I'm fat I get it...

msbanana

Ok- So I get it- I'm fat. Fat people have stretch marks. Hell, I had stretch marks before I got fat. Thing is... I've lost a good deal of weight and there are new ones now... new ones in places I've never had them.
I'm disturbed.
I was laying in bed this morning, I bent my knee so my foot was flat on the bed and looked down at my thigh... I thought, "Wow, they almost look normal again... but wait, what's that? Are those stretch marks? Running vertically down the top of my thigh?" I'm familiar with the horizontal ones on the inside of my thighs from getting fat, and the vertical ones on the outside from my growth spurt when I was 14... New ones?!? really?!?! Since when do you get them from LOSING weight?!?!?!?! ARG!

I try to stay moisturized (I use a shea butter infused with cashmere oil) to keep my skin from getting all crazy saggy or something but is there some trick to this that I don't know about?

Am I going to sprout new ones through the rest of this process?

Is there a miracle cure or am I going to wear the scars of this part of my life forever? (Ok that sounds a little dramatic.)

Anybody else have this happen? Anybody have any tips?

NewMe80xoxo

Your question is a good one...sorry I don't have an answer for it...But I hope someone does because I need to know to...I wanna get a good lotion so while I lose it will help with that...but don't know what to get!!!

spikess

i've heard you can get stretch marks from losing weight too quickly, but i'm not 100% on that. i just think the buggers are out to get us!!

simona1972

I've read that you can get stretch marks from "rapid" weight loss, but Im not sure how rapid you have to lose weight to get them.

Zara11

I have them too, with more appearing as I lost weight. I'm horribly humiliated by them and the best I can do is try to stay moisturized, don't get a sun burn (it brings out the worst of them/ makes them turn dark red!) and wear shorts/bikini with my chin up.

Apparently BioOil is supposed to be good for them, too, but I've never been able to apply it diligently for the months required.

EKarma

strecth marks are the facts of life and most of us get them. I tried everything when I was prego, but I ended up with them.. the ones I hate the most are the ones on my arms.. eh.. I hate them all the same. Stretch marks are a lil less apparent when you tan.. Well I have found this to be true for myself. I use a tanning bed about once a week or like 3 times a month, and it really takes the bling out of my stretch marks.. It helps me cope with mine. :grumble:

msbanana

Thanks ladies- I have lost a little over 20 pounds in the last 4 months... But seems like 5-ish pounds a month is slow. I have seen some pretty dramatic SIZE changes in the last 2 months so that may have something to do with it... I'll keep moisturizing and my fingers crossed. I'm afraid I'm still to big to go tanning... I don't want to end up with stripes... that could be worse that stretch marks... maybe funnier but totally worse. :laugh: Thanks again!!

Cheers!
:drinker:

dani41

I had stretch marks appear the week after I gave birth to my first son. I thought I had gone through the pregnancy without any. The doctor told me at my check up that SOME stretch marks are not as noticeable (and nearly invisible) when you have the extra weight because the fat helps fill them out, but when you loose it, they can become more pronounced. Chances are, they were probably already there. The same thing happens with facial wrinkles.

CasperO

Yep, they were already there. I look years older than I did when I was pudgy,,, the skin was stretched too tight to wrinkle. Your stretchies are the same thing. Moisturize, tan a little, get some exercise and have fun.

Any fool with the right genetics can be trim their whole lives, but stretch marks tell a story. They say "my body and my system and my structure want me to carry a lot of fat - but by strength and determination and hard work I am able to defy my heredity and have the healthy body I deserve". Be proud of your marks, they are the badge of a champion.

Channing

Yep, i've got those little devils too.:devil: Seems like they pop up at the first hint that I'm about to shed a pound! They're my battle scars.:ohwell: I have them all around my hips and lower back. It drives me crazy and makes me self conscious, but honestly I have to remember that I'll take being fit any day over no stretch marks. You're looking fantastic by the way, i looked at your profile and pics and you've really come a long way! Keep it up!

BombolinaM

Girl my body looks like a road map..haha I totally understand how you feel. But as you lose and gain weight you will get more stretch marks. It makes me mad when I notice new ones. Especially when I am losing weight. But I would rather losing weight and get the stretch marks than stay where I am at...So don't worry!! You'll be happy when you are at your goal. :flowerforyou:

bebhinn

I have a TON of them... from my bra line to the top of my hoohah.... vertical lines all the way to each side, then i have them arcing over each hip and i have them running horizontally across my lower back, vertically around my thighs and from my armpit halfway to my elbow - not to mention the ones on the girls.

I started losing weight in October and it wasn't until a few days ago that I saw the LAST of the fiery red tips that they get. Being that I'm so fair as well, they get silvery and tanning isn't an option says the doc.

I just moisturize like a maniac and stay hydrated :S

MY issue now is that as they contract, I get tiny little boils in them that take several days to go away. Its apparently normal but man is it frustrating.

suziblues2000

Yeah, I got them too when I was pregnant. I don't like them either, but I'd rather have them than be fat. Like one poster said: They are our battle scars!


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msbanana

Thanks again y'all!
Casper & Channing- you made me well up a little. I do deserve to have a heathy body- stretch marks be damned.

On this journey it's been too easy for me to lose sight of the ultimate goal which is just to be healthy. I have to try not to get caught up in being so superficial. It's just so bloody easy.
So- I'll wear my scars on the outside. It'll be a good story. :happy:

Thank you all for your support.

kicklikeaGIRL

Yep, they were already there. I look years older than I did when I was pudgy,,, the skin was stretched too tight to wrinkle. Your stretchies are the same thing. Moisturize, tan a little, get some exercise and have fun.

Any fool with the right genetics can be trim their whole lives, but stretch marks tell a story. They say "my body and my system and my structure want me to carry a lot of fat - but by strength and determination and hard work I am able to defy my heredity and have the healthy body I deserve". Be proud of your marks, they are the badge of a champion.

I like that quote...pretty sure I might just put that on a plaque someday!! Or at least on a notecard stuck to my swimsuit drawer...just as a reminder. I like I like I like!

sissy56

Caspar - thanks for the positive spin. I've had them since I was 12 and starved myself because I was tired of being the fat girl. I still struggle, but in a healthier way now.

Steph_135

the best I can do is try to stay moisturized, don't get a sun burn (it brings out the worst of them/ makes them turn dark red!) and wear shorts/bikini with my chin up.

Apparently BioOil is supposed to be good for them, too, but I've never been able to apply it diligently for the months required.

This is more or less what I was gonna say until I read all the comments. I have BioOil, but I don't use it, so I can't say it works.

I've got stretch marks all over the place, but the ones that bother me the most are on my sides.

[...]stretch marks tell a story. They say "my body and my system and my structure want me to carry a lot of fat - but by strength and determination and hard work I am able to defy my heredity and have the healthy body I deserve". Be proud of your marks, they are the badge of a champion.

Right on! :drinker: When I reach my goal, I'm gonna wear my bikini with PRIDE!! Hope you bare that skin proudly too, msbanana.

Sweetie_Pie92

I have them all over! My upper arms, my thighs, my stomach, my upper back. I figure it's just how it is, they're my battle scars. When I hit my goal weight IMMA WEAR THAT BIKINI WITH PRIDE! And anyone who has anything to saw about it is going to get a very literal swift kick.