[CherryPie99]

Today marks 9 months since I had a full 360 abdominoplasty.

I can say that it was hard having the surgery, but other then losing the weight, it is the best thing I have ever done. Totally life changing.

As a reminder, this was me after losing 207 pounds, but before surgery:



This is my 9 month post op pic:



I will be updating my blog today with some more "graphic" pics of the incision scar if anyone is interested.

jenhudsonmosher.blogspot.com

[elvislover324]

Gorgeous!! You are amazing, thanks for sharing with us! I hope you enjoy every minute of your bikini body, you deserve it!!

[berryblondeboys]

I am so glad that you share with us. I wish more people would be so HONEST. You look great and I hope you feel great too!


What else is great about it is that so many people think that their loose skin is fat. Well, of course there is some fat in it because skin HAS fat layers (especially women), but you can't "diet" that away. It's luck or surgery. I would be where you are - if I wanted to get rid of it, it would have to be surgery.

I didn't lose (or won't need to lose) as much as you did (which is amazing that you have done that!) which is the ONLY reason I won't have as much loose skin as you did - same problem, just different amounts of loose skin.


What I find amazing (and I told this to my husband the other day) is how different we are. My tummy is my problem area as are my under arms. yet, a fitness instructor at my gym lost a total of 80 pounds and she has NO loose skin on her arms at all and she's 10 years old than me when she lost the weight. Why do some of us have elastic skin and others don't?

Why do some of us get tons of stretch marks and others don't? It's really puzzling!

[mandypandy2246]

You look AMAZINg and you are so brave to share! You have such a hot body! go you!

I'm actually having brachiplasty on Monday and am scared but also excited! (This surgery is before the finished weight loss - I have a weird fat abnormality so the Mayo clinic doctor though no reason to wait to fix it)

[CherryPie99]

Originally Posted by berryblondeboys

What else is great about it is that so many people think that their loose skin is fat. Well, of course there is some fat in it because skin HAS fat layers (especially women), but you can't "diet" that away. It's luck or surgery. I would be where you are - if I wanted to get rid of it, it would have to be surgery.

I thought that it was a lot of fat too! When I went for my consult and the MD told me that my stomach would be flat, I truly didn't believe him, because I thought that there was so much fat left to lose - but all that hanging stuff was skin.

My thighs are really, really bad. But my arms aren't too bad - there is definitely the "bat wing" thing going on, but it's not terrible.

[rainbowsmiles]

hi cherry.....i remember writing to you when i started...and how kind you were to write me back about your journey!

i am now in week 38 of losing, and have just now hit 115 pounds lost.
when i hit 125 pounds lost i am going to go into maintenance.

my question is this..
do you think if you had lost 50% and then let your body "catch" up to your loss, before losing the rest it would have helped with the skin issue??

i am currently at a crossroads where i am only dealing with bat wings and the rest is not so bad, but my thighs were huge and still are bigger than the average person of my weight, so i know i will have a huge amount of skin in that area.

i have been reading about losing 50% and then maintaining 6 months to a year and then losing 25% more, maintaining again and then losing the last 25% to help with the reduction in excess skin.

can you give me your opinion???

much love and what an inspiring beautiful lady you are!!!!!!!!!
hugs
susan

[berryblondeboys]

Originally Posted by CherryPie99

I thought that it was a lot of fat too! When I went for my consult and the MD told me that my stomach would be flat, I truly didn't believe him, because I thought that there was so much fat left to lose - but all that hanging stuff was skin.

My thighs are really, really bad. But my arms aren't too bad - there is definitely the "bat wing" thing going on, but it's not terrible.

I don't know where you see bat wings! Those are some buff arms!

This is a photo of my arm in June (I took it to compare to my other arm to show a nurse friend as I developed an infection after getting poison ivy).

This was when I was about 168 (so about 8 pounds over goal). I've gotten more muscle since then, but ALLLL of that stuff below the muscle you see is loose skin - baggy at the elbows too.

I gain a lot of weight in the arms, so maybe that's the reason there's so much "extra". My tummy looks a lot like yours before, just less of it because of the less weight loss. I think mine will shrink up a bit more and it won't be much of a problem, but pretty? Nope. Never.

[Mozzy]

Absolutely incredible!!!

[CherryPie99]

Originally Posted by rainbowsmiles

my question is this..
do you think if you had lost 50% and then let your body "catch" up to your loss, before losing the rest it would have helped with the skin issue??

can you give me your opinion???

Susan,

A MAJOR CONGRATS on how much you have lost! You must be so proud of yourself!!

My answer to that is NO WAY. I mean, look at the before pic - that is 7 pounds of excess skin. There is not a chance that it would have shrunk back in any noticeable way.

Plus, I have weighed under 150 pounds since early last year and have been under 120 since July of last year and there has been ZERO shrinkage of the skin on my thighs and arms.

And I did everything right - I lost weight slowly, drank a ton of water, exercised, moisturized, and I lift very heavy weights.

Now, I think if people have a very little amount of excess skin and they lift weights it tightens up and is less noticeable.

I did ask the MD at the consult about skin shrinking back and he laughed (not in an unkind way) and assured me that it would never happen.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I want to be honest.

Jen

[berryblondeboys]

I wish I could smack everyone in the head who buys cream to shrink up skin. Seriously - how can it even be legal to sell such creams as it is a LIE!!!!!

If creams worked for preventing stretch marks or for shrinking up skin, does anyone think there would be anyone walking around with stretch marks and loose skin? Geez...

[sontaikle]

Thank you so much for posting these. Congrats on looking AMAZING!!


It's so funny how loose skin is. I have virtually none on my arms, but plenty on my stomach and a little bit on my inner thighs. I realize now I've actually had the loose skin on my stomach for YEARS from going from an 18/20 to a 12/14...I always thought it would go away if I lost weight...well nope! Still have it.

[penmage]

Wow! Thank you for sharing that. You look wonderful!

[April Snow]

you look absolutely amazing, congrats!! And not amazing for someone who has lost as much weight as you did, as wonderful and impressive as that is, just amazing, full stop. thank you for sharing!

[CherryPie99]

Originally Posted by berryblondeboys

I wish I could smack everyone in the head who buys cream to shrink up skin. Seriously - how can it even be legal to sell such creams as it is a LIE!!!!!

If creams worked for preventing stretch marks or for shrinking up skin, does anyone think there would be anyone walking around with stretch marks and loose skin? Geez...

AAAAAAAAAMEN!!!!


It is so sad and surprising though how many people believe this!!

[Darwin503]

May I ask who your surgeon was? Your results are far better than any other before/after portfolios I have seen for other surgeons.

I have lost 180lbs, and kept it off for 2 years. At this point, I have given up on my skin shrinking on its own.

Thanks.