[tasha8687]

hey everyone! i'm new to the forum, and look forward to getting to know people better and sharing experiences and troubles. I am 5'2" and at my heaviest recently i was 208 lbs, with most of this weight in my stomach area. I have recently been working hard at losing weight and i am down to 161 lbs. I am doing the Debbie Siebers "Slim in 6" program. but as i lose weight I am noticing that my belly starts to look kinda saggy/bulge. Just wondering if this usually goes away as you proceeed with your weight loss, or will i always have a bulge on the belly?

[geoblewis]

Welcome to the forum! You've made excellent progress and I'm sure you're already enjoying the rewards of carrying around less bodyweight.

It sure would be nice if one of those rewards was instant skin shrinkage! It's a tough thing to come up against, especially when you're succeeding in so many other ways. The good thing is that you're young (well, you look young) and eventually your skin will shrink. Just be patient. There are things you can do to help it along. Drink lots of water. Get good sleep. Body brushing. Massage. Core training (like pilates). And keep losing weight, because the less body fat your skin hangs on underneath the better.

In the meantime, the emotional body image battle will be there for you to work out. The saggy skin is a badge of accomplishment. Better to look at it with pride rather than cringe at the sight of yourself every time you look in the mirror. Tell yourself you've been doing a great job. Because you have!

[kimbo720]

I have lost 71 pounds and I am going through the same thing. I eat clean and exercise daily. The trainers have told me that cardio is the best so I started jogging. I do strength training 5 days a week and still that area is the worst. Everyone says it will take time but dang its hard to wait. I am trying not to get discouraged so I am measuring once a month to see the progress. That helps my frame of mind.

[stimkovs]

90 lbs lost. i have a saggy belly.

guess what? that's your tiger stripe.

when you have almost no fat there, i learnt that even if the skin remains, it's quite easy to ..."tuck it in" under the hem of your pants/shorts/ even bikini bottom. You can still achieve muscle definition, even with that skin there.

for me, you can't even really tell in a dress- you just become more selective of what underwear to wear with what. but that's not a big deal.

the only time it's noticable on me, is when im naked- but the reality of that is, chances are whomever is seeing you naked is going to be absolutely a-ok with that, and if they are not- then well...put your clothes back on and find somebody who actually deserves to be with you!

[Mimi21]

My body structure is very similar to yours Tasha. For years I've had a huge belly and I know as the weight goes down, there will be excess skin. It's actually one of the things that discouraged me from losing weight which is sad to admit but very true. I know that it's only superficial but I wish I could have a totally flat and sexy stomach.

I don't want to have a chip on my shoulder about excess skin and stretch marks anymore even though it's been damn near impossible. No matter how I feel about myself, I know I'll feel much, much better once I'm slimmer and healthier and that is what matters the most.

[want2bebak2me]

Making sure you stretch before and after ur workout, making sure u dont lose weight too fast, massaging with a firming cream and remembering it takes up to forty days for new skin cells to reach the surface. Someone in the forum mentioned its because there is stil some fate there, its weighing down the skin. Once its only skin, it wont be driving you as crazy and remember through time it will shrink more. Your weight loss is still in progress, your body is still in progress. Keep in mind how long you gave it to stretch out, im pretty sure like most of us you didnt gain all your weight and stretch out your skin in one month. Girl, your looking great! Tummy area is really hard, try really focusing your workouts on that. cant wait to see your results. Have faith. And after all, anything is better then where we once were....