Hi everyone, hope you are all having a great weekend! Just wondering if anyone can give me some advice around loose skin? I have lost about 15kg over the last 3 months and this morning, I have noticed some puckered, loose skin between my upper thighs and on my stomach. It looks yucky just wondering if anyone has any advice or methods for toning up the skin? I still have another 20ish to lose before I am 100% happy, and if I get my wish, I will have heaps more loose skin to deal with. I would like to avoid surgery at all costs! Thanks ladies

Cal I have a lot of loose skin. There's still some fat in there though for me, but it's still saggy and floppy. I will more than likely have to get mine done with surgery. At my goal weight I will have lost 180 pounds once I get there. I did notice that using the hip abductor and hip adductor machines at the gym have helped me a little bit, but weights can only do so much and depending on how bad yours is, that may be your only option unless you have surgery. The hardest thing for me so far is my stomach. 1, finding pants to fit me that will fit my sagging stomach too, and 2, the excess flap of skin is hard to keep clean 100% of the time. Sometimes it hurts and feels like my skin is kind of tearing under the flap and can be red sometimes, but luckily no crazy sore yet. I'm trying to wait until I know for sure if I'm going to be able to have kids or not before I have any type of surgery since it would kind of be a waste. I'll definitely need a lower body lift. It's expensive and I don't have money for such a surgery but hoping that's something I can work towards saving for once I have my car paid off next year. Hope this helps.

Morning everyone else

It looks really pretty outside today. Supposed to be getting hot later and the humidity is already at 75%. I don't think we'll be going to Brookgreen Gardens this weekend after talking to DH. He wants to see what kind of forecast we're going to have over the next couple of weeks to pick the best day. We're at the time of year that it's going to be hot no matter what day it is, so I'm trying to convince him to maybe go tomorrow. He has band practice this evening so I know today is definitely out. Waiting for my phone to charge up so I can get out there and get a good walk in. Maybe tonight I'll try lifting some light weights if time permits to do a little something extra. I'm feeling really good and hoping to see some movement in the scale this week. I weighed on Monday to give myself some sort of starting point since this is my first week of real exercise constantly and I was at 207.4. I'll be updating my ticker weight to match what my real weight is on Sunday when is my normal weigh in day.

The salad I made last night was a real hit. DH really liked it to my surprise. He actually woke up early this morning and ate the rest of it and asked if we had the ingredients to make another batch. I'll be heading to the store later to get some more to make. Just finished up my morning snack, had some left over strawberries and a few bites of what was left over from the cottage cheese.

Not much else going on for me today. Need to tend to the plants and see how they're doing. Only down side of where my balcony is, we don't get the mid day sun, so not sure how my tomatoes are going to do, they don't get the majority of their sun until late afternoon when the sun is beginning to set. So far they seem healthy but not sure what's going to happen in the long run. Everything else seems to be doing really good. It will be time to tie off my cucumber vines within the coming days.

Hope everyone enjoys their day! If it's beautiful where you are, get outside!!

Good morning everyone. We're in for a stretch of great weather, so maybe I'll be able to get the spring yard clean up finished and begin working on cleaning the RV. I need to do a lot of work on it.

Sam -- Looked at your avatar after you mentioned and WOW!!!! The difference is just amazing and again my first thought is how unhappy you look in your first picture and how happy in your second. You have so amazingly well with your efforts! Glad that your baby is getting better and chuckled about the difference in weather between here and there. I well remember that I would have had the AC turned on for 2 months by now if I were still in Winston-Salem!

Calda -- Loose skin seems to be the bane of most dieters, but I know from reading a lot of posts that sometimes after a year or so it is less noticeable for some. I think it's one of those things that we're either going to have to accept or else look into surgery. At my age, I'll probably just live with it (assuming I can get myself to the point of having loose skin again), but I totally understand the younger women on here wanting to have a remedy for it.

Well, I took the big step this morning and signed up for Weight Watchers online again because I just don't seem to be consistent in my weight loss efforts. I like the new points system and staying within my allocated points with eating the way I have been will be a challenge. That may have something to do with the inconsistent weight loss results!

Time for some breakfast and coffee and then more planting. Have a great day.

Thanks Sam and Betsy; I am only in my mid 20s, still yet to have children if I decide to do so. I still need to lose a lot of weight from my stomach which is where I carry all of my weight, and the fact that I have loose skin now is concerning me when I have so far to go. If I cant find a moisturiser or something to help tone it again, I will have to have surgery. It is more noticeable on my legs, but they are completely toned now, so I don't expect to lose more weight there. I do a HIIT circuit, cardio, weights and resistance, and it is really knocking the weight off me. I guess this is the price we pay to be healthier!

Congratulations on signing up to WW Betsy! Please keep us posted! My partner is still going well on his medication and is toying with the idea of a WW program or something to work with his tablets. It takes a big person to admit they have a problem and want to take steps to fix it, so well done!

Hi everyone.

Sam, glad your kitty got through her surgery okay. I saw that salad recipe too. Now I'm going to have to find it again and make it.

Betsy, I use WW online to track points as well. I think I'm one of the few people who liked the older version better, but I've gotten used to the new point values. The real beauty of it for me is that veggies and fruits have zero points. I almost never eat all the daily points which is why I can't really follow the program completely. I use Fitbit for tracking too which is more accurate for me. I think accountability is really what matters. Good luck with it.

Caldawg, I don't really have much loose skin yet, lots of flab so far, but I think if I ever reach my goal I'm probably just going to end up living with it too as I doubt I could afford surgery to have it removed.

This week seems to have just flown by. Not even sure why it seemed so busy. One day I was kind of tired and under the weather. Yesterday DH and I ran some errands and tried to get our veggie plants, but they didn't have cucumbers or the bigger tomatoes in yet, so we just got a couple cherry tomato plants for now. It is early here - still the danger of frost for a couple more weeks, so we'll go back next week to see what they have. We also went and paid the venue where we're having his 70th birthday party in a couple weeks. I'm a little stressed out about that, just really about making the food and then trying not to eat it lol. We were going to go fishing today, the first dry day this week, but DH isn't feeling well today. I think we;re supposed to have rain again tomorrow so not sure when we will go again.

Eating has been a kind of roller coaster this week, good days and bad days and a day I stayed within my calories but had rice and ended up gaining 3 lbs. overnight. I really can't seem to handle starchy food. Today was one of the good days so I hope the scale goes back down soon.

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the weekend.

I still have heaps of weight to lose. I just feel a bit concerned about the loose skin. As weird as it sounds, I am actually surprised by it, because I never actually thought I would or could lose enough weight to get loose skin in the first place. Another thing I find weird is that when I look in the mirror, the tiny bit of loose skin is the only sign I can see that I have lost weight. I have lost 15kg, yet when I look in the mirror, I cant see where it has all come off?! Does anyone else get that? Like I can see friends and even people I work with and they tell me how good I look and that they can see the weight falling off, yet when I look at myself, I just see myself? And other than sleeping better and having better stamina, I don't really feel that different either? It is weird. I would love to hear from anyone who has had similar feelings? On another more exciting note, my mother has decided she is going to start at my gym next week! I am so excited for her, she never does anything for herself, and for the first time in her life, she is taking care of herself for a change. So happy for her!

Hi everyone. I hope it's okay to join this chat thread. I've been active on 3FC years ago under a different user name and surprise surprise, I'm back heavier than ever. Well hubby and I decided we needed to do something about our weight, we're both over 300 lbs. I've never been super thin or anything but when we met I was nearing wonderland so the 100 lbs I have put on in the last 4 years really has me down. We're calorie counting and hubs has had a lot of success with it. Me, not so much. I know calorie counting has worked in the past for me so that seems like a good option but I keep having some major cravings that I can't seem to get rid of. Plus I binge eat and don't realize I'm doing it. Hubby has way more control than I do. He can have a bag of cookies on the table and not eat over the serving size. Me, no so much. Anyway, thanks for letting me vent for a second. Lol

Caldawg: I think a lot of people don't see their own progress. You see yourself every day so the little changes aren't noticed. Maybe taking progress photos would help you?

Hi everyone.

Been a while since I last checked in, so figured I would give an update since my busy season is now over (whew!).

Still going strong - I've lost just over 150 pounds in 11 months through nutrition, exercise, and a lot of focus on modifying habits. I'm not the same person I was 11 months ago, as weird as that sounds when I'm typing it out.

Really enjoying my life right now and excited to continue living a healthier lifestyle now that summer is here. On the fitness front, I'm contemplating buying a bike. Haven't been on a bike in years, but I want to try a variety of new activities this summer and that ranks as #1 right now.

On the body composition front, I've included updated progress pics below.

I'll try to visit the forums a bit more frequently. But for anyone that wants a support buddy, feel free to add me to Fitbit (user ID: 35RGGT) or MyFitnessPal (username: emilyCPA).

Keep at it everyone.

Happy Mother's Day. It's another beautiful day here so hopefully all of the mothers can have a good day.

Calda -- Sounds like your exercise routine is a big part of your weight loss efforts -- good for you. Glad that your hubby is doing well on his medication and thinking about doing WW. I think it always takes us longer to notice weight loss in ourselves than when others see us. Some of it is wearing the same clothes until they get to the point where they're just too big to wear (or in the case of pants, hold up!). Sam has always been a big proponent of measuring and it is a very good indicator that things are changing.

Cindy -- I'm already realizing (after 1 day) that if I eat all of my WW points that I will gain weight. I tracked what I ate yesterday on MFP as well as the points on WW. Ate all of the WW points, but was almost up to 2200 calories on MFP. I just can't eat that many calories. I think their approach is good with trying to guide towards veggies, fruits, and lower fat foods, but I'll be like you and under my points every day as well. You're a brave soul to plan on fixing all of the food for the birthday party. Are others going to help by bringing some items? Hope so. I know what you mean about having weight bounce around for no apparent reason. Eating rice shouldn't have resulted in a 3 lb weight difference. NO FAIR!

TheCrankyCamel -- Welcome back and you're not alone. It does help to have someone else in the house be on a weight loss plan with you, but if only there were a way to transfuse will power. Suggestion......get rid of the cookies altogether if possible. I hate to admit it, but there's just no way I can have anything thin the house that triggers binge eating. I totally understand what you go through. Sometimes I feel like a giant food vacuum.

EmilyFit -- So glad you're back posting and the busy season is over. You look wonderful in your pictures and the difference in only 11 months -- WOW! Are you still losing at the same pace? Have you had to decrease calories as you lost? Please share your experiences with us if you feel comfortable doing so.

We're missing a lot of regulars this week so just saying hi and hope everything is going ok.

Time to get back out in the yard. I'm going to have to run the sprinklers in the next few days if we don't get some rain. So odd for out here!

Betsy Seriously we have our AC on pretty much year round, even in winter. If the windows aren't open in the winter the air is on and we seldom have to use the heat. DH is very hot natured so I if I get cold I just wrap up in a blanket. It's easier for me to do that then to have him sweat all the time. WW seems to have helped a lot. A girl I know did really well on it. She didn't have a ton of weight to lose like most of us, but I think she lost close to 50 or 60 pounds. I hope that helps you along the way Sounds like you're getting the yard work done...Hopefully the weather isn't too bad where you are.

Calda I heard cocoa butter is really good to help with excess skin and stretch marks. I haven't ever used it before, I can't deal with the smell. I use Vaseline intensive care with the aloe in it, but lotions and moisturizers can only help so much. I have read that once you've gotten to the weight you want to be that it's best to give it 2 years to let your skin bounce back. We both are fairly young (I'll be 30 in December) so I think if it's going to bounce back it'll do it while we're still young, but even then it may not bounce all the way back. If I knew how to share a picture only in here, I would take a picture of mine to show you that you aren't alone. My stomach hangs a lot. It has even when I was heavier, but now it's all squishy and weird feeling. I will definitely need to have a panniculectomy and a monsplasty at the very least. But ideally I'd like to have a lower body lift to take care of all of it, if I'm able to save up that much money. Don't give up on your goals just because of the skin. We are far better off living with the skin, than the weight even though I know how hard that is to try and accept it for now until we can do something about it.

Cindy The salad is so simple but really good. I thought it would be right up my alley but as I was making it I wasn't sure how DH would feel about it. He liked it a lot and said it would be better with some red wine vinegar. Our typical cucumber salad we make is cukes, red onion, tomato, S&P, white vinegar and sour cream. I think the new one is a little more fresh. I'm not really sure how to explain it but it is definitely nice for a change. I even thought about possibly adding some dill or mint to it and see how that jazzes it up a bit. Sorry you weren't able to go out fishing, but hope DH gets to feeling better. I hate that I'm not sick, but just feel icky feeling. Sometimes I don't know which one is worse. I don't do too well with starchy food either. I do eat sweet potatoes as pretty much my only starch, or sometimes we'll get the tiny little yellow/white potatoes and I'll cut up one or two of those and that seems to satisfy me but I make sure to eat more of the green veggies on my plate first to fill me up and eat the potato last.

TheCrankyCamel Welcome to the thread!! I know exactly what you mean. My biggest craving is sweets and bread so I do whatever I can to just not have it in the house. It's hard for me to resist it if it's here. I can be in the other room and just sit and think about the cookies, ice cream, snack cakes, whatever is in the other room. It's hard for me to say no but I've gotten a lot better at it. I have little things here and there, but I for the most part don't want it in the house. Glad to have another join our crew!

Emily Thanks for checking in with us!!! So glad to see your progress and so happy for you!!! You're doing great! I'll add you to MFP. I just started using it again to help me keep track of things. I am hoping to get a fitbit soon too.

Well I got my long walk in yesterday. I didn't get 8 miles in but I was happy with the 7 I completed. I did some alternating sprints in the beginning then just toned it down to a good steady pace of walking. Stopping every so often to take a drink of water in a shady area along the road. I felt pretty good yesterday! I have my hair color to be delivered to me yesterday. I get home from my walk and see the package at the door. Pick it up, and it's not my package!!!!! It was my neighbor's in the building next to me. But mine said it was delivered!?!? I went to the post box, nothing in there nor was there a key left for one of the lockers. I was so mad. My tracking said it was delivered, now I'm sure that package is gone for good. I called USPS and told them what happened and so they are supposed to be trying to track it down and my local office is supposed to get in touch with me about it within 3 business days. The sad thing is I'm sure they get a lot of people who make false claims like this, so I don't know how seriously they are taking me, but I did write down my neighbor's tracking number as proof, but that may not have done anything, and the lady I spoke to said she didn't need it. I've never had this happen before so I don't know what the post office is actually going to do about it. That would be $20 down the drain I guess. DH seems to think they're going to say they will try to find it and that will be that and never hear from them again, and probably not given the money I spent back. I really don't even know if the company I ordered from could do anything about it because it was the error of the postman delivering my package to someone else. Has anyone else had this happen before?

Woke up this morning and as I'm eating breakfast DH asked if I wanted to go on a walk afterwards. I was really surprised so I took him up on the offer. We didn't walk far. Did about 3 miles in an hour. He can't walk as fast as me, but it was nice as my legs are pretty sore from yesterday's epic journey into an unknown world as DH puts it LOL!! We ran a few errands and I came home and had a protein shake and strawberries for lunch. DH is going to make steak with onions and mushrooms tonight. Just realizing we should have gotten some asparagus to go with it, but we have green beans so I guess that will work. Noticing my cherry tomato leaves are turning yellow a bit. I read that epsom salt helps with that and helps with the growing process. They are starting to grow taller now, probably about 6-10 inches, but the stalks are still on the thin side. DH said that is normal for their side so I'm not worrying about it too much. He thinks if we don't see any progress we may have to take them to my grandmas so it can get enough sunshine. This is all a new learning experience for us so we'll just have to see how the season goes. Everything else seems to be growing beautifully.

Going to tidy up around here and get things ready for next week's lunch & snacks. Doing another round of chicken salad this week. It's been a go to for me recently because it's so easy to make. Maybe the following week I can do a fajita salad. That is sounding pretty good right about now. Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their day and Happy Mother's Day to the mama's in our group!

Betsy - I actually don't focus too much on weight. I measure it about once a month now. My main focus is on eating nutritious food so that I can keep active. My biggest goal this summer is to find new activities that physically challenge me while having fun and living life. I went from averaging 3,500 steps per day in June 2015 to between 11,000 to 12,000 steps now + I am integrating strength training (kettle bell and body weight movements) to help with body composition. I don't go to the gym. Everything is done at home or outdoors.

In terms of eating, I'm not following any specific diet plan. I eat things I like that usually end up totaling somewhere in the 1,800 to 1,900 calorie range. I find that I am satisfied with that amount of calories at my current level of activity. I watch a few key stats: protein, fiber, and sodium. Protein and fiber are hard for your body to process, so you tend to stay fuller longer without feeling the effects of a lot of fluctuation in blood sugar levels. I also watch sodium because I have a history of high blood pressure (was stage 2 hypertensive) + I work in a stressful industry where HBP is common.

My breakfast is generally my largest meal of the day (it's just over 700 calories with 36g of protein and 13g of fiber...I pretty much eat the same breakfast every single day). The nice part about focusing on protein/fiber is that I don't continually crave anything anymore. If for whatever reason I do want something that's "junky", I will have it. That's been fairly rare though. In terms of other principles I follow, I summarized them here.

Sam: Would love to have you as a friend on there + Fitbit whenever you get it. Awesome that you and DH are walking together. Speed/pace doesn't matter so much - it's nice to spend time together while being active.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.

Completely forgot to tell you guys about my weigh in this week LOL...I'm down 1.6 pounds! Now I'm only a couple of pounds away from where I was before my neck injury!! ::

we have both basketball and netball -netball started out as basket ball back in the 30's/40's- rules became more flexible for basketball

For those whom are wondering - Australia and NZ netball is a pretty big sport for girls/ladies
can be played by men women or mixed teams - usually 4 men and 5 woman to a mix team - but that really has very little to do with the game
So..
Netball is a 7 a side game usually with two players on stand by so two teams of 9 compete against each other

Positions played are
GA- goal attach, GS goal Shoot, WA wing attach, C centre, WD Wing Defence, GD Goal Defence and GK Goal Keep
the Attack positions aim is to get there ball to the goal shoot or Goal attack whom are then responsible for scoring for the team - high pressure positions right there, the defence side aim is to keep the ball as far away from the opposite teams shooting circle
game is played in 4 1/4's swapping ends each 1/4
the court is divided up into 3 segments 1. goal third (your team) 2. centre third 3. other goal third (their team)
No bouncing of ball unless used in a single bounce from one player to another usually - fast passing of the ball up & down the court

the only players allowed in the goal circle in the goal third are the ones with a G in their position - the WA & WD are only allowed in there defence or attack third and the centre 3rd - the C is the only one who can move through all 3 thirds but has to stay out of the shooters circle

GS/GK remain in the 3rd of there goal circle - GA/GD move between there goal third and Centre third..

play starts with 1 teams C in the C circle centre third. on umpires whistle players move into the middle 3rd to try catch the ball then feed it to the shooters on the team to score...
ok that's enough of that

Betsy - hoped the explanation made sense and the gardening is going well
if this doesn't help then this is probably best answered by googling the sport netball

calda - cocoa butter can help - but have you heard of a product called bio oil - a bit more expensive but more effective
I am like you I have lost 17kg but don't see it either so your not alone - weight training and loosing it slow has helped with the loose skin issue, but its something I dread having as time goes on. I know it is going to be one of those things where I am going to want any loose skin removed

sam I am - I know what you mean about the smell - cocoa butter I can handle but shea butter - ewww if you find cocoa butter bad you probably wont be able to cope with it either. growing tomatoes - I know people that grow them in raised gardens and let them droop down the sides
I'm personally not a gardener - think people who do grow there own are wonderful
Did you manage to find your package - if you got the neighbour's - they didn't get your one instead?


cranky camel -- biscuits - I am lucky here I have a husband who would sit down and eat the lot - what I find annoying is here he is the thin one - I watch what I eat 80% of the time - now its more like 90% with WW - I have weakness for chocolate - eating it that is when you start it gets hard to stop



I have set my self two long term goals - the scale weight on my profile pick is the first one

and second to re fit into the green swing dress/ball dress in my wardrobe!


some idiot is banging around late here near our place if it keeps up sleep will be hard to get and I have an early start - darn prat!

Wow -- what a gray, dreary day out there. It was supposed to be warmer and sunny so hopes this burns off by noon.

Sam -- Great job on all the walking this weekend. I am so looking forward to being able to move more than 150 feet without getting so winded. As for the missing package. Did you use a credit card to pay for it? If so, then contest the item on the bill as you never received it. Also contact the company immediately to let them know you didn't receive it. That's required before the CC company would do anything. Can't hurt and they might take the charge off. Yellowing tomatoes might mean they're getting overwatered. Also, if they're not getting enough sun, then you might try wrapping them in plastic or buy water tubes to put around them. That will keep them more consistently warm.

Emily -- Sounds like you've found an approach that definitely works for you. I'm much older than you and even if I exercised as much, if I ate at that calorie level I would still gain weight. It's taken me a couple of years to find the calorie range where I will lose weight. If you feel like it, please tell us how your life has changed with the weight loss.

Karencat -- Thanks for the explanation on netball. I'll look it up as well -- I'm sure there's a video some place on the Internet! Is there a story with the green swing dress?

Not much going on here. I've got to take my BIL to the airport tomorrow so I'll have both dogs here for the next 2 weeks. His dog is sweet, but coupled with my big Toby, it gets tiring after 2 weeks. Since I'll have to go into town to get to the airport, I'll make a Costco and grocery run on the way home.

Time for breakfast, coffee, and the gym. Hope everyone has a great day.

I just lost a looong posting because I didn't save it before clicking on Sam's wonderful before-n-after pic. I know better than to do that! I'm such an idiot! =big sigh=

Oh well. At least I'm checking in. The past several days have been horrible. It's the same old same old: pain in my legs, even when there's no weight on them. When I do put weight on them, even just to get into my wheelchair or use hand holds to go to the bathroom, I can't help it: I scream. Not every time, but enough to make Bob really crabby.

It frustrates me that every time I have a setback, Bob has a setback, too. I think anyone would scream, if they had 10/10 level of pain this often. I don't feel bad about screaming. I just feel bad because (1) I'm STILL fighting with my insurance company over that $1000-a-month medication (which helps! damn it!) that they refuse to pay for; (2) when the pain is this bad, I get depressed; (3) and Bob gets impossible to live with.

And I have no idea WHY the agony fluctuates so much—why one week it's more like 7/10 and I can walk (slowly, painfully) around the house, then the next week I'm back to 10/10.

Some nights I have to knock myself out with a strong sedative, at like five in the morning, just in order to get a few hours of sleep. But it's not really sleep: it's just being unconscious. But when I'm shouting "I want to die!" over and over again, what choice do I have? I used to be a champion napper, but I have not been able to take one single nap—I do not exaggerate—for well over a year now. I used to deal with pain better, too. I probably don't have one single endorphin molecule in my whole body.

I guess if I were Bob, I'd be crabby, too.

Please try to imagine that I wrote kind, helpful, detailed notes to every one of you... because I did.

I hate myself. I hate the scattered, shrieking moron that I have become. I hate it that earlier today I put the glue on the wrong side of a complicated piece for a collage, a piece I'd been working on for an hour and a half—thus ruining the whole collage. How stupid do you have to be, to put the glue on the wrong side?!

I changed my mind: I do feel bad about screaming. I think it's time to take a vow of silence. Unless my insurance company takes pity on me and sends me that drug, I may not be back for a while. But please know I will be thinking about y'all.