I can't stand to look at pictures of me now. I look deflated! Like someone who lost a ton of weight ....which was my biggest fear. My chin/neck is the worst....saggy. My face looks droopy.

I remember thinking one of my friends looked better overweight when she first got to goal. But now I can't remember what she looked like chubby and she looks great! Maybe I'm just not used to the sudden change? Maybe it'll take time to tighten up? I know this sounds so vain but I think it's a real issue with rapid weight loss....right?

Anybody who has been at or close to goal for a while ever feel like this? Did it get better?

....my stomach totally looked like the squash in Plants vs. Zombies.......

:D that cracked me up! I belly dance... and my totally fit teacher tells me that I have a very good core, and control over my abdominal muscles.... but a BIG however.... when I do hip bumps, the old stomach just stays there, hiding my movements.... but will keep moving on its own when I stop the hip bumps! My butt also love to move without me asking it too... like a bowl full of Jello in an earthquake!

I feel a little this way about a 2x2 inch section (deflated) around my belly button. It is looking kind of wrinkly ( not perfectly smooth) and still makes my belly button look like a pit. Working out all the time (5 days a week) and drinking tons of water is helping to reduce this problem area over the last 2 months. Sometimes I have *a moment* when looking in the mirror side ways without any clothes. The thickness around my waist is small, almost about the thickness of the hip bones with a small bump (1/4 inch) sticking out in a small 2x2 mound around the belly button. Upper back and chest is very strong looking. I almost forget it is me for *a moment*. I think if I continue on the path of daily strength training with heavy core focus, the little mound is going to disappear as the remaining loose fat and skin is eliminated and tightened, respectively. For grins, I took a hold of the skin this morning and pulled it tight upwards to see the effect of a tummy tuck. Nice. I hope I can get there without surgery. No loose skin anywhere else on the body. Just muscle. I will update with a new picture soon as the avatar is from Early May.

I would love love to talk to fellow vets about plastics. I am in full on freak out mode ont he subject myself... so many decisions.

I am leaning very heavily toward going to Dr Sauceda in Mexico in late oct/early Nov.

Plastic surgery scares the **** outta me! So much I don't think I'll ever do it. I envy the bravery of those who do it!

Yes, I agree. I don't want to go through the pain, taking time off work and long recovery. No thanks. You would pretty much have to put rigorous exercise (cardio or lifting) on hold for 3 months right?

Notes on saggy skin:

1. Both my children love my arms, they say they are so soft and squishy, and my youngest likes how they flap when she pats them!

2. Don't ever do a plank in a loose shirt that you can look down, you will be terrified!

I plan on getting plastics the moment I have the funds. I would get plastics tomorrow if I could. I have been heavy since Kindergarten, my skin didn't have a chance. I have also had 2 children and one of them was a c-section, so I even have some weird areas because of that.

I am working on not being my own worst critic. I am horrible and Skinniness, you talked about the lense. That is where I am struggling at the moment. I tend to pick out everything that is wrong without considering the good.

This is what I am trying to tell myself. I have put this poor body through a lot of things, not just weight gain/loss, but accidents, and stress. And this body has also given me 2 beautiful children. Despite what I have done to it, I am still healthy (even healthier now!) and I wouldn't be me if I didn't have this body. I am really working on giving myself just a little more compassion, I think not only does my body deserve it, but my mind and my heart as well.

2. Don't ever do a plank in a loose shirt that you can look down, you will be terrified!

Hahaha! I have scared myself a few times with that one What's so strange is how the remaining fat and skin is like some strange outfit you have on - standing in place and shaking oneself too and fro (like a dog shaking off water) is crazy...some days I think I could start an earthquake...

Yep....the plank.....scary!

Ditto on pushups. I about passed out looking at my tummy mid pushup.

Yes, plastics are scary as hell and yes it really interferes with your life for several months. It is painful too. I am frankly worried about getting depressed during the recovery because I like being active and my horseback riding, working out and alot of stuff goes onhold for awhile. Then add to it that SOME people have swelling problems for many months post plastics.

Reality of it is though I lost HALF my body weight. I can exercise forever and still have way more skin then i need. I feel like I am keeping around a baggy pair of sweatpants that i can too easily grow back into. I have seriously considered the negatives of plastics but I need to do this. I know that sounds self indulgent but i feel like I am wearing that fat suit still and it just needs to be gone. Everytime I try to talk myself out of the plastics (due to the negatives) I wind up back at the same place... I need that extra skin to be significantly reduced for me to feel completely normal looking.

Wow plastics.. I go back and forth how I feel about them too. I'm not a very high maintenance type of girl, I like some things about getting older. My wrinkles are ok and l don't dye my grey hair, I feel like I earned it..

But really I cannot get to that place with certain parts of my body. Namely my thighs.

I have a ways to go yet, but if money where no object I might do the thighs just so I can live with some ease in my own head. Oh and wear shorts and go swimming!

This is so funny to me - in a strange way! I was in NOLA this past weekend for the BD of my 3 year old Granddaughter. She stayed in my hotel all three nights and slept between me and my 10 year old Grand. All night she rubbed her hand up and down my arms and squeezed them! I would laugh at her and she would just grin!!! I know she liked the "squishy", Supersweetums!!! LOL

I'm going to need plastics, too....but right now I'm too chicken!

Hummmm, perhaps we could get a discount rate for a group of us? LOL

Hummmm' date=' perhaps we could get a discount rate for a group of us? LOL [/quote']

Yeah,

we can purchase one whole body lift and split it....I get the thighs!

I'm definitely doing the body lift. I lost alot of weight....I need it. I never cared about BMI or goal weights...but I care about this!!! I want to take off my shirt and look half normal. I'm there now if I just didn't have this huge roll of skin where my belly used to be. It makes me feel like I'm still fat. I don't want to feel that for the rest of my life.

I already went to one consult, and it was a friggin nightmare. Holy crap! The way it was put to me, you ladies get kind of desensitized to it all from years of obgyn visits, but most of us men have nothing comparable. So when that doc said strip I was a little apprehensive. Then he asked if he could have his female assistant come in and take the pics while he held extra skin this way and that, and marked me up with a sharpie.

PICS????

Uh....I was already shitting in my pants so I said sure..why not? Well, you gotta understand that with all this exercise and weight loss it frees up alot of extra testerosterone for us men. Meaning....well....it's sorta like being back in junior high. Sometimes you just can't control yourself. So here I am trying not to vomit from nerves and trying not to have an inappropriate erection at the same time....oh Jeez!

Long story short....I really needed a valium after that little visit. And now here I am about to go for another one in 2 weeks because it doesn't seem right to go with the first surgeon I meet. I hope this next one is easier. I don't think I can do too many more of these consults.