because I need to do it about every other hour. I have a little breathing machine that I breathe into 15 times deep breaths. So that's something that I wasn't expecting I wasn't expecting to have to, you know, breathe every other hour into a breathing tube.
Med Miami was there with me. I was so thankful for Marquita. She was amazing. She stayed with me. Pop recovery actually got her to stay with me extra days because I was so weak afterwards. And I'm strong. Like, I'm a walker. Like, you guys know me.
Like, I walk every morning. I get up. I'm not a sitter. I'm not like, I used to be. I used to sit all day long and landed that all day long. I don't do that now. I proud myself on not doing that. So I honestly thought not that this would be a walk in the park.
I knew it wasn't going to be, but I honestly thought I would be stronger, and I was so weak. I could barely move. My husband had to help me. Charbel was there to help me. Helped me with every move that I did. They had to help me. I was so weak.
I know as your friend talking to you almost daily, seeing you, video chatting because we video chatted often. I was I was afraid, and I know what it was like to be at that phase of the of that recovery. It's not an easy recovery. No matter how much support you set like, you have, no matter how much you prepare, it takes a major toll on your body. And there were moments where I was afraid when I went to go see my plastic surgeon for my follow-up, they were asking about you because they were concerned. I mean, my my DMs, thousands of people were concerned. Now you mentioned the breathing issue. So can you tell us a little bit more about some of the issues you had that you've dealt with?
Yes. And so doctor Redmond informed me and my husband went in the they pulled out the plug when they pulled out their tube from me being under, that it was attached to a huge mucus plug. And so I had about 2 weeks before that, I had flu b. And so we're not sure if it's because I'm a shallow breather or because I had food. We don't know why my the bottom of my lungs are filled with mucus. And so she did say they pulled a huge mucus plug out when they pulled the tube out, but that all of it didn't come out. And so I'm very grateful for the support team that I had. If I didn't have that support team, if I did not have Marquita and Starvel and my husband, I'm going to tell you that I would not be here today because I had a little episode of I'll get emotional because this is a I shared this with you, Teresa, but I have not shared this with the world.
I took my first shower, and I had a shower chair. We did everything right. And since then, I have thought about it. It's the it was the steam the steam of the shower. You know, it breaks up your mucus, and they said it didn't all come out. And so after you had the surgery, I I was instructed I had to be blow dried, and so I was laying flat on the bed. They had got me all 3 of them, Bobby, Marquis, and Charbelle. They had got me over to the bed, and I was propped up on all my pillowway just like I was supposed to be, but I was laying flat so they could get under my breast with the blow dryer.
Everything had to be blow dry. And all of a sudden, I just started choking. I had a this a big slim come up. Well, at this moment, this is like the day after surgery, and so I was super weak. I I could not cough. I was supposed to put a pillow over my abdomen. If I sneezed or coughed or anything, such pain was there. I couldn't like, I can now.
I couldn't do that. So I that slim, I sit up immediately, and I looked at them. Marquita was on my right. Charbel was on my left, and my husband was in front of me. And they were like, what? And I was like, it's okay. I have a a phlegm, but I can't get it up. And it just kept rising up, and it cut off my windpipe. I could not breathe.
In that moment, I could not breathe. I could not get it. Marquita was like, spit out. Like like, clear it out. Charvel was going clear it out. My husband was like, just just spit it out. And I couldn't talk. I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't do anything. It would not go up, and it would not go down, and I panicked. I I did. My husband and I'm I know I did, but he's told me the look in your eyes, you thought you were dying. He we've had this conversation since. And it went on, in my mind. It seemed like it lasts over a minute. My husband has looked it up, but you can go 3 minutes to that oxygen.
So he was like, you weren't gonna die. But Marquita had to get on the bed and literally so after surgery, I'm stitched all the way around. She had to beat my back to death, basically, to get that to either move up or move down. And Sarvelle was pulling on me try they were just trying to get the lodge to move, and it would not move. I'm not kidding you when I tell you. I thought in that my whole life lasted for my eyes in that moment, and all I could see was my kids and my grandkids. And I thought I was going to die. And he he couldn't help.
He doesn't know what to do. He has nothing medical, and they're beating my back. And she's pulling on me, and finally, I just swallowed it. It went down. And I do I was I pretty much just passed out on bed because I was so exhausted, but I thought I was gonna die in that moment. I I really did. I I really did. I thought I've got this surgery, and I'm gonna die from it.
And if it would not have been for Med Miami and Charvelle, I think I would have, because my husband didn't know what to do, and I didn't know what to do. And so that is so emotional for me to even it's so emotional for me to even talk about. Well, then for the days after, I couldn't go in that bedroom. I couldn't lay in the bed because that was supposed to be my recovery bed. I couldn't even look at that bed, so I had to use a completely different bathroom. I was so traumatized. I'm still traumatized by that moment. I still haven't laid down flat ever.
I've never laid down flat since my surgery. I have 4 pillows on my bed right now that I sleep on every night I sleep up. It has I'm so scared that that's still in there. And I know now that I'm strong enough to get it up, but I'm I'm traumatized. Like, it it that moment traumatized me.
I remember, because we we had talked, and you were very emotional, and you were telling me about it. I I got obviously, I was very choked up and so upset for you that you had to go through something like that, but I wanted I wanna touch on the importance of your team and having the support because when I had my my Fleur de Lis last year, I had a breathing complication. I got a pulmonary embolism in my lung, and when I called for help, I called 911. It was a team of men. They were not familiar with dealing with any issues related to plastic surgery. And so I was treated as though I was a hysterical female because I was wearing a compression garment, and they so they wouldn't listen to me, and they laid me flat. And I remember driving in the ambulance. It was pouring rain.
They had to redirect me to 3 hospitals because it was New Year's Eve, and I thought for a good 45 minutes that I was gonna die flat on my back. I couldn't breathe. I was all alone. And so when you were telling me that story, that was flashing back in my mind, and I'm thinking to myself, thank God you had your team there. You had the nurse. You had Bobby. You had Charvao. You had people who knew that there could be complications that could arise like that, that something like that could happen.
And that's why it's so important that we talk about plastic surgery, that we talk about skin removal. And the fact that no matter how much you are prepared, you need to have people when you are going through a recovery like that who are going to be there for you, who are gonna advocate for you, who are going to support you and look for those signs. Because had you not had that, had you been alone, Tanya?
Absolutely. Had I been alone, I would not be here today. I don't have a a shadow of a doubt about that moment. I owe Charvel and Marquita and my husband, my wife. I can never repay them for what they did for me. And then in the days coming, they could see that I was traumatized by that, And so they just shut that bedroom door because every time I had to walk past it to go to the restroom, I had to so they just shut the door. What they were so fabulous. The fridge was soft, but I didn't want anything in the fridge.
I'll be honest with you. They sent they asked me what I wanted to eat, the foods I normally eat. Protein wise, I sent them a huge list. They bought it. They stocked the fridge. I wanted none of it. I was so. My husband was like, you are being so contrary.
They have all this food, and I was like, but none of it sounds good to me. I have, right now, I'm having a hard time. I have my water here, but I'm having a really hard time getting in my water right now. My lips stay tapped, and so that's the telltale sign of dehydration. My lymphatic lady, she came on Monday. And as soon as she saw me, my leg, had little bit of leg tremors when she's doing my legs, and she's massaging me. And she looked at my lips, and she said, you're dehydrated. 100%.
You're dehydrated. And so I'm really trying to get back on you're just not hungry. You're not hungry after surgery.
You don't wanna drink.
Yeah. You you can drink your protein shakes, and you can drink your water, but, like, set a timer on your phone. Do whatever you can to try to get it in because I got myself so low because I was traumatized by that moment for 1. I knew my husband was leaving for 2, and it was just it's an it's a feeling of you're just sick. You just don't feel good. And then you have to dry your bandages and change your dressings and just they did all that for me, and I just I couldn't imagine if I had to go through that by myself. I I could not imagine anyone going through that. I had someone ask me this morning if I had a regular job where I had to go in to physically go in to work, would I be able to? I'm 1 month out today, and it took every strength that I had this morning, every ounce of strength I had to get ready to do this podcast this morning.
And so there's no way. Like, I it has taken a toll on my body. Doctor Rednam has told me. My husband has told me. You know, when they cut off your skin, there are all your fat, all your nutrients, all of your everything is absorbed right here in this area. They cut all that out. Your hormones, I've I've never cried so much in my life as I had this past month, the hallmark commercial I'm crying at 30 seconds in. I mean, I Bobby can say one little snippy thing, and it's just I'm in tears.
And so it's your hormones and your nutrients, and everything is being cut out. And your body has to have you have to give your body time to produce all that again. And I think that that's the part I wasn't ready for. I wasn't ready for all the emotions and all of the I need help because I haven't needed help since I had my weight loss surgery and lost my weight. I've been I'm a super independent woman. I can do it. I can do it.
That trigger you too, though, for me? Because I remember, when they when they cut off the £47 last year, like you're saying, I went to sleep. I woke up 3 hours later, and my body is £47 lighter, and you're so emotional. You're so exhausted. You're all the things. Yes. But also as having been weight loss warriors like we are, we've gotten to the point where we take care of everything ourself, and I don't like to ask for help. I don't want the help because I pride myself in being able to do it. So having to ask for help, now that's something I've struggled with even going through my recovery with my thigh lift.
I was apologizing constantly to Mike. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I need help. I'm sorry. I need you to I need you to sit me up. I'm sorry. I need you to help me with my my garment.
Like and he's like, baby, you don't need to be sorry. And, of course, your team is the same way. Don't be sorry. Don't feel that you need the help, but mentally and emotionally, you are going through so many things all at one time. And I don't know about you, but I've definitely had little bouts of depression since my surgery. I feel great sometimes, but, like, having to wear the garment, having the open incisions, having all the swelling, and and, like you said, the mental, emotional, physical aspect of healing itself, it takes a toll on your body. And Mhmm. You and I have great support networks.
That's why we're always pushing that to people telling everyone, like, you need a tribe.
You need an owl. You you have to have an owl.
If I didn't have you to call to,
if I didn't have you to call anytime, I like, this, the falls me crazy. The commission garment you have to wear, it draws me nuts. I'm already in my second one, and I'm not on the last hoop yet. And doctor already the last appointment was like, do you need a smaller? No. I was like, no. And I'm not. And I'm not. I can barely breathe, but she was like, that is what shapes your body.
You have to wear that. That's what's the way to shape your waist and keep the saddlebags that they allowed off. Keep those off, like, the entire thing. And it's the fall hot drives me crazy, but
I Same.
For help.
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So there was one more year I couldn't get up. I could not get up out of bed, and I'm having my wedge pillows, and I have my all my pillows behind me. So I'm basically almost up. I could not get myself I tried to move my elbow. I poked my elbows in. I scooted Bobby's pillows over. Like, I was not asking for him to come and just get me out of bed that day. And I almost pulled the stitches underneath my armpit because they took all my side boob off.
I almost pulled those stitches because I'm so stubborn headed. He came in, and he said, what are you doing? And I was like, I'm trying to get up. And he was like, and you didn't call me in here. Why? You've almost pulled the stitches out of your armpit. And he was like, do you wanna have to go back to Houston, or do you want to ask me for help? And I was like, please help me out. And so he got me up, and he was like, from now on, it's just a known thing. When you wake up, because he wakes up before I do now, our routine has completely flip flopped. I I sleep later.
We used to get up together. Now we don't. I sleep. As soon as you wake up, call for me. I will come and help you out. And it's just it's just a little pull of his hands on my hands. It's just a little bit of help to take that tension off of my belly button, off of my stomach, But it's so hard. It is so hard to ask my daughter, who's here, to do things because I pride myself on being, you know what? I didn't do this for 40 years almost.
I let everybody else do everything around this house or this house was filthy. And now it's hard for me to say, like, k. The dishes need to be done, and I can't stand that long to do them yet. I can rinse out my things and put them in the sink, but they need to be in the dishwasher a lot. Can you put them in the dishwasher? It's hard for me to say. Can you help me put my pants on? Can you put my can you tie my shoes? Just little things like that. It's so hard, but as we pride ourselves on being strong, independent women that have conquered the world, basically. And we wanna get back to
our new normal. Right? You wanna get back to your normal. You wanna feel normal. Again. These the reason why we share all of these, personal private details is because we know that there are others out there who are dealing with the same thing, you know, who are going through plastic surgery, who may be going through any kind of bariatric surgery, and you may be doing it alone. You know? But this goes to show you, no matter how much you can prepare, you need to know that you're gonna be flexible. You're gonna have to be flexible. You may have stocked up on all the foods and protein shakes, but you need to know that you may not be able to drink them.
You're also gonna need to be prepared to ask for help and fight that inner part of you that doesn't want to ask for help. So if you're going through this, know you're not alone. Tommie and I have both been going through it in our own ways. For me this time around, I will say that, having my full thigh lift and they threw in the monsplasty last minute, which was gaining JG for me, This has been a much easier surgery physically for me mentally and emotionally. I don't think my body has still caught up with the with the fleur de lis than I had last year. I mean, all within the time period just over a year, I've had 2 plastic surgery experiences, and I am so grateful for them. They have changed my life, my body image, the way I think about myself, the way I move through the world. And I couldn't be happier, but it's still hard.
It's still really, really hard, and I know that you have been going through it. And I'm so grateful this is a band where we share because we're we're genuinely friends, and we have kept each other going through this entire experience. And Mhmm. I just am so grateful for you, for our friendship, for the pop recovery team who literally like, if it wasn't for them, I would not have been making the proper food and nourishing my body
or gonna say.
Dealing with the mental health aspect of it. They have literally kept me going.
When I had weight loss surgery four and a half years ago, I didn't have a support system like I have now. I had my husband. I had my kids, and I had my mom back then because she was so wet as and, had no mental, had no nutrition, had no I mean, I had a nutritionist that was at the clinic I was at, and she was amazing. But it there was no if I need something from home, like, we had Zoom, like I do with Top Recovery. So I've already I mean, I've as soon as surgery was over, my phone was flooded, of course, with text, but it was all from the POTS team. They were like, how are you? Let's set up. When you're ready for the mental, let's do that. When you're ready, if you need help with the nutrition because, Charbelle told us your taste had changed.
Let's talk about that. Let's let's talk about all that. And so and I also think our bodies are so much and you had told me this. Our bodies are so much healthier now going through plastics than they were when we went through our weight loss surgery. So that's a huge factor. Going into weight loss surgery, I was not healthy. I was that was hard for me. I mean, this this has also been hard, but I don't think doctor Rednan, if I wasn't in shape like I am now, there's no way that I could have had all all of this set at one time.
There's no way. And something else I wanna touch on is the medication. I wanna touch on that because for me so I had 2 narcotics that I was to take, and I know you warned me about those. I had 5 to 7 other people warned me about not staying on the narcotics too long, and I did. I I I did. I've only been off of I'm a month out, and I've only been off of the narcotics for 5 days. And so I text doctor, and I told her I was panicking because I was just taking the medicine like I was in the beginning. I stayed taking the medicine just like from the beginning all the way to about 3 weeks.
And I text her, and I was like, listen. I only have 2 oxy left. I only have I think I had 4 Valium left, and I was like, I've gotta have another prescription. And she was like, well, listen. You should be off of those basically already. That's for the beginning. Those are not things that you stay on and and try to rely on. Well, I wasn't taking one of those doses out and putting in the Tylenol like I should have.
So I've had friends come over since I've been off in the past 5 days. I've had about 2 friends that they check on me every day. So they've come over. They literally I didn't even know this. You probably know this, Teresa. You'll tell me this probably. One of my friends, she said, this is the first lucid conversation that we've had with you. You fell off blah blah blah blah blah blah.
You were every word you slurred for 3 weeks, you slurred. You didn't know what you were talking about. You were out of it. You would fall asleep during conversations. Like, you're just, like, in and out. This is the first lucid conversation that we've had, and I was like, what? And they were like, yeah. And then my other friend was like, you stopped taking the narcotics, didn't you? And I was like, yes. So that is something that needs to be talked about more.
I totally agree, and we did have that conversation prior to. And the only reason that I even was aware of that was because of my plastic surgery last year, and the narcotics really messed me up. I stayed on them for weeks. For myself, this last time with my surgery, I stopped the narcotics after 3 days. That was so hard for me to do, but I don't like the way that they make me feel mentally, physically, emotionally. They really mess with me.
I didn't wanna get up every hour and walk like I was supposed to. I wasn't getting my walking in. I wasn't meeting my protein goal. I wasn't even comprehending that I I wasn't even taking my vitamins, and I always take my vitamins. That's something that I'm super strict about. That was all that, and my husband attested that too. He was like, Tanya, this past week, you're a completely different person. You are you.
You are back. You are spunky. You've got a little attitude going. And he was like, before, you were just like, okay. Whatever. Like, you were groggy. And he was like, that was so I'm so glad that I'm not taking those anymore.
Yeah. That's that's a hard thing to do to pull yourself off of those painkillers, I know, and start replacing it with Tylenol, but it does start to bring you back to feeling like yourself again, which is so important. And I can see that today with you. I've seen it the past few days that you're starting to feel like yourself again, and I'm so glad. And that I'm glad that you brought that top of the deck because people think that the longer you stay on it, the better that it is for you. But like you said, I struggled too last year with not eating or moving or drinking because you're staying drugged. Again, so important to rely on your support network because they can call you out on that, and they can try to help you and guide you and get you back on track. And we are all so glad that you are doing better, that you're feeling better.
Let's talk I wanna talk a little bit about how we looked and how we're feeling because you have gone through massive changes physically. I've seen some of the pictures, the ones you sent me and I'm like, oh my god. I'm so happy for you. I know how that must feel. Wanna talk about that a
little bit? Yes. It feels amazing. There was a song that I found. You know, I searched for, like, the perfect songs. I I love songs and quotes and things like that. And it says, I've been waiting for this moment forever. I feel like I've been waiting for this moment forever. And that's exactly what I feel like.
When I look in the mirror and I don't have on my compression garments and I'm fresh out of the shower and I've been blow dried and I can see my shape, and I have my breasts where they're supposed to be, and they're perky. And I have a little bitty tiny waist that I got from my mom. Even though doctor Redden helped me out with that, that's from my mom. And I do not have a hanging skin. I can see my vagina when I look in the mirror. I can see, so so even I have a spot on it helped my legs, which is which is what doctor Rednam told me. When you go all the way around with the lift, it is not only just going to help your stomach area. It is going to be, like, a little bit of a butt lift, a little bit of that pubic area lift, which I definitely needed.
I had a little awning there going on, and it's gonna lift your leg some. My husband watched the surgery, so he knows, like, how much they removed almost 20 pounds of stent, and then they put some back into my breast for the batch transfer. It is incredible. When I look in the mirror, my legs are slinger because they also LIPO'd off the saddlebag area, which would those saddlebags were huge pockets of fats as all those are. They lappled those off. When I look in the mirror, I feel fantastic. Even though I have I have all the stars and all of the things still tape and all that, I still can see my shape, and it's like that is what has been hiding under all of my loose skin this entire time. That's what's been hiding under there.
It's an amazing feeling. I have so much like, right now, I just don't wanna, Which everything is too big in my closet now, but I will still put them on, and I can look. And I can remember the last time I wore this to church. This was skin tight, and I can barely breathe. Like, the last time I had these pants on, people on the Internet made fun of me for wearing them, and now they look amazing on me. My daughter, she left when we started recording, and she was like, mom, I I I can't even believe that you woke this way. She's so proud. My husband is so proud.
Everyone like, I've had I've had 0 in my town. I went to the grocery store one time already, and everyone is just like, holy smokes. Like, you are a smoke show. And I'm like, I don't even know how to react to that comment because I feel like I was a smoke show, but am I? Am I a spoke show? I don't know. I don't know. I mean, I have good this and that and little bitty, and I've got curves. It feels really good. And I know you feel the same way.
You are a smoke show a 100%. And the reason I wanted to bring up how you feel is because I know that you and I both have gotten comments from people. Most people are super supportive, but the idea that we have had plastic surgery because we're vain or anything like that. And I I wanted you to share what you just did about the freedom, the sense of freedom that you haven't ever felt because that skin is removed. Now for both of us, in many ways, the surgeries were medically necessary. You lose tons of weight. You have all the loose skin. But I know for myself, having the skin removal surgeries, it's the first time in my entire life where I feel beautiful.
I am not constantly preoccupied in my thoughts with the loose skin, with the fact that people can see their skin hanging in different places. And for me, that's why I had the surgeries. That is why I did it. Not because I'm vain, not because I think I'm better than anybody else, or I don't want to wear my loose skin as a badge. I wanted so desperately that sense of freedom, and I hear that in your voice, and that makes me so happy.
That is what it is. It is freedom. That's like, right now, I could take my notebook and set it in my lap. I've never had a lap. I literally, 4 years ago, was putting a bowl of cereal on my belly and eating. Like, it was a table. It was like my table, and now I have a lap. I had one particular comment, and, it it you know, we get those comments, and we say, like, don't lead into the negative because there are to one negative comment, we had millions of positive ones, and that's so true.
But those negative comments sometimes get you because this lady in particular, she's told me for a long time. She said I'm unfollowing you. If you get the skin removal that you're talking about, I'm unfollowing you because you're no longer one of us. You're no longer obese. You're no longer a weight loss warrior like you say you are. So I'm unfollowing you if you get the surgery. And I never replied. I don't think I replied back to her, but that stuck with oh, no.
You what? You know what? I did. I clap back to her. That's right. I did. I clap back to her. I don't ever do a clap back, but I did clap back to her. And I said, I will always be one of you because I have been one of you, meaning morbidly obese my entire life. I will never forget what it felt like to want to stay home and your family go eat without you because you didn't want people looking at you or what you were eating.
I will never forget sitting at the bottom of the bleachers at every single ballgame both of my kids had because I couldn't come to this top sitting at the bottom alone because you could barely see at the bottom. But that was the only spot. Like, I will never forget all those feelings of being that morbidly obese person. What you and I are doing is trying to inspire those people to know that, you know what? If we did it, you can do it too. It is possible. You can transform your life. You can take your life back. That's what we're talking about.
That's why we're sharing our stories.
Transform your life, and that is what we've done. And transformation, it it involves many stages. There are many aspects of the transformational journey, and I am not ashamed or embarrassed of the stage that I am at in my life. I spent so most of my life weighing over £600, being isolated in a room, literally believing that I was probably just gonna die unhappy and never having really truly lived my life. And now I and I remember praying for a tribe. I wanted a strong group of women whose journeys resonated with my own, and I have that now because of our journeys, because in our paths collided, because we embarked on these journeys because we were brave and decided to take back control of our lives, and that is exactly what I say unites us. It is why we work together. It is why we have partnered with POP because we want to surround ourselves with other people, other women who are like minded, who are uplifting, who are strong, who are empowering, and who don't let the noise and the chatter, the negative things take precedence anymore.
We fight. We have fought to to bring our our inner light. Right? And there's nothing that's gonna stop us at all, and we want we want other people to to know that that is attainable. You can bring out that light again within you, and when you do, you're not gonna let anything stop you. And I know that right. You shine.
Mhmm. You shine. When you let that light come out, I love how you said that it seasons because that's how I've always felt about obitloss journey. Like, for me, I've always felt, and now that we have this community of weight loss warriors, whether you're at the beginning or whether you're at you've already had your plastics. There are people at every stage. In seasons. It's weight loss. You think about having the weight loss surgery for more of the obese.
I thought about it for years. I was so scared. Had no idea where to start. If I woulda had popped back then, this would have happened 10 years ago instead of just 4 years ago. And, you know, you have your surgery. There are people who are plateaued. There are people who have lost all the weight that they can possibly lose, and now they have a loose skin, but they can't afford to get it removed. Like, it's it's just seasons.
It's stages. You can do it all. You can go from start to finish. Now that pop is here because now they can finance for you if your insurance doesn't approve it. Like, there are so many things. That's why we're that's why we're talking about this. People think, oh, well, they got their skin removed, but that's not attainable for me. Yes.
It is. You lost your weight. You're left with loose skin. I've had so many just like you said, wear it as a badge. I've had so many people say, well, you I thought you wore your loose skin as a badge. I did because that's where I thought my journey ended, and then I had a new opportunity. And I took it, and I grabbed it. And I and now look.
A month 1 month and 1 month, I have completely changed my life with doctor Random's help, Med Miami's help, pop recovery's help, my husband's help, my kids' help, your help forever. Like, my I never have to I never have to worry about is are my roles sticking out? Are they I'm gonna get a rash in the summer, and I'm gonna sink, and I'm going to, you know, all the things that go with loose skin. My life is changed forever, and I'm forever grateful for. I will shout this from every mountain top until the day I die for as many people to hear it, as many people so I know it's possible that you can do this too.
You know, when you are in the moment, like you said, when I was £600 sitting alone in a room living literally in a recliner because I couldn't lay down, I thought that was the end of my journey. I thought so my vision for myself included being extremely limited mobility wise, not having friends, not getting married, not doing all the things. That was where I saw my journey as far as it could go. And as you go through the seasons of your journey, you start to see that things are possible that you never realized. I'm dating. I am completely in love. We wanna get married someday soon. I am dressing like I did like, I feel the energy wise like I did when I was in my thank you.
Thank you. But, like, all of those things, I never thought were possible. And it's the same with plastic surgery. I thought it was something that was for other people until I was like, wait. This is actually something that could be a real thing for me. I remember going into surgery the day of my last year. I thought that they were going to tell me, even as they were taking me in, oh, it's too much fat. We're not gonna be able to take it off.
Like, that's how hard it was for me to grasp that my life is truly about to change and go to another level. And, again, this is why we share because you and I are regular everyday people. I've worked in education my entire life. I come from a poor working class family. Like, these are things that we have manifested and brought about in our own lives by believing in ourselves, by pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zone, and by reaching out and building a support network even when it was really hard for us to do that. And if we can do it, Tanya, anyone can do it.
Do it. Anyone can do it. Anyone can do it that wants to do it.
Thank you for tuning in to the Transform Your Life podcast. And remember, your journey to a happier, healthier life starts with just one step. Together, we'll guide you towards sustainable weight loss, holistic wellness, and a renewed sense of vitality. Don't wait any longer to invest in yourself and unlock your true potential. Visit our website now to learn more and sign up for our transformation Academy. Your future self will thank you. Let's transform your life together. Go and visit transform your life with Teresa and tonya.com.
Or you can go over to Instagram and check out our podcast page. The link is in our bio. Go do it now. Your future self is going to thank you.
