I would appreciate input from anyone who has lost a large amount of weight. This graphic question may bother some of you, so be warned to stop reading now!
I have lost about 120 pounds after being morbidly obese for about 30 years. I am loose all over. No surprise, I have loose skin that I expected. What I wonder about is loose fat. My fat moves from spot to spot when I move. My arms did not surprise me when my fat started hanging below my arms but my legs are surprising me. When I am standing, it gathers around my knees. When I am sitting, it hangs to the underside of my legs like fat hangs from my upper arms. I am not even going to tell you what my bottom is like! I think that the fat is attached to my skin and moves with the skin.
My question...... has this happened to any of you? If so, did you lose that fat or would it be removed with surgery to remove excess skin? Do you think that I will lose that loose fat as I continue to lose?
Now if you have been able to read this far, I don't want to discourage anyone from losing weight because of this post. My quality of life has been greatly increase. I can deal with loose skin and fat much easier than the same skin packed tight with fat. My looseness is a consequence of gaining weight, not losing it.
time2lose First of all, congratulations on losing this significant amount of weight. That alone is a cause for a major celebration. I know that you would not trade these new set of "problems" for the old ones because I know that I wouldn't. This is a reality for those of us who both have been obese for a long period of time but also if we are older. I have seen people on different talk shows that have come forth and openly discussed this "residual" issue and how they dealt with it so I would also check your local t.v. programming and watch one of these programs but for those who are extremely obese (200 lbs +) at some point this becomes such a marked issue, they return to their physician for "excess skin removal". My understanding is many insurance companies will cover "excess skin removal" surgeries since that creates new problems as well; primarily skin infections or tissue breakdown (if it is severe enough) that can impact a person's general health.
Although, I still feel that I have an additional 100 lbs to lose, after losing nearly 60 lbs thus far, this is certainly on the back burner in my mind. I do not have health insurance presently so instead of discussing my options with a medical doctor, I have turned to as many other sources for direction and guidance. My understanding is the end results depend on a person's age, inherited skin elasicity, overall health and where their former weight was distributed. I have also heard and read that it takes the body up to one full calendar year before their newly emerged body "settles" in how it will look from then on. That is a lot of separate factors to take into consideration but that is what I have learned about this.
Again, since I do not presently have health insurance nor am I person of unlimited financial means; I have done what I can while losing weight to minimize (if that is possible) some of these "expected" looseness. I have exercised, especially free weight workouts, from Day One. I make sure that I eat a healthy, well-balanced food plan along with additional mega-multi-vitamins especially Vitamin C which heals our bodies at the cellular level (and my skin really shows it when I lapse doing so or when I keep up that regimen) as well as the B vitamins; equally important for hair, nails, and vitamin D for bones and heart.
My weight was evenly distributed but where I have already noticed some looseness is where I used to have a double chin, the back of my upper arms and at the top and back of my upper thighs. I have recently started a regimen of using a specific stretch mark complex cream. I did this out of necessity because the stretch marks on my upper inner thighs were becoming inflamed and raw, causing both a lot of discomfort but a potential risk of skin breaking down and possible local infections. I did not want things to go "that far" so I have started early on treating that. I actually was surprised because I don't have stretch marks anywhere else and although I have been obese half of my adult life, I was always moderately active (mostly out of necessity since I had to walk a lot because I didn't have access to a car for about 6 years) so I did have "acquired" muscle tone underneath all of the extra fat. I am hoping that this topical treatment will work because this is the second round of surface inflammation that I have experienced and it is both painful (sitting especially) and I am concerned that it could progress to something more serious.
I would not hesitate to have "excess skin removal" surgery if I both acquire health insurance in the future and if it is both offered and covered. In the meantime, I do the above to hopefully ease the "severity" of that.
I also have the same problems of everything pooling at my knees, the back of my arms, the apron on my belly. For now I am wearing a Spanx like pant and torso undergarment to help hold everything in place. I have lost over a 100 lbs and have been fat for the last 58 years so this is my option since I cannot afford surgery and I would't have it unless I got to my proper weight and held it for a year.
SPANX is the right answer lol it's weird, I had a similar thing with my whole torso, it felt like my skin wasn't 'attached' to me LOL it was weird and I didn't want to go my whole life like that it was such an unsettling feeling. I wore very snug compression garments for about 5 months (a fall/winter) and eventually my skin was part of me again, I've NO idea if the spanx aided that or if just does on its own
as you say, i'd rather have some loosey-goosey wobbly bits than be that heavy again!
I know it takes time for things to 'settle' so don't worry too much about now
I would never have thought that Spanx had the capability to do that, Tracey and Sally, but it sure is worth trying. Great idea! I will also look into that. I also agree with you regarding waiting until your body has a chance to be at a normal weight for a year. Thanks for all of the suggestions.
that is exactly what happened to me and I was just about your weight (from your ticker) when it got quite noticeable (to me). In fact it was so upsetting to me that I think it is a big part of why I went off plan and regained a good chunk of weight. Twenty pounds and the hanging bits were no longer as "loose" and in some weird/subconscious way I think that was easier for me to cope with. I am telling you this so you can be on guard against emotional self sabotage. I *thought* I was going to be okay with it, but really, I didn't deal with it well. I am working on that mental issue on the way back down this time.
Wow I am so impressed I weigh 325 and just starting this crazy journey, so imspired by you and your progress. I am 53 and time flies, when did i get so old and fat ? But have a great mind and plan on using it.... ha ha ha , I agree a little loose skin is a small price to pay..... thanks
I was expecting the loose skin but what seems like loose fat was a surprise. So far I am handling it emotionally fine. I have invested in some shapewear (store brand) to help hold everything in place. I think I look pretty good in my clothes.
After I get to whatever I decide is my goal weight, I plan to wait a few months to allow my skin to improve as much as it will and then consult a plastic surgeon. I will be really surprised if my insurance will cover anything.
As of right now, I think a brachioplasty (arm lift) will be the only surgery I will have. At my largest, my arms were the biggest part of me and that still holds true. I am out of proportion and my arms determine what size shirts I can wear. Without brachioplasty, I don't think I will ever be able to wear short sleeves. When the time gets closer, I will do more research but I think that I can afford that surgery.
I told DH that if my looseness bothers him, I will be glad to have surgery. He laughed and told me not to worry about it. He thinks I am fine.
Thank you for the input. I will let you know if this fat goes away as I lose more weight.
Thanks for the kind words and I'm glad you enjoy my blog.
As you know, when I had that HUGE amount of hanging skin off my abdomen, I was POSITIVE that it was mostly fat and I truly didn't believe my surgeon when he said that it would all be gone.
BUT, we are often left with residual fat - which is why he also does some lipo while in there as standard operating procedure.
The way I knew it was skin and not fat? When I got in a pool or bathtub, the skin takes on a life of its own and floats around. Fat stays in place.
looseness questions for chicks who lost 100+ pds
I know that you would not trade these new set of "problems" for the old ones because I know that I wouldn't. This is a reality for those of us who both have been obese for a long period of time but also if we are older. I have seen people on different talk shows that have come forth and openly discussed this "residual" issue and how they dealt with it so I would also check your local t.v. programming and watch one of these programs but for those who are extremely obese (200 lbs +) at some point this becomes such a marked issue, they return to their physician for "excess skin removal". My understanding is many insurance companies will cover "excess skin removal" surgeries since that creates new problems as well; primarily skin infections or tissue breakdown (if it is severe enough) that can impact a person's general health. 
