I know a lot of people have had concerns here about loose skin. Before I started losing weight I read a lot about how some have it and some don't.
DO NOT LET THIS STOP YOU FROM STARTING YOUR JOURNEY!
I have lost 80 lbs - it's taken me about 13 months. I still have about 30 - 40 lbs to go. I have yet to decide a weight goal.
Here is my deal - I have some loose skin with my arms - that's it. Truthfully - I love it! It reminds me daily where I started and how far I have come. I could care less about it. You can see my muscle right next it.
I work out hard - 5 times a week. I lift weights twice a week (lifting is my favourite thing to do)
My journey is far from being over - my skin will continue to tighten (I get measured at the gym every 3 months) Everything continues to shrink as I continue to lose.
You have a great attitude. I, too, am worried about loose skin, but I will take some loose skin over saggy fat flesh any day, along with being healthier!
Good post! I think a lot of people worry about lose skin and they use it as an excuse not to finish. Lose skin isn't something that everyone goes through, and honestly lose skin is better than the fat! Hopefully people will read your words and no let some lose skin stop them from getting healthy!
^^^ Rhonda nailed it!! It's wayyyyyyyyy easier to dress flatteringly (is that even a word???) to hide a few loose bits than trying to cram an extra 150 lbs into something and hoping no one would notice LOL
I'm so glad I found your post. I was at the gym tonight and I KILLED IT! I did 1hr30min of cardio and strength training. I was so proud of myself I went up to my trainer (I live in Korea, so she is Korean and doesn't speak much English) and I showed her my guns...I thought it was fun because I could really see my muscles...but what does she do? She doesn't comment or look to my muscles, but instead grabs the bat wings of fat that are hanging under the muscle....UGH!! Talk about a buzz kill. I still have a long way to go on my journey though and nothing is going to stop me!!!
I'm really not bothered by my loose skin and bits of hanging flab. It's not really as bad as I thought it might be, and it doesn't prevent my awesome muscles from popping out! And I look so much better in clothing. Well heck, I think I look better naked, too, loose skin be-danged
Great post. I do think that people who use the fear of loose skin to not lose weight are just looking for an excuse and anything would do! It's true that loose skin is a lot easier to hide than excessive weight!
I have a good bit of loose skin on my legs but I sort of knew it would happen & didn't let it deter me.....my life now is totally different & I wouldn't want to go back to my old weight for anything! I lost my weight for mainly vanity reasons too
Agree one hundred per cent-- I'm getting pretty close to the hundred pound mark and I don't have much loose skin. My arm and legs look excellent, the only real problem area is my lower belly and let's face it, it looked a lot worse 94 pounds ago!
I always thought I had "bad skin" because I'm really fair and got HORRIBLE stretch marks, but now I'm thinking I have pretty good skin.
Regarding "bat wings..." I have to be honest that I've developed a mild paranoia about that since coming to 3FC. Before that, I never worried about my arms nor did I notice anyone else's.... it wasn't until I came across the term "bat wings" here that I started to worry about it.
Just a few days ago, I was comparing arm muscles with a co-worker who lost about 25 lbs, is my age, and is MUCH thinnner than me.... she showed me her arm and I showed mine and then she said, "you don't have all the wrinkles on your arm like I have..." And after she said it, I noticed that the undersurface of her upper arm was really wrinkled--aka loose skin-- whereas mine is smooth. BUT I totally did not notice it on her until she pointed it out, and she is my height and has a normal BMI.
In other words, that is a long way of saying that loose skin is not the exclusive province of formerly obese people, and I think it is a lot less noticeable to others than we think it is.
Loose skin is not only easier to camouflage it is also not the giant hindrance to health that obesity is. I have a tiny bit of loose skin on my arms and my inner thighs and I'm not real happy with the girls, but I'll take that over where I was any day. It's so much easier to find a t-shirt, not too short shorts, and a decent bra to handle the loose bits than it was to find clothes at 245 pounds. I'll also take the lab results I get from the doc now over the ones I got last year any day. If when I am done with weight loss and pregnancy I am seriously unhappy with my skin, then I'll worry about it then. Until then I'm going to worry more about my running speed
Tremendously increased self-confidence, vastly improved mobility, longer life expectancy, lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar readings, lower cholesterol, happier doctor visits, happier sessions with the three-way mirror in dressing rooms, increased comfort in seating in public transportation & in theaters, less sweatiness in summer, better-feeling feet & knees, and oh, I don't know what else to cram in here, but everything is MUCH BETTER ...
vs.
A bit of loose skin, which makes it easy to pinch more than an inch on my middle, thighs & upper arms.
My thoughts on lose skin
