worried
- Thread starter BaerbelD
- Start date
Brenda2010
Member
Hi Baerbel and welcome. Congratulations on your upcoming surgery!
I won't sugar-coat it, it's highly likely you will have some skin and loose tissue after such a significant weight loss. The skin that has expanded to cover our obese bodies doesn't have the elastic properties to completely bounce back. Incorporating strength training into your exercise regimen will help some. But for the most part, the extent of what is left behind is determined by your age and your genetics.
Please do not let this deter you! Being healthy is completely worth that trade-off.
It's unfortunate that insurance companies do not recognize body contouring after massive weight-loss as the medically-necessary, reconstructive surgery that it is. Being considered "cosmetic" makes me very angry. My hope is that one day this will change as more and more people are successful with bariatric surgery and need body reconstruction.
I won't sugar-coat it, it's highly likely you will have some skin and loose tissue after such a significant weight loss. The skin that has expanded to cover our obese bodies doesn't have the elastic properties to completely bounce back. Incorporating strength training into your exercise regimen will help some. But for the most part, the extent of what is left behind is determined by your age and your genetics.
Please do not let this deter you! Being healthy is completely worth that trade-off.
It's unfortunate that insurance companies do not recognize body contouring after massive weight-loss as the medically-necessary, reconstructive surgery that it is. Being considered "cosmetic" makes me very angry. My hope is that one day this will change as more and more people are successful with bariatric surgery and need body reconstruction.
Brenda2010
Member
I don't know of any websites, hopefully others will. Personally I do a kettlebell DVD for 30-40 minutes every-other day. For cardio, I have an under-desk "peddler" at work and do 10 miles a day, 5 days a week.
dianeseattle
Member
I don't think there are any exercises per se, because you're dealing with skin, which is an organ, not a muscle. Organs evolve over the life of your body. It usually isn't necessary to take part of an organ away because it's too big--only if it's diseased.
That said, over the years I have discovered--too late--that I aged my skin by bad habits. So here are a few things you should be doing now & forever, and this is true for anyone in the group:
never take a hot shower. always use lukewarm to tepid water on your skin. hot water cooks your skin as sure as you're born. This goes for your hair, as well. this was one of the hardest things for me to adjust to but my skin has not aged a lot in 12 years since I had the surgery, because I only use lukewarm water on my body.
hand in hand with that, watch your chemical use. try to use as little soap as possible, and use anti-bacterial soap. most cosmetic soaps are a racket. i think the clear amber Neutrogena bar is probably the least harmful, but i'm no expert on this. just resist the urge to lather up, and maybe even use lotion to clean your skin, something like Albolene, which is just mineral oil made solid. Baby oil might be good, as well. I've used it to good effect.
don't buy into any product that claims to tighten skin. the cosmetics industry is not heavily regulated and they lie about everything. I used to work in the cosmetic laser field and that is the only area where the FDA actually scrutinizes every word. If you waste your time on skin tightening, you will miss your opportunity to treat your skin with something effective.
that said, you can tighten your skin somewhat by building your muscles. mostly we see the arm flap flab, and this is something you can deal with. go back to your days of high school phys ed. put your arms out straight from your shoulders, liek an airplane. then make tiny rotations with your hands, first clockwise, then counter-clockwise. Do 20 of these 3 times, and repeat at least once during your day. The second exercise is more difficult to me. Pose as if you're skiing downhill, squatting with your arms straight out from your shoulders, aligned with your legs, above your hips. Move your arms slightly up & down. This will work the back arm muscles, your triceps.
You can do the same exercises below the waist standing on one leg (which works your muscles like crazy because you're trying to balance). leg straight out to the side, rotate in small circles. then legs out to the back and hold for 10 seconds.
Your muscles will fill the flaccid area under your skin, and even though you can count on some skin looseness forever, you might be able to contain it so it doesn't get worse. I mean, look at Jane Fonda, who's pushing 90. She's done exercise all her life, but she also suffered from anorexia and & bulimia, which took a toll on her health.
Your major flab areas are probably going to be your abdomen and your buttocks. The gluteous maximus, or butt muscle, is the largest one in the body. it will be strengthened if you do the leg exercise, above. At least you won't jiggle. Since these areas are usually hidden by clothing, what you really need to work on is acceptance and trying for less vanity & self-consciousness.
The first photo of me below is titled "Sleeveless in Seattle." I sent it out after I had lost 65 pounds. You can see that my upper arms are still big. I hadn't tried to work on them yet. But then I joined the YMCA, because I had decided that I was going to start hiking up big mountains in the North Cascades. I worked out there for months before I went, and I learned how to swim. What a difference that made.
I walked on the treadmill two hours a day with a 75-pound pack. Here's me at the Y:
Here's a before & after to illustrate the difference, wearing the same tank top I bought back when I was obese:
Lastly, here's one I took after losing maybe 75 pounds. I was working out all the time, including doing curls with 5 pound weights.
I am not a pretty woman. I don't have long eyelashes or beautiful lips. I wear glasses and have dentures. I have a hook nose, I inherited the Family Jowls, and my chin juts out like Leno's. The only things I ever had going for me were dimples and boobs. I still have an "apron" of flab hanging over my pannis, and I get yeast infections there if I don't keep it ultra clean. I also still have big upper arms, but I've learned to live with them. I will wear sleeveless garments and one-piece bathing suits, but most often, I wear long sleeves and pants or shorts.
I also have an assortment of Spanx & other foundation garments, including a lycra bolero to shape my upper arms. Never leave home without 'em. I would have had surgery if I hadn't consulted cosmetic surgeons who told me how agonizing the recovery is from a panniculectomy, and if I could feel comfortable with long arm or leg scars. My trade-off, as Brenda said, is that I don't give a shit what anyone thinks of how I look and I'm too old to go through any cosmetic surgeries. I mean, there are so many people who are truly ugly (not their fault, but honestly, really sad features and bullying by all) who are happy to look in mirrors and accept themselves for who they are, not how they look.
this post may be too long for another photo, but i took one a few minutes ago, me, today, no makeup, haven't even brushed my hair. Yet I am happier with it than any pre-surgery photo where I was obese.
One more thing: what determines skin elascticity is collagen. There are foods that are high in collagen builders. Look them up. The younger you are, the more collagen you have naturally. There are collagen creams, though I don't know if they work. I once used a cream that helped build up or thicken tissues. It worked. It was a prescription and I'm too embarrassed to say what it's for, but it was only for women. Oh, hell. This particular cream helps women after menopause. Nuff said.
You might see a dermatologist and ask about building collagen. But my final word is that I couldn't give two shits about the flab. I'm healthier than any other 68yo I ever see.
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Brenda2010
Member
Hiya Diane
You have a great attitude, not caring what others think about your appearance but I must say that you're wrong - you are indeed a pretty woman. Those dimples are endearing. But more importantly, you have such a beautiful soul!
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Brenda2010
Member
Meant endearing!!!Hiya Diane
You have a great attitude, not caring what others think about your appearance but I must say that you're wrong - you are indeed a pretty woman. Those dimples are engendering. But more importantly, you have such a beautiful soul!
dianeseattle
Member
Brenda2010
Member
So cute!!!
I would hope some day insurance companies would see how all of the extra skin could be a problem in the long run.
If you have a large tummy, you loss all that, you now has all of that skin weight affecting you back.if you have large legs.
You loss that now you can hardly walk because of the loss skin. Shame on them.
If you have a large tummy, you loss all that, you now has all of that skin weight affecting you back.if you have large legs.
You loss that now you can hardly walk because of the loss skin. Shame on them.
JAKSBlue
Member
dianeseattle
Member
I think you are very kind. And Brenda just had a full body contouring surgery which will leave her with scars, but it doesn't matter because Azhar photos demonstrate, she is going to have a beautiful curvy body without all the problems associated with skin folds and the very difficult fat apron that hangs over after you lose an enormous amount of weight. It's a trade-off and yet I really Luv my body now and I never loved it, even when I was thin.