...is preventing me from having nice abs. My "upper abs" are looking somewhat nice and most of my stomach is reasonably firm until you get to my belly button area - all around my belly button area, there is this strange substance that looks sort of like cellulite. However, I am not sure that it is cellulite, because I've heard that usually develops on the buttocks and thighs, and mostly in women much older than I am.

Does anyone know what it is? Is there any way I can get rid of it? Is it just some really weird looking fat that will go away once I tone up a little more? Is it loose skin?

Here are links to a couple pictures, so you can see what I'm talking about. Proceed at your own risk and please don't be mean
http://www.custom-international.com/celluflab.jpg
http://www.custom-international.com/celluflab2.jpg

NShane, cellulite has no age preference. I know this because I started to get it when I was 14. Sorry to say!
I think it is cellulite, which is just fat that's just below the surface of the skin, and yes, I do think that it will go away! You are doing fabulously!

Shane, I thought all the weird puckered up stuff on my butt and hips was cellulite at first. It took a consultation with a plastic surgeon to find out it was skin, all puckered up. I really could have sworn it was cellulite from the way it looked.

I don't want to guess what's going on with your lower abs, but yeah, it possibly could be stretched out skin that's tried to shrink back to your new, smaller body. Could you call around and find a plastic surgeon who would give you a free consult? (some do) Just to find out?

My excess skin sagged to the side when I lay on my side and floated in the tub -- does yours do either? I don't think fat would do those things.

Also, have you had your body composition checked recently? That might give you a better sense of whether you still have fat to lose.

If it's skin, some people have seen positive changes in the year following weight loss. You really have youth on your side here and your skin should be much, much more elastic than us oldsters.

BTW, you really have a nicely defined waist.

Shane, I'm not sure what it is (I would agree with Meg's suggestions - really when does anyone not agree with Meg's suggestions - about possible detective methods to determine if it is skin, fat, etc.) but I have some loose skin on my lower belly too. It's more underneath the belly button than at the belly button as yours is, sort of fills in that natural U shape where the torso naturally meets the pelvic area. Below the belly button is where my belly fat sits as I'm more of a pear than an apple. This is where I got stretch marks when I was at my higher weight. Now that the fat cells underneath have shrunk, it is still a little wobbly, but not so much that I would consider surgery on it. Strength training and the 2 1/2 years I've been at my lower weight have seemed to help pull it in a bit. I also lotion a lot - not sure if that helps but I figure it can't hurt.

And you do have a very nicely defined waist!

Meg, my skin sags a little bit when I lie on my side, though not significantly. My guess is that it's a combo of loose skin and cellulite - hopefully it will disappear in 6 months to a year.

I don't know if any plastic surgeons do free consultations, but I suppose I could find out. I don't care to get plastic surgery unless I have a realllllllyyyyy significant amount of loose skin because as you said, I do have youth on my side so it might just bounce back

Really? I have a nicely defined waist? Why thank you!! (lol, it just puts me in shock because at my HW, my waist was completely swallowed by fat on all sides)


spinymouse - good to know that if it is cellulite, that it WILL go away! I once read an evil article about cellulite stating that it pretty much lasts forever and is absolutely hopeless, so I completely freaked out at the idea of there being cellulite on my stomach

Megan - you are lucky to be a pear, seriously... women are *supposed* to have fat on their butts and thighs, and I believe it's easier to hide At my HW, I was a complete apple, so I'm thinking it makes sense that my stomach is tha place where my fat is last to go and the place where I would have loose skin, since that is where a majority of my weight disappeared from (I lost almost 7 inches off my waist )

Hope I'm not raining on your parade, but you need to know that cellulite doesn't always do away and we can't 'spot reduce'. When I was thin, I still had 'saddlebag' fat, lumpy and unkind. I had a very low body fat percentage too. Somethings can't be changed without intervention.

Given how young you are, there is a good chance that the excess skin will tighten up over time. But, you need to be really patient. It can take more than a year. And if in a couple of years, it's still like that, then you can consult with a surgeon. But be warned--all surgery comes with scars.

Jay

I can't agree with this statement enough. I have by no means perfect abs, but 3 years later has made a lot of difference all over. I had quite a gut before so I do have loose skin around my stomach, but I am young and active and it helps tremendously!

Shane,
I agree with what everyone has said, especially the part about your waist. You look great! My lower belly has a little more of the cellulite/loose skin that yours does. You know, I vaguely remember reading on this forum a few months back (Allison, I think you were involved in the thread) where everyone was talking about fat getting really jiggly right before you lose it, and it seems to be true with me. Does that ring a bell with anyone? Shane, you're in a losing mode right now (didn't your ticker just go to 135?) so maybe your lower tummy is in a changing mode and you will see the last few ounces of fat go away very soon... You really don't have anywhere elso to lose it from at this point, I'm sure...
Pam

I agree that a year will make a big difference, regardless of whether it's skin or cellulite, given that you're young, active and focussed on toning.

It totally shows in those pictures that you have rock-hard abdominal muscles, by the way!