Hello Guys,

My stats are as follows. I am a male who weights 207 pounds and I am 6'3 in height. I have reached the point where I look real skinny in clothes but not good naked (to be blunt).. and my colleagues and family are starting to worry that I am taking it to far. I think they feel this way because it has been a drastic change and they are not use to it yet. The people that are really shocked are the ones that haven't seen me in a while (8 weeks) and tell my wife that they "didn't even recognize me". I am very excited about the changes I see but I am not where I want to be. Here are my thoughts.

1. I still have a 39 inch waist which is still large enough to put me in the higher risk for heart disease. Mens health magazine states that men with waist size larger that 36 inches are at a considerably higher risk. The sad think is that I can wear and 34 inch waist in jeans so Levi is really an inaccurate seamstress.

2. One of my primary goals as vain as it sounds was 6 pack abs are at least really close. I have no doubt that I can hit the body fat % but am concerned that the rest of my body will be to scrappy.

3. The ideal weight scientifically speaking is 180-195 so I should be safe to keep moving along.

Congrats on the work you have done so far!! Sounds like you are very close to goal - good for you. I think the main thing left for you now (sorry to say) is exercise and more exercise. I don't think any diet will give you 6-pack abs - only sit ups and ab crunches will achieve that effect. It also sounds like you have lost your weight quite quickly, so your skin hasn't had much of a chance to adjust yet. If you work on toning up and resculpting your body, rather than focussing on losing more weight, it will probably adjust (to some extent anyway) as you are still young. Hard to predict because everyone is different, but worth aiming for.

I wouldn't worry about the naysayers - they are probably finding it hard to adjust to the new you. Post some piccies for us, and we'll tell you how hot you're looking :w00t: *angles for some underwear shots* :tongue2:

I am in exactly the same position - I look really slender clothed, but naked I have lots of places that still look fat and to be honest, I'm finally realising that it is just loose skin and will never change. I expected loose skin in places like my stomach and arms, I didnt get that, instead I feel like my bum has fallen onto the backs of my knees, lol.

Its a legacy of being fat and if you dont want to be cut in half and sewn up again (which I definitely dont, as the scarring would be as depressing to me, no more depressing to me than the saggy excuse for a backside I now have) then the best thing you can do is learn to accept it.

Fact is, nobody looks that great naked except for a few genetic freaks. How many people do you actually SEE naked? How many people see YOU naked? If you look good clothed then changes are people are going to assume you look good naked!

Hi, just wanted to say in regards to your friends and family maybe you should explain about BMI and how it is healthy for you to keep going. Even if you need a doctor to tell them.

I have had the same problem with my close friends and family thinking i look like a rake when really im still a bit of a chunky monkey (healthy but a lil over my ideal BMI) Sometimes it just takes some explaining and in the end they should realise that you are doing it because it is better for your health :-)

Bel

1. I still have a 39 inch waist which is still large enough to put me in the higher risk for heart disease. Mens health magazine states that men with waist size larger that 36 inches are at a considerably higher risk. The sad think is that I can wear and 34 inch waist in jeans so Levi is really an inaccurate seamstress.

You need to be careful about these kinds of numbers. There is no way that one number can be right for everyone. At 6'3" you are going to have a bigger waist than someone who is 5'7". The kind of numbers you want to look at are ratios and % because those adjust for different heights and body types.

So for waist, you want to look at your waist to hip ratio, not your absolute waist measurement. It should be below .95.

For absolute weight, BMI is not accurate for 25% of the population according to some experts. I would go with body fat percentage, myself. It should be at least 25% or lower, though the "ideal" is lower.

The last time I lost gobs of weight, I had people telling me "oh you are going to look so great in a bikini when you are done". I knew that wasn't going to be true. I got down 10 lb. below my goal weight and I looked fantastic in clothes but I could never have worn a bikini without significant plastic surgery. I was happy though.

I actually think I look better naked than with clothes but I know when I get to goal, that won't be true. I am prepared for it.

I can understand this! I had a sheriff's deputy that I work with tell me that if I lose anymore weight, I'll disappear. Umm...I'm still considered 14 lbs overweight. I told him I wanted to lose 45 more (at the time) and he said, "FROM WHERE???" Cripes. LOL Trust me - naked, you'd see plenty of spots I could stand to lose 43 more lbs from. Without a doubt. I do look good clothed, but naked is a totally different story. Do what makes you happy. I agree with Fanny on the exercise thing, and I agree with Jacqui on the "genetic freaks" thing and I agree with MacMadame on the body fat percentage thing. :coolgleamA: So there you have it. LOL

You should be agreeing with me about the underwear pics!! :cool2: If enough of us request, them, you never know our luck! :coolgleamA:

A tummy tuck will cause you to lose on average about 8 pounds of skin. Yucky but true. You may not be fat at all. That 39 inches may be all skin. At 6'3" 207 pounds sounds about right. I think you need to focus now on "sculpting" that beautiful new bod. Weights are a good way to do that. Keep at it!

LTD, as another dude, we both know that you can have the strongest abs in the world, but if you're much above 5% bodyfat, they just ain't gonna show. Your numbers sound good, but I'm exactly in the same boat as you as far as goal (I want to hit a 36 waist size to be more heart healthy). I would think your wife would be the one best qualified to make the call as to whether you need to lose more or not.

Here is a pic today with a 38 inch waist. I can still grab two big hands worth of fat on my stomach and maybe that is just skin. I sure hope not but that could be the case. I am Soooooo happy that I got this surgery but spending 10k out of pocket I don't plan on stopping till I hit my limit. Right now I am feeling great and still slowly losing. I just wish I knew how it would turn out and whether I should keep going. I think people are just reacting to the speed of the loss and not that I am "too skinny" I think you can tell by my pic that I am still eating well.

You know what? I think you look great. But its what YOU want to look like that counts.

But I really do think that bit of abdomen you have is just loose skin. My stomach is the feminine version of that. Underneath its rock hard, I'm strong, but I despair of the little bit of pooch and the way its not beautifully flat and smooth. Yet with my stomach and with yours, thinking of cutting it open and scarring it to fix just that little problem is a bit daunting. I personally wouldnt do it.

The trouble is, I think we're conditioned to think of loose skin as a big hanging pannus. Whereas some of us end up in a skin that's maybe 1/2 a size too big in spots, and we dont recognise that, we think its fat, gotta lose more.

You're not fat, not in the slightest. You look just right, not too thin, not too fat. And believe me, you're harder on yourself than anyone else would ever be, I do that too. You have a nice body. Like a normal person.

That 2 extra inches on your waist, its not affecting your cardiovascular risk. Its not fat packed around your organs, its just skin.

Whoohoo!! Underwear pics!! YAY!! :biggrin::frown: I think you look great and, as Jachut says, all that's left is a bit of loose skin and you're gonna be much harder on yourself about that than anyone else would be. You might consider beefing up your upper body a teensy bit (but not too much!) just to get a little more of that V-shape guys tend to strive for, but you look just fine right now :thumbup:.

I think you look great too. But I don't think you look like someone who is too thin and on the verge of an eating disorder either. So people saying that you are taking it too far are off-base IMO.

It really helps to get opinions from people that never knew me at the heavier weight. I feel much better now that I know that what I feel inside is right on course. You guys have all made great points and I am taking action on them. The weightlifting is next so maybe that bigger upper body will offset the bottom part just a little. I am not going to have a tummy tuck because I am taking the family on a cruise since they have supported me since December in my adventure and they deserve a reward for all the no show nights when dad was out working out. I have already dialed it back a little and have stopped focusing so much on myself. If my appearance stays this way forever then this surgery would be the best investment I have ever made.

AS far as my wife goes she is still in shock. I am down close to 80 pounds from my heaviest and she is still stunned. I have always been super active playing sports 3 nights a week at a minimum. Once I got the band I didn't change my routine I just ate a LOT less. I would burn 3500 calories a day and would eat 5000 in fast food. Now I cant stand fast food because of a bad experience with a hamburger bun that wouldn't go down day one of solids. I dont count carbs and calories any more just Protein and Water.

Good for you. It is pretty intensive on your family isnt it? I feel selfish a lot of the time, its hard to devote so much to yourself.

We're going on a big holiday end of next year too. I've been on this weight loss thing, and studying full time for the past few years and my DH is getting banded in July. We figure the kids will need some attention sooner or later.

I think you look great, LTD. But I agree - you need to do what makes YOU feel comfortable and happy. You're the one that has to live in your body. I do not think you look anorexic at all.