How do you know how much is skin and how much is fat?

[LumpySpacePrincess 594]

I'm 14 months out and at a good weight, but I still have what I call my 'skin puddle.' Its the chunks of skin that still spread out when I sit down and the skin around my belly.

But how much of it is really just skin and how much of that is still fat that could be burned off?

[jess9395 5,448]

Such a great question!!! My puddle makes me still feel fat even tho I am a size 4 and my body fat DXA scan said 18%. I work out a ton (yoga and running) but everyone tells me it's just skin, but I feel like if it were just skin it would be only a few millimeters thick, mine def has some subcutaneous fat. But is it a normal amount? I mean we all have that, right? Or can I still burn it off? I am below the midpoint of the normal weight range for my height and like I said have an 18% body fat....

Wish I had a good answer! Looking forward to hearing what others have to say!

[millergirl314 168]

That's a great question! Looking forward to the info too...

[AvaFern 3,516]

That's a good question! I had no idea that the vast majority of my own "puddle" was just skin that could be cut off until I went to a plastic surgeon. Once I knew that, I could then tell where I had fat, as opposed to skin because fat is thicker feeling than skin. The only way I can described it is that fat is firmer than skin, so when you sit down and for example, my thigh retains shape, the area that kind of flattens out like a puddle is just the skin, while the part that stays looking like a leg is muscle or fat. I also had this pooch of skin on my stomach that I always thought was fat, and after my abdominoplasty, it was all gone. Sure, there was some Lipo involved because I don't think we can really get rid of all of our fat there, but it was really mostly skin.

I feel like I have a lot of fat on my butt too, however in March I have a posterior lower body lift schedule and the doc says that almost all of what I'm grabbing is just skin that can be removed. We will do some lipo during that surgery as well to get the pesky stuff that I can't seem to lose, but I will be very happy when I don't melt into a puddle everytime I sit down.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

It's skin

[IcanMakeit 1,318]

Although per the BMI chart I am at a good weight for my height, I have a lot a loose skin on my middle and a little on my thighs that looks a lot like fat to me. I have discussed plastic surgery, but I'm not sure if I can (or should) afford it. Since I'm over 60, depleting my savings seems risky.

[MichiganChic 3,262]

It could be a combination of both. My plastic surgeon said there is fat attached to the loose skin, and that I wasn't likely to ever lose that. I had puddles of skin and fat that dripped around my knees

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

So here is the shocker for me that I still can't wrap my head around - I am at the high end of the "normal" BMI range and yet my doctor, and the surgeons (bariatric and plastic) tell me I don't have extra fat. I didn't need/don't need Lipo. I am "heavy" for my size - at 158 right now - and i don't actually understand this because of course I see my jiggly thighs and think its fat (I did not do the long thigh lift) but it is just skin.

I just started up kickboxing and zumba in front of HUGE mirrors in a smallish gym - intimate space. I somehow wound up in front so was confronted with seeing my full body, close up, in action, compared to another say 8-10 women ranging from say 30-60 (I am 50). (I think other gyms/group classes I wasn't so close and intimate so this comparison was not so obvious.) I am about 15# heavier than my lowest weight and i admit even i could not see where I could lose 15# from. My body is bigger than some other ladies... but that is my bone structure. I am not a petite person.

Anyway, it takes time to wrap your mind around your physical changes and accept yourself as "good enough" or perhaps even FANTASTIC - even with some puddling skin!

[IcanMakeit 1,318]

@@CowgirlJane your post tells me that I need to work out more. Even though I weigh less than many women of my height, I look larger (and wear a larger clothing size) than women who weigh more. That's probably because I'm not as fit as they are. Note to self: It's not only about the loose skin, it's also lack of muscle tone.

[My Bariatric Life 764]

My skin and fat were pretty firm before my plastic surgery. I did not have one of those very deflated looking bodies. I had a roly poly belly. There are photos in my Flickr album of the before and after: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mybariatriclife/sets/72157647785394956/

I went into plastic surgery weighing 198 pounds and size 14/16 jeans. If you watch the video in my sign you can see the transformation. By the end of my surgeries I was down to 148 pounds and size 2/4 jeans (mostly 2s and I am 154 currently and they fit just fine -- I do were them tight). Anyway, Dr. JF Capella my PS removed 11 pounds of skin and sub-Q fat and 1 liter of fat via lip (I think that is 2 pounds). So a lot of what I had was visceral fat, which cannot be removed surgically, and which I dieted and exercised away after my plastic surgery. In total I lost 50 pounds and 50 inches after plastic surgery.

BTW according to the ASPS when the sub-q fat is removed it also removes the hunger hormone and thus appetite decreases. So they report there is additional weight loss from that alone. It wasn't a huge amount though. I will say that my appetite greatly decreased after my Tummy Tuck and I think it mostly had to do with the muscle plication added renewed constriction to my RNY pouch.

I hope this is helpful. I know it was a very long answer and that I did not specifically answer your question... :-)

Edited January 30, 2015 by My Bariatric Life

[JerseyCityGal 231]

At my last bariatric surgeon visit, when I showed my surgeon my mid-section, he said I had a good 20 lbs of loose skin. I can take my mid-section, separate it in two sections and twist. I am wearing a size XL shirt to hide it all, along with my arms. When I bend forward, my arm skin and fat goes forward too.

It's really bad. There is still fat attached to the skin, but seriously, after I pull my pants up ... I have to pull my skin up.