Episode 12: Why a Tummy Tuck Does Not Restore Your Core

In this episode of Tummy Tuck Talk, Munira and Lisa tackle one of the most common misconceptions about tummy tuck surgery: the idea that it “restores your core.”

They break down what the surgery actually does, what it doesn’t do, and why recovery is more about adapting to a new body than returning to a pre-pregnancy baseline.

Lisa shares her personal experience with severe diastasis recti, the decision to undergo surgery, and the realities of recovery. Together, she and Munira highlight the emotional expectations many women carry into surgery, the disappointment that can arise when results don’t match marketing promises, and the importance of realistic preparation.

What you will learn in this episode: 
✨ Why a tummy tuck does not fully restore your core
✨ What the surgery physically repairs—and what it leaves untouched
✨ How expectations around “restoration” can set women up for disappointment
✨ Why recovery and rehab are essential but often overlooked
✨ Why adapting to a “new core” is the real path forward

If you’ve ever thought surgery was a quick-fix and would instantly bring you back to your pre-pregnancy body, this episode will help you set realistic expectations and feel more informed about the journey ahead.

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Transcript

Munira 0:00

Welcome to Tummy Tuck talk. There's a really common belief out there that after a tummy tuck, but actually even well before that, after pregnancy, you can somehow get your body back to exactly how it was before, where it was before the pregnancy or where it was before the surgery. But we get that there is this sense of control and that desire to feel like yourself again, both physically and aesthetically. So yes, it's completely natural. However, there is a hard truth in this that we want you to hear. The thing is, your core will never be exactly the same as it was before pregnancy, not even after a tummy tuck. So that doesn't mean you can't feel strong, and it doesn't mean that you can't look good. And it definitely doesn't mean that you can't feel confident in yourself and in your body again. But what it does mean is that this postpartum, and even post-op journey, is actually a process of adapting to your new body. It's like this new reality that you're in. So it's not a process of restoring back to baseline, but one of adapting. And that's what this episode is going to discuss. The common misconception that we've heard time and time again, that a tummy tuck restores your core. So this idea that it brings it back to baseline. We've heard it many times before through surgeons and just through people that we talk to online and with our patients and our clients, and so again, we get it. It is a strong selling point for surgeons that this surgery is gonna fix your core and restore it and give you back the core that you had before, but it's just not an entirely accurate statement. A tummy tuck does address certain things, but there are also important things that it doesn't do. That's what we're gonna break down today. So if you've ever been told or maybe even believed that a tummy tuck is the thing that's gonna fix your core or bring you all the way back to where you were before pregnancy, then this episode is especially for you. We're gonna break that down and we're gonna break down what's actually happening during the surgery, what it does for your body, and just as importantly what it doesn't do, and understanding that difference will allow you to set realistic expectations, be more informed in your decisions, and more importantly, most importantly, it will help you know how to truly support your core moving forward. So let's get started.

Lisa 2:34

Hi, I'm Lisa Ryan, a CrossFit trainer, pregnancy and postpartum athleticism coach, and a former tummy tuck patient.

Munira 2:42

And I'm Munira Hudani, a physiotherapist with a specialized interest in diastasis rectus abdominis and post op recovery. Together, we are bringing you the first podcast specifically on tummy tucks that takes you beyond the surgery table, giving you the real unfiltered truth about tummy tuck recovery, rehab, and returning to fitness with confidence.

Lisa 3:05

Before we dive in just a quick reminder, this podcast is for informational purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider for personalized guidance.

Munira 3:18

We are here to break down what no one else is talking about from navigating the highs and lows of recovery to practical tips for healing movement and feeling like yourself again. Whether you're preparing for surgery Or are deep in recovery. We've got you covered.

Lisa 3:35

This is Tummy Tuck Talk!

Munira 3:43

Welcome to Tummy Tuck Talk, the podcast where core aesthetics meet core function and fitness, and we explore how to get the most out of your tummy tuck journey. If this is your first time joining us, we're so excited to have you here, and if you've tuned in before, Welcome back! I'm Lisa Ryan, a CrossFit trainer and pregnancy and postpartum athleticism coach and tummy tuck patient. Okay, back in 2019, I had my surgery and let me tell you, there was so much I didn't know about recovery and now I'm here to share the real deal, what works, what doesn't, how to get back to doing the things you love safely and confidently. And I am Munira Hudani, a physiotherapist, and I help people rebuild their strength and function and confidence back after the surgery. And together, Lisa and I are here to empower you with practical information and clear guidance for every stage of your tummy tuck recovery. So in today's episode, we're gonna be diving into a really big topic. Why a tummy tuck does not restore your core. So we're gonna unpack this from every angle, what the surgery actually does and what it doesn't do. How the phrase "a tummy tuck will restore your core" plays into the emotional and sort of psychological expectations that people carry into the surgery. Why recovery and rehab are often overlooked in this discussion around restoring the core and also just certain things that can happen aesthetically that just don't get talked about enough, post-op. So Lisa is also gonna share her personal experience with choosing the surgery, what it did and didn't do for her, and what she had to do ahead of time to prepare herself for what was to come. We're gonna talk about how this decision can be, can feel very different depending on where you personally might fall on the spectrum of diastasis severity or just core changes in what happened to your core through pregnancy. So, from having mild changes in your core after pregnancy to having a more severe protrusion and more weakness in your core, we're gonna be talking about that spectrum. And also If you ever caught yourself thinking, once I do the surgery, everything will just feel normal again. Or if you are currently trying to decide whether the surgery is right for you and you're hoping that it's gonna give you that specific outcome that you're hoping for, well again, then this is an episode for you as well. So let's dive right in. So I wanna start this episode by talking about something that I think almost every woman can relate to after pregnancy. And it's the idea and the feeling and the desire of wanting to get back to where you were before. Not just aesthetically, but physically too, to feel strong again, wanting to feel in control of your body and just wanting to feel like yourself. And honestly, that's a completely natural feeling. There's nothing wrong with wanting that, and it's very, very, very, very normal and expected. Where things get a little tricky is when that desire turns into the expectation that your body can go back to exactly where it was before pregnancy. And the push to get there can be real challenge. So the truth is your core will never be exactly the same as it was pre-pregnancy. Now that does not mean that you can't feel strong. That does not mean you can't look good and feel good. But it definitely doesn't mean you can't feel confident in your body again. So this doesn't have to be a bad thing, right? But going into it with the right expectations will help turn it into more of a positive thing versus something very negative. So we have to reframe how we look at things, both from a postpartum recovery standpoint and a post-op tummy tuck or surgery standpoint. Generally speaking, it's better to look at the path going forward as one of adapting to a new body, a different body, a body that is possibly improved in its appearance in addition to how it functions, but not necessarily restored or brought back to where you were before giving birth. So I think this is where it can be good to just share my personal experience. Again, everyone's gonna have a different experience, but hopefully this can help guide you in your expectations. So for me, I was on the extreme end of the spectrum. So what that means is I had a very, very, very large diastasis. After birth, I would say, I don't even know, 10 fingers. But then also the depth was very deep. And when they did the surgery on me, the doctor's, like the, your tissue was so thin, I could see through it. It was barely there. I really had an extreme case. My hand could fit all the way into my belly. It was scary. I didn't even let it go all the way in. And so that was me. That's where I was. the spectrum of diastasis, I don't think I'm the worst case ever in the world by any means, but if you look at the spectrum, I'm over here on the extreme cases for sure. So for many reasons, my case felt very obvious. Surgeries came, it was a clear decision to have the surgery, but that's not how it looks for everyone. There's actually a huge range. So for some women, postpartum core changes are very mild and barely noticeable to yourself or someone looking from the outside. Although as yourself you probably feel like things are different, but other people would be like. Not notice anything. For others, they're a lot more noticeable. Like my situation was where my belly was severely protruding. Even after I lost all the extra weight from pregnancy. My hand again could sink all the way in. It was scary. So that is, the other end of that. And you could also see it aesthetically, right? Like, I looked like I was pregnant after I lost the weight, right? Then, this is where it gets tricky. It's this group in the middle and it's a big group someone looking at you maybe might not notice or might notice, some evidence of a previous pregnancy, but to you, your core feels and looks very different than what it was before. And that middle space can be really tough when people in that middle group go into surgery expecting, I'm gonna look like the photos in the surgeon's office, everything will be restored back to normal, and I'll be right where I need to be, it can set them up for disappointment because sometimes the aesthetic result doesn't fully match what they've built up within their mind. On top of that, recovery might be harder than expected. It takes longer to feel good. It's more uncomfortable than they thought for longer periods of time, and that's where the frustration and disappointment really begins to show up. Yeah. And that's why we wanted to say something here maybe rather bluntly, but we've said it already, but really a tummy tuck just does not restore your core. Okay? So there is a disappointment that comes in to play when you are thinking that the surgery is gonna do that. But then you'll notice post-op, that there are a lot of things that weren't actually addressed. So I know it's a tough pill to swallow because the word in itself, like the word restore that's used both from marketing, from surgeons and on their websites and social media. But again, also in conversations between people that we work with. There's just this idea that. The surgery is going to fix your core. It's like an appealing idea. It's like a one and done solution. It's a quick fix, so we get it and we understand how you would want to have a surgery, especially one that you're paying for, how you would want that to be this fully comprehensive solution to what internal struggles you're dealing with. But the reality is your body does change in going through the surgery. That means you're gonna have to adapt again to a new body post-op like you've already done in, after having a baby. So in, in post pregnancy. And you're gonna have to adapt to one that is now with a new core, and it actually is completely different than the core that you had before having kids. Before having kids, you likely had an abdomen that wasn't stretched out before. And so the tissues weren't stretched out. The muscles weren't previously loosened and stretched to you before and also, most likely, you also weren't operated on before having kids. Of course, in some situations some people have abdominal surgeries, but I would say in most situations you may not have had that an abdominal surgery before. So post-op, you were going to exit the surgery with a very different core. And even though your abdomen may look hopefully improved, again, it's just very different. So the surgery, again, it didn't restore it and bring it back to where it was before it changed it. It changed how it looked maybe closer in appearance to where it was before, but it didn't restore it back. And also it may have changed. In some ways the function, how it's functioning but it didn't restore it back again to where it was before. So that's not, that doesn't mean that this is a better or a worse scenario for you, but it's just a fact that you have a very different core after the surgery than from before pregnancy. Yeah. Yeah. It's such an important frame of mind to keep going into it for sure. That I think isn't talked about enough. A lot of women go into surgery thinking if I just get this done, I won't have to worry about my belly anymore. And it's expensive surgery and you have recovery and all this stuff, but you're thinking it'll be worth it 'cause I won't have to worry about this anymore. And it makes sense, right? Because you spent so much time thinking about it during pregnancy, early postpartum, years after psychologically, it takes up a lot of this mental space and you just wanna be done with it. Your belly can represent a time of your life where you know, you're just not happy with your body, not happy with life circumstances. You're tired, you're not sleeping or, all of those things are going on, and so it's hard. Maybe it represents a time in your life where you're hiding, right? You're hiding in certain clothes, you withdraw from social events 'cause you don't feel like yourself, you don't feel like you look good in your old outfits. You don't feel comfortable wearing a bathing suit. Maybe even sometimes intimacy with your partner can suffer 'cause you just don't feel like yourself. You feel insecure. It's intense, right? Psychologically it is intense when you don't feel comfortable looking at your body in the mirror. So the idea of fixing it or restoring it feels like a huge relief. You don't have to think about your body again. You can finally move on with your life and put that version of you in the past. But what we see time and time again is that you don't actually stop thinking about your body after surgery. It just changes. While you may not be thinking about a bulging abdomen, you might be thinking about swelling or your scar or numbness, or how things just feel different. So it's not that the mental load disappears, it just shifts. And that's why we wanted to talk about this to bring awareness to the fact that things definitely change post-op, some things do stay the same, including the fact that your brain may still be very focused on all things core related. So that brings us to the very important point that surgery just isn't a quick fix. And that is why we always wanna talk about this and shed light on the issue because there is a time and place for tummy tuck surgery and the surgery does have a place as an option for postpartum core, and it can absolutely be a helpful and valid option. it's just not this instant solution where everything falls into place afterwards because recovery can be painful. Rehab takes time, effort physically, and also effort mentally. And learning how to move your body again, can be scary, and it just takes time and patience overall. Yeah, so like I said like we both said, there is a time and place for surgery. And let's just break down what the surgery actually does, at least from a physical standpoint because. Like we have just mentioned, it is a valid option for many reasons. So during a tummy tuck, what they do is they take the linea alba which is one aspect of your core that is widened in these individuals where the two rectus abdominus muscles are a little further apart because the linea alba in between it has widened and thinned out. The surgery brings those muscles together by suturing the two outer edges of the linea alba together. So it just, it reduces the size of that gap in the center. And that is the diastasis repair aspect of the surgery. So yes, this will help to restore the anatomical position of the rectus abdominis muscles. That's exactly what the surgery does, and that's great. However, we just have to keep in mind that it is just the one part of your core. Your core is made up of many muscles, not just the rectus abdominis muscles, and these muscles, they work together. They include your transverse abdominis, your internal and external obliques, your diaphragm, your pelvic floor, and they also include some muscles in your back as well. So just the very nature of the operation, working on one part of your core, inherently, it shows that it doesn't restore your whole core. It helps one part of it. So it really does focus on the linea alba down the midline. And then what does it do? What does a surgery do functionally? So we just talked about what it did physically, and then functionally it can benefit you as well because, in the realm of pressure management, which is what your core, one of the primary functions of your core, which is to manage and contain and produce intraabdominal pressure, the surgery can help with that particular function because what it does is it tightens the front part of the abdominal wall and it tightens the front of the abdominal canister. So this might get a little nerdy for just a moment, but when you think of the importance of pressure, I like to use this analogy, it's the chip bag analogy. So when you think of a chip bag that hasn't been opened, you know that there is air that has filled up the bag, and then there's also some chips on the inside and that air around the chips, it helps to create a more sturdy, protective environment for what's inside. So it protects it against any external forces. If you were to crunch it or if you were to accidentally drop something on it, that air will really protect those chips. So, the contents are protected by the outer walls of that container. So depending on what those outer walls look like and feel like just the characteristics of those outer walls it will change how much pressure the inside can produce, and how much is required to create more of that sort of sturdiness on the inside. And if you just think, if you swapped out the chip bag for something like a flimsy produce bag. And imagine blowing into if like the chip bag is opened and now you're blowing into it, you can imagine that it's gonna fill up with that air again, creating something that's a bit more sturdy when you're holding it, imagine doing the same thing to that produce bag. If you're blowing into it, a, it's probably gonna take a lot more air for you to get to that point where it feels sturdy and a bit more solid. And on top of that, even with that pressure that's on the inside from the air being there, even just pressing into the wall, it'll still feel a little bit soft and potentially the stuff on the inside is still a bit more vulnerable to the external forces. So what the surgery does is it changes the wall from, let's say more of the produce bag towards a chip bag. So it just becomes a bit more sturdy. And again, pressure management, is just one aspect of what your core does. The core also needs to produce movement, movements like rotation and inflection and it also needs to create strength and coordinate things. And these are not inherently restored through the surgery. So something structural is being changed. Like I said, the front wall becomes tightened as they remove excess skin and then pull down the remainder of the skin there. But the whole system is not addressed. Again. It's only one part or just part of the system that is addressed. Again, that is also why we simply can't make the claim that surgery restores the core. Great examples. Great examples. Okay, so now that you guys understand that part of it, we wanna talk about what the surgery does just from an aesthetic standpoint. It's a big reason why women consider the surgery. So definitely important to talk about. The nature of what is done in the operation is removing excess skin and reducing the width of the Linea alba so that will likely change the way your abdomen looks. You will likely look flatter you may feel more supported. A tummy tuck can absolutely help with core appearance, but what we want to do is help you consider the bigger picture here. Because while you may be flatter, you may still not look exactly the way you want. There are many new things to adjust to. So there's the hip to hip scar, which can be a big mental adjustment. Especially if you weren't someone that had a c-section before. You have a scar that you've never had. If you had a c-section, this scar will most likely be longer, still be an adjustment there either way. There's swelling, which sometimes there's a lot of people that feel like the swelling should be done after three months and it can often last well over a year. And a lot of people really don't expect that. So that's another aspect. And then there's bloating, want everyone to understand that with bloating, everybody bloats. Now, some people might bloat more if they have digestion issues or other issues, and some people might bloat less, but like when you drink water and eat food, and all this stuff is a natural human thing that we do as humans, right? You're gonna bloat a little bit, at least, right? Even if everything's working well, so that bloating may show up in different parts of your abdomen than you're used to. It's common with the surgery that it shows up higher, which is what happened to me. Again, that doesn't mean it's gonna happen to everybody, but it just may be in a different place that kind of throws you off. Then there's the belly button. This is something that people don't always think about or sometimes they do, but it can really impact how you feel about the results. If you don't like the way the belly button looks. And so very important to have that on your radar going into the surgery. There are many changes over time and during the first year and even as years go on after that, you'll find that your belly has subtle changes to it. Some that you like, like it might look better over time and some you might not like. And nobody can quite predict how that's gonna go, even if you go to the best surgeon around, it's just how your body heals from the surgery. Many things may look improved overall, but that doesn't mean that everything is perfect. And that's why we always say over here at Tummy Tuck Rehab is that to expect better not perfect. And that is the mantra going into this surgery. Very important. So Yes. Other things to consider that you might not be able to see, but can be bothersome. All right, so these are things that aren't maybe aesthetic numbness in your abdomen. for me, I have some spots that are going to be numb forever. I think I'm in year six or seven here. And some spots have gotten much better since surgery and other spots are just a little bit numb. I think everybody experiences very differently. Some people have more numbness, some people have less depending on many factors, right? So know that's a thing. Tightness and stiffness, not just in the abs, but also the hips and the chest and all this stuff during the initial healing tough. And even long term, just feeling different in your body, right? Even after stretching and doing all the things that you wanna do, right? It's just, it's gonna feel a little bit different. It doesn't mean it's bad or good. I just want it on your radar that it's different. Okay. Okay. And taking a full breath can be really hard. That impacts a lot of things, right? Your pressure system, how your core functions, the tension in your body, all of that. And these all contribute to you feeling somewhat disconnected from your body after surgery, is a normal thing to go through. These physical changes can really catch people off guard, and that's why we like to talk about them so that you will feel more prepared. We also remind people that appearance does not equal function. So you can feel like you look pretty good, but then not feel very good physically. So lots of levels to this. the most important takeaway is from the conversation, you can look flatter, you can look more put together. But you might feel numb or tight or just not great overall. You may also have the strength control or coordination that you were expecting, feel weaker than expected or you might have some additional pains. And that's where a lot of the confusion comes in, because people assume that if it looks fixed, it is fixed, and that just isn't how it always works. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. That is a huge misconception. I'm so glad you brought that up. And then another misconception with the surgery is just around the topic of diastasis, because a diastasis repair is part of this surgery. And we mentioned earlier, the tummy tuck does close or reduce the size of that gap, right? It stitches the linea alba on both ends together, so you have a much more narrow gap. However, where people are often misled in what they believe regarding diastasis is that the diastasis was the root cause of things that they may have been experiencing, like back pain and core weakness and pelvic floor issues. And so they're gonna go into the surgery to restore all of that. Okay. However, I think it's important to shed light on some of the research that we have regarding diastasis and its association or its non associations to these things because actually, there have been several studies including systematic reviews and meta-analyses and scoping reviews. There have been many of them done more recently. And when it comes to low back pain, having a moderate diastasis, one that is less than, let's say five centimeters, does not really seem to explain the presence of low back pain. So generally speaking, the studies have concluded that there typically are no correlations between diastasis and low back pain once they've scoped out all of the studies that are out there. Now we do have some recent ones that have shown a slight correlation between having diastasis and having some kind of disability due to the back pain. But it doesn't necessarily mean that's because of the diastasis. So we always have to keep in mind that correlation doesn't equal causation. But when you're talking about things like lumbopelvic pain, so it's just like a term that we often use that combines low back pain and any kind of pelvic pain, again, generally speaking, there is no association between diastasis and lumbopelvic pain from several systematic reviews that have gone in and looked at the studies that are available. When it comes to pelvic floor issues such as incontinence. Again, this may or may not come as a surprise, but it seems like there is no correlation between diastasis and incontinence. And these are the results of scoping reviews and systematic reviews that have been done, but also some even more recent studies in the past couple of years, like 2024. Several studies in that year were published that found similar findings where there was no significant correlation between diastasis and incontinence. So this is where things get a little interesting because if we dive into the surgical literature, we do see that people who have these particular conditions like back pain and incontinence, that many of them after the surgery do report being improved and feeling better. So what's going on here? 'Cause here we're saying a diastasis is not correlated to these things, but then people with diastasis who have this surgery are feeling better and seeing improvements afterwards. So that's a little bit confusing to unpack. Simply consider that the improvements that people might be experiencing post-op may not be because the diastasis was addressed in the surgery, and it might be because of other things, so possibly, because of the fact that you are gonna be on four to six weeks of active rest, it just gives your body a break from doing all the things you were doing that were potentially contributing to those particular issues that you were having before. So you get just a clean slate, like a break from doing all of that. So you're not perpetuating those things and just going day to day, doing the things that you were doing before in the manner that created those problems. And then once you do start up those things, you also have to start them gradually because you're post-op and you're taking things slowly and doing things one step at a time. And so now that you've had this break from doing what you used to do and then you're going back in. But now you're reintroducing those things a lot more gradually. It gives you time to adjust for things. 'cause maybe the pain might show up, or you might have some pelvic floor issues, but because you're doing things so slowly and gradually, it gives you that moment to adjust and modify things so that you're not going to continue in experiencing that while you're going through the process. Post-op is just like this perfect time to find other ways for your body and for yourself to just to find other ways to do the things that were creating problems for you in the first place. You may not have had that opportunity beforehand, before the surgery. So the surgery allows for that as an opportunity. And then just, again, possibly because functionally your core may be in a better place to handle pressure better based on what we were talking about before, the chip bag versus the produce bag. So yes it might actually be because it improved, the surgery, improved your core pressure system. And core pressure management and all of that. So it may not be because of the diastasis repair specifically. So yes, if you feel better after the surgery, that is wonderful and that's what we want for you regardless of what it takes to get you there. We just wanna bring some attention to the fact that it simply may not be because you had your diastasis repaired. And it could have been because of many other reasons that we have just talked about. Okay. So at this point you might be left wondering. So now what do I do? Because here we're saying that there is a time and a place for the surgery, but we're also saying that it doesn't restore your core. So where does that leave you? Okay, so what we're trying to convey here is that surgery is just not a quick fix. It's not comprehensive. It doesn't fix everything. It doesn't address everything. And it leads to results that are better but not perfect. And so going back to the point that the surgery is just not comprehensive, just because of all the things that we talked about. We want you to walk away knowing that the surgery can help and yet it just doesn't address everything fully, and there's a lot of work that you still need to do and that we encourage you to do post-op to help you feel more fully to towards that sense of being restored, but it doesn't just get thrown at you that you are now restored post-op. There is some work that you can do there to help you feel more towards having that restored core. And that exactly why we created this program to help you fill in the gap, no pun intended, between what the surgery can do for you and the fully functioning and strong core that you likely desire after the surgery, and a way for you to preserve those aesthetic Something that you probably want as well. So our program, it's called Tummy Tuck Core Rehab. It's designed to rebuild your strength post-op because after all of the activity restrictions you're gonna be under for the first couple of months, for sure you're likely just gonna feel weaker. Yeah and more disconnected and maybe unsure of what to make of all the sensations that you're feeling and experiencing and just unsure of what to do and how to get back to movement and strengthening your core. And we know that just without guidance around all of that is just so easy to be held back because of fear or just the sense that you might be pushing too hard or you might not do as much as you should, and it's just confusing, the waters get a little murky there. There's when there's no clear path going forward. Yeah. So you can feel stuck and not sure how to safely get back to moving and working out again after surgery for all those reasons. You've done the procedure, you've been clear to move, but you really just don't have a clear path forward that you can easily follow. So you may just need a little bit of help or a lot of help navigating that. The great thing about our program is that you won't be guessing and you won't be second guessing all the time. You will build strength in a way that makes sense. In a way that respects your body's healing timeline and healing trajectories, and it's something that you can follow along week by week. On the flip side of this, some people feel okay, and then it's easy to overdo things too. So following the program will help you whether you're on the side of risking overdoing it or risking underdoing it, right? So it can help navigate both of those situations. We start very early with breathing and reconnecting to your body, and then we build into gentle rehab and eventually into more advanced strength work at the end of the program, so that way you're rebuilding strength safely and you're regaining the confidence in how your body moves. We want to rest assured that you'll feel absolutely very strong and confident and in control of your body again. Even if it's not the exact same body you had before, it's not restored to where you were pre-pregnancy. But that doesn't mean you can't feel great. Because at the end of the day, surgery is not the end of the process, It's the beginning. Lots of work to do. So yeah, truly the takeaway here that we want to leave you with is whether you choose surgery, you're considering it or you've already had it, that you still have a role to play in how your body functions and feels and continues to recover. So you're not just this passive recipient of the results, you're an active part of the outcome. Exactly. And when you understand that it shifts everything. So it takes you out of that all or nothing mindset that puts you back in the driver's seat where you actually have control of how strong, capable, and connected your body can feel moving forward. So wherever you are in your journey, just know that there is a path forward and it doesn't have to feel confusing or overwhelming. Yeah. And we hope that you enjoyed this conversation as much as we did, and if this episode helped bring you a little more clarity we love that. And if you feel the need, please share it with other people that might need to hear it as well. So thanks for being with us, and we will catch you in on the next episode. Thanks for tuning in to Tummy Tuck Talk. We are so passionate about having this conversation because we know how easy it is to get pulled into the idea that surgery will fix or restore everything about your core physically, mentally, and even emotionally. But the reality is, a tummy tuck doesn't restore your core, it changes it. Yeah, exactly. So it's not a negative thing, it's just something we want you to be fully aware of going into because with surgery comes pain and recovery and swelling and stiffness and numbness. And then there are also changes to how your core functions, not just in strength, but in coordination and control and how connected you feel to your body. So yeah. So at the end of the day, surgery is not the finish line. It's a starting point, but there is a way to get yourself feeling strong again and work on things that surgery doesn't address. And that is a clear, progressive rehab program such as our Tummy Tuck core rehab program. Because when you have the right support, you can absolutely feel strong, capable, and confident in your body again, even if it's not the exact same body you had before. Thanks so Thanks here for being here with us. thank you for letting us be a part of your journey. Bye for now. Bye.