[Kev]

Hi All,

Firstly, i am not sure if this forum is a girl only forum (judging by the colour scheme and title!)

but i am a 23 year old guy who has recently lost a lot of weight.

I used to weigh 32stone. I now weigh about 15st so have lost a total of 17st.

I have been to my first few appointments with the plastic surgeon and waiting for my final appointment which will give me the green light or say i need to lose more.

Now, i am eating around 1000 calories a day and not losing anything despite working out about 5 nights a week at the gym.

I have a BMI of 29 and am told that i need to be 27 or below to be accepted.

Having lost over 238lbs, you can imagine what the loose skin is like... Or maybe not! but its hideous especially for a guy my age.

Some people might think 15 stone is a lot but i am over 6ft tall and have big leg, bicep and peck muscles. and with the loose skin, i was wondering if anyone could say how much i may have to lose?

I am living so healthily that i cant shed anything else, i am staying the same every day for weeks with little carbs and no sugar or fat entering my body.

I keep thinking the loose skin is holding my back along with the excess muscle and big 6ft frame, which the BMI doesnt take into consideration.

How much could be put down to excess skin does anyone know? I looked at a few posts but its a tough subject to work out.

Its stopping me from playing rugby and running or swimming in general as i refuse to do excess movement or be "on show".

I started eating about 100 calories a day and got heart palpitations/blackouts so the doc told me to get eating. Ive taken it up to 1000 calories (for a man of my height and build, working out as much as i do) isnt that much.

What are your thoughts?

Apologies if this is a lady only forum, but you know what they say, women know best!

Thanks, Kev

[IanG]

Hi Kev,

Judging by your post I am guessing you live in the UK and are trying to get the surgery on the NHS.

My advice is simple. Stop weight lifting, do more cardio and burn some muscle. You can easily shift 10bs that way to get you to a BMI of 27. Perhaps consider eating a little less protein too and replacing with a few carbs or a little fat (again to encourage muscle loss).

Yes, it's not great trying to lose muscle. You will look bad. But get the surgery and go back to lifting and bodybuilding later if you want the surgery.

[Underwater]

I had a extended tummy tuck and they took of 4-5 lbs of skin. Not sure how much the amount of skin they removed on me compares to what you have, but it seemed like a lot to me. More than a handful of apron if that makes sense...

[LettuceDoThis]

You're eating 1000 calories a day and working out five times a week?? That's not even close, you're starving yourself and could probably eat at least 2000-2500 and still lose fat.

Your body is fighting this loss because you're not feeding it. It's counter-intuitive, but sometimes you need to eat more to lose weight.