Since I have really decided to accept the fact that this fat is just not going to disappear on it's own (I know right, big surprise) I have tried taking inventory of the "why of the why's" I have hesitated to actually put effort into losing until now. Part of me has come to the conclusion that while I KNOW that I have to get this weight off, to feel better, to help put my RA into remission, to look better, etc... it scares the crap out of me to lose 100 pounds because I know that there is going to be a huge amount of gross disgusting lose skin that will be left over. I am terrified of working so hard to lose this huge amount of weight, and look even worse at my goal of 135 than I do at 240. I'm not comfortable being 240 by any means but I know what every inch of my body looks like right now, and I know how to position myself or wear certain things to hide certain areas I'm not happy about and it scares me to not know what is going to happen to it when it's 100lbs lighter. I know I should be more worried about the health aspects of losing than the vanity of it, but can't I be concerned about both aspects?
I'm curious if any of you have this fear or if I'm just a total weirdo.....?
I've got a long way to go until that is a problem . . . but, as most of the maintainers will tell you . . . it is easier to hide the excess skin than it is to hide the excess pounds. In other words, although we might not be too terribly glamourous naked, we will look great in our clothes and when you add that to the better health benefits . . . heh; sounds pretty good.
Amelia, think of it this way -- if you lose all the weight and then decide that you aren't happy with how you look ... go ahead and gain all your weight back and you can be right back where you are today.
But I guarantee that you won't want to! I'm one of the moderators for the Maintainers forum here -- and we have a lot of maintainers! -- and I can assure you that NO ONE who has reached his or her goal has one second's regret about any excess skin. NO ONE would go back to being obese again in order to avoid any skin issues. NO ONE would trade their new slim, fit body for one with taut skin bulging with fat.
All the skin you're ever going to have is on your body right this minute. Losing weight won't give you more skin -- it will simply remove the fat that's underneath, making you healthier and your life better in infinite ways. Some people have no problems with excess skin after weight loss; some do -- but I have never met anyone online or in real life who thinks that weight loss wasn't worth any bit of skin that they may have.
Don't worry about your skin now because it really won't be a problem later.
I am a bit "afraid" of the excess skin... I'm in no way gonna let that stop me from getting to a healthy weight. I have decided if, when all the weight has come off, I'm very disgusted by the skin, I am not afraid of a little plastic surgery to get rid of it all... and after all the work it will take to get there, I feel I will deserve it. Hubby has promised we would find the money somewhere... even if I have to wait for the first income tax to get it done.
I didn't think about it when I started mostly cause I didn't set out to lose weight, I set out to eat healthy and then it happened and so quickly. I didn't really think of the skin issues till the second year and the last 30 pounds. Those really gave me some loose skin. I have it on my arms and my upper thighs and my belly. The one that bothers me the most is the arms because it's so prominent with any kind of short sleeve shirt. Still, I am hoping it will shrink some, but I am not letting it stop me from wearing any clothing I want because I worked hard for this and I am getting used to it.
And just like Meg said, I would not trade it for the fat... ever. The things I can do now, the way I feel inside, nothing can change that. As I sit at my computer, I consider all the comfy ways I can pretzel into my chair, it reminds me to stay on track and love the new me (loose skin and all).
Just Kidding. I've lost roughly 60 lbs, and when I get naked to get into the shower, I try not to look into the mirror. Otherwise I start ranting about the loose skin, but like was previously mentioned, as a size 18/20, it's easier to hide the loose skin, but as a size 26/28, I couldn't hide how very fat I WAS. Nobody but my hubby and I ever see me naked, unless one of my kids pukes all over me and I toss them and me in the shower<I have young kids, 2 and 4, not teens, just in case anyone's wondering>. Frankly, I love being able to find clothes, in a more stocked size, than to settle for the horrible, granny styled muumuus and elastic wear. I know an 18/20 isn't a standard "I'm happy with my weight size", but I'm happy with it compared to last year.
If you find that the loose skin UNDER clothes is more of an issue than the overall health and presentation of a more slim you, then, have it removed, a section at a time if needed. Good luck!
OH, also wanted to say, I think alot of us, myself included lose weight, with an image in ou head of what we think we'll look like, as in taut skin, toned muscles and a more youthful appearance, and while some of us DO look like that after, most of us dont, especially if the loss was alot, or done quickly or we don't have surgery. For me, it was a GINORMOUS stumbling block not to have this svelte creature staring back at me after 60 lbs, so I've settled in at this weight, while I wrapped my head around what I thought would be, with what is. If you know going in you may not look like a 17 yr old, with no hips, boobs, or butt, I think you're ahead of the game.
I know how you feel as I'm starting to look pretty ah saggy... but you know what? Even at this weight I feel 100x better then I did 95 pounds ago. I wouldn't trade this feeling for smoother but more obese. It's not all about the looks. I totally understand what you're saying but why not try and see how you feel a year out after you've lost it all... what do you have to lose?
I do think about it and it is kind of scary. I know I am going to have a lot of loose skin, but that is the only drawback I can see of losing weight. There are so many more positive reasons to get the weight off. I guess I will just try to deal with the skin issue when that time comes.
The only time I get really ANGRY at myself for letting myself gain as much weight as I did is when I look at my tummy and see the loose skin. When I last weighed 168, I had a poochy tummy, but I didn't have the fold-over that I have now. I have to admit that it was a disappointment for me to realize I was down in the 170s and now 160s and the fold-over was still there - just saggier.
BUT ... even so. I've gone from a 22-24 to a 12. A TWELVE. I haven't worn a 12 in almost 20 years.
So you know what ... I'll take the saggy tummy skin and the saggy boobs and the size 12. And in another year, when I've lost the last 30 and maintained, if I decide that I want surgery to get rid of the skin, then I'll do what I need to do to afford it.
But like everyone else said above ... I'd rather be thin and have to deal with the skin, than remain fat. The only other thing I'd rather is rather have never let myself get this way to begin with ... but no sense crying about that now.
I'm finding that the skin gets better with time. I'll have a really saggy spot - inner thighs for instance - and after a while I'll notice that it seems better. I think your body helps you out if you let it sometimes.
I have quite a bit left to lose, but I think if you lose it the right way - healthy eating and exercise - your body helps with the skin.
And ditto everybody else - I'd rather have excess skin than excess fat.
Without a doubt, it is waaaaaay better to have loose skin, yet be healthier, happier, more productive, more energetic, more confident, have less worries, fears and anxieties, wear a size 2, look dynamite in clothing, feel overall marvelous, have improvement in each and every single aspect of my life - then to have no loose skin and be morbidly obese.
So please, let me ease your mind - stop worrying about the loose skin.
Last edited by rockinrobin; 03-30-2008 at 09:07 AM.
Thanks everyone for your comments! I want to say that OF COURSE I would much rather be a healthy version of me than an obese fat slob regardless of the skin issues! I absolutely would not want to keep the fat around just because of the extra skin. It just sort of terrifies me in the back of my mind what that skin is going to look like. But there is always something that can be done about that after the fact to get rid of the saggy parts I keep reminding myself of that!
Of course you really never know. Some people have pretty decent skin after losing weight and it will spring back 'some'. Also, the earlier you lose weight, the better the situation will likely be. (Ie now as opposed to 5 years from now)
I'm barely noticing that my belly button is a bit loose. My husband doesn't even notice it. His words "Is this like the mustache you always tell you have?"
Everyone is right, you couldn't pay my to go back up to my starting weight. I'll take a bit of loose skin here and there, any day.
The only loose skin that I have so far is on my stomach, and I had that before I began because of an emergency C-section. Of course, I still have more to lose, and this might become more of an issue for me, but loose skin is not inevitable. Appearance aside, I just love the way I feel, the things I can do and the wide availability of clothing I can buy. (Okay, the clothing was kind of an appearnce thing, but it's also way more convenient to be able to shop with my 14YO daughter than to have to go to other stores just for me. And since I'm so cheap and buy most of my clothes on clearance or at thrift stores, it's a big deal for me in terms of variety and affordability to have a more "normal" size body.)
Losing the fat but keeping the skin
