A little bit of background.. I lost over 120 lbs a couple of years ago, and went from 296+ to 172 lbs. Last fall, I reached my lowest weight yet and as the weight came off I began to spot traces of loose skin. And I think it freaked me out internally -- by that, I mean somewhere deep down emotionally it REALLY startled the **** out of me (even though I'd been anticipating this possibility since before I lost the weight). Fast forward 4 months later, I'm up by 23 pounds (getting way too close to 200 lbs for comfort ) and I'm struggling to lose it. A part of me feels more comfortable avoiding the prospect of loose skin and that's probably why I'm struggling so much. But as much as I wish I'd never have to face it, I'd rather come to terms with it if it means being at a weight I feel happy and comfortable with. I was so pleased with my body last fall, and now I feel so unhappy and worried of the direction I'm headed in.
I've been struggling with this on my own and that definitely hasn't worked, so here I am. I'd be deeply grateful for any advice, anecdotes, thoughts, etc.

I'm sorry no one has responded to this. I have not experienced the surgery and excess skin as you have and what I'm about to say is of a much lesser degree, but along the same lines. When my son was born, I lost weight and kept if off for a while, lost a little more after that and was doing well for at least a year. Then I noticed that my neck was sagging....it freaked me out and I started to gain weight again. I have since come to terms with it. For me, it's just the whole aging thing I guess, so take it for what it's worth in comparison to your dilemma.

I believe that we can be freaked out and worried and concerned and all those crazy emotions, without eating through them, which is what I think happened with me. So, if I can offer any help, it's to tell you that you have permission to be worried, to freak out and to feel all that...but it doesn't automatically follow that you have to eat in order to experience the pain or not experience it. You can fall apart and give up a little bit inside, without actually behaving any differently. In fact, I think for me, giving up on a daily basis has kept me sane...it reminds me of just how hard I'm striving and striving. But my eating and exercising behavior does not change.

I've also found that certain foods can be addictive for me, and if I've been eating them for a while, I need to go through a kind of 2 week detox before I can get back to a more natural, healthy eating style again. It's not an easy 2 weeks.

But, even during that time, and anytime thereafter, I have to remind myself that when I reach for food for reasons other than pure physical hunger, there is another reason under that. It's hard to stop once you start reaching...because what's driving you is an emotion that wants to be felt, and it/you thinks it can only be expressed in the food. So, for me, when I reach for food in those moments, I tell myself it's ok to reach - it's ok to feel crazy and out of control - keep on reaching past the food...falling into myself. It's hard to describe. And the emotion seems overwhelming at those times, but you just kind of allow yourself to be overwhelmed by it - to be carried away.

Just my 2 bucks. Good luck!

I lost 65 pounds and have a lot of loose skin. After thinking about it a lot, I have decided to have surgery. In my case, I am older so the loose skin on my face is coupled with some of the descent of skin from aging. I am going to have facial surgery (the worst areas are my sagging eyelids and my turkey neck) on 5/9. Then a few months after that, I am going to have a tummy tuck and a breast lift in a combined procedure. I really hate how my tummy and breasts look and they really do affect the fit of my clothes. I know that not everyone either wants to do surgery or can do it, but I think it is my best option after I consulted with a couple of plastic surgeons.

I have loose skin under my armpits, on my belly and on my thighs. It is not ideal, of course, I don't LOVE the loose skin. I definitely love my thinner body that looks GREAT in clothes. But, there's a lot about myself I would change (my nose, my weird eyebrows) it's just one more imperfection that makes up me. Nothing is ever going to be perfect, this is what I got. So, here I go.

Thank you so much. I've been learning to reach past the food for a long time, and it's very much a skill in progress, maybe a lifelong one, but well-worth it. I love what you say about being allowed to freak out and fall apart inside without having to have our actions reflect it. Wise words.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

Thank you, I really appreciate this perspective.