Anyone else struggling with body image issues after significant weight loss?

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  • dawn0293
    dawn0293 Posts: 115 Member
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    thiswillhappen wrote: »
    I'm 27 and I've lost 20 pounds. I have another 20 to go until my goal weight. I don't notice too much extra skin yet, maybe a bit in the underarms but that's it. I worry about having excess skin at the end of it all, but I'm not sure if it'll be a problem for me. What do you guys think, will I notice it?

    Depends. Every person is different. I mean, sure if someone is losing 200+ pounds, no matter what, there is going to be loose skin issues but for 40lbs it really depends on how you carry your weight, your height, and plain old luck of the dice.

  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    Sometimes. What I can see of me that hangs down (arms, thighs, belly), I see that I now have the ugly body to match the name-calling I receive.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    You might luck out, thiswillhappen, first because of your youth and because of how much you have to lose. My skin generally bounced back after my pregnancies, for instance, but I was much younger then.
  • sassyjae21
    sassyjae21 Posts: 1,217 Member
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    dawn0293 wrote: »
    jamieben1824 wrote: »
    People Will and DO think you are amazing even if they dont tell you. Believe it. Beauty is skin deep.
    Beauty is skin deep, for sure. It's just that I wouldn't mind being a little beautiful for once in my life. I was always the invisible fat girl for much of my life. I guess I am just being silly but it would have been nice.
    jamieben1824 wrote: »
    Are you working out currently? That is going to be VERY helpful with your self esteem all the way around. Promise! :)
    I am doing lots of cardio and as soon as money permits, I will be joining a good gym to start working on core strength.

    Huh? You really are beautiful. I have a ton of flaws myself. I hate them, but they're just kinda part of who I am. Slowly learning to accept what I can and cannot change. It gets better :) I don't have extra skin, but I do have some other flaws that only i can see that make me want to avoid a mirror. So i understand.
  • 89nunu
    89nunu Posts: 1,082 Member
    edited December 2014
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    while I can't relate on a personal level because I did not have a large amount of weight to lose I hope my little story cheers you up a bit anyway.

    I saw a woman in my gym's changing room the other day who had clearly lost a lot of weight and was trying to hide her excess skin under a towel. But when I saw her I did not see a reason to be self conscious but a reason to celebrate. What I wanted to do was applaud her for all the hard work and being generally epic and tell her that she has no reason to hide! And that she should be proud of her body showing her amazing accomplishment. But I did not do that, because she was already uncomfortable with having to change in front of other people so I did not want to make it worse.

    The point of my story: probably a lot of people feel like me and have standing ovation gifs running in their heads when they see you. So don't be embarrassed by the way your body looks because of what you have done to it in your past, be proud of it looks because of what you are doing for it now! That excess skin just shows the world that your are amazing!

    so here is for you what I did not give to the woman I saw:

    applause.gif
  • NikonPal
    NikonPal Posts: 1,346 Member
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    dawn0293 wrote: »
    thiswillhappen wrote: »
    I'm 27 and I've lost 20 pounds. I have another 20 to go until my goal weight. I don't notice too much extra skin yet, maybe a bit in the underarms but that's it. I worry about having excess skin at the end of it all, but I'm not sure if it'll be a problem for me. What do you guys think, will I notice it?

    Depends. Every person is different. I mean, sure if someone is losing 200+ pounds, no matter what, there is going to be loose skin issues but for 40lbs it really depends on how you carry your weight, your height, and plain old luck of the dice.

    That pretty much sums it up -- not that I like it. Down 164 pounds with another 20-25 to go. Older, so not so sure surgery worth the risk etc. My plan at this point is to reach goal and spend a year doing the best I can strengthening / toning and see what happens. No matter what - I am happy with the loss -- and being able to shop in a "normal" store. LOL
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    dawn0293 wrote: »
    When I was obese, I thought I would look so nice without all the excess weight. I wasn't expecting my body to mimic a melting candle once the pounds really started coming off. It was a pretty big shock for me. I look fine with clothes on and compression garments in place but without them I'm a hot mess of lumpy, baggy skin. I've worked so hard to get here and yet I feel more embarrassed of my body now than I ever did when I was big. Can anyone else relate? How does one learn to come to peace with the damage they've done to their body?

    I did have a really hard time once I hit 40 lost or so. It passed - it'll get better. I think the only thing that helps is time and side by side comparison photos (I have an embarrassing amount of these). I felt for a few weeks like my mind was rejecting my new body.
  • LilyOfTheValley008
    LilyOfTheValley008 Posts: 95 Member
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    I've always been self-conscious about my overall appearance and definitely been struggling with how I look now 30lbs down.
    I feel like I need to lose a bit more because I feel like my legs are too big, however I'm also depressed because of how deflated my once D cups breasts are. PLUS the stretch marks forever indented in my skin (and I'm young/not had kids so I've got no reason to be proud of them)
    I so wish I could just detach myself from these feelings, sigh.

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