I think its best that I take this one day at a time and limit my worries - the skin is an issue for me but its more or less vanity issues. I have to take this one thing at a time and the first is the surgery and weight loss - I can't get myself freaked out about excess skin right now or i will never do this. Love to all and thank you for your candor.

Depends on how long you have been obese really. If a short time or younger in age the skin might tighten back up. I have been obese all my life, 49 years.
I have saggy boobs, loose skin around tummy area, bat wings on upper arm area, shar pei wrinkled butt and wrinkled upper thighs. UGH!
My insurance won't cover plastic surgery. So unlessI win the lottery or cash out my retirement fund or savings account or marry a rich guy I guess I will have to live with what I put my body through.
Exercise will help burn calories and can help tone up but it won't work a miracle!!

Thanks Pam. I love your candor and honesty - I just need to focus my energy and efforts on getting closer to my surgery date as opposed to looking that far ahead with the excess skin thing. Baby steps I keep telling myself.

I am in the same situation as Pam and agree with her thoughts...you can look at my photos and see the batwings on my arms. Kaiser does not cover the plastic surgery part unless it is medically necessary. Make sure to visit your PCP with any problems you are having with excess skin so that it is documented - then maybe the insurance will approve it. I decided that living with a little excess skin was better than not living at all - I just keep it covered as best as I can and not worry so much about it being seen. I refuse to isolate myself for another reason as I did for many years being overweight.

Not offensive. I'm suppose to have retired on 12/12/12 but working in a special program where my employer matches my retirement amount and continues to aoy my regular salary because I'm saving for a tummy tuck. Beleive me I want to get out. But I know that excercise alone will not do it. I have the total gym, bowflex, weight press bench, WII dance 3 etc. I'm not flabby but will need some cosmetic surgery for sure. Perhaps even a breast lift. So I'm saving my pennies. Lost 67 pds to date from 08/27, surgery date. Be careful not to lose too fast without excercising.

I lost 175 lbs in 1 year...from 300 lbs down to 125. Heck, yes, I had extra skin. No, my insurance wouldn't cover plastics. t didn't believe I would be able to have the saggy bits removed but I went to plastic surgeons to have consultations and I learned about Care Credit (basically a credit card for health costs). I have been able to have 4 skin removal surgeries: an extended tummy tuck with a breast lift and augmentation, a posterior circumferential belt lift (to get rid of the share pei butt), a leg lift, and brachioplasty.

Yes, I'm still making payments on my body...but I get to enjoy it while I do!!

Even if I hadn't been able to have the skin removal surgeries, it was better to live in a fit, healthy, saggy body than in an unhealthy, swollen body!

JJ

I think the amount of sagging and the degree to which you sag can depend on several variables, 1) how overweight you are, 2) how long have you been overweight, and 3) how old are you.

I am 38 and i lost 130, which i carried for about 15 to 17 years.

I have sagging skin under my arms and around my stomach, and butt/thiegh area. Oh, and of course the boobs are saggy. I've had 3 kids so i chalk some of it up to them.

the arms don't bother me too much. l have been at goal for a year and i really believe they have tightened a bit. Same for the tummy, this skin really doesn't bother me much. But the girls and my butt bother me lots.

My butt is so flat (i couldn't imagine i would go from a huge bubble butt to flat as a fritter). Anyway, i have lost all the fat pat on my tailbone and have alot of pain there all the time. i have started to do exercises just for the gluts and i think it is helping some. Exercise will not cause the skin to shrink, but it builds the muscle helping to fill in some of the skin. therefore, while exercise will help some, it will not get rid of all the skin, unless you want to become a body builder.

The only help for the boobs is augmentation of some kind.

remember as you lose to keep the drs informed of any rashes or pain caused by the skin - that will help with insurance.

good luck,
rochelle