destined for a tummy tuck???...

[LTs girl]

So I am hoping that someone can give me some insight into what I can expect. I am 35yrs old, 5'7" and at my heaviest I was 197lbs after my fourth pregnancy. I am on my weight loss journey (down 19 lbs). Everything seems to be tightening up except my stomach. What do you all think? Is a tummy tuck in my future or will it tighten up with the weight loss and toning?

[Meg]

No one, not even a plastic surgeon, would be able to tell you what your body will look like when you reach your goal weight. I know it's frustrating but there just isn't a way to predict how things will change as you lose the last pounds. And skin seems to tighten up for a while afterwards, which is why most doctors recommend that you reach a stable goal weight and then wait a year or so to see how your skin reacts to your weight loss before making any decisions about reconstructive surgery.

So all you can do is hang in there and be patient! Don't forget exercise, especially weight training -- it does wonders for helping the skin's appearance!

[LTs girl]

Thanks. Just trying to see what other people had experienced.

[SouthLake]

So, my stomach started off fairly firm. Big, but not too jiggly. As I lost weight, it got jiggly. Really jiggly. Freaking me out jiggly. Ten pounds later, almost no jiggly left. I imagine my stomach will do this several times in my journey as it readjusts itself to it's shrinking size.

[luckyme0510]

I'm only 22 but I know that there is no hope for me. I am definitely destined for a tummy tuck. At my highest weight I was 204lbs at nine month pregnant. I am covered in stretch marks, they are all over my belly, they go all the way up to right below the ribcage area under my breast, and they start at my pubic area. with all of those tears in my skin I know I must have several inches of extra skin that cannot "shrink" back because it's literally extra skin not just stretched skin. The worse part it knowing that even after having a tummy tuck I still won't be able to wear a bikini. I always think of kate(from kate plus 8), I just don't know how its possible to be pregnant with six babies and be able to wear a bikini just after one tummy tuck.

[stacygee]

I worry a lot about my belly and it also seems like the last place I am losing weight from. It is stretch mark covered and very jiggly. every night I massage lotions onto it. I have used Palmers Skin therapy, Cereve, Nivia Skin Tightening. I am trying different things to see if I think any helps. So far the Palmers seemed to fade the stretch marks but I haven't found anything that I think tightens it.

Every morning I use a scrubbing salt to exfoliate it. Right now I am using Neutrogena Citrus body scrub. I read that may help.