I have finally reached my goal of the bikini body that I have been working months for. My butt is smaller and my legs are tighter; my abs have never been this flat! I have lost a significant amount of body fat and I’m very proud of my body. There’s jus...

Well, you are not alone. This is a very common concern that many athletic women have. In case you may have forgotten, here is a little anatomy review: breast tissue is composed primarily of fat. So, if you become very lean through diet and exercise, not only will you lose excess body fat from your abs, butt and legs, but you will likely lose some breast tissue along with it. If you had very large breasts to begin with, this may be a welcome change for you. However, if you had very small breasts, then you may feel less feminine with even less breast tissue. I found myself in this situation five years ago. I had been working out and had made a lot of positive changes to my body. Once I reached my goal weight, my boobs were so tiny, I had to wear two padded bras to give myself curves! I was extremely self conscious and therefore, I decided to have breast augmentation. I started by finding a really good plastic surgeon in my area. I asked friends and co-workers to recommend a surgeon and I came to find my doctor. At the initial consultation, I felt very comfortable and I knew I had chosen a good doctor. I tried on a few different sizes and settled on the implants. Once I had my consultation with the surgeon, I waited to have the surgery until I had saved up the money, rather than using financing, so that I was absolutely sure about my decision to go ahead with the surgery. I didn’t want to make an irrational decision and since breast augmentation runs around an average of $6000, I wanted to be absolutely sure that this was something that I wanted to invest in.

Every day we see women having surgical procedures to change or enhance their physique. There are even many reality TV shows that document their experience and show amazing transformations of before and after. You have to remember that there is only so much that can be captured in a 30 minute TV program. These are real people and a boob job is no small matter, we are talking about surgery here. Knives, anesthesia, needles, blood, you get the idea. There will be pain. There will be setbacks. You might not be able to work out for up to 6 weeks and you may have to take extended time off work. There are many risks associated with having any surgery, and although the risk is small, you must carefully think about your decision to have elective surgery. On top of the risks associated with having surgery, there is also the possibility of complications after surgery. You have to also keep in mind that breast implants, although permanent, need replacing as often as every ten years as your body changes and the tissue surrounding the implants thins. Having children, weight loss and gain will also change the appearance of your implants so you must factor in the need for possible implant replacement down the road. Some women have even had the unfortunate experience of implant rupture requiring immediate surgery unless they want to walk around with one flat tire!

Now, when it comes to choosing a size of implants, there are many options and styles of implants. We aren’t talking about coloring your hair, this is a major decision and you want to make sure that you choose an implant size that is right for your body. I am very petite so I chose smaller implants that suited my small frame. I didn’t want to have plastic surgery so that I would get attention for my huge knockers! I just wanted to look proportionate, curvy and feminine. Because I am athletic, I also wanted to make sure that the size I chose would work with my lifestyle. I am very pleased that I was conservative in choosing my implants. Your surgeon and his or her nurse will help you to make a decision on the size of implant at your consultation. You will try several different sizes of implants in a sports bra to see which size will look best on you. What I found helpful when I went to my consultation was to bring a few clippings from magazines of women with the size and appearance of breasts that I wanted. We settled upon implants that would be placed above the muscle. I chose this because it gives the implants a natural appearance once they “settle” or “drop”. By this, I mean after 6 or more weeks, after the breast tissue heals and the swelling decreases, the implants settle into a natural place on your chest. After the surgery, I did experience swelling and discomfort, but I was back to normal within a few short weeks. I stayed away from chest exercises for a full two months but I had no problems training with light weights about 3 weeks after surgery.

Now, in terms of competing in figure or bikini, it is not a mandatory requirement that you have breast augmentation to do well in this sport. In fact, the reigning Ms Figure Olympia is all natural with a small chest. I want to point out that in this sport, breast augmentation is very common. Many women have chosen to be enhanced, probably for the same concerns that many women have when it comes to weight loss and the subsequent reduction in breast tissue. In many cases, a fuller chest can balance out a physique and create a very feminine look. However, in some cases, too large of a chest can take away from a physique and can be very distracting. Remember that whatever size of implant you choose, these puppies are going to be with you for a very long time and you want to choose wisely.
On a closing note, I want to say that breasts do not make the woman. I’m sure if you flip through any magazine, you will see many voluptuous beauties with nice full breasts. You have to remember that breast implants will not make you a more beautiful person or make you feel more fulfilled. I have seen so many girls spending hard earned cash on plastic surgery hoping that it will make them happier. Unfortunately, a lot of the time they find that they are still unhappy after the newness of the boobies has worn off and they still feel badly about themselves. You must be happy with who you are and know that a fuller chest will not give you a fuller sense of self

On a side note, I want to congratulate all of the competitors at the 2nd annual NPC Midwest Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure and Bikini championships that was held in St Louis last weekend, April 24, 2010. I had the honor of presenting the bikini awards and I was impressed by the talent that this show attracted. If you missed us at the show, be sure to check out 1st Phorm’s newest flavors of Level-1: Chocolate Mocha and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. One sip and you will be hooked!

Happy training, Femme Phorm readers!
Gillian

The post I have finally reached my goal of the bikini body that I have been working months for. My butt is smaller and my legs are tighter; my abs have never been this flat! I have lost a significant amount of body fat and I’m very proud of my body. There’s just one problem—my boobs have practically disappeared! Now I was never a very busty girl to begin with, but what I had has shrunk down to a very small A cup. I’m so unhappy with my breasts that I am now contemplating breast augmentation. I am also considering competing in a figure competition down the road. Is it necessary to have breast implants to do well in figure? Having surgery is such a big decision—do you have any advice? appeared first on 1st Phorm.