Too much skin
A FUTURE FORMER FAT GIRL WRITES: How do you avoid ending up with all that baggy skin once you've lost the weight? That is the thing that I fear. I am losing weight and doing Curves 5 days a week. But am I going to have all this extra skin from the loss? Any suggestions on how to avoid this would be appreciated.
DEAR FUTURE FFG: I was lucky that, for some reason, I escaped with only stretch marks adorning my hips. But I know others who have lost incredible amounts of weight and are left with lots of excess skin (Nichole, for instance, whose incredible befores-and-afters are wowing everyone on the Success Stories channel). Maybe it was because I lost the weight when I was in my 20s and my skin still had some spring--that certainly has something to do with it. It also has to do with how much weight you lose ... it's unlikely your skin would be so stretched if you were losing 30, 40, 50 pounds. So it's hard to predict whether you will have to deal with the issue. Many women (like Nichole) who do have tummy tucks and other plastic surgery procedures to help take care of it. I know that's expensive, and health insurance companies don't cover it. But they should. Those of us who have done the hard work and achieved FFG status should be able to enjoy our new bodies, to feel like we can show them off in sexy clothes if we want. If our government and insurance companies are concerned about the obesity crisis and containing health costs, they need to support those of us who are successful. The issue of excess skin isn't just about looking your best, it's about FEELING your best too, and staying motivated to live the Former Fat Girl lifestyle. Insurance companies could develop a tool for screening that takes into account the INNER transformation required to be a true FFG, so they will have more confidence that these women won't just gain the weight back after they have the surgery. At the very least, our Flexible Spending Accounts should be able to be used to fund this kind of surgery.
Whew--how did I end up on this soapbox? Sorry. I'm off now.
So surgery is really the only permanent way I know of. But the other thing you can do is to use clothes to your advantage. Learning how to dress in ways appropriate to your new body--even if you have to deal with excess skin--is really important in keeping you on a high, keeping you feeling like the success story that you WILL be. A good personal shopper from a major department store or a wardrobe consultant (lots of professional women use them) can help--for a lot less $$s than a plastic surgeon.
FFGs out there, how have you managed this issue? Let us know!
Thanks for writing--
Lisa D
DEAR FUTURE FFG: I was lucky that, for some reason, I escaped with only stretch marks adorning my hips. But I know others who have lost incredible amounts of weight and are left with lots of excess skin (Nichole, for instance, whose incredible befores-and-afters are wowing everyone on the Success Stories channel). Maybe it was because I lost the weight when I was in my 20s and my skin still had some spring--that certainly has something to do with it. It also has to do with how much weight you lose ... it's unlikely your skin would be so stretched if you were losing 30, 40, 50 pounds. So it's hard to predict whether you will have to deal with the issue. Many women (like Nichole) who do have tummy tucks and other plastic surgery procedures to help take care of it. I know that's expensive, and health insurance companies don't cover it. But they should. Those of us who have done the hard work and achieved FFG status should be able to enjoy our new bodies, to feel like we can show them off in sexy clothes if we want. If our government and insurance companies are concerned about the obesity crisis and containing health costs, they need to support those of us who are successful. The issue of excess skin isn't just about looking your best, it's about FEELING your best too, and staying motivated to live the Former Fat Girl lifestyle. Insurance companies could develop a tool for screening that takes into account the INNER transformation required to be a true FFG, so they will have more confidence that these women won't just gain the weight back after they have the surgery. At the very least, our Flexible Spending Accounts should be able to be used to fund this kind of surgery.
Whew--how did I end up on this soapbox? Sorry. I'm off now.
So surgery is really the only permanent way I know of. But the other thing you can do is to use clothes to your advantage. Learning how to dress in ways appropriate to your new body--even if you have to deal with excess skin--is really important in keeping you on a high, keeping you feeling like the success story that you WILL be. A good personal shopper from a major department store or a wardrobe consultant (lots of professional women use them) can help--for a lot less $$s than a plastic surgeon.
FFGs out there, how have you managed this issue? Let us know!
Thanks for writing--
Lisa D
posted by Lisa Delaney at
5:56 PM
3 Comments:
I agree that it depends in part on how much you have to loose. I have also heard that including strength training in your workout helps. I lost my first 20lbs at Curves with no saggy skin problems.
i have also read that after a hot shower blasting yourself with cold water will help firm skin. I have been doing this for a few weeks or so and i can definitly feel a difference. Better yet....my hair is shinier! Someone told me that should cure up cellulite as well ...but i dont see any improvement in that. ..good luck
after losing heaps of weight, i have been exfoliating with the magic peeling glove...it has been the best thing that i have used. it stimulates and massages your skin, start using it as your are losing weight.
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