I will admit to wondering what I'd look like without the excess skin, Joe, and being curious how much it weighs, and whether I & my doctor ought to be taking it into account when we look at whether my weight is healthy. But I fear using it as an excuse, so I don't include any allowance for it in my calculations.
Since I lost more than 100 pounds, and accomplished this later in life, my loose skin is quite apparent when I'm not dressed, particularly on my upper arms, thighs and stomach, and in positions when gravity makes it hang.
But ... there's this ...
- It's not a physical encumbrance, as it is for some people.
- I am apprehensive about surgery.
- There are other things I want to spend the money on.
I will admit to wondering what I'd look like without the excess skin, Joe, and being curious how much it weighs, and whether I & my doctor ought to be taking it into account when we look at whether my weight is healthy. But I fear using it as an excuse, so I don't include any allowance for it in my calculations.
Since I lost more than 100 pounds, and accomplished this later in life, my loose skin is quite apparent when I'm not dressed, particularly on my upper arms, thighs and stomach, and in positions when gravity makes it hang.
But ... there's this ...
- It's not a physical encumbrance, as it is for some people.
- I am apprehensive about surgery.
- There are other things I want to spend the money on.
So by default, I've decided to live with it.
I'm am of the same mindset as you. I would only do surgery if, for some reason, it was absolutely necessary. The reason why this question came up for me is that one of my co-workers had WLS done and lost a lot of weight, but never really got down to the weight he wanted. Then he put about 40 pounds back on. Well, my dieting has inspired him and now he has begun to diet to take off the weight he put on -- and then some. He was curious about the skin issue because he already knew that he had a lot of excess skin. he went from about 430 lbs to 265 -- but now is back up to a little over 300.
Joe-- I remember seeing a show where someone lost hundreds of pounds and then had surgery to remove the skin. I think the skin weighed upwards of twenty pounds but this person had lost something like four hundred pounds. So, yes, I would assume you might have to take the weight of your skin into consideration when determining a goal. However, I doubt it will weigh a substantial amount. Thought I'd chime in again since I think that was your original question.
I consider myself to be in peri-maintenance so I hope you don't mind if I chime in here:
Ditto to everything saef said. I'm 54 so my loose skin won't be tightening up all that much (although I've been lifting heavier and it seems to be helping my arms a bit) but I'm trying to accept it and to be happy with being healthier.
And, as michele said, I don't think my excess skin weighs all that much. Maybe a few pounds, not enough to have a material impact on my goal weight.
I've given up the battle against the Halloween chocolates. I am so tired and anxious all the time and the car accident and subsequent fallout from that, on top of all the house selling stuff and funeral planning and work and everything else has left me eating chocolates in the evening and not really caring about it.
I am going to allow myself to let the diet and maintenance go until the end of October. I have so many plates spinning in the air (and a few of those crashing to the ground already) that one more is overwhelming.
I've given up the battle against the Halloween chocolates. I am so tired and anxious all the time and the car accident and subsequent fallout from that, on top of all the house selling stuff and funeral planning and work and everything else has left me eating chocolates in the evening and not really caring about it.
I am going to allow myself to let the diet and maintenance go until the end of October. I have so many plates spinning in the air (and a few of those crashing to the ground already) that one more is overwhelming.
See you all in November.
Dagmar
For Halloween I bought candy to give out that I know that I wouldn't eat. (Lolly Pops). I know those can sit in my house for a month and I wouldn't have any urge to eat it. If there were snickers bars -- or any other form of chocolate, it would be a BIG temptation!
In the past I've told myself that I will allow myself to eat during a certain specific time (holidays, birthdays, etc.) and then get back on track afterwards. My problem is that I never seem to get back on track if I have a lapse in my plan. For example, if I let myself indulge for Halloween and told myself I'd get back on plan after, then there would be Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then New Years, then Valentine's day -- then it would morph into making exceptions for relative's birthday's (which seem to occur once every month or so). It would never end! If you have the discipline to get back on after Halloween, more power to you! For myself, I would be to afraid of going totally off the wagon!
Still hanging in there , weight is close to what I want it to be but not quite there. I have resisted Halloween candy, that is a major decision for me. I also have resisted making a new recipe for pumpkin, spice muffins. "Betcha can't eat just one."....You are so right, temperance was not built into my system.
There's a photo going around Facebook that shows what Halloween candy contains GMOs. Basically ALL of it! One reason to stay away from the stuff.
Going to Phoenix this weekend. Food will definitely be a challenge. Lunch and dinner all week will be eaten at the jazz festival. Praying that they have better stuff than just burgers and hot dogs and other junk.
bargoo, I dearly wish there were recipes for 2-4 muffins. 12 is seriously overkill. I have not done well at all with the snack-size candy bars that DH has insisted on having in the house. Send me a bit of your resistance?
joe, it is definitely tougher to get back on track than it is to stay on track. Leftovers from holiday dinners are my Waterloo; I sometimes feel like I'm obligated to finish them off before I go back to "normal eating". I guess the only saving grace is that I've now been at a lower weight for 3 years, and it simply doesn't feel good to deviate radically. I'm certain I'd be terribly ill if I tried to eat what I ate, in the quantity I ate it, now. It's not worth it to test the theory.
I have been coasting along while working on other things, but I need to ramp it up again given that the holidays are looming. I think I'd like to get under 145 before Thanksgiving. I've been rolling lazily back and forth between 146.5 and 149, which certainly doesn't suck ... but it's not "there" yet.
We decided to have Thanksgiving at our house this year. Pros: the food will be outstanding, I'll know what's in everything, I don't have to travel, and the guests typically do the dishes. Cons: the food will be outstanding. And I have to clean the house.
I did *finally* take care of one of those "gotta do" type things - I went in to get the girls screened yesterday. I chose thermography after a lot of research and it was an outstanding experience that I think will serve me better than the traditional method.
The bathroom may actually be functional on Friday. The shower is still a week or two out, but we are creeping closer to a conclusion. My portion is done, except for choosing the towels, and doing the final caulk applications. Whew!
The plumber's inspector was a no-show on his other job, so I got bumped. No bathroom today. Maybe next week. I've exhausted my stress on this one, so to speak; I'm back to "whatever". The completion is in someone else's to-do list now. DS has a school Halloween dance tonight, which gives me some time to troll Bed Bath and Beyond for the finishing touches.
Averages for October are looking good. I had/have some trepidation about moving from the fresh summer garden veggies into the cold weather comfort foods; that's brought me back around to restricted portions. I'm not logging any more, as the weight is still very slowly but steadily coming down, a quarter pound at a time. I feel like I'm just doin' my thing, with one toe in the weight loss pool - and if I were to try any harder or move things faster, it would all slip away.
I'm down from last week's blip, to 145.4, but it feels like the least of my concerns.
It's due to how I react to stress. The correlation between my eating and the amount of stress is not linear. If I'm just anxious from day-to-day worries of getting stuff done, I nibble. If I am stressed out beyond belief, as I am now, I don't eat much and in fact, often feel nauseous after eating something.
Becky~the last time I was in BB&B I noticed a new section. They've become a drug store! A huge section dedicated to toiletries. Why? I suppose you can use the never-expiring 20% coupons on the stuff, though.
Woke up to 150 and slipped on my jeans which I haven't worn since last winter. I knew they'd fit, in fact slightly large (I got a new pair in a smaller size the other day--29 waist instead of 30). I'm thinking that as long as I'm standing up, I look fine at this weight. It's when I sit that my tummy rolls become quite obvious. Part of me says what the heck, lets just stay here and part of me mourns for 140.
Wish I could wash away your worries Saef. From what I saw, the storm doesn't look TOO bad, but I'm sure you'll still worry until it passes you.
Excellent job on the jeans Allison! I have two pairs of Miss Me jeans-- they are my favorite. I have a size 25 and a size 26. The 25 has been tight so I've been wearing the 26. It's starting to get loose again so I need to find the smaller pair.
My weight was up to 127 after the weekend, but was down to 122 today. I'm hoping I don't do too much damage weight wise this weekend as I'd love to not have to play the game next week-- work hard to get the weekend weight off-- you know the drill. I weigh next Saturday at Weight Watchers for my monthly weigh in so that should help to keep me motivated.
Dh and I trouble-shooted all of my plugs that aren't working and he has some ideas as to what is going on. He will look at it tomorrow. In the meantime, I have one plug in the kitchen that works so I used it for everything this morning-- it was comical--moved the microwave to use it, then the coffee pot, and then finally the crock pot to make tonight's dinner-- chili.
Will be thinking about you!
Send me a bit of your resistance?
I think I'd like to get under 145 before Thanksgiving. I've been rolling lazily back and forth between 146.5 and 149, which certainly doesn't suck ... but it's not "there" yet.
Cons: the food will be outstanding. 
And I have to clean the house.
Maybe next week. I've exhausted my stress on this one, so to speak; I'm back to "whatever". The completion is in someone else's to-do list now. DS has a school Halloween dance tonight, which gives me some time to troll Bed Bath and Beyond for the finishing touches.
