Congratulations! You did it! You beat the odds and lost a massive amount of weight.

The belly pooch has been a fact of motherhood for eons. Unfortunately, no amount of crunches or dieting will eliminate the loose sagging skin or protruding belly that commonly occurs after having kids.

Enter the tummy tuck. Tummy tucks are one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries requested. Here's why - a tummy tuck is the only treatment (not lipo, not CoolSculpting) that will restore a flat and firm belly if you have loose sagging skin.

Tummy tuck patients are among the happiest with their results after the procedure. The results are dramatic, sometimes even life-changing. Many patients look back at the process and realize that their biggest regret was that they waited so long to get their tummy tuck.

Sometimes body fat is resistant to diet and exercise. This can leave you feeling frustrated and looking for new options. Liposuction is a great option for individuals wishing to improve their body shape by eliminating unwanted fat tissue.

If you're considering liposuction, you've probably heard of laser assisted liposuction, or as one company calls their specific machine, SmartLipo.

In recent years, patients have been bombarded by aggressive marketing campaigns touting SmartLipo as the greatest thing since sliced bread. It's a laser, after all.

"Awake" liposuction and plastic surgery are among the most dangerous trends in cosmetic procedures. If you're considering receiving liposuction from an organization selling the benefits of "awake" procedures, it's definitely wise to do a bit more research. Self Magazine recently published an extensive overview of the recent national trend towards physicians advertising and performing liposuction procedures in-office with only local anesthesia.

Sometimes you do everything right, like eat healthy and stay active, but those stubborn love handles or belly pooches just will not disappear. Liposuction or tummy tucks are too extreme and not worth the recovery or scars associated with them for the small amount of fat you're fighting. You might think you'll be stuck with those problem areas forever, but there are options available to help you get rid of that stubborn fat.

For many individuals, a flat stomach is a key fitness goal. However, for some, it's simply not attainable through diet and exercise alone. Even an extremely healthy lifestyle and regular fitness routine doesn't always result in a toned, youthful tummy for patients fighting against aging, genetics, or other factors.

If you're considering trimming down your midsection, you're certainly not the only one. 72% of women report feeling self-conscious about the appearance of their stomachs. The overall goal of abdominoplasty, or a tummy tuck, is to achieve a flatter and firmer tummy. This procedure works to remove the loose skin, stretch marks, and "bulging" from pregnancy, weight loss or aging.

What if you could get your body confidence back, wearing your favorite bathing suit again without feeling self-conscious? If you're like most people, you feel like you will never get to look that good ever again. But body contouring can make that dream a reality.