accepting body changes

I'm just wondering if others on this weight loss journey are having issues with accepting how their body is changing!
At one time all I could see was fat, and on occassion I still do. However majority of the days I now worry about the loose skin.
Any suggestions on how to get past all this?

I kinda have the same problem, I have lost a lot but still have a lot in the belly, it makes me wonder if I am going to have the skin flap? More the problem I am having is I have always worn an XXL shirt and now they look like a dress on me, but when I wear a L or XL I feel they are to short, but I know it does not look bad, but I don't like it. I use to wear the XXL to take focus off my belly.

How I am getting past it, is how I feel overall. I know I look better and I feel great. I can go out and play sports again. I think with time my body will come around to the body I want. I just gotta keep up with moving alllllll the time, LOL

I have always looked younger than my age but as I lose weight the wrinkles are popping out. My neck has started doing that crepey thing. As my stomach is shrinking its also getting more wobbly. Not to mention other parts that are heading south. Everyone skin reacts differently and sometimes it takes months for the skin to shrink up...sometimes it never does. But I would sooner have that than the extra weight on my body.

I'm experiencing something similar, I still see a really overweight person when ever I catch a reflection of myself despite losing over 50% of my body weight and reaching what is clinically classed as a normal BMI, I can blame some of it on the lose skin but that's only apparent without clothes on, there is something else, not sure what, something in my sub conscious that just does not accept the change my body has gone through over the past 18 months. In fact it has my wife quite worried as she thinks if I continue to lose weight as I am, that soon I will be underweight, especially she says when you take into account the excess skin etc.

So I to pam-u-la was seeking for some ideas on how to deal with this.

I am also worried a bit about loose skin. I am trying to keep a slow pace of weight loss to avoid quick changes and use some hydration cream to limit the damage, not sure if that will work though, I would be curious to know how the problem has been managed by those having lost 50 kg or more

I weigh 129 lbs. right now but I have weighed 220 lbs. before, so I can tell you that lose skin will tighten back up with time. It will tighten up a lot faster if you do some resistance training.

You have to decide to love yourself as you come.

I am a big believer in positive mantras. Repeat it to yourself when you are being critical.

"I am great as I am."

I welcome the loose skin, as it has to be better than the fat. Of course, I have not lost enough for the loose skin to be a problem yet.

Don't mean to be "Debby Downer" but it is my belief that the age of that skin and how many pounds it was stretched to, should be taken into consideration before saying "it will tighten up".

For some people, it's just not gonna happen.

Joyce

Awww, I was hoping there was some hope of that belly flap disappearing. I always wonder about the people that have lost a lot where the flap goes. I am really starting to enjoy my body again but that belly flap just grosses me out. Yeah, I know it is better to be thinner/healthier and have a flap but ick.

I don't knwo what you mean by resistance training?

I've lost 100lbs. It does shrink quite a bit. But I still have a bit of a "flap" as you call it. I've read a lot about it. What I read tells me that it can take a long time to shrink as much as possible....like years. So be happy with your progress. Keep exercising and let your body do what it can.

Thank god for Spanx and other shapers. I've lost a lot and if I want a sleek look I have to use something to hold it in tight and make it smooth. It's a small price I pay though to wear a size 10/12misses instead of a 24womens.

I just wanted to provide a little hope for anyone worried about lose skin. I wish a could remember the guy's youtube channel, because I'm always coming across threads like this where people are worried about lose skin (as am I). This particular guy lost over 100 pounds, and while he was looking fit, trim, and even muscular, he had a pretty bad case of sagging skin in the belly. It did eventually go away though. This guy was in his mid 40's if that helps.

My Opinion:

Based on the fact that skin is a living organ, and that the average person shed about 8 pounds of dead skin cells each year, that skin really has no choice but to snap back over time. It might take several years, but I think it will go back.

Some things I'm convinced will help with the initial amount of loose skin is to lose weight slowly, keep hydrated, eat skin healthy foods (daily), and maybe using some cocoa butter on those places where lose skin will be most prominent like on the belly, or under the arms. Try not to get too much sun, and if you smoke, don't.

Again, I want to stress this is just my opinion based on the reading I've done.

I too am worried about sagging skin. My belly already sags a lot. It's like when I had my boys my belly deflated and becuase of my weight gain, never went away.

I just keep telling myself that staying fat sure isn't going to fix it. I hope that losing the weight slowly so that the skin can sort of "keep up" will help. I also hope that staying hydrated and lots of lotion will help. Vitamin E oil rubbed into the skin or a supplement taken orally can help (or so I hear).

It might be beneficial to see a dermatologist too.

I have struggled with my changes as I have lost weight with included, hair loss, dry skin, loose skin, etc. I started taking a Hair, Skin, and Nail vits and I believe it has helped at least the hair and skin dryness. I have also been doing more strengthing exercises and I have noticed the combination is even helping some with the loose skin. I'm 58 and they say at this age the skin doesn't go back into shape but I think these two things are helping and it makes me feel better about myself.

The skin around my tummy is looser than I would like, but I still have hope that it will tighten up. And honestly if it doesn't? I'm not sure I'm above getting that worked on.

I'm noticing a lot of good changes in my body, and I'm enjoying them. But I have these weird moooshes on my hips. I wouldn't call them love handles, but they're this soft squishy spot. I'm guessing I'm really only noticing them because they've gotten smaller and other things are trimming up, but I definitely want to rush past this phase to get rid of them.

Thank you everyone for your responses. It has really made me think and helped me come to some conclusions. Sure my stomach sags, but if I look at it realistically it really is not that bad, especially considering I have really bad stretch marks from being obese as a child and young adult, plus the fact that I have had 3 abdomenal surgeries which also did not help.
So I guess my solution is simple... it's my abdomen if I can learn to accept it and someone else can't, then they should not look at it.

Yep, I'm with everyone here. If I ever got a compliment about looking young, I used to lovingly pat my own cheeks and say "chub don't crack"...but both being older and lighter have straightened that right out!

I also have the tummy thing, but mostly because of three c-sections (high five, pam-u-la!) - it is getting more flappish as I lose, but it was definitely already there.

As with pregnancy stretch marks and stuff, I think the single biggest component to how your skin responds to all these changes is genetics. I slathered on cocoa butter and straight vitamin e oil religiously, was hydrated like no other, and never skipped my prenatals - but I got craaazy stretch marks. My friend who did NONE of those things? Not a mark on her, and no leftover pooch either, even though she gained at least 15lb more than I did! Weight loss changes have gone about the same.

The pooch makes my clothes fit oddly sometimes, but so did my super-fat butt. I know there will always be things about me that I don't love, but as I mellow with age and as I've learned to work WITH my body I find that it seems less like a HUGE deal and more like 'just one of those things' that everyone has in their life.

Have you considered massage? It helps to break up some of the tissue and I feel like it helps my overall skin tone and the look of cellulite. I haven't done research on this but I am rewarding myself during my weight loss with regular massages and it makes me feel great.