Reaffirming My Health, Body and Fitness Goals with #CoolSculpting®

By now you are quite familiar with my weight loss and fitness journey as well as my very first treatment with CoolSculpting^®, which I chose to have with the goal of achieving that extra confidence in my own skin after my weight loss. If you haven’t read my posts yet (gasp!), check out my weight loss journey here and my first treatment with CoolSculpting^® here.

I have always been proud of my weight loss and perseverance through some extremely difficult times along the way. It was an uphill battle and I had to learn to give up things that didn’t make me happy and focus on myself (not the easiest task for any parent). Sometimes though, I look in the mirror and I am frustrated. I can’t always see that weight loss (funny – I never used to see the ‘fat girl’ in the mirror either) and I can be so hard on myself if the scale moves up and if my pants feel tighter around my waist.

Even with my maintained weight loss, I still have to be so careful to not slip into old habits. It is always too easy to skip a workout, eat that extra cookie, take that extra helping and the list goes on and on (why are the worst habits in life so much easier to do?).

I have noticed in the last few months, with added responsibilities at work and taking on the Team Manager position for my son’s team (really what was I thinking – completely going against my own advice from my first post but I am a sucker for those little sweethearts on his team!), I have not been as active as I used to be, I am feeling a bit more tired and I can notice the difference in my stomach and back area. Those little fat pockets can creep up so easily and they are so difficult to manage. I notice as soon as my stress levels get too high, my abdomen and flanks take a beating with extra fat storage.

CoolSculpting^® is a non-invasive treatment that is performed in the office of a CoolSculpting^® certified professional.^[i]I had my first CoolSculpting^® treatment roughly two-and-a-half months ago, done by Linda at The Plastic Surgery Clinic in Mississauga and it was an eye-opening experience. I learned so much about my body, treatment options to achieve my final goals and realistic expectations for my own body (follow my entire experience with the treatment here). CoolSculpting^® is non-invasive^[ii] and designed to have you back on your feet immediately following the treatment.^[iii],[iv] The treatment works by applying cold temperatures through an applicator to targeted fat pocket areas on your body over a set period of time.^[v],[vi]

The real magic happens after the treatment, as your body breaks down the frozen fat cells naturally and eliminates them through your lymphatic system – the time frame for this to happen is anywhere from one month to up to three months.^[i],[ii]

The bonus for patients? No extra work is required on your part. I almost thought this was a trick question! Linda was telling me that I didn’t have to drink more water, exercise more or wrap my torso? The treatment took only thirty-five minutes and it didn’t require any tough follow-up care.^[i]

BUT that being said, you shouldn’t go out the next day and eat everything in sight or give up on your fitness routine. You would be defeating the hard work your body is doing in breaking down those frozen fat cells. You should be maintaining a healthy diet and still regularly working out using whichever form of exercise makes you feel good. All forms of exercise are important – from walking to yoga to strength training. 

Linda was fantastic and treated my flanks roughly two and a half months ago and this was my before picture (this was definitely not an easy picture for me to look at – aren’t we are own worst critics?):

She was fantastic and noted that while I did have some loose skin, I did have enough fat pockets that she could treat the area. We completed my first treatment with no side effects, no pain and I was able to resume all of my regular activities and work that same day. I can honestly say that it did not feel like I had a treatment done that day.

On my next visit to Linda, she had me stand in the same positions as at my previous visit to take photos in order to get a good idea of how the first treatment worked.

While it may be harder to tell from the photo (and I noticed that I was leaning a bit to the right in this picture and slouching with the angle of my shoulders which is a very bad habit I have picked up from working on the computer), I have noticed better definition down the sides of my abdomen as well as improvements in how the skin on my flanks and back feel. It was smoother with more definition and with less of a roll – it didn’t have that ‘squishy’ feel that it usually had which would have been where my fat was located. Have you ever just squeezed that fat roll? (I live in a house of boys, so we tease each other and laugh about things like this all the time!) I had less of that fat to squeeze.

I left my second appointment with Linda feeling quite happy and accomplished. My visit with her reaffirmed what I had already been feeling – that my waistline felt smoother, more defined and I had less of those fat rolls on my back. I also had the confidence to wear a tight dress again and to show off my curves and be proud. With everything that I had been through in the last two years, this was a huge step for me. I have come so far with my body image acceptance and I am finally at a time in my life where I love my body how it is. 

My CoolSculpting^® treatment was an exciting learning experience for me and opened my eyes to a non-invasive treatment^[i] that is the perfect alternative to surgery. With zero downtime,^[ii],[iii] no pain and no extra requirements post-treatment, this is a fantastic alternative for women and men who are looking to get that extra boost of confidence by eliminating those stubborn fat cells that seem to haunt us on our abdomen, arms and thighs.^[iv],[v] It helps you to naturally eliminate those fat cells without having to have surgery^[vi], medical leave or stop participating in your day-to-day activities.^[vii],[viii] It is an excellent alternative for individuals who are close to their fitness and body goals but who would like to target areas of fat.^[ix]

Remember to always book your consultation first with a CoolSculpting^® certified clinician, this will ensure you are prepared with realistic treatment options, expectations and not disappointed. They will go over every aspect of the treatment to ensure you are mentally and physically ready. Treatment plans do vary based on your body type, so this step is incredibly important to ensure you know what to expect post treatment, you can visit http://find.coolsculpting.ca/find-a-center/ to find a qualified clinic in your area.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned CoolSculpting^® treatment in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[i] Zeltiq Data On File. About CoolSculpting. 2017.

[ii] Krueger N, et al. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology 2014;7:201–205.

[iii] Nelson AA (ed) Avram MM. Fat removal: Invasive and noninvasive body contouring. Wiley- Blackwell; 1st edition. April 2015. ISBN-10144433428X.

[iv] Zelickson B, et al. American Society for Dermatology Surgery 2009;35:1462–70.

[v] Zeltiq Data On File. About CoolSculpting. 2017.

[vi] Zeltiq Data On File. About CoolSculpting. 2017.

[vii] Krueger N, et al. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology 2014;7:201–205.

[viii] Nelson AA (ed) Avram MM. Fat removal: Invasive and noninvasive body contouring. Wiley- Blackwell; 1st edition. April 2015. ISBN-10144433428X.

[ix] Zeltiq Data On File. About CoolSculpting. 2017.

[i] Nelson AA (ed) Avram MM. Fat removal: Invasive and noninvasive body contouring. Wiley- Blackwell; 1st edition. April 2015. ISBN-10144433428X.

[i] Zelickson B, et al. American Society for Dermatology Surgery 2009;35:1462–70.

[ii] Klein KB, et al. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine 2009;41:785–90.

[i] Zeltiq Data On File. About CoolSculpting. 2017.

[ii] Zeltiq Data On File. About CoolSculpting. 2017.

[iii] Krueger N, et al. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology 2014;7:201–205.

[iv] Nelson AA (ed) Avram MM. Fat removal: Invasive and noninvasive body contouring. Wiley- Blackwell; 1st edition. April 2015. ISBN-10144433428X.

[v] Kilmer SL. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine 2017;49:63–68.

[vi] Kilmer SL, et al. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine 2016;48:3–13.=