Dealing With Excess, Loose Skin After Weight Loss
I'm carrying about 15-20 pounds of extra skin since losing 180 pounds
There is no greater feeling in this world than the thrill of overcoming a lifetime of struggling with obesity like I did in 2004. Losing 180 pounds off of my 410-pound body was arguably the greatest achievement of my entire life. I am so very proud of this accomplishment and nobody can ever take that joy away from me because I did it. YEE HAW!
But there's just one problem now -- dealing with my excess, loose skin!
I previously blogged about this problem and it is even something I mention in Chapter 10 of my book, "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb." The more I look at that squishy-squashy skin in the mirror each day, the more frustrated I become that I have not been able to get it taken care of as the finishing touch on this amazing miracle that I have been given. Again, let me be clear, I am VERY thankful for my weight loss, but seeing all this skin can be rather depressing sometimes. I'm just being honest with you about how I feel.
The worst part is how this excess skin LOOKS -- IT LOOKS LIKE FAT!
Check this out:
Remember those Special K cereal commercials that asked, "Can you pinch an inch?" Well, yeah, actually I can pinch SEVERAL inches worth of loose, baggy, excess skin that will never go away until surgery can take care of it.
UGH UGH UGH! How in the world am I supposed to walk on the beach in public with my bathing suit and no shirt on with THIS blob of belly skin scaring people half to death?! It's rather sickening to look at and it's MY own body we're talking about!
And it's not limited to just my abdomen either! Look at this:
That's about 2 inches of loose skin on my inner thighs, which probably weighs me down another 5 pounds.
The last time I priced an abdominoplasty I was quoted $12,000 for all the related expenses as well as a couple months off from work. Since then, several people have pointed me to people who could do it for about half that cost, but that's still way out of my budget.
This has become such an important thing to me that I even applied to be a contestant on the NBC television game show Deal or No Deal. I had to fill out a 10-page application and shoot a five-minute video explaining why I wanted to be on the show. Guess what I showed the producers in my video? You got it -- my big, droopy, loose skin that resulted from my weight loss. Here's hoping they'll give a man a chance to fulfill his dream of having a tummy tuck without the worry of how to pay for it. They begin taping again soon for the Fall season so wish me luck!
Some people tell me I should just be thankful for my weight loss and simply ignore the loose skin problem. However, it is a HUGE mental test that I have had to endure and it is one I am still going through and will continue to go through until that fateful day when I will FINALLY be able to get it taken care of. You can't underestimate how discouraging this can be on someone who has worked so hard to get to this point. I could see someone with less emotional strength collapsing under the pressure of disappointment.
Others have chastised me for losing weight "too fast" and for not taking the weight loss slowly enough to prevent the hanging skin problem from happening. Say what? Uh, hello? All I wanted to do was lose weight because I was on the brink of destroying my health in 2004. The fact that 180 pounds melted off my body in a matter of 12 months is just what happened. Like I had control over how quickly my weight was lost. Puh-leeze people!
Would it have been better for my skin to lose that much weight over, say, three years? Maybe, but that's not a guarantee. I do believe people who lose over 100 pounds tend to have areas of loose skin regardless that may or may not firm up after weight loss. My biggest areas are in my stomach and inner thighs, with only a little bit of loose skin in my upper arms.
Will I fall into a deep bout of depression if I don't get this skin problem remedied in the very near future? I don't think so. I'm a lot more mentally stable than that. But I can't help thinking how much better I would feel about my weight loss and about the man I have become today if the skin would suddenly go away. POOF! Don't I wish! :D
From the people who have had an abdominoplasty done already after their weight loss (like this woman with a 150-pound weight loss and this man who lost 230 pounds), they say it is the best thing they could have done because it has increased their confidence and boosted their self-image despite those few days and weeks of pain they endured during recovery. I desperately want that, too, and am almost willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen.
It's frustrating that insurance companies won't even help pay for this procedure as a reward to those who have accomplished an incredible amount of weight loss. I suppose their belief that this is simply a "cosmetic procedure" only is somewhat true, although the benefits of having this done can have a direct impact on other areas of health to improve them immensely. It's good for the psyche which is good for the body.
My life will not end if this doesn't happen, but I sure would like for it to happen...eventually! I'd rather it be sooner than later, though. :)
If there is any licensed doctor in this field willing to donate their services for skin removal surgeries I need, then I would happily blog about my experience to help educate the public further about what all is involved in an abdominoplasty. Please feel free to contact me at livinlowcarbman@charter.net if you would like to take me up on this offer.
Whether I am able to have the tummy tuck done this year or sometime down the road, I'm defintely NOT going to mope and complain about it to the point that I gain back the weight I have lost. I've worked much too hard and spent way too much energy getting the weight off and keeping it off over the past 2 1/2 years. And that's exactly what I intend on doing for the rest of my life so help me God.
Squishy-squashy, excess, loose skin or not. :)
6-20-06 UPDATE: Somebody sent me this link today about this subject, but I'm not sure what I think about it. I still think my stomach is too far gone to come back now.
posted by Jimmy Moore at
6/19/2006 10:11:00 PM
25 Comments:
Jimmy,
Anyone would have loose skin from losing 180 pounds! I've lost 60 and I have to wonder...is the roll around my middle really fat, or it is a little loose skin?
I don't have extra skin on my thighs, but I have a TON of stretch marks that I know will never go away. Thankfully, the only time they are visible is if I wear a bathing suit.
I don't have ANY stetch marks on my belly so maybe this jelly roll around my middle ISN'T fat? I really don't know.
Oh, BTW, you know how I regained 6 pounds? I've pretty much got it off now. :)
Jimmy,
What about some sort of personal loan?
I know, it's a big thing, but it's not impossible, there is always a choice.
I too am stressing a bit about this. I have lost 127 pounds so far, but I'm not even half way. Things are very loose on the inner thighs and around the stomach area.
What about targeted Body Building type work outs ? Heavy weight lifting ? Does that even work?
I don't think it's gonna work for loose skin like that. The sad fact is - if you lose a lot of weight there will be a lot of excess skin. There's no way to avoid it.
I have lost 140 lbs. It took 3 years. I have lots of loose skin in the trunk of my body. I did strength training 3 days a week. Loose skin is going to be there and it matters not wether you loose it fast or slow.You are exactly right Jimmy, It is a mental issue and I can see how some people would gain the weight back rather than look at it. It should be addressed by the insurance companies. If an individual cares enough about their health to loose the weight in the first place it seems to me the surgery is a small thing to pay for when compared with the expense of weight related diseases.Good luck on your quest, I am going to consider it like buying a new car and take out a loan. Actually, it is quite a bit less expensive than some new cars!
Dave, I've done so many ab crunches to no avail. My doc says the elastiicity is shot to you know where. :(
But it only means I have another challenge to motivate me to achieve something great...AGAIN! :)
THANKS for the kind words and advice everyone!
I've been reading all these comments and they all flow with the general worldly concensus of people who just haven't tried all the revenues that are available to them. Not until vainimso's comment...
I must agree, lose more weight. Sure it's excess skin but it's not all skin, there's a lot more fat to lose and surgery is the 'cheap' way out.
I lost 120 pounds and thought the same things about my mid-section. Family, friends, and the forums upon forums suggested that surgery was the only solution. One day, I came upon someone who suggested that any 'excess' skin was, in fact, fat. Fat is the culprit and only with a balanced diet and routine exercise can that fat disappear and allow your abdominal muscles to show through.
I whole-heartedly believe in this claim as I can see the benefits already. I cut out practically all saturated fat from my diet and remain on a low-carb intake (unless I'm exercising). I improved my posture, setting my seat in the car to a 90 degree angle and walking upright with my shoulders back... all which has helped to pull my fat toward my bellybutton and kept from hanging over my waistline.
"Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym"
~?~
I will not give my advice as an absolute, however. I have lost a great deal of weight and stuggled ,as you have, with the excess skin issue, but I will give you the disadvantage of being initially larger than I (max=285 @ age 17... now 169 @ age 21) and therefore having more problems with elasticity.
Low-carb dieting and throwing in some broccoli on a daily basis has done wonders for me. Also, exercise is essential.
You're not dieting, you're changing your way of life... make it well-rounded.
You've come a long way and, while I don't know you on a personal level, am very proud of your commitment. Keep up the good job.
~Ken~
THANKS for sharing your insights, Ken! I appreciate them very much. Great wisdom from such a young man. :)
That is idiotic.
Lose more weight? So the guy I know personally who went from 400 pounds to 160 and now has veins in his forearms, legs and a striated chest still needs to lose more weight to get rid of the belly skin?
Moron!
Maybe YOU were still fat. that is your issue. But not all people fall into your category.
The FACT is after you get to a certain fat level the fat cells separate from the skin and lay there.
This is there way to make room for more fat cells to grow.
Now if you lose all your weight and still have that fatty roll left, then it goes without saying there is fat there. But losing more weight will not help. The fat cells are no longer being fed by the body and it is just sitting there. Lipo can HELP a little but to get rid of it completely you must have it removed surgically.
Research your facts before you post false inromation, all you are doing is making people hurt and feel worse about themselves by throwing out your OPINIONS as facts.
Amen, Dade! You get 'em! I couldn't agree with you more. :)
Let's not overlook the health benefits of losing weight or the stamina and determination that is required in commitment to lose any amount of weight. Bravo!
My third pregnancy, I had twins in 1994. After ten years of living with some excess weight I decided to firm up. So over the next six months I lost 42lbs I was delighted to now firmly be in my ideal normal weight range; Size 14(178lbs) to Size 8(136lbs) and 5'4" tall. However I was disgusted by the sagging skin that remained. I focused and walked strenuously twice daily: a total of 6 miles. I did TyBO three times weekly and Pilates two times a week. I continued on my same routine of eating healthy, but the skin still remained unchanged! After seven months I sought the advice of my GP doctor and a few plastic surgeons. All were unanimous that a Tummy Tuck is my only hope for ridding me of this unsightly loose skin. All agreed a span of 10 inches could be removed! Too bad I do not have 10k sitting around to pay for cosmetic surgery. A year ago I decided to "fill-in" some of the sagging skin; about 6 lbs. I'm still a size 8, but my skin looks smoother filled in. It is a mental battle; body image is very important and directly affects how we interact in the world. To sum it up I am glad to be healthy and have healthy children and the battle scars to prove it. Best regards, empitts
I'm sure this advice will be both unwanted and ignored - if not outright ridiculed -
But - reduce the fat in your diet as low as possible - and eat what carbs you do eat 'raw' - including beans/grains/rice/millet/lentils with at least two tablespoons a day of this foods - dry and raw - ground up if you want -
Ignore the idiot advice prevalaent on the web about lectin nonsense -
A low fat - high protien/raw carb diet will help burn the looseskin/fat off -
The amount of protien is up too you - low fat and raw carb is whats most important
Best Wishes - Jeff Johnson
THANKS for sharing your comments, Jeff. I really appreciate your help. Unfortunately, I don't think a low-fat diet is the answer. I lost 170 pounds on a low-fat diet in 1999 and my "loose skin" was MUCH worse than it is now.
The fact is I've lost and gained weight so many times the elasticity of my skin is shot. That's why every doctor I have seen about it has said and the only way to tighten it up is through skin removal surgery.
I will be having it done at some point when the finances permit me. THANK YOU again for your thoughtful reply. I REALLY appreciate it and invite you back to comment here at my blog anytime.
Take care, my friend!
Here again Jimmy -
I can tell your a thinking person who enjoys diet theories - so I would like to expand on my original post -
By - low fat - I meant eating 2 to 6 raw eggs a day as a default - regardless of any other food or fat source eaten -
Reason being the raw eggs encourage the HDL 2b sub-fractions - the largest in size HDL fraction - about 10 nanometers in size - and supply the body with a source of undamaged un-oxidized cholesterol and give the body a greater degree of what cholesterol it uses to build tissue -
So - by low fat - I meant every thing besides the raw eggs -
So what fat sources are left - how much - and why ?
Nuts and meat and dairy and fish are the only sources left -
Excess calories clog arteries - excess refined sugars clog arteries - and 'excess fats' clog arteries -
The typical American diet is a lethal combination of these three things -
Subtract the sugar 'via low carb' and have a much safer diet -
Subtract the 'excess fats - refined vegetable oils and dairy' -and you have a much safer diet -
Subtract excess calories and again you have a much safer diet - arteries wise -
The Masai live on raw milk products and have no heart disease - but they don't have clean arteries either - the blockages simply don't bother them -
The Eskimo's don't have heart disease problems either - but again they too do not have clean arteries -
Clean arteries come from a low calorie diet - a low fat low calorie diet and a almost zero refined sugar diet - small amounts of honey or natural maple sugar excepted -
So the Atkins diet is fairly safe because it is 'low calorie' and low 'refined sugar' - and because most low carber's eat eggs
But even here some discussion is needed -
Eggs are best eaten in intervals -
two in the morning - two in the evening -
This prevents too much fat being delivered to the liver and to the lipids at one time -
The arteries are very sensitive too excess fats and excess sugars and oxidized cholesterol and particularly a lack of the HDL 2b sub fractions - which keep the arteries cleaned of bad cholesterol(the smaller in size LDL sub fractions) -
So even the Atkins dieter should pay close attention to how they eat their fat - and not overload the body with too much fat at one time -
So in this context - small amounts of dairy fats are best - butter - cheese - whole milk products -
and reasonable amounts of non-fat yogurt and cottage cheese and whey -
Whey is a milk extract - the kind we buy and eat anyhow -
Any dairy product eaten in excess tends to clog the arteries - body builders eat a great deal of whey -and one such body builder - Dave Draper - recently had a triple bypass who did this -
You can't live on milk products - even raw milk products or consume large amounts of milk products and have clean arteries -
The Masai have taught us that much -
You can't eat large amounts of seal blubber and have clean arteries - the Eskimo's have taught us that -
The Masai and Eskimo don't have heart disease problems(plaque ruptures) - but they do not have clean arteries either - their plaques simply do not rupture -
Nuts are a question - no group of people live on almonds or peanuts for example -
a few groups live on large amounts of coconut with out apparent problems - but I don't know the condition of their arteries -
Meat is also a question - short term - meat or chicken seem to cause no problems - but long term they too cause problems within the arteries -
Fish and raw eggs - particularly water based tuna - are the safest foods to eat - fat wise - - and neither will clog arteries - and fish is low in calories and supplies omega 3 and eggs encourage large HDL sub fractions
A standard cholesterol test is almost useless - not completely but somewhat near there - a person needs to know how much HDL 2b they have -
Some remarks to you personally Jimmy -
and please forgive my style of delivery - if you will
You didn't get fat eating lettuce or spinach or any other raw vegetable -
and you didn't get fat eating oatmeal or beans or any other seeds that weren't sweetened or artificially fattened -
you got fat eating refined sugar and probably the fats and excess calories that come along with these products
Your still twenty pounds over weight at the moment - so much of that loose skin is just fat - actually it's all fat - skin just covers the fat -
I'm a performance minded person - so what I write next is expected to produce actual results -
Coconut - raw and unsugered and whole raw
Olives -
will produce a slight improvement in your loose skin
Foods belonging to the pumpkin/squash/cucumber as well the potato/tomato family
will help tighten the skin
eaten raw -
Nobody ever got fat eating raw potato's or raw squash
Beans and other grains - eaten raw or cooked will help burn off the stubborn fat and help with the loose skin
I personally eat two teaspoons each of raw beans/lentils/barley/wheat/millet/brown rice a day -
With no problems - and the only effect I can discern from this a general tightening of my body - my body tissues and muscles feel more compact and
an improvement in my eyesight -
My eyesight is about 20/40 and I see just fine except small text - after starting this raw seed regimen - I noticed an immediate improvement in my eyesight to what seems near 20/25 to 20/30 - a very noticeable increase and a welcome one
I have no idea how the raw seeds do this -
Nutritionists state that raw grains and beans can't be digested by the body - well there wrong - I don't have the slightest problem eating raw beans or grains -
Fat people are big eaters and drinkers -
I drink 24 cans or more of diet soda a day - plus up to 2 gallons of green tea flavored water a day and coffee
Yea - I like too drink
I eat 8 cans of water based tuna and six eggs a day when I'm in the mood -
And eat four raw summer squash or three heads of lettuce or a whole cabbage when I'm in a different sort of mood -
either way - I eat big and I drink big and believe me baby - that ain't going change
I also eat a low calorie diet - a fat controlled diet - and eat as much tuna fish and eggs as makes me happy and snack on unsweetened dark chocolate -
But this post is too you Jimmy - give the raw seeds and other idea's a try -
A few raw beans and grains or a tablespoon or so total of these might surprise you given a reasonable amount of time to see the results they produce -
Off to eat and drink - Jeff
THANKS for your detailed response, Jeff, although I disagree with fat clogging your arteries. In the presence of greatly reduced carbohydrate consumption, fat and even saturated fat is HEALTHY (I've blogged research to this effect many times at my blog--just Google "saturated fat" and "livin' la vida low-carb"). But I appreciate your perspective. :)
I typed in lots of hanging skin and came up with your blog. I have lost 190 pounds over a 3 1/2 year period. I HAVE LOTS of hanging skin. I too would love to get it taken care of and would love to find a board certified doc to do it. It is very expenive and right now I just can not afford it. My husband left me because he really likes fat women. My confedence is shot and all this hanging skin is really YUK!!
CONGRATULATIONS on your weight loss, Gayle! Hang in there with getting the skin removed. You are beautiful for taking back your life and don't you ever forget that. :)
Hey Jimmy-I feel your pain! I have lost about 100lbs. in the past couple of years and I have the same problem-skin! Especially my upper arms..where everyone can see it. It is very disappointing to work so hard and just end up with a smaller version of a fat person. I was never losing more than 2-5lbs. a month and aside from a couple cups of coffee in the morning only drink water..lots of it. I don't know that there are any preventative measures that would've helped me. It is depressing to know that there is probably nothing I can do..maybe a couple of supplements I can try, and hope time will tell kinda thing is all I got. I'm just glad that I'm not the only one who feels this way..and is frustrated by people who say I should "just be happy that I lost weight". I was much more confident when I was 100lbs. heavier. Not that I want the weight back, I just wish losing it didn't come with such an impossible problem. Anyone wondering how to see if what's left is skin-get in the tub and watch it float!
I just read your blog in its entirety. I am 23 years old and lost 90 lbs. since January '07. I have also been weight-training at the same time. The muscle has definitely filled in the hanging skin. My arms have been filled in almost 100% at this point. My calves as well almost 100%. My chest is at about 60% muscle / 40% skin. My stomach is the worst with no muscle; I have not done much ab workout though. My friend Alex told me about a little trick of the trade. Create focus areas for people to see. Women do it all of the time. When they have a small butt, they wear shirts that show cleavage. A women with beautiful abs will wear cut-off shirts. I am just being honest. Working out has lessened the mental agony that I have over the excess skin on my stomach. Now I just need to do more ab workouts and see if I can fill in my tummy skin : v ) Congratulations to all of us that lost the weight; for years it seemed completely impossible for me.
Hi,
It is a blessing that you've lost the weight. I've lost 95lbs and I am experiencing a the same issue with the loose skin/flab.
What I decided to do is to take the next 18 mths to see what I can tone up and then consider surgery options for finishing the job. That's about all I can expect. I'm being very realistic about the issue and approaching it from both a physical and surgerical aspect. I figure the more I tighten up and lose the fat under the loose skin, the less surgery I'll need. In addition, surgery procedures improve over time leaving less scaring. I'm planning on spring 2010 as my target date for any cosmetic surgery. Until then, I'm working out and building necessary muscle to burn unncessary fat.
Dade, your comment is idiotic. You're name-calling when the person is in fact, correct. You're using the word out of context which makes you in reality the definition of an moron.
Jim, congrats on the weight loss. However, the photos show that you still have fat. That's fat. The level shown in your photos--the slimmer you--was an accurate depiction of my stomach when I gained weight. Now, we can say I gained extra skin to avoid hurting my feelings, but the truth is that it is fat. Any human being with skin can see that skin is not 2 inches thick. If you simply had extra skin laying around, it'd look like paper thin flaps of membrane.
Most people are making of mention of "I lost blah blah of weight" without understanding that lean mass and fat are different. Yes, you can lose 40 lbs of bone mass and muscle and still have 40 lbs of fat (or "loose skin") hanging onto your body. Of course it doesn't look the same, since you've lost so much real body mass underneath the fat.
I still think you should look into surgery, not many people have the power to lose all the fat naturally.
Theresam28,
You said it. You became a smaller version of your old fat self because you didn't pay attention to losing fat. I'm assuming you just tried to lose "weight." When people realize that weight and fat are different things, more folks will understand that not all weight loss is a good thing. Those 2-5 lbs a month included a decent portion of muscle as well. From now on, stop using relying solely on the scale. Use the mirror and bodyfat calipers, monitors or calculations (found on the internet). Who cares if you weigh 160 lbs if you look like a smaller 300 lb fat guy? Who cares if I weigh 180 lbs but look like an Olympic sprinter? It's not just the weight people.
hey my names sherry,
Im currently not even 17 years old yet and I have lost from 265 pounds to 154 today. I brought it down even less but gained some bulk tdue to muscle...I have a lot of loose, saggy skin on my abdomen area. the stretchmarks have changed color and match my skin color now, but form up close one can very easily notice them.... I can still see my rib cage from the side. I don't know, should I consider a tummy tuck or will it all eventually blend in by the time I reach 21?
I weighed 275lbs and lost 60 lbs in 14 months (I'm 6 feet tall) and although it's not the same percentage as you - I weigh 215lbs right now and I can tell you it's 90% fat even though my stomach looks just like yours.. I'm only about 60% there although its a great accomplishment - I still have a long way to go.. figure out your ideal weight (theres plenty of charts on the internet) and I'm sure it's way below the 235lbs you weigh today and worry about your extra skin when you reach your ideal weight - it won't be as bad when you reach you're weight.. pat yourself on the back for losing what you have but stop complaining and worrying about your skin until it's all skin... just trying to put things into perspective here.. get over it..
all of you bloggers complaining about loose skin .. if your not at the ideal weight for your height then stop praising yourself and making excuses for your current weight.. this guy is FAT .. F .. A ... T .. still FAT .. nothing against this guy but unless he's 7'4" then he's too fat to weigh 235lbs. Get to your ideal weight.. stay there for 1.5+ years and then that's extra skin, if you're doing situps & ab excercises..
if you grab your skin and it looks like rolls of dough then it's fat .. if you grab your skin and its rolls of silk then it's skin.. get your egos in tact .. if you want to feel better then heres a 'clap clap' .. now move on and do some situps .. and stop eating cheeseburgers!
face it .. you're fat! do you look anything like this picture: http://run4change.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/loose-skin.jpg .. no .. grow up and lose more weight .. you've done very good.. but not good enough .. i'm guessing you need to lose another 50lb's and keep the weight off for a year before you have the right to think you're skinny enough for a skin reduction procedure.. be real dude..
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