I've been fortunate enough to have lost (with your support) a good bit of weight. I now have quite a bit of loose skin around my middle. Is this something that will kind of shrink up over time or am I stuck with it as a reminder of somewhere I don't ever want to go again?

Plastic surgery.

Congratulations on the weight loss Scrub, I don't know if it will ever go away but I know alot of people have the skin removed. Instant weight loss and likely a huge boost to your self image (if thats an issue). I would recommend discussing this with your general practitioner.

And to answer the thread topic, people pork rinds.

Thanks for the posts, would rather NOT go the plastic surgery route as I have enough medical bills (not weight related) already. I'll live with my roll as a friendly reminder.:)

I've been fortunate enough to have lost (with your support) a good bit of weight. I now have quite a bit of loose skin around my middle. Is this something that will kind of shrink up over time or am I stuck with it as a reminder of somewhere I don't ever want to go again?

It will, with time, shrink, but don't ever expect to have flat, tight abdomen. Or so I'm told. I've asked about it since I have not only loose skin at my belly, but also prominent gynecomastia, AKA male breasts, or to use the technical term "he-hooters." Well, it was once prominent, but now they are little more than skin sacs. Lucky me. :(

Thanks for the posts, would rather NOT go the plastic surgery route as I have enough medical bills (not weight related) already. I'll live with my roll as a friendly reminder.:)

There's also the time needed for recovery from the surgery. Who wants to spend days on your back with drains in you?

Scrub,

Congrats on the weight loss! The new "curtain" around the waist and or "moobs" (man boobs) will diminish with time, but only slightly. You may be able to reduce some of it with compression garments such as tight shirts, neoprene wraps, etc. You will have to be vigalent with this one though, and do it on a consistent basis... i.e. practically all the time save for showering. This will take time though, "how much" depends on how much weight you lost and your length of time being overweight (a few months vs. a lots of years), your age, as well as your skins elasticity.

The only long term choice you really have is plastic surgery. The six to eight weeks of recovery will go by in a flash... but it will not be "painless".

Another option you have is to start gaining muscle. This will also be a slow process, but the muscle will help occupy some of the space left by the tissue that shrank (fat cells don't disappear). You'll gain greater confidence for sure, but again you'll still have loose skin depending again on how much weight you lost, etc, etc.

I agree that you should talk with your general practitioner regarding treatment options. They may have other recommendations, or know of a plastic surgeon in your area.

V

It will, with time, shrink, but don't ever expect to have flat, tight abdomen. Or so I'm told. I've asked about it since I have not only loose skin at my belly, but also prominent gynecomastia, AKA male breasts, or to use the technical term "he-hooters." Well, it was once prominent, but now they are little more than skin sacs. Lucky me. :(

In the 10 years I kept the 140 lbs I lost after HS off (down to 155 back then), the loose skin never shrank much if at all. (It was an interesting trick to grab and lift my waist and have the skin on my ankles move up...could also gather a complete handful of skin at the back of my neck)

In reality the only way to get things tightened up is through surgery. Other than that you can take up some of the looseness through body building.

I hope to be able to afford the surgery when I get to, and maintain a reasonable weight this time.
Maybe I'll feel so much better about myself that I'll be able to maintain the loss this time around.

Thanks everyone new you could be counted on. Glad to hear I'm not the only one suffering this problem, congratulations to all of us.

I damaged my eye rather severely several years back and the medical bills have wiped us out financially. Were it not for the generosity of my biking friends, keeping my used Masi on the road would be a stretch. Won't go into deep detail here but, please, PLEASE be careful when using bungee cords.

PLEASE be careful when using bungee cords.

Eeek, I did not need that mental image. Sorry to hear such a horrible thing happened to you.

Eeek, I did not need that mental image. Sorry to hear such a horrible thing happened to you.

Now, imagine that image on my money. I can't imagine how someone with a life threatening illness could possibly deal with the expenses. I have to keep that in mind every time I pay my bills.

If you've got enough of it, the only solution is PS. I've had an abdominoplasty (full lower body lift), thighplasty, chest skin removal (basically a male mastectomy), and brachioplasty (arm "bat-wing" removal.) Almost none of it covered by insurance, except a portion of the abdominoplasty done when I had a surgical hernia repair at the same time... It's been four years since the abdo, and three years since the thighplasty. Things are getting pretty saggy and stretched out again. I'd love to have the legs worked on some more, but the doc wants me to let well enough alone...

It took about 2 years, after losing 140 lbs, for about half of my loose skin to shrink back. I have no problems at all with my chest and arms these days, but my belly and thighs are still very noticable.

Everyone is different, and you won't know how much will shrink without waiting for a couple of years. My doctor says that some of it may shrink but I'm stuck with most of what is left, and does not suggest surgery. My doctor thinks that it is too large a risk, for purely cosmetic reasons.

Right now, I can live with it. Very few people outside the shower at the gym ever even notice. I just make sure that my shorts are not too short or my pants too low on my abdomen. Sometimes I consider having a lower-body lift...but unless they say that all that extra skin is unhealthy, I'm not going to get the surgery.

I also think that some of my attitude is because I was fat even as a child, and having a sculpted musculature was never part of my self-image. I would probably react differently if I had a body like addonnis when I was younger...;)

OK - Shhhh it's a woman... ScrubJ sorry to hear about your eye...not sure if this applies to you - but some doctors' do make the case and have Medical insurance cover these surgeries. For women sometimes... the extra skin is irritating - gives us a rash or some thing... Not sure exactly what.

I lost 100 pounds and kept it off for 10 years..then gained it back :( So am currently taking weight off again). But after a few years where I had all the weigh off - I too got an abdominoplasty (remove the xtra skin and tighten tummy up) and a thigh surgery (Take out the extra skin). It cost about 11K and was 4-6 weeks recovery.
It was well worth it. Since I did not likelooking at all the extra skin...

Otherise - I say let it go...and make peace witht he extar skin.. I do not think it will really shrink up and there are so many worse problems...perhaps youcan make peace.

Now, imagine that image on my money. I can't imagine how someone with a life threatening illness could possibly deal with the expenses. I have to keep that in mind every time I pay my bills.

Man, every time I read a story like this, it makes me THANK GOD, I LIVE IN CANADA, where the national medicare program in association with the provincial health insurance plans, pay those kinds of bills.:D

What makes me wonder sometimes about the United States, is they will spend a trillion dollars a year on a war in a far off land, to allow their president*show up his father, but they won't spend half that to provide basic medical care for the people. What amazes me even more, is that the people put up with this.....:wtf:

Man, every time I read a story like this, it makes me THANK GOD, I LIVE IN CANADA, where the national medicare program in association with the provincial health insurance plans, pay those kinds of bills.:D

What makes me wonder sometimes about the United States, is they will spend a trillion dollars a year on a war in a far off land, to allow their president*show up his father, but they won't spend half that to provide basic medical care for the people. What amazes me even more, is that the people put up with this.....:wtf:

Eh, we piss and moan about it but honestly have little course of action. Time will tell if the US will ever pull it's head out of it's ass (Texas?), but I wouldn't count on socialized health care anytime soon. Enjoy living in Canada where you know you will never have to worry about a medical bankruptcy. I have to live in fear that I may be hit while out riding and be financially ruined for the rest of my life...better buy another blinky.

Yeah, and the part that baffles me is that the U.S. pays 60% of the medical bills out there, then spends the rest of the 40% on various administrative fees related to sorting out exactly how to get out of paying.
If they just paid up instead of sending it into an army of bean counters, it would be cheaper. :p

Eh, we piss and moan about it but honestly have little course of action. Time will tell if the US will ever pull it's head out of it's ass (Texas?), but I wouldn't count on socialized health care anytime soon. Enjoy living in Canada where you know you will never have to worry about a medical bankruptcy. I have to live in fear that I may be hit while out riding and be financially ruined for the rest of my life...better buy another blinky.

The course of action is their, and there is an election coming up, so be prepared. Ask the candidates what they thinair air k on the issue, if a candidate is willing to take action, join their team, and get them elected, It doesn't matter which party, face it, after 200 years they are basically the same entity with different names. This works for any issue, so roll up a bunch of issues, and talk to the candidates.

i am very happy with my healthcare in the US... you work a decent job and you get it, how hard is that.

while in rochester and buffalo NY I found enough canadians in our hospitals to know that socilized healthcare is not all it is cracked up to be. I also know it sucks to not be able to afford healthcare, but neither system is working and i would rather be in the one where i look out for myself.

i am very happy with my healthcare in the US... you work a decent job and you get it, how hard is that.

while in rochester and buffalo NY I found enough canadians in our hospitals to know that socilized healthcare is not all it is cracked up to be. I also know it sucks to not be able to afford healthcare, but neither system is working and i would rather be in the one where i look out for myself.

Didn't intend this thread to turn into a political one but, I have to agree with heckler on this. I ride with a number of doctors from local and other areas and also have friends from Halifax and Quebec ALL say it isn't as nice there as is often mentioned. I would like to stop any further political discussion if possible.

Thanks again to all who have contributed. If no other thing has come from my eye damage, I am now a poster child (in my own way) for bungee cord safety. I'm sure we've all heard the expression "ohnosecond", that is exactly how long it took to lose most of the vision in my eye. Please be careful when using bungee cords.

I never in all the world expected to see this thread turn into what it did.:(

ScrubJ,

How much weight did you lose, and how old are you?

Jim