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Old 12-20-2007, 07:49 PM   #1  
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Default Will I Defintely Need Skin Reduction??

Hi Everyone. I just joined 3FC last night and am learning my way around.
Something I would like to know...I am 5'2" (barely) and weigh 230 pounds. I have been overweight most of my life to some degree, don't exercise and the majority of my weight is concentrated on my stomach. I am very concerned that when I lose 100 pounds, I will need skin reduction. I would almost rather stay fat than have to undergo this. It's scary and expensive and I'm sure incredibly painful. If I had less weight to lose I would be less concerned but I guess what I'm asking is, with hundred pound weight loss on a sedentary person, is skin reduction almost always a definite or is there hope for me to lose weight without needing it?
Thank you.
Red
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Old 12-20-2007, 07:59 PM   #2  
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Red, there is no way to know this in the beginning. Even after you lose 100 lbs., your body will continue to adjust and firm. You will need to make that decision when you get there. I DO believe that starting an exercise program that includes stretching, toning and weight resistance will help the firming process along.

I CAN tell you, that after losing 50 lbs., I have a lot of saggy baggy skin that has not firmed. Will I have surgery? No. And - I wouldn't trade my saggy skin for those 50 lbs. for an instant! There are wonderful products that help me tuck and hide that extra skin - I never found anything that would sufficiently hide 50 lbs. - LOL

Last edited by CountingDown; 12-20-2007 at 08:00 PM.
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Old 12-20-2007, 08:00 PM   #3  
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There's really no way to know....and I think there is always hope!

I have thought the same thing - but I've just decided that it's better to lose the weight and be healthy and deal with any consequences that come my way due to weight loss at that time. Truly, why worry about it? Even with excess skin, weighing 100 pounds less will be much healthier for me than to keep the fat filling up my skin.

Sure, I wish I didn't weigh 100 pounds more than is healthy, and sure, I wish I would have started losing weight and being more active earlier in my life - but I didn't. If I could have, I would have. Truly! For whatever reasons, I couldn't pull it together in the past - but for today, I am. For today, I am making choices that are good for me. And for today, I'm not going to spend a minute worrying about excess skin. I'm just going to do what I need to do to keep moving forward on my path to becoming fit and healthy.

Just my 2 cents worth!
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Old 12-20-2007, 08:04 PM   #4  
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Hi, welcome to 3FC

Meg put together a fantastic skin FAQ at http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36040 which should be a big help
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Old 12-20-2007, 08:05 PM   #5  
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I have lost 91 lbs so far. I do have loose skin on my belly, but I keep it as a badge of honor for now. It represent all my hard work. I would definately take saggy skin over the fat that once filled it! Don't be afaid of what might happen. Just get started in your journey you will feel so much better. Jelly
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Old 12-20-2007, 08:12 PM   #6  
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. .

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Old 12-20-2007, 09:06 PM   #7  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RedGlitter View Post
I would almost rather stay fat than have to undergo this.
Red
No, no, no, no..... It is way, way, way, WAY better to have loose skin and not be morbidly obese and all that it brings about, then to be morbidly obese WITH tight skin. WAY BETTER. Surely I'd prefer to be fit and trim and heatlhy with ZERO loose skin, but that's just not the case. But it is WAY better then I thought it would be and it is totally and completely undetectable under clothing. But really, being a healthy weight and all the incredible things that come with it, is just so remarkable and incredulous, that any loose skin that you "may" have will be worth it to you as well. I'm 100% confident in saying that to you.

Oh and . I'm thrilled that you're here and look forward to getting to know you.
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Old 12-20-2007, 09:32 PM   #8  
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Wow. You guys really know your stuff. I just finished reading the Skin FAQ and everyone's stories. Thank you for being so reassuring to me and for being so kind to answer my question, even though you must have heard it many times before. I really appreciate the time you took to share your stories with me. I've finally found the right group for me! I thank you all so much!
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Old 12-20-2007, 10:20 PM   #9  
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I am 36 years old and in the last year and a half or so, I've lost at least 95 pounds. I am very close to getting 100. I have been following this forum only for like a couple of months, but I've found it informative and very motivating as I struggle to shed the last few and more importantly head into maintenance.

Anyway, I always told myself I wanted to lose the weight before I turned 30 because of the skin issues. It didn't happen. I can tell you I changed my way of eating to save my life (diabetes) but low carbing helped me lose weight. I hadn't really thought about how much I might lose till goals kept being met.

Now, at 95 pounds, skin issues become bigger and bigger. I think the one that bothers me the most is my arms. I had thigh-arms and it shows now. I am not sure how much of my remaining stomach "tire" is skin or still fat. It def. puckers and wrinkles so I know a lot of it is skin. My boobs have a deflated look to them and when i look down my thighs have saggy skin too. I could fixate on all that but really, i can't. Luckily, my face held up nicely, even my neck, though recently, I think I notice a little sag. I think also, i recently lost another 15 pounds and I think that my body is catching up to that loss. I have had different times when my skin seemed loser and then tightened up a bit. It might happen again.

Either way, I will not let it shame me in any way. It's not too bad... I wear short sleeves when it's hot, shorts etc. I am a teacher and my current kids don't remember me when i was bigger. My old kids do and they can't get over it. I try to educate kids in the way of nutrition. They notice my arm skin and they are kids, they speak just what is on their mind. Some think it's "gross" others think it's fun. Either way they all want to touch it, or play with it. I indulge them sometimes. They jiggle it and I use it as a way of reminding them the dangers of junk food and what the reason for this skin is. Anyway, I don't mind, it makes me very aware of what I have and that people get used to it. When my arms are down it's not really noticeable. My breasts are taken care of by a bra.

The point is, I would not trade it for the fat. I will name some of the things that I enjoy doing now that I could not enjoy at 256 pounds.

Things that are better than tight skin:

-being able to tie my shoes without putting my foot up on something
-crossing my legs comfortably
-playing basketball
-running any kind of distance without suffering knee pain for days and maybe weeks
-walking up many flights of stairs
-shopping for clothes anywhere I feel like
-buying shoes for looks and not comfort
-being able to curl up like a ball on the couch
-not having the burden of telling people to let me set the pace when we walk
-not worrying about fitting right on an amusement park ride (I did have the embarrassment of being assisted to secure the seat belt while riding those flying chairs).
-not worrying about lifting the arm rest on a plane because my thighs just didn't fit

I could go on ... really... I probably should make a list on its own thread.


I think one of the reasons I lost weight is that right before I did, I learned to love myself again. I wore tank tops and shorts because it was hot. As I had become bigger and bigger, I had actually put up with the worst kind of heat because I was embarrassed of my fat arms and legs. Well, I stopped. One summer I said to myself, if I am hot I am going to show that, and if people don't like it, they don't have to look. I find myself in that same boat now and it's all about loving yourself. Nothing wrong with flabby arms, people don't have to look if they don't want to.
Anyway, I could probably use surgery but I can't afford it (yes I have some bitterness at insurance companies that cover WLS people but not dieters like myself). I also am not sure if I believe in unnecessary surgery. You may or may not have loose skin but the rewards will far outweigh the skin issues. It would be my guess at the 100 pound loss level. I think it might be different for people who lose more than that but I can't speak for them.

Last edited by bluex; 12-20-2007 at 10:26 PM.
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Old 12-21-2007, 01:22 AM   #10  
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I never really thought about the after effects on my skin, and I'm going to read those FAQs, but it seems to me if you do plenty of toning and stretching exercises and lose weight slowly your body will have a chance to adjust to the change rather than losing it rapidly and winding up with a bunch of baggy skin, not that you won't have it either way (which, to be honest you probably will, and I am there with you as someone who used to weigh over 300 pounds!) but I think it might be less if you take your time. I lost about 17lbs my first month, and then after that it started trickling... and it took me 3 months to lose the next 17. Still, I am not upset because I know that losing weight slowly will ultimately be the best thing for me in the long run, not only will I give my body time to adjust, but also my emotions and keeping the weight off.

3FC is a Godsend! Welcome and I hope you find it extremely helpful and supportive on your journey, I know I have. And feel free to join us in the Accountability thread!

Last edited by rakel; 12-21-2007 at 01:26 AM.
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Old 12-21-2007, 01:36 AM   #11  
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Thank you BlueX and Rakel. Thank you everyone. As I poke around 3FC I find myself filled with respect for you all, for your determination and such willingness to help others. And I love the overall tone of 3FC! You guys rock! I'm not seeing anything negative or self pitying here as I have in other forums, I am seeing self respect and pride and I can't tell you how refreshing that is!! I mean this. I have made excuses for my weight and apologized for *myself* for so many years, as if there was something wrong with me. Coming here is a whole new world!

Rakel, I would love to join you in the Accountability thread, thank you! Could you point me to the way please? I couldn't find it.
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Old 12-21-2007, 02:00 AM   #12  
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redglitter: here it is -- http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=129023

Every week on Monday a new thread is posted for that week. Basically you can just check in and let us know how you're doing every day, some people post their menus to stay accountable, some just give a general report, some report their weight, and we often talk about things going on in our lives and the day to day struggles. You can share whatever you feel comfortable with sharing
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Old 12-21-2007, 02:30 AM   #13  
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Thank you, Rakel!
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Old 12-21-2007, 02:44 AM   #14  
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i have been fortunate enough to loose a good chunk of weight without much loose skin. but i did it slowly. like, ridiculously slowly (over the corse of years) so i think that has alot to do with it. my body had plenty of time to adjust and firm up. the only place that's realy floppy on me is my arms, but i refuse to cover them up because i've got beautiful tattoo's that i love showing off :P I wouldnt worry about it too much right now. Just concentrate on getting healthy, and i can 100% garuntee that you'll feel better with a bit of loose skin than you did with the extra 100 lbs!
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Old 12-21-2007, 03:57 PM   #15  
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RedGlitter, I agree with your assessment of the 3fatchicks community being a godsend! So positive, supportive, and inspiring -- had we all grown up & lived in a community like this from birth, maybe we would all have been healthy from the get-go! I'm a newbie, too, so discovering this welcoming and healthy bunch has me still stunned.

Also, love this attitude from KrisR: "For whatever reasons, I couldn't pull it together in the past - but for today, I am. For today, I am making choices that are good for me." It blends One Day At A Time with forgiveness & hope. Lovely.
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