Fear of Post Surgery Body

[swilk763 2]

Hey Folks,
So I am finishing the pre surgery process here in a couple weeks and it is starting to be real that I’m really going to get the surgery and life as I know it now is going to change. Has anyone dealt with fear of what their new body will look like? I’ve been plus size my entire life. I’m nervous as to what my new body will look like. I worked hard to get to body neutrality and I feel myself starting to fixate on weight I may or may not lose.
Has anyone else felt this way?

[ReadingMochaMom4 6]

Yes I have and I am honestly still dealing with it. So I went into therapy right before therapy fall of 2019, 2 months before surgery. It was a life saver!

It had helped in so many other areas.

RNY January 2020

[Recidivist 1,141]

My main fear regarding what my body would look like was loose skin. And yes, it's a reality, though it's not as bad as I thought it would be. I have loose skin all over my body, but it was most pronounced on my belly and neck.

My stomach seems to look better four years after surgery--or perhaps I've just gotten used to it. I still have a turkey neck and droopy jowls on my face, and they make me look much older. I never thought I would have plastic surgery after weight loose, but I'm now planning a lower face lift and neck lift, since I simply can't hide those areas.

I've made peace with the rest of my body. I definitely look better in clothes than without, but it sure beats the embarrassment/shame I felt when I was significantly overweight.

[SuziDavis 544]

I did and still do at times struggle with this. I worry my husband will think I look gross, and even though he tries to assure me that won't happen, who really knows?

I was used to my bigger body and how to hide and deal with it... it will just be a new learning curve, but worth it to have more options in the future.

[pintsizedmallrat 470]

I've been in therapy for a few months because my body image is really out of whack. While I don't think I am the same size I once was, my concept of what I look like is about 50 pounds behind, and to this day I still pick up clothing thinking there is no way it is ever going to fit only to find out it's too big (even clothes I already own!).

I was carrying the majority of my weight in my trunk, so almost all my excess skin is on my neck and stomach. The neck is snapping back slowly, but my stomach would probably need surgery before I would feel comfortable wearing a bikini in public. (I read somewhere that if a part of your body had stretch marks on it, it's less likely to bounce back entirely due to the scar tissue, and that lines up with my experience, I only had stretch marks on my belly and bustline and those are the two most stubbornly saggy areas.)

[Bypass2Freedom 190]

Hey all,

I am definitely nervous about this if I am honest! I have never been a fan of my body, and although I desperately want to be smaller, I do worry what that will look like. I know it won't match up to how I want it to in my head.

I am however going to start saving up for surgery so that I can have a full body lift & probably breast surgery (I am currently a UK 38GG so I KNOW my tiddys are gonna shrink!