Fat Freezing and My Experience with it

So, I Did a Thing

Honesty time… A lot of you have asked, “Have I ever had a cosmetic procedure done?”

A while back, when I was younger, more self conscious, and had less muscle to fat ratio… I did a thing. I went for fat freezing aka non-surgical liposuction aka cool sculpting. And here’s my story.

At the time, as a young gay man living in Toronto, teased as a child about being overweight, and just wanting to fit in, I made the decision to have a non-invasive procedure that promised to remove stubborn fat. The “fat freezing” (Cryolipoysis) is a procedure that literally freezes fat cells at close to sub zero temperature without damaging the skin or nerves around the fat. In this way, fat can also be removed from a specific spot. So, targeting fat loss from “problem areas” is possible.

I know what you want to know… “Does it work?”

Yes, and no. Perhaps my expectations were not managed, or perhaps in my head the “fat” I wanted to lose was actually part of a problem many people face called body dysmorphia. A very real condition that leaves you seeing a whale when in fact, you’re a minnow. Learn more about Body Dysmorphic disorder here.

But in fact, it did help me get rid of some fat and helped me along.

The Hard Truth

I am writing this article and am now in such a body positive place, it’s almost strange to me that I did this in the past. I actually love my fat, my little belly, my extra love around my butt that makes it bubbly. Lol. But that WASN’T where I was, mentally, before. Not even close. I remember I tried every diet including one that left me eating only 800 calories per day. I got down to 163 lbs and at 6’ it was so unhealthy. People thought I was sick, and I started losing my hair. And guess what, I still wasn’t happy.

Now, did the procedure fix all my problems? No. But I have to admit, it DID give me a sense of self confidence I did not have before. False? Perhaps? But it was real to me and it encouraged me to hit the gym harder, lift more, I didn’t feel sloppy in my gym clothes which was keeping me from working out in the past.

Self love is so powerful, and it comes with age and surrounding yourself with body positive people. Love yourself. Also, it helps to stop judging others.

I am now 215 lbs with more muscle than fat but still a lot of that to go around. Would I do this procedure now? No, but that’s because of where I am in my life., If you need a little boost to help you to your goals, I say go for it.

Remember results vary per person so have real expectations and understand what you really want from the procedure. And more importantly why. By asking that tough question you may learn something about yourself you didn’t before. Who are you losing the weight for? Perfection is a fool’s journey. Search inside for a feeling of contentment, not what a mirror can show you.

Mark St. James