I'm really depressed right now, looking at my body. I'm still in the early stages of my weight loss, but I'm just dreading looking like a deflated balloon.

I'm 34 and have only been *really* fat for about 10 months--literally put on 50 lbs due to injury and some meds.

Of course, I already HAD 50 lbs to lose, so it isn't like I had a good starting point.

Anyway, I actually got my first stretch marks a few months ago and I just cry every time I see them.

I feel like I'm scarred and ruined for life. I know it's superficial, but I was captain of the cheerleading squad in high school and I don't even look like the same person any more.

Actually, I hardly look human when viewed from some angles.

Ugh. Usually I have a better perspective on this all, but I'm really struggling right now. Yes, it IS PMS week. Sigh.

I guess the bottom line is I feel like I will gain fitness and health back, but that I will never be beautiful again. And I'm coming up on 35 and still single.

Sorry for all the negativity.

But, if anybody has good bounce back stories, I'd love to hear them.

If not, I'll take support from any direction right now.

Thanks.

Your skin may bounce back well with not having that much extra weight for an extended period of time. My skin didn't, but I was over-weight for many years. Plus, I'm 46 yrs. old now. I lost 90 lbs. about 13 yrs. ago and with weight lifting and cardio, my skin and muscles were very firm then. But slowly regaining it and having to lose it all again at an older age, well the results weren't as good. I have now had 2 children and worry over stretch marks left me a long time ago. They do get silvery and not near as noticeable with time. I can definitely empathize with the part of the med's contributing to weight gain, I have been on prednisone for 3 1/2 yrs. and am still on it. Gained 50 extra lbs. during this time and was over-weight to start with.
My advice would be to try to focus on getting the body that you have in the most optimal shape possible and learn to love it. It's the only one we get.

I was wondering the same thing! I've only lost 39lbs so far, so it's not yet an issue, but I do worry that I'll just have all this saggy skin hanging around. Although I would rather have the saggy than the fat!

Hey beginme,

I can really feel how scared you are about this stuff. And it can be scary! But don't come up with even more reasons to be scared about it. Wait until you actually have saggy skin to worry about! Don't let that be a reason not to lose the weight.

The younger you are to begin with, the quicker that skin will tone up. I'm quite a bit older than you, and I feel like mine will never be tight again, but I'm just going to lose the weight anyway! And deal when I get there. My health is at stake!

You are more than your body, and your life is about more than how you look on the outside!

Keep on keeping on, gal!

Jay

I worry about this too .. i will be 34 in lil less than a month .. have lost 30 lbs but wanting to lose another 30 .. so i worry about how my skin will look and feel.. but not overly, cause frankly i would rather deal with that then with the weight. so far so good tho it seems to be doing ok .. i have 2 children so i will always have that lil belly .. have faced the fact it will never be flat and toned but i can live with that .. what i couldn't live with is being out of breath and to tired to move or do anything .. so its a trade i am more than happy to make. I do my best to tone up .. lifting weights .. exercising .. i believe that is the only way to go as far as that .. losing weight and not toning would make it 10 times worse. So I guess what I am saying is that I do my best and whatever happens .. happens...

thats one of my big fears as well - and i have a lot stretch marks on my lower tummy... i have a "after weight loss tummy tuck" fund started..--- just in case!!!

I lost 70. I am still the same me, only smaller. I still don't like my belly, hips or thighs (I am a pear shaped woman, just a smaller pear shaped woman). I have loose skin (and stretch marks) on my stomach, inner thighs and a little on my upper arms.

I am 37 years old and was obese for 20 years.

Still, realistically, I look fabulous. My BMI is 20. I look great in size 8 clothes. So what if I don't look like a bikini model in a bikini, with all the airbrushing and photoshopping, I bet they don't look like their final layouts either.

When I was heavy, I had this long standing dream that I would look like a flat stomached model "one day, when I lose weight." It was a little hard letting go of that dream. I look like a beautiful, regular woman - saggy stomach, saggy boobs, big thighs and all. I am a real person, with real faults. I still think I look pretty damn good.

Hi-
I was overweight/obese my entire life and lost 80 pounds 2 years ago (I'm 24).

I have noticed that my skin was the last to go. I had that "batwing" thing, though not too bad, until about 5 months ago. My boobs also caught up about that time. Above my belly button is a small "pocket" of skin that has improved *slightly* over time, but you can really see it if I bend over in a two piece or something. That's probably what I'm most self conscious about, but I'm working on a little experiment with sculpting, so we'll see how it goes! Also, I don't have children, which can make a difference as well (also why I have no immediate goal for a tummy tuck).

Amen. With exercise, I've firmed up some of the flab on my lower tummy, but it's never going to be a 6-pack. ****, I'm probably two abs short of 4-pack. But I can wear a bikini with confidence now. I'm more aware and keep my abs tight...which is good for them anyway. And that's two kids later, and after being overweight my entire adult life, and being over 250 for about the last 10 years. I have stretch marks, I have flab, and I definately have saggy boobs. But I still think I look great compared to how I looked a few years ago. Wouldn't trade my sag for that.

I have saggy tummy, saggy arms, saggy boobs, with thin legs and no Butt , I wouldn't trade my body now for my pre-weight loss body for anything. The trade-off was completely worth it. At least, in clothes, I look pretty good. I'll never be a bikini model either, that's for sure. At least, my health has dramatically improved and that was what I was after. My BMI is 22 now and was 36.6 to start with, so I'm one happy camper.

Here is a thread about
Weight Loss And Skin FAQs
in the Maintainers Forum...

Hope this helps ...

I used to worry a lot about my stretch marks....until I saw stretch marks on a couple of really buff-looking guys. And THEY certainly didn't seem bothered by them. So I don't worry about them much anymore either.

I have 10 kids and lost 30lb last summer due to illness and couldn't believe how good I looked. So my fears of never looking good were unfounded and I am 57. Trouble is I gained the weight back on prednisone but I am again losing.........finally!!!!!!!

fiddler, I totally agree with you. My DH is very buff and he has stretch marks on his back and hips from a big growth spurt when he got a lot taller as a young teen. They don't bother him in the least. I think that as women, we are too harsh on ourselves.

Should have added that I need to lose 50lb so never got near goal even with 30lb and still felt I looked good.