Anyone else struggle with not liking their body after weight loss?

tomatoey

Francl27 wrote: »

tomatoey wrote: »

personally, i think governments and insurance companies should be doing *everything possible* to reward people who've made the significant changes to their lifestyles that reduce more expensive long-term burdens to taxpayers and payers of insurance premiums. if they'll sometimes pay for WLS, why not for this? in the absence of that kind of support, i don't know... i wish there were an accessible way to help people afford this kind of surgery (vs. ripoff financing deals). (maybe there's some kind of business idea in that... )

Because it's our own fault we got so fat in the first place.

Ok, well, a), I don't think assigning blame matters in terms of reducing future costs. Whatever happened before the gain, I bet reshaping surgeries are likely to encourage maintenance and reduce costs for not only diabetes etc but for psychological issues and loss of productivity, as well.

b) Just because one solution fixes a problem, doesn't mean that method is the reason the problem occurred. Stick with me on this: somebody might need a knee surgery because their ligament got torn. Why did their ligament get torn, maybe part of it is bc of an immediate trauma, or overuse, or a genetic inclination to have crappy ligaments, or they got hit by a truck. Doesn't matter, the way to fix it is still surgery.

In the same way, even though taking responsibility for weight loss is in the hands of the individual (weight loss is the knee surgery in my example, the thing that fixes it no matter what the cause was) I don't accept that it's the individual's fault they gained in the first place.

The immediate cause of being overweight is eating too much, CICO, yadda yadda. And CICO is the way out of it (like the knee surgery). But there are 1000 other completely real factors that go into it -huge portion sizes, misleading information, cities not made for walking, long-term injuries or illnesses, pregnancy, psychological issues, etc etc etc etc etc. All those things are outside of the individual.

Calorie restriction - which is taking control of things at the level of the individual - works, but it's not like it's a natural way for people to eat, it takes learning.

It is really simplistic to just say "it's your fault you were fat". And I think it's a harmful way to look at it when you connect it to the body you see every day.

Francl27

I mean most insurances won't even pay for a gym membership...

tomatoey

Francl27 wrote: »

I mean most insurances won't even pay for a gym membership...

I know, I think they're totally wrong. I once had a plan that gave out those kinds of incentives, I thought it was great.

I think some numbers person here on MFP should come up with like a skin surgery coop or something.

Annr

when I read some of these posts I think of one of my favorite sayings.
THERE IS PERFECTION IN IMPERFECTION.....

What goes thru my mind is that loose skin is the result of losing weight for a lot of us. Yes you can turn to heavy weight-training but for many of us its just a matter of health reasons ie: we wish to lower our Cholestrol, or lower our blood pressure. I want to go thru this world easier, less pain, less strenously etc. There has to come a time when you say to yourself, "I love myself for what I have accomplished and what I have done". There was a poster on this thread that said she didn't like her body. I am kind of sad for her, because loving yourself is one of the major steps in total acceptance. Your self esteem thrives on self love, it flurishes! Ok everyone put their arms around each other and give yourself a hug....really...right now... :-)

minties82

I had a BMI of 52 at the start of the year, so I was pretty gigantic. My stomach and inner thighs looks revolting...but I love them. I love the wrinkled, ugly skin. It means I am getting smaller. I wouldn't like to flash it in public, but I smile when I see it in the mirror. Any sign that I am shrinking is welcome! I will just wear some shapewear under my clothes to smooth it all out.

I've almost lost 90lbs so far, and have about 30-40 to go before I'm planning to maintain.

We all have parts of our body that we hate, big or small, wrinkled skin or not. I detest my upper arms, they hang down over my elbows like a boob on each side. Never will I ever wear short sleeves.

Eliza618

After weight loss I was also left with loose skin. I hated my upper arms and would only wear longer sleeved shirts. My midsection so loose I would tuck it into my jeans like a shirt. My upper thighs were only for me to see. My double chin that left loose skin was the worst of it. I started to research what could be done. This is what I found to help loose skin.

After weight loss the skin is loose and jiggly which is not just skin but excess body fat attached under the skin. This stubborn fat clings to the areas most often associated with loose or excess skin problems: the lower abdomen, lower back (love handles), hips, thighs, and butt.

Dieting as well as large amounts of cardio to lose fat causes significant muscle loss, further expanding the void between the skin and the underlying tissue.

A big part of tightening loose skin is building muscle. The reason for this is simple. There are two layers of tissue underneath your skin: fat and muscle, both of which press up against your skin and keep it from sagging loosely. The skin will stick to the muscle instead of sagging.

Building muscle is the solution to all these woes because it literally fills in the looseness in the skin, creating a visibly tighter, healthier look.

Adopt a high-protein diet. Eat several servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Gelatin supplements and fish oil have many health benefits in the improvement of skin elasticity, Also, don’t smoke.

If you do all these things and remain patient, there’s a very good chance you can dramatically reduce or even eliminate your loose skin problem without going under the knife.

I started to build my muscle a couple of months ago. I am already seeing some changes to my skin. I know it does not happen overnight but I am really excited to see more results. I also use body oils after I shower to keep it from being dry.

I will keep you all posted as I progress.

Francl27

Eliza618 wrote: »

After weight loss I was also left with loose skin. I hated my upper arms and would only wear longer sleeved shirts. My midsection so loose I would tuck it into my jeans like a shirt. My upper thighs were only for me to see. My double chin that left loose skin was the worst of it. I started to research what could be done. This is what I found to help loose skin.

After weight loss the skin is loose and jiggly which is not just skin but excess body fat attached under the skin. This stubborn fat clings to the areas most often associated with loose or excess skin problems: the lower abdomen, lower back (love handles), hips, thighs, and butt.

Dieting as well as large amounts of cardio to lose fat causes significant muscle loss, further expanding the void between the skin and the underlying tissue.

A big part of tightening loose skin is building muscle. The reason for this is simple. There are two layers of tissue underneath your skin: fat and muscle, both of which press up against your skin and keep it from sagging loosely. The skin will stick to the muscle instead of sagging.

Building muscle is the solution to all these woes because it literally fills in the looseness in the skin, creating a visibly tighter, healthier look.

Adopt a high-protein diet. Eat several servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Gelatin supplements and fish oil have many health benefits in the improvement of skin elasticity, Also, don’t smoke.

If you do all these things and remain patient, there’s a very good chance you can dramatically reduce or even eliminate your loose skin problem without going under the knife.

I started to build my muscle a couple of months ago. I am already seeing some changes to my skin. I know it does not happen overnight but I am really excited to see more results. I also use body oils after I shower to keep it from being dry.

I will keep you all posted as I progress.

No, it doesn't. It will fill some of the space BELOW the skin, so it's a bit less stretched out, but it's not a miracle solution at all because it doesn't affect the skin itself at all. And muscle being denser than fat, you'd have to build a LOT of it to fill up all the space the fat used to occupy, and it's pretty much impossible for women to build that much muscle.

Then of course there's the question about whether we like the muscular look or not.

Domicinator

I was struggling with this a lot a few months back. My stomach was getting what I call "ditches" on either side where it seemed like fat under the skin was melting away but I still had the spare tire around my waist. I also have stretch marks on my arms and sides.

I have learned to live with it. I'm now 20 lbs. away from my goal, and my spare tire is shrinking. The belly is going away too. The stretch marks and weird "ditches" in the side of my stomach are still there, and they might always be there. But there are a million other things to be happy about that cancel out my somewhat weird looking belly:

1. I just got rid of 5 boxes of fat clothes. My shirts are now all L instead of XXL and my pants are all 34 instead of 38 or 40.
2. I'm 53 lbs. lighter.
3. My blood pressure is now fantastic.
4. My fatty liver problem is completely gone.
5. My resting heart rate is normal.
6. My knees feel better.
7. My wife is always checking me out.

So whatever. I'll take the stretch marks and the lumpiness as a tradeoff. And I'm not done losing weight yet, so I'm sure I will continue to see the little improvements here and there as time goes on. I do think at some point I'm going to have to accept a certain amount of mushy-ness--bulging discs in my back have been keeping me from doing much weight work.

PinkPixiexox

I'm 'flabby', sure - but a hell of a lot happier with myself than I was 30lbs heavier.

I understand it can be stressful to go from being overweight, to healthy with 'saggy skin' and stretch marks - but we aren't photoshopped victoria's secret models, we are human beings. Our bodies change, expand, shrink, age. I'm not going to lie and say I'm not losing weight for vanity reasons (of course that plays a part) but I'm also losing weight because I respect my body. If being lighter and a little saggier means being healthier and happier in the long run - I'll take lighter and saggier.

Since losing weight, I've noticed stretch marks all over my inner thighs.
But I can also sprint 2 miles and squeat heavy weights and fit in to size 8 (UK) clothes. I'm incorporating different exercises into my routine to reduce the 'wobble' but I'm just delighted with my progress and if I've gained a few battle scars in the process, then so be it.

You're healthy. This is the important thing. Congratulations

MondayJune22nd2015

I don't worry about it because 1st after I became sick with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at 14, I stopped going through puberty; for 2 years & then when it started again, I went up 4 bra sizes in 2 months. Bras weren't an affordable expense, every time I outgrew them; so they've always been saggy & I also have stretch marks, at the top of them. 2nd due to a genetic disorder, I became severely bloated when I was 2 1/2; which left stretch marks across my torso as if I had been pregnant & had a baby, which I've never had. 3rd I had to have 2 biopsy's done to determine, that I had a genetic condition & what it was, when I was 6 months; so I have 2 dimpled scars from that as well. 1 across the right side of my torso, next to my belly button & 1 on the front of my right thigh, in the middle.

Chasity6

I am dreading what my skin will look like but I want to be healthy and active. Working as a nurse I see so many lives cut short due to obesity related complications. I just don't want that to be me. So saggy skin is the trade off for longer life and health.

MondayJune22nd2015

Chasity6 wrote: »

I am dreading what my skin will look like but I want to be healthy and active. Working as a nurse I see so many lives cut short due to obesity related complications. I just don't want that to be me. So saggy skin is the trade off for longer life and health.

Hear hear, besides regardless of weight; just aging alone'll make my skin more unattractive/than it use to be!

stealthq

Francl27 wrote: »

I mean most insurances won't even pay for a gym membership...

After a cost/benefit analysis, they probably found that gym memberships didn't help. I mean, think about how many people sign up and then don't go, or only go every now and then, or just out-eat their exercise.

Now, maybe if they offered a premium discount for taking a short class in nutrition and understanding CICO, macros, micros (or proving equivalent knowledge). Maybe that would help. But I'm not overly optimistic about that.