Extreme measures - a moral dilemma?

How much weight do you have to loose? How old are you? Have you spoken to a Dr / dietician about this?

I haven't had the skin problem but I think that being 'thin' isn't a quick fix for life long issues of low self esteem / low confidence? Mentally it can take some people a long time to accept they look vastly different? Add into the mix excess skin and I imagine it can be a very bittersweet achievement to lose a vast amount of weight. But it is still an acheivement !!!

I think that everyone is better off losing the weight [in terms of their general health if not appearence] but I would def consult a dietician to seee what they recommend.

Hi,

I saw this and thought the same thing, but surely there must be things you can do to minimise the saggy skin, but they never mention anything like this on there, all they do is "shock TV" with no real helpful solutions.. I might do some surfing tonight...

Jules,

I too have watched this program and it shocked me.

BUT....

You need to remember that these people who have excess/loose skin have lost dramatic amounts of weight ( as you said some 23st!!) Some of them going through gastric band ops and so on. When people who have large amounts of weight to drop and have these operations the amount they eat is miniscule. This means that they will lose weight quickly and this doesnt give the skin time to catch up and "stretch" back.

Whether or not you get loose skin depends on a number of different factors; Age, How long you have been overweight, How much weight you actually have to lose, how quickly you lose it, If you exercise along with your diet and GENETICS.

So please dont worry about this, your doing it the best way. Your not on some Fad Diet, not going through Major Surgery. Your Changing your lifestyle, eating the Right way plus I know you get those exercises in!!!!


I wish you the best in your Journey. xxxx

Stacy x

Just checked your ticker and you say you've got 49 lbs to lose - I don't think you'll find excess skin a problem - as far as I can tell, that only becomes a problem if you have 100+ lbs to lose.

if i had loads of excess skin left over, id get surgery for sure if i could afford it.

i dont see where morals come into it?

I used to think "If only someone would take away all my fat and then I would maintain my weight better". The reality is that all these obese people (myself included) want a quick fix. So they have surgery.

I know a few people who have had gastric bands.
One woman lost weight, but they learnt to cheat the system and has put it back on. We went out to dinner with her and she ate a whole sunday dinner and desert - I mean, a maaaaaaaan sized portion. She's learnt how to get food past the band.

A woman my wife works with has been administered to hospital since having a gastric band - she lost so much weight she actually conditioned herself into becoming anorexic - had liver and kidney failure from not eating. They had to remove her band.

None of the above were checked out mentally about losing weight. None were taught how to eat properly. It was just "have this, eat less - go".

Unfortunately if an obese person can't be bothered to eat better and move more then leave them to it.

I was 319lbs - now 293lbs - but I am eating better and exercising every day - because I now have the frame of mind that I want to LIVE and not die of a heart attack. I want to be here for my wife in years to come and not have her bury me because I made the choice to eat until I died. It's a long track to fitness, but at least I am on it.

The people on these shows are not on that track. They want it all now and for free in most cases. They will fail and gain weight again.

Hi,
Last night I watched Embarrassing Fat Bodies on C4 for the second time in 2 weeks.
Both weeks showed people who had health issues due to being obese - some underwent surgery - gastric bands, others were given hypnotherapy. There was NO mention of healthier eating/excercise etc. so I pressumed they had tried and were unsuccessful.
But, more worrying - it also showed the successful people who had lost weight (some as much as 23st!) who were still not happy with their body image. This time due to the amount of 'loose/excess' skin that remained after losing their weight.
Does this mean that once I've lost my weight and maintained through healthy eating & exercise - I may have to resort to surgery to remove unwanted skin??
This gives me a moral dilemma.
Would I actually go through a General Anaesthetic and procedure for cosmetic purposes? Would I spend vast amounts of money on an operation that wasn't deemed 'life saving'? Or would I be content looking good with my clothes on, but again be embarrassed to undress in public????

What are your thoughts please?

Jules :frown:

If they went the surgical route, they most like lost it a LOT faster than the diet and exercise way and therefore have much more loose skin that you will.

OMG I watched that and was thinking great, I got loose skin to look forward to but then as the people have said, they lost massive amounts of weight over very short periods whereas we're not. She was named the fattest teenager in Britain and ~I think had surgery for a bariatic( I'm not sure of spelling) band. This would mean she would lose loads of weight in a short time scale.
I have a question... (this may be a little harsh), do you think if you got a gastric band and lost weight that way it would be as... defining and or give a better feel good factor than dieting healthy and taking longer.
I was thinking I'd love to lose all that weight really quickly but ultimately I'm actually kinda getting off on the fact I'm doing this by myself and making myself healthier in the long term.
Answers on a postcard please!

If you think surgery is a quick fix, you would be incorrect! I am banded and I have to follow the same rules that everyone else does. I keep in 1200 cals per day, eating healthy, workout 4-5 days per week 45 mins to 1 hour at a time! My goal is to lose 2 lbs per week. Even if you lose the weigh without surgery, you can still have loose skin!

I am working on toning and giving my skin time to shrink. I think surgery of any kind is extreme, but you have to weigh the risks against the possible benefit of feeling better about yourself! With larger people, there is always the problem of excess skin rubbing, getting infected and not healing properly. Most people get skin reduction surgery for cosmetic purposes, but there are medical reasons too!

To each, his own, but KNOW THE RISKS before you go under the knife!

I didn't mean to offend, I don't know if you have seen the programme it seems a lot of people who have gastric bands lose a lot of weight really quickly and I guess we were all a little worried about getting loose skin and how that occurs. From the programme it seemed it was because of large losses. Mind you there was one who did a massive loss in a short time through almost starving herself and she had loose skin. Basically I was worried about the same as OP, loose skin. But I also am enjoying my long journey and I was weighing ('scuse the pun) the pros and cons against being able to lose weight quickly either by drastic calorie deficiency or surgery. to losing gradually and enjoying the journey. I am curious, do you not feel like ready to pop with 1200 calories and being banded?