Get an assessment now or after losing body fat?

[Fades1]

    Hi all, I'm 27yrs old and living in Toronto. I've had gynecomastia ever since I was in highschool and only recently (a few years ago) I realized this isn't just body fat. I am 5'7, 180lbs so I am overweight. I've gone through stretches where I've lost body fat and was at around 155-160lbs and in good shape but my chest was still large as expected.

  I'm planning on seeing Dr.Fielding as I've heard fantastic things about him. My main concern is the cost and as of right now I feel that a lot of body fat will need to be removed along with the breast gland. From my understanding removing the gland is covered by OHIP while liposuction is not.

  So to my question: How does Dr.Fielding do his initial assessment, specifically how does he determine the cost of surgery? I currently have around $2000 in cash saved for this. I would love to do this surgery in about 10 months (so I have enough vacation time) and I've been actively working toward getting back in shape. My hope is that by next spring I'll be in much better shape with less body fat, especially around my chest. I am worried though that if I do an assessment now, the cost of surgery will be based on my current body regardless of if I lose body fat by the time I get my surgery.

  Basically I’m trying to determine if I should do the assessment now to get a date set, or wait. Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

[mademan]

I think the main point in most responses that you will get here is to get a weight that you are comfortable with and can maintain healthy. There's no point shedding 30-50 lbs if you can't hold on to that steadily and then you just put it on again after you do the surgery.

I did my surgery with him at a weight I felt comfortable . I was at approximately 30% BF when I did it and now I'm around 20% . I have been active my whole life and due to a knee injury I had gained the extra weight but since the surgery I have lost 20lbs and I'm pretty close to where I used to be before the injury. However just like you my gyno didn't really change no matter if i lost or gained weight.

Im not really sure as to what factors he bases the cost on but most it is mainly on the amount of lipo he has to do and gland removal. Mine costed $3200.

[Fades1]

Thanks for the reply mademan! That makes a lot of sense to look at this as a lifelong health change instead of just trying to lose as much weight as possible before the surgery. I guess since I can't do the surgery until next summer I'll make an appointment with Dr.Fielding for around the end of winter regardless of my physical state. Up until that time I'll just continue to be more health conscious. Then I can continue on this road after I recover from the surgery.

Also the cost you mentioned seems very reasonable. I'm currently at around 30%BF and I was afraid this may cost around $6000+. I'll see what my actual estimate is early next year when I see Dr.Fielding but if it's around $3000 I'll be very happy .

I'm nervous about this but definitely excited, thanks again for the reply!!