Hey guys:

I am sorry if I am starting new threads when I shouldn't be, or not posting in the right places, it is going to take me awhile to get the hang of it! I just wanted to say thank you for all of the nice replies and encouragement so far, it really does help, I look at you guys and think wow, look what they have done, what is to say I can't do it too? I have a really crazy question, but it is a huge worry for me, for those of you who have lost a really significant amount of weight, like 100 or more do you have problems with your skin sagging all over your body and looking worse than you did fat? I have seen that happen to people especially the gastric bypass patients and it terrifies me, because even if I wanted to I could not have plastic surgery for the same reason i can't have gastric bypasss--I have a blood clotting disease, so surgery for me is pretty well limited to emergency and then I have almost died twice it is very scary. I am not really a vain person, but I don't want to be left walking around with all this skin hanging, are there things that you can do that really work? Also are any of you out there on insulun shots for Type II diabetes or a CPAP machine for sleep apnea, I'll spare you the rest right now, I have rambled long enough over something silly.

Thanks

Not everybody has that problem. For health reasons and even vanity reasons, wouldn't you rather lose the weight anyway? Only one person (if you are married) is gonna see you naked anyway. Really many women deal with scaring from birth, etc everyday (I'm in this category). Having said that, MANY people don't have this problem at all. Take a chance, join us! One way you can possibly help your chances is to not lose too rapidly. For most of us, this isn't an issue .

Karen -

You have asked such a popular question (sagging skin), that I think I will refer you the long standing thread on this subject...http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36040

You can start a new thread any time you want to.

Sagging skin can be a problem, but that depends on a lot of factors. Check out Skin FAQs here: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36040

I've lost almost 90 lbs., and I have a bit of a roll around my belly button area, but that's pretty much it. I'm 53 so my skin elasticity isn't as great as younger people's, but I think what's helped me is lifting weights, which I started a couple of months into the weight loss journey.

It's certainly better, IMHO, to be healthy and wearing a size 10 with a bit of sag than unhealthy and wearing a size 24.

Sandi: I must have been typing as you posted. Great minds think alike!

Karen: I love it that you ask such good questions. I loved reading the responses and I printed off 17 pages from the thread that Meg sent you to. I learned so much. I don't care where you post, just keep asking good questions like that!
Norma

I knew I should have waited for someone else to post the answer to that question. What they said . Welcome to the forum boards. There really is a lot of support and information here. I hope you find what you are looking for.

I have a lot of lose skin. However I never got why someone would say they would rather be fat then to have all that skin. The skin is there whether it's lose or filled with fat. I would much rather have the lose skin and feel 100 times better and look better in my clothes than to have rolls and feel 100 times worse and not look so good. The lose skin does bother me but not near as much as the fat skin.

See what I mean.

Karen -

I used to have sleep apnea and a CPAP but after losing 50 lbs I was able to get rid of it and I sleep really well now. Hopefully weight loss will help you do the same. Something of a motivator, no?

You guys are great, thanks so much for all the info and good vibes! I will probably spend the day reading the thread about sagging skin, it is not that I am vain, I just wonder if it causes lots of problems with yeast infections and the like, I don't know, was just really curious, I sure didn't mean I want to stay fat, no way! Thanks again!

I'm with Howie - I much prefer my sagging skin to mounds of fat. However, I can relate to your fears. I felt the exact same thing when I started out and I think I even posted a question about it as well.

I do have quite a bit of loose skin but for the most part, you can't notice it. Unless I lie down (I hate gravity!) or contort my body in a strange way to emphasize it, you can't really tell unless you're looking for it - and I like to think that the general population aren't out in search of the saggy skin syndrome on most people.

Here's a couple of pictures that were taken about 3 weeks ago. In the first picture my arms look relatively normal I think (not alot of saggy skin). The second picture you can really see how much skin is there cause I have my arms all squished in close to my body. But just to put that in perspective for you - the third picture is of me at my highest weight. I'll take the loose skin any day!

~Dee

I don't see loose skin on you. When I think loose skin I think of that thin flappy skin you sometimes see on older women. Yours look fine and I definately like your new look better

Dee:
I think you look amazing--over 100 pounds lost?? that is not the kind of saggy skin I am talking about either, thanks to everyone again though for letting me know that losing the weight is my most important goal right now! You all are fantastic and so inspiring!

Dee - You look amazing. It's always so inspiring to me when I see before and after pictures of people who've worked hard and are now at or nearing their goal, especially when they first started out where I find myself today. So thanks bunches for being such an inspiration

Karen - that was actually one of the very first if not the first questions I wanted to ask when I joined. As I sat through reading all the posts about skin issues, questions, sagging, and surgeries... I burst into tears at one point, and still felt upset the next morning or two days after. But then I admitted to myself the somewhat upsetting truth: that while losing weight and possibly ending up with saggy skin might be truly saddening, in truth I don't look much better with fat filling up ever inch of my skin! It's a double-edged sword I suppose, cosmetically anyways. So I kept telling myself, "but at least if you lose the weight - even if you end up with saggy skin, you'll be able to:
- run!!!
- be fit
- look great
- feel attractive/physically confident (I guess this is possible at any weight, but let's face it... I don't feel very attractice huffing, puffing, unable to fit into a standard sized chair!)
- be able to participate in activities/sports you wouldn't do at a higher weight
- be free to shop in tons of different stores for clothes (on sale too )
- be able to buy shoes with much greater ease
- not feel like "the fat girl" (social benefits I guess, sad but true)
- and breathe much easier knowing your joints, your heart, your arteries, your insulin levels, and so so SO much more in your body is given a better chance at keeping itself well functioning and working well both in the near future and down the road (like 60 years down the road!)
- regularly eating healthy and exercising healthy keeps you feeling great!!
- losing any amount of weight, but especially a lot of weight, I'm sure boosts one's sense of pride!!
- exercise = endorphins (happy brain chemicals )

So the balance tipped in favour of weight loss. And at the end of that long list, that's probably far from finished!!! And I'll admit some days it's easier than others to not feel discouraged, but I guess in the long run I look at my life today - the way I feel, the way I look, the things I can and cannot do - I look at the way my high weight affects all of that, and I know that I am not happy, I don't feel healthy, and I want to change it. I don't know what it's like to live with saggy skin, but I guess if I really hated it it's possible to gain the weight back and fill it back up eh So I am going to give this a try, I am going to work my butt off, I am going to learn new skills, adapt my lifestyle, and gain confidence, a sense of pride, and determination as I slowly but steadily lose this weight. And I will see what it's like when I get there, because right now I'm just starting. I imagine it will be difficult and frustrating some days but I will brave it, I will work through it, and that's all I can say right about now except off I go!!

That's just me, what goes on in my mind - the things I repeat to myself . I hope you find what you are looking for, I hope it leads you to great places and I hope to see you around!! So and keep on posting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. I've heard not everyone ends up with stretched skin!

You are cracking me up about if you don't like the sagging skin you can just fill it back up, that is so funny!!! Something tells me though that we won't ever want to do that once we reach our goal for all the reasons you listed and more, thanks!

Beautifulone: That is one of the most beautiful responses I have ever read. It moved me to get off my fat butt. Here's to you!
Norma