I'll never be happy in this body.
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2018memyselfandI
Posts: 13 Member
I am 41 and 5' 4" female I started this journey last year at 270 lbs. I have made it to my goal weight of 130 lbs but sadly I'm still not happy. My face looks gaunt, my belly is still shaped like a B and biggish. Oh and the extra skin that is everywhere is just awful. I can literally grab my skin by the fistfuls and pull it up on my stomach, sides, back and bottom. Shower time turns onto a pitty paryy and I hate looking in the mirror. Just having one of those days where it is all getting to me I guess. Hard to keep going when i am hating the results.
27
Replies
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Wow Congratulations, losing 140 lbs from sometimes in 2018 to October 2019 is incredible and then some.
I know I have seen other threads about the loose skin situation. If you do a search I am sure you can find lots of information. Some say it takes a certain amount of time after a huge weight loss, for your skin to keep getting tighter. Also while losing this huge amount of weight. Were you doing exercixe like rsistance training? I think that may be one of the types of exercise they talk about as helping.
I would think at 41, that you are going to see some of it tighten up. But there are also types of surgery that people have gone under, that have lost huge amounts of weight.
I have lost 65, and want to lose another 65 or so. At 61 I know that losing 130 lbs yes I will have lots of loose skin due to years of being so obese. For whatever reason the one area that bugs me the most is the batwings on the arms.
I am sorry this has you down right now. What you have accomplished is outstanding. But I know there are threads here that talk about this very issue.7 -
First off CONGRATULATIONS on your weightloss! What an amazing accomplishment. Secondly you are not alone in how you feel about your post weightloss body. I for one am in the same boat. I describe it as living in a deflated water balloon, not much fun. Mirrors are the worst when naked. Luckily clothes hide most of it for me. Sorry but I don't really have any helpful advice for you just know that I understand. Hugs2
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Genetics plays a big role in how much skin will shrink, as does age . . . but so does time: At age 60, my loose skin kept shrinking well into year 2 of maintenance (and maybe more slowly beyond that, but it becomes hard to tell).
Things that may help: Good well-balanced nutrition, regular exercise (cardiovascular and strength), adequate hydration. Skin is an organ, so the things that help other organs be healthy will also help skin be healthy, supple, elastic.
It's worth noting, that actual loose skin is thin wrinkles, like wrinkles in medium-weight fabric (corduroy or denim, say). Wrinkles or rolls that are 1/2" or more are likely to still be holding onto some subcutaneous fat that can conspire with gravity to keep skin stretched. If this is the case, there are IMO 3 non-surgical possibilities to consider:
(1) Some people experience some fat redistribution after a period of time at maintenance weight, especially with exercise.
(2) Considering losing a bit more weight, if your doctor thinks that's OK given your personal frame size.
(3) Recomposition, which is following a strength training program to slowly gain muscle mass while keeping weight consistent, which inherently means very slow fat loss.
Best wishes!
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They are war scars imho... wear them with pride! I do.... I am not having removal either.4
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Why not have the skin surgically removed?
Is it very expensive?
As hard as you and many others have worked to lose all that weight, dont you think you deserve to look amazing and have that skin removed?
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Why not have the skin surgically removed?
Is it very expensive?
As hard as you and many others have worked to lose all that weight, dont you think you deserve to look amazing and have that skin removed?
Well, the average cost is around $8000 and isn’t covered by insurance. So yeah, it’s pretty expensive.4 -
Why not have the skin surgically removed?
Is it very expensive?
As hard as you and many others have worked to lose all that weight, dont you think you deserve to look amazing and have that skin removed?
In Canada medical will cover the cost of a panniculectomy but that is it. The rest of it would be out of pocket so 10's of thousands to cover the rest of the problem areas 😪1 -
Loose skin does get somewhat better with time; how much better, you won’t know for a while. That gaunt face look also gets better as your body adjusts to your new weight. I’m down 125 lbs and after a year at my current weight my face looked much better.
You are amazing! You are so strong to have come so far. You may never have the perfect body but I believe you can be happy. Everyone gets down sometimes, Hoping you feel better about everything soon.4 -
“I’ll never by happy in this body”
Sounds like a decision that you’ve made. Beware. Don’t take your weight loss success for granted. The potential for regaining everything and everything + is real. The road to quitting has some common entry points. One of which is “not good enough.”
If your results aren’t good enough its a short step to “might as well quit.” You say so in your post.
Push back. A big part of weight loss is the fight with our own brains and its bad habits. Overcoming old negative thinking is a common theme on this board. People routinely claim that they lose big amounts of weight but just don’t “see” it. You’re a bit different.
Maybe start by making a list of things that you think are better because you’ve lost weight. Do you feel better? Can you do things you couldn’t do before? Are there things you would like to try? Maybe get out and do them. Find some ways to reinforce the positive aspects of what you’ve done. Do you look better dressed? Do your clothes fit better? Do you need some new clothes? New clothes changed everything for me.
Consider changing the way you talk to yourself. Next time you look at yourself in the mirror try saying “I’m really not very satisfied with this. “ Not happy with the results.” Maybe “not happy with the results so far.” “Hating.” Is extreme and emotionally charged. Can you look at it another way that expresses displeasure without turning it up to 10?
There’s a kind of buyer’s remorse tied to our expectations. Were your expectations a bit out of whack when you started?
Goal weight really changes nothing but the number on the scale. What we make of it is up to us. Would you be better off with fitness goals right now?
Last- you’re not alone in this. Loose skin is a common complaint and it looks like surgery is the only sure answer. But be careful with this whole thing. I’ve been at weight loss and maintaining quite a while and loose skin is frequently the topic of the last post from a lot of people. I was in Weight Watchers with a guy who started at 400+ lbs and had lost 100. The day he mentioned loose skin was the last day we saw him. Keep working. Good luck.
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Congrats on the weight loss!!!2
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“I’ll never by happy in this body”
Sounds like a decision that you’ve made. Beware. Don’t take your weight loss success for granted. The potential for regaining everything and everything + is real. The road to quitting has some common entry points. One of which is “not good enough.”
If your results aren’t good enough its a short step to “might as well quit.” You say so in your post.
Push back. A big part of weight loss is the fight with our own brains and its bad habits. Overcoming old negative thinking is a common theme on this board. People routinely claim that they lose big amounts of weight but just don’t “see” it. You’re a bit different.
Maybe start by making a list of things that you think are better because you’ve lost weight. Do you feel better? Can you do things you couldn’t do before? Are there things you would like to try? Maybe get out and do them. Find some ways to reinforce the positive aspects of what you’ve done. Do you look better dressed? Do your clothes fit better? Do you need some new clothes? New clothes changed everything for me.
Consider changing the way you talk to yourself. Next time you look at yourself in the mirror try saying “I’m really not very satisfied with this. “ Not happy with the results.” Maybe “not happy with the results so far.” “Hating.” Is extreme and emotionally charged. Can you look at it another way that expresses displeasure without turning it up to 10?
There’s a kind of buyer’s remorse tied to our expectations. Were your expectations a bit out of whack when you started?
Goal weight really changes nothing but the number on the scale. What we make of it is up to us. Would you be better off with fitness goals right now?
Last- you’re not alone in this. Loose skin is a common complaint and it looks like surgery is the only sure answer. But be careful with this whole thing. I’ve been at weight loss and maintaining quite a while and loose skin is frequently the topic of the last post from a lot of people. I was in Weight Watchers with a guy who started at 400+ lbs and had lost 100. The day he mentioned loose skin was the last day we saw him. Keep working. Good luck.
Well Said!1 -
“I’ll never by happy in this body”
Sounds like a decision that you’ve made. Beware. Don’t take your weight loss success for granted. The potential for regaining everything and everything + is real. The road to quitting has some common entry points. One of which is “not good enough.”
If your results aren’t good enough its a short step to “might as well quit.” You say so in your post.
Push back. A big part of weight loss is the fight with our own brains and its bad habits. Overcoming old negative thinking is a common theme on this board. People routinely claim that they lose big amounts of weight but just don’t “see” it. You’re a bit different.
Maybe start by making a list of things that you think are better because you’ve lost weight. Do you feel better? Can you do things you couldn’t do before? Are there things you would like to try? Maybe get out and do them. Find some ways to reinforce the positive aspects of what you’ve done. Do you look better dressed? Do your clothes fit better? Do you need some new clothes? New clothes changed everything for me.
Consider changing the way you talk to yourself. Next time you look at yourself in the mirror try saying “I’m really not very satisfied with this. “ Not happy with the results.” Maybe “not happy with the results so far.” “Hating.” Is extreme and emotionally charged. Can you look at it another way that expresses displeasure without turning it up to 10?
There’s a kind of buyer’s remorse tied to our expectations. Were your expectations a bit out of whack when you started?
Goal weight really changes nothing but the number on the scale. What we make of it is up to us. Would you be better off with fitness goals right now?
Last- you’re not alone in this. Loose skin is a common complaint and it looks like surgery is the only sure answer. But be careful with this whole thing. I’ve been at weight loss and maintaining quite a while and loose skin is frequently the topic of the last post from a lot of people. I was in Weight Watchers with a guy who started at 400+ lbs and had lost 100. The day he mentioned loose skin was the last day we saw him. Keep working. Good luck.
I shall try to focus on some of the positives. Yes I an definitely do more now than I could before. Yes clothes definitely fit and look better now. Quite frankly when I'm fully clothed I'm rather pleased with how I look. It's what is hiding under them that gets to me. Let's just say compression boy shorts undies are a life saver. I'm slowly building up my wardrobe, going from a 3x-4x to a xs-s takes a lot to wrap ones brain around.
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Thank you all for taking the time to reply. I keep rereading them all... it helps.9
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Why not have the skin surgically removed?
Is it very expensive?
As hard as you and many others have worked to lose all that weight, dont you think you deserve to look amazing and have that skin removed?
yes, expensive! Dangerous as well. As a medical field worker, I suggest never going under the knife if you dont have to. Recovery, chance of infection, doctor errors, and some people who go under, never come out. Last one is rare, but it does happen. I will not get surgery personally unless I have to6 -
I totally second the compression boy short style undies. I can not wear regular undies as my stomach just falls out the leg holes.3
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reflectionofme wrote: »I totally second the compression boy short style undies. I can not wear regular undies as my stomach just falls out the leg holes.
Haha, me too!1
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