I was working out today, juts doing one of Leslie Sanson's videos and using my HRM to see how much I burned, when I started to wonder about how my body will change. I started surfing Pinterest for some fitness tips and saw all these photos of gals with amazing abs. Will I ever have them?

I have kind of come to terms with the fact that I will never wear a bikini (too many stretch marks! Damn you Latin skin!) but it would be nice to have a 6 pack even if it was covered with a few marks.

Has anyone who has been sleeved ever gotten to be so tight that they look like that? I am crazy to hope that someday I can have them?

Well, user BlackBerryJuice sure has abs!

Holla!

I should've said anyone besides BlackBerryJuice! I started out about 60 pounds heavier than you, but hopefully I can still make it to where you are!

It depends on how elastic your skin around the stomach area is, and that depends on so many other factors. The short answer; probably not without a tummy tuck. I know for a fact that I won't have abs until I have surgery to remove and tighten loose skin. And that's fine with me.

Oh, and as for your bikini fears (coming from a guy who exclusivley dates petite (as in 5ft ish) Latina women) you will look amazing even with the stretch marks. Besides, you're Latina, guys aren't staring above your hips anyhow!!!

Just take it one step at a time

You can try vitamin E lotion and/or pills for the tummy stretch marks. I have a friend who lost a lot of weight & she opens up vitamin E pills & rubs the liquid from the pills right on her belly & looks great now!

Abs? What are abs?

I think like "Inline" stated, there will be skin issues. Also genetics plays a key role as well and how body fat is positioned around your body. I know I would like to get rid of my "man boobs", but I think genetics is working against me there. But they are a lot smaller now. I know when I was in high school, I actually had abs then, and I rarely worked abs directly. Seems body fat percentage (along with genetics) are normally the two biggest factors for showing abs, and with us on this message board, the loose skin is a big factor as well.

I'm thinking "abs" would definitely be wishful thinking for me! I'd like to have "flat" though, if that's humanly possible. It may not be for me.

Thanks everyone! I guess I just have to hope I am young enough and my skin likes me enough to bounce back!

Lissa, I too would be delighted just to have a flat stomach

I sorta have abs, when I suck in my chest I can see a 4 pack. I'm going to try very hard for abs and if I get a flat stomach I'm going to say "F" those stretch marks and wear a bikini.

I sorta have abs, when I suck in my chest I can see a 4 pack. I'm going to try very hard for abs and if I get a flat stomach I'm going to say "F" those stretch marks and wear a bikini.

Woo hoo, go you! Sounds like a plan, and one I'll follow, too. Though right now I'm in pre-surgical-diet unhappiness mode.

fluffy libra, Just start adding some self-tanner to your routine now. At least then the stretch marks will be darker and perhaps blend in better. That's my plan, anyway!

Oh be careful with self tanner! I just did myself the other day and it made my stretch marks more noticeable, I am tan and they are white! I went online and apparently you are supposed to tan them first -- with a q-tip soaked in tanner -- and then do the rest of you a day later.

fluffy libra' date=' Just start adding some self-tanner to your routine now. At least then the stretch marks will be darker and perhaps blend in better. That's my plan, anyway! <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />[/quote']

I go to the tanning bed :-) the one thing left in my life I do thats bad for me

fluffy libra' date=' Just start adding some self-tanner to your routine now. At least then the stretch marks will be darker and perhaps blend in better. That's my plan, anyway! <img src='http://www.bariatricpal.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />[/quote']

I go to the tanning bed :-) the one thing left in my life I do thats bad for me

mesaucedo, Thank you for the warning! I'll definitely keep that in mind!

Fluffy, I've done the tanning thing a couple of times, hoping to even out my skin tone. I need to put SPF 100 on my arms so they don't get any darker, though.