So kind of embarassing but....
 

I'm having trouble seeing if what I have is solely loose skin or not. I posted about this about a month back but I think it would help to show it rather then just decribe...

I can pretty much pull up my stomache and it flattens out, but it dosen't feel entirely soft. I can also pull it all to one side or the other and my stomache flattens out as well :/ So can you guys take a look and tell me if based on what your seeing, is it loose skin, fat, or a combination of both? I'm Sorry...posting this is really embarassing but it'll be nice to know or not.

http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/1420/looseskin.png

Thank you guys...D;

I'm no expert, but it looks like loose skin to me. Especially if it flattens out, I know that does not happen when I pull on my stomach.

Looks like lose skin. Mine was like that 20 lbs back, and it's a little better now.

mine is like that too. i always thought it was lose skin with some extra fat as well.

My stomach looks like yours...although mine looks more...empty? I can't describe it.. I think it's loose skin too.

When I pull mine up it flatens out nicely and I have an definition :( blah

Yep, loose skin. I think people tend to think that loose skin is just a thin layer of crepe like skin, but... skin has fat layers too - thicker on some parts of the body than others. I can grab my lower stomach like this too and it's a LOT like what a pregnant belly feels like just after a baby is born and I think most women who have had babies will agree that this is loose skin.

It will probably shrink up some more, but not completely. Of course, there is fat within the skin too, but that probably isn't easily "dieted" away without severely malnourishing your body.

And I'm PROUD OF YOU for showing the picture!

it's so *nice* to be given something concrete on which to base an opinion!

thank you!

and yep - to me, looks like mostly loose skin with some fat; i'm no doctor, but i'd call it about 80% skin, 20% fat. when i went down to WAY low, my stomach (which has the same problem) looked exactly like a popped blister stuck on what was otherwise a very nice figure.

you need to give it at least 2yrs - skin takes *forever* to reabsorb - and maybe a bit longer before you get an idea how far it's going to go down - but really, you're probably looking at a tummy tuck for best results.

if your hubby's okay with the stomach and you're more concerned with not messing up the cute little outfits you can now wear, just grab some spanx.

http://www.spanx.com/home/index.jsp

Looks like loose skin to me. Congrats on your weight loss! I'm not sure it will ALL ever go away, you might consider a tummy tuck and then it will be nice and flat. I wonder if insurance would pay for it because I am sure it is uncomfortable and gets in the way. I'd check it out. Either way you have done an amazing job!!!

Definitely loose skin.

Thanks guys for your comments...

threenorns- I am kinda considering a tummy tuck but not really serious about it yet :) No hubby but my last boyfriend didn't seem to mind the the stomach and never made me feel bad about it. I'm pretty much assuming if a guy can see my stomache, hes to focused on other things to care ;) I do wear spandex but only with dresses and skirts...Although when I'm running, I have to wear super tight pants up pretty high to hold everything in. Otherwise it moves and is a little uncomfortable

rainydays- so its possible to lose more fat from that, whatever it is? :)

Melissa- Thank you. Showing my stomach is the one thing Im a bit self concious about..:hug:

sontaikle-I know your working hard with your lifting and toning so I hope yours goes away to show off your most definite abs that you have under. By empty do you mean like a more deflated version of what I have? But still kinda sagging?

I guess now my question is, should I bacially stop trying to lose weight and work solely on fitness since i'm starting to think alot of what I think is "fat" around my body is actually loose skin? Or, based on what you can see on my stomach, do I still have a little more to lose before stopping? :)

I can do better than try to describe it. I'll post a picture.

It's gotten better recently, but it's still clearly extra skin.

http://healthplusfifty.files.wordpre...2/04/tummy.jpg

I would love to go for a tummy tuck, but considering that I want to have kids I think it's best I wait.

Also, thank you for giving me the courage to post this D:

The good news is you probably won't get stretch marks when you get pregnant :lol: Stretch marks are really ugly, take it from me!
I forgot to see how close to goal you are before I started responding, but I would say if you are pretty close, yes focus on lifting heavy weights. That skin is going to tighten up more over time, and if you are in no hurry due to wanting to get kids, why don't you just wait and see what it does as you work on shaping up more. I bet it won't be half as bad in a year or so. I still think the layer of fat under there is a little thicker than it will end up, so as you switch to strenthening exercises, that will continue to thin out.

ETA, looks like you are at goal, so I guess your question is whether there is more there to lose or not. I would say a little teeny bit, but you could do that while sculpting, not necessarily in losing mode. You have to eat at a surplus to gain muscle, so I say, eat more, lift more and watch that belly shrink!

EEPP...I'm glad you posted a picture. Its so nice to compare to other people who have gone/going through the same thing. And I know i'm going to have kids as well so the tummy tuck wouldn't happen for a long time, and only if I could get over that fear of having 100 stitches in my stomach for two weeks xD. Thank you so much for showing what yours looks like as well :hug:

jomatho- :lol: I don't think I could possibility get any more when I get pregnant...My stomache/side/back is full of them. They've faded and I don't even pay them any attention. And I think I'm going to take that advice. I think I may drop down to an even 180 to give myself a few pounds of a barriar to gain if I do, and then work on trying to keep within a 5 pound weight gain/loss, while lifting.

Yeah mine is bad, :lol: I think my skin is just shot from being overweight as a kid and when I rapidly gained weight in high school.

I think I just need to give it time. It used to be worse just a few weeks ago. The remnants of my apron were there but now it's gone and I have that flat lower stomach I've always wanted. I think that's part of the reason I went down a pant size recently.

I'm hoping it's better by summer. If not I'll get a high waisted bikini and hope that the following summer I can wear a regular one :)

It just SUCKS that this stupid extra skin is covering all the hard work I've been doing :lol:

All plastic surgery scares me too :x ESPECIALLY after my grandmother told me everything she went through. She had some stuff done and she just told me everything and my face went D:

baker and sontaikle, THANK YOU for having the courage to post your photos. It's really helpful. I haven't known whether what's on my stomach is loose skin, fat, scar tissue from a laparotomy last summer, or some combo of all three. Seeing your photos is a big help - both of you appear to me to have just loose skin there, nothing solid. I think the hard mass beneath the skin in my lower abdomen might be scar tissue, and the extra above that fat, with the loose skin on top of it all. :dizzy: