The Truth About Excess Skin

So before I delve into the dirty details about excess skin... lets talk a little bit about my weekend.

Saturday I made it to the gym, had a good calorie burn, and last night we went to a friend's house for a going away party for a military friend.  I ended up eating a little more than I typically would but kept my drinking in check.  I ate 1/2 brat (no bun) about 2 oz beef brisket, 1/2 cup loaded potato salad,  some sausage dip, buffalo chicken dip with Tostitos scoops, and dessert was a small square of gooey butter chocolate brownie and some Red Hot Jello. 

What the hell is Red Hot Jello you ask??  Just google it.  It was by far one of the most interesting, yet tasty treats Ive ever had.   Thank you Murry. 

Onto Sunday's Q&A...

Ive had a few questions about my excess skin, and whether or not I have it.  Yes indeed, I surely do have it!!

One of the reasons I chose Lap Band over Gastric Bypass was for the slower weight loss.  The main reason I didnt choose bypass was because I wanted all my insides to stay in tact...but thats another story.  Anyway...   stereotypically, if you lose weight at a slower rate the chances of you having excess skin are minimal...right?? WRONG!  Excess skin has to do with many factors.  A few are, heredity, and your original weight at which the skin was stretched in the first place.   I thought that I'd have minimal excess skin.. well I was wrong.    For those of you that have asked.. .I"m braving it, embracing it, and showing you all my "battle scars".

 

This is me before at 330 lbs.   As you can see, the skin was there, but minimal... I was wider, boobs were bigger,  but the "fat" was there.   Its only when you lose weight that the "excess" becomes more apparent.

 

This is me yesterday after the gym... I took my tank off, and as you can see....I have some excess skin on my abdomen. I have more of a shape now, boobs are smaller and I actually have a waist. 

I also have excess skin in my "gut" area, which I"m NOT willing to share with you, but I will someday after I have it removed. LOL   Its not terrible, but it prevents me from wearing form fitting shirts, etc. 

This is one of my arms.  I have plenty of muscle, however you'd never know it because of the excess arm skin.  This is the area of my body that bothers me the least.  The area that bothers me the most is my breasts, which you wont see, mostly because I'm not really hip on the idea of posting my ta-tas on the internet... but again, maybe after I have them fixed.

So now that I've shared a few pics of me... the question is how to get rid of it??

Well, I can tell you that I wish I wouldve been more serious about my weight training from day 1.  I wasnt.  I didnt really get serious about until about 1 year into working out.   

Would that have prevented it?? 

I dont think so.  I was 330 lbs at the beginning, and I just think my body was so stretched out that this is what was left.  But Im not for sure.  It all depends on your age and the elasticity of your skin.  I was 300 plus pounds for a long time, at least 3 years or so, so my body was used to being that size.  I think for the amount of weight I've lost, the excess skin isnt as bad as it could be. 

For those of you who have asked YES I'd love to have it removed.  However, I'm not willing to pay an obscene amount of money to have it done.  I'll just deal with it.  After all, the only person that has to look at me naked, is me.  

Yes I hate my excess skin.

Yes I'd love to be able to wear a two-piece bathing suit one day.

But - I love being healthy and active,  so if I have to deal with some excess skin to have my health and wellness in return... then so be it.