Loose skin and confidence trouble

wunderkindking wrote: »

Have you seen Obese to Beast on youtube? If not watching his stuff (or some of it, find the channel and then look through) might be helpful. There's quite a bit about his loose skin.

brittanystebbins95 wrote: »

You've every reason to be proud, but its also okay to not love the loose skin.
I love my son and I love that my body created him, but I do not love the stretch marks. Acceptance and love do not have to go hand in hand.
Maybe reach out and get a consultation, if you're sure you want to go through with the surgery. If its causing you pain or chafing, insurance might cover a portion. Otherwise, I know a lot of surgeons here in the US (not sure where you are) will put patients on a payment plan for cosmetic surgeries.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

So how long has it been since you reached goal weight? Reason for asking: I found that my true loose skin (the thin wrinkles stuff) kept shrinking for many months after goal weight, at least into year 2 of maintenance. Until nearly complete depletion of the subcutaneous fat in the area, which conspires with gravity to keep skin stretched, it can't really even get a good start on shrinking, and it's not necessarily a fast process even then. I'm not saying it will all go, but there might still be improvement if you recently reached goal. Your plastic surgery consult should give you more information, though.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

NecessaryChange wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

So how long has it been since you reached goal weight? Reason for asking: I found that my true loose skin (the thin wrinkles stuff) kept shrinking for many months after goal weight, at least into year 2 of maintenance. Until nearly complete depletion of the subcutaneous fat in the area, which conspires with gravity to keep skin stretched, it can't really even get a good start on shrinking, and it's not necessarily a fast process even then. I'm not saying it will all go, but there might still be improvement if you recently reached goal. Your plastic surgery consult should give you more information, though.

I'm not quite at my goal yet. Still have another 30ish pounds to go, at least that's the assumption of my coach. I know it shrinks in time, and I have a consult coming up in a few weeks to get some more info that I was finally able to book recently. For the most part I'm looking for some advice on how to relieve some of the pain in my back and sides from holding up the skin lol. The shared opinion between coach and Dr is that I don't have much fat in my body cavity itself, so most of that fat is just loose and under the skin which is just gonna be more uncomfortable for quite some time. It didn't take long, maybe a month for these back problems to really start hurting. So I'm worried about the long term, and it's just uncomfortable 24/7. I'm definitely trying to find some new ways to deal with the pain and reign in the rolls, but man is it hard lol. Just thought I'd see if the community had some tips and tricks or stories on how they accepted it if they decided not to get the surgery. Or even just tips on confidence in general lol, I spent my whole life as the gross fatty so.. I don't have the most positive view of myself.

I'm so sorry you're going through that!

Other than working on overall body strengthening, which I assume your coach already has you working on, but will take a while, I don't know of any shorter run solutions - I wish I did.

Hoping the medical folks will be able to help you!

TakeTheLongWayHome wrote: »

I’m in the same boat with the loose skin. It doesn’t hurt me physically like yours, but it messes with me mentally. I know the work I put in to change from what I was, but that skin is a reminder of how far I let myself go and how far I still have to go. I’m just trying to make the best of it for now and flip my way of thinking into look how far I have come. Good luck to you in your journey💪

Diatonic12 wrote: »

I listened to you. Youth is on your side. I'm calling out to @ninerbuff because he is a pro. He used to be a Moderator here but he's very busy and he's helped many people get through all kinds of things. Medical professionals can help you but I'm hoping ninerbuff will have some things you can do while you're making your decisions.

MaltedTea wrote: »

🗣️ What a cutie-paTOOtie, you are!

Beyond one-piece compression exercise garments (which may have already been mentioned above...I'll come back to read all posts later), my suggested strategy/tip for you is to see the positive in your journey.

At one point, you even swung your leg up onto the sink and I said to myself, "Does he realize he likely hadn't been able to do that in the past?"

I'm so serious when I say I'm seeing nothing but laudable progress. So hearing you be down on yourself is tough. If this is humbleness then I hope you learn to channel it in a way that better serves you, Richard.

That said, there are cosmetic surgeons who specialize in this type of thing for longer term results (whereas the compression garments would be a temporary fix to help facilitate your current exercise goals).

🙌🏿

[ETA: lol I HAD to read the thread before my workout. If cost is an issue and a job isn't on the horizon right now, Richard, then is there a way to link the procedure to your purpose?

By that I mean, is there a way you could raise funds in a motivational way and commit to a lifestyle/career that helps others who can benefit from your story?

Maybe that would be becoming a speaker (you have natural storytelling ability based on the Insta), starting a podcast in partnership with a healthcare professional or some other content that can help people...while consequently helping yourself.]

AnnPT77 wrote: »

NecessaryChange wrote: »

ninerbuff wrote: »

First congrats on your triumphs! It's a tough road to take and sometimes even harder when you arrive there and even with all the hard work, things like loose skin can deflate you.
You may need a little patience with this. Skin can take up to 2 years to retract. At that time you may reassess. Another thing you can try to do to reduce some of it is to actually to add more muscle. It would help to fill out some of the voids, but of course not to the volume you've lost in body fat. Take the 2 years to do that.
And lastly, self confidence may be hard to build because of what some may view as odd. But what I would do is work with people who struggle with being overweight and trying to inspire and encourage them to achieve like you. You may find that their success will help you with being confident because sometimes gratitude to you will mean more. And that still leaves room to get surgery if you opt for it.
Be proud of yourself. Not many achieve what you have. Embrace that you're better off than a lot people who may have much more in health issues to worry about. What they wouldn't give to be in your shoes, loose skin and all. Good luck on whatever you choose, but at this point you've done a lot to improve yourself immensely.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Of course. I know that, even though my struggle has been difficult, some people have it much much harder. The man that I spired my current journey is still struggling to this day. I hope to find the answers not just for myself but if I am ever asked I absolutely love having the answers. Especially when someone is counting on that information. Thanks so much for your input it is greatly appreciated and I will take everything under consideration. My only worry about the 2 years thing is that this has started to really hurt my back and that only took a month. I have some current exercises to help strengthen my back as well as a fresh referral (from yesterday's follow up) for physical therapy. I think I can handle the confidence issues and work to improve over time since it's something I am used to. I just hope I can get the pain issue to improve. I would rather work it off than rely on medication, mostly because I do not know my family history and addiction could be an issue, so it's not worth the risk, in my opinion, for myself.

You've achieved so much, in the realm of weight loss, done things so many people find really difficult (but would benefit hugely from accomplishing themselves). You're clearly working now, on multiple fronts, to honestly face your still-present challenges and take action to improve the situation, using all the factors in your control. This is powerful stuff.

I don't know what your confidence level is in your writing and communication skills, but I'm here to tell you that based on this thread, your writing is clear, honest, specific, engaging, kind. That's not a skill set a lot of people have.

I've noticed that you've been posting and commenting on others' posts to encourage them, and that's a wonderful example of using your experience and communication skills to help people. I know that won't always result in positive feedback from others, but I hope it can still be a confidence-builder for you, because you do have things you can be confident about.

I hope this won't be creepy, coming from someone old enough to be your granny (I assure you it's meant in a pure granny sort of way): MaltedTea has a point. From your profile photo, you're a handsome young man, with a direct gaze, and intelligent eyes. I hope you find the confidence that could flow from your accomplishments with weight management (self management), your positive outlook, your good communication skills, and yes, your appearance.

Wishing you continuing progress . . . and expecting it will happen, given your history and accomplishments so far!