Kevin It’s come up a time or two around here that I’ve lost some weight over these past few years, and as of the date of this posting, I’m getting closer to where I’d like to be in that department. While the process has been slow (as it should be with anything sustainable for the long-haul) because I started at a higher BMI, it’s not been without its’ ups and downs, and its’ unknowns.
I’m sure a lot of people reading this have seen an episode or two of My 600lb Life. Up until life happened, I never missed an episode. Or even an episode of Big Medicine, which was a reality show with a similar premise that lasted for like a nanosecond back in the late 2000s.
‘Member that one? Pepperidge Farm remembers. Sorry, I couldn’t resist that one.
Anyway, I’d watch that in college, and I still remember one of the show’s participants. I don’t remember their name, but they had a lot of loose skin, and in some areas, it hung to their knees. My heart went out to them, and still does. In fact, I wonder how they’re holding up these days.
Loose skin after weight loss was one of my biggest fears, after seeing someone else I knew IRL having lost a lot to where they needed skin removal, and they needed it in stages.
I knew that loose skin was a possibility when I started losing the weight, and I’d counted on the likelihood of needing skin removal based on where I started at.
After seeing every episode of My 600lb Life (up until then, anyway), I found the motivation to start losing this damn weight, hopefully once and for all. I’ve written about it here, way early on in this blog’s existence, haha.
I’d made the decision to accept this as a possibility, and that I’d find a way to deal with it when the time came where I got where I’d like to be.
As I’ve mentioned before, my immediate results after a month of the Dr. Now-style approach weren’t the 30 pounds in a month, but they were comparable. After that, I lost the weight at a somewhat steady rate, bypassing entire size ranges in the process.
My weight loss was slower than what it would have been if I’d gone the route of weight loss surgery, which I was a candidate for based on the BMI I started my weight loss mission at.
As I expected, I did end up with some loose skin, which does affect the way some of my clothes fit me (which is annoying af), but it was nowhere near what I expected. I’m guessing it’s likely due to how slowly I lost the weight, and also age. Even though I don’t have enough to cause rashes or anything like that, I’m still not thrilled with it, to say the least.
My current plan is to see what time will sort out, and hold off on moving forward with anything definitive for skin removal until after I have kids.
At first, I was embarrassed, since I’ve got a couple of two-piece swimsuits that hit me right where I carried my weight, and unsurprisingly ended up with the bulk of my loose skin in that area (i.e., my hips and thighs). But then the embarrassment lessened over time for me. I figured it is what it is, and that bouncing back from a weight loss like that won’t happen overnight.
It makes sense, since we didn’t get this way overnight, and we’re not gonna get out of it overnight either.
However, some who’ve lost similar amounts of weight to me will end up needing skin removal regardless due to the physical problems it causes, not just aesthetics, so if that’s your story, absolutely explore your options, and seek out second opinions (or even third!) if need be.
Skin removal’s serious stuff here, and healing from it can be a long and difficult process for sure.
So how do you deal with loose skin after weight loss? Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer. Some will bounce back no worse for the wear for the most part after losing weight, and others to a lesser extent, so mileage will obviously vary.
I wish I had a definite answer, believe you me.
I’m sure you’ve come across so-called miracle creams that promise to tighten skin, and exercises that make similar promises. While the latter can provide some foundation, it’s only to an extent, and it also depends on where you started at and how quickly the weight came off.
It’s also been my experience that those creams that promise to tighten loose skin only provide temporary benefits, and again, whatever benefits they deliver on are only to a certain extent in terms of the amount of loose skin you’re dealing with.
That said, what I’ve been doing for the loose skin I ended up with is continuing to move forward with what I’m doing in terms of diet and exercise, and using regular body lotion and body creams. I figure that if it isn’t helping tighten things up, it’ll soften my skin in any case.
An added bonus is that I’ve managed to work my way through most of the stockpile of it that I’d amassed over the years before I lost the weight, haha. Seriously, that stuff lived in my house long enough.
Over to you, readers. If you’ve lost any amount of weight, is this something you can relate to? If so, how’d you deal? Drop it like it’s hot below, and let’s talk.
