I'm not happy about this

canroadrunner

I wasn't greatly overweight for my height (5'10") but I wanted to lose about 30 to 40 lbs. I have been losing weight slowly, less than a lb a week usually and some months staying entirely steady. This has been a slow process and I've been okay with that.

However, I am NOT HAPPY with what has been happening to my looks. I've always been pleased about the fact that people mistook me for about 10 years younger than my age. Now, I've got wrinkle rings around my neck, my cheeks are hollowing out (not in a good way) and I look gaunt even while my jowls look fleshy . I look TERRIBLE and OLD. In fact, I'm noticing a horrible resemblance to my 79 year old mother.

And I'm not even at my goal weight - my BMI still says overweight.

I'm training for the Warrior Dash and the Spartan Sprint this year so I'll be continuing to burn fat and build muscle. So, even if my total weight doesn't decrease further, I can see further total deterioration in my appearance. As a single woman hoping to date, I'm really upset by this. I had hoped losing weight would make more attractive, not less.

ARRRRGH.

jml107

I noticed that too although I've lost 86 pounds. I look older and my skin looks really bad on certain parts of my body....and I'm only 21!!!

ajbeans

*hugs* Fat does make your skin look more supple, so it makes sense that this might happen. But it's not the end of the world. Try some different skin care. For one thing, dry skin is wrinkly skin. Try this: Make a paste of baking soda and water (not super thick, but not so runny that it runs off your face) and scrub it on your skin in small circles. This will act like a microdermabrasion. Don't rub super hard, just enough to brush away any dry, dead skin. After you've scrubbed your whole face and neck this way, rinse gently with warm water on a wash cloth. Follow up with your favorite moisturizer, or use a thin layer of olive oil. Olive oil is the closest biological match to your skin's natural moisture, so it's pretty fantastic. I recommend doing it at night though because it takes a bit to soak in. Don't use the baking soda every day -- once a week or less. But it will help remove that dead skin and give you more of a glowy look, as well as stimulating your skin to produce new cells, which will help you look younger. There are also products out there to firm up your skin, although I've never used them so I don't have any recommendations for those.

Don't lose heart! You're doing a wonderful thing for your health, AND for your looks. You'll find a solution.

Nicola0000

Ignore BMI. Its so old and carp. According to BMI, Arnie was obese in his heyday. It doesnt take into account muscle, body fat etc. The waist to hip ratio is much better to work out if you still maybe need to lose some.

Work to a weight that you're happy with. Some people do look skinny in some areas more than others.

I dont mean this to sound rude or anything, but maybe go down to the salon and have a makeover? Things like hairstyles can look really different when youve lost weight, so a change maybe good and make you feel great!!

canroadrunner

Thanks for suggestions. Because of health reasons I have to get the pudge gone around the middle so I will still have to lose weight so I know it's still going to affect my face. The skin is drooping and getting a little crepey and just OLD.
My body is starting to look great but having to put the paper bag over my head makes it hard to breathe.

calipete

A couple of suggestions about your skin and appearance. Do you take any type of antioxidant or vitamin?? As we lose weight we release toxins into our bodies and we need an antioxidant to protect us. Also are you hitting your water goal every day?? And finally do you get 7-8 hrs of sleep every night?? I went through the same things everyone has described here but when I added a good antioxidant, drank more water and got more sleep by appearance got better

Hope it helps

canroadrunner

Thanks CaliPete.
I try, but I'm going to try harder, particularly on the water goal.

llkilgore

I'm 3 years older than you are and had a lot of the same concerns as I lost 58 pounds off my 5'6" frame. I feel a lot better about it after 3 months of maintenance, though. I realize now that I reached my goal weight looking old and tired because the skin on my face and neck hadn't been able to bounce back fast enough to keep pace with the weight loss. It's catching up now and already looks a lot better.

aquapussy

You aren't taking into account that weight loss is starvation and hard on the body. What is your diet like, is it what you would consider health? I bet that it is mostly inside your head though. If you posted pics I bet we would not agree with your assessment.

It could be that now your focus is not so much on your fat you are focusing on other aspects of yourself and nitpicking way too much. I do this also, even though I've lost 100 lbs sometimes all I can see is the sag and the droop. Other days I feel great. It's mental stuff like that which got me fat in the first place.

Olisellana

There are a few face exercises that you can do.

The first one is where you open your mouth as wide as you can down to your chest.

The second is to look up to the ceiling while pursing your lips like you are going to try and kiss it.

I find those really work well in helping to stretch my face muscles and to stop a double chin. Do each about 5 or more times as you feel comfortable.

Hope this helps you.

canroadrunner

I'm 3 years older than you are and had a lot of the same concerns as I lost 58 pounds off my 5'6" frame. I feel a lot better about it after 3 months of maintenance, though. I realize now that I reached my goal weight looking old and tired because the skin on my face and neck hadn't been able to bounce back fast enough to keep pace with the weight loss. It's catching up now and already looks a lot better.

Oh, that's good to hear. I hope it will work for me too.

canroadrunner

You aren't taking into account that weight loss is starvation and hard on the body. What is your diet like, is it what you would consider health? I bet that it is mostly inside your head though. If you posted pics I bet we would not agree with your assessment.

It could be that now your focus is not so much on your fat you are focusing on other aspects of yourself and nitpicking way too much. I do this also, even though I've lost 100 lbs sometimes all I can see is the sag and the droop. Other days I feel great. It's mental stuff like that which got me fat in the first place.

My diet is actually very healthy, I think. Very little sugar, wheat or processed foods because I have to watch my carb intake because of my diabetes.
I've noticed other people who've lost weight look equally drawn and older because of the weight loss in the face. I have to get my head around it.

GrammyM

Here's what I plan to do at goal. Not plastic surgery, not a toxin, actually replaces lost collagen, costs about $1000.

http://www.radiesse.com/

Artemis_Acorn

I'm going to pass along something that I picked up here in the forums a few months back and has made a WORLD of difference in my face. I too was noticing a lot of sagging skin on my face, but it has improved a lot since I watched and daily do the Jack Lalanne series of facial exercises. Check it out. Love this guy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isLJ024EdMA

GrammyM

I'm going to pass along something that I picked up here in the forums a few months back and has made a WORLD of difference in my face. I too was noticing a lot of sagging skin on my face, but it has improved a lot since I watched and daily do the Jack Lalanne series of facial exercises. Check it out. Love this guy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isLJ024EdMA

Wow, what fun! I too love Jack. I can remember watching him when I was a kid - that was awhile ago : )

How many times a day do you do the exercises? How long did it take for you to see results?

Thanks for a great tip, it may save me some $$

nyspotlight

Speaking of Jack Lelane, you might consider juice. Beta Carotene can seriously brighten your skin, and getting fresh veggie juice in you daily can do wonders. I was wondering why I was looking all sickly (undereye bags!!!), then I started juicing again. I make some green or carrot - based juice every morning (you can do a mix, I just don't like that particular taste). I look much better now.

If you do mostly greens, cucumber, celery and a bit of apple it's pretty low-cal. And gives you energy.

Just a thought...

(green smoothies might work if you only have a blender)

canroadrunner

Thanks, will try those suggestions too.