Question:
Does anyone think they look worse after wls?
This may seem odd, but the thought occurred to me. . .i am a very tall woman w/ a bmi of 42. I have made a good amount of money in the past in plus-sized modeling in NYC, and have a dating life that some of my thin friends envy. basically, i'm trying to say that for a really big girl, i'm built in a somewhat fortunate way. think Anna Nicole Smith with a smaller waist. . .But i'm miserable and starting to hurt, and dying to be normal. Afraid that after a massive weight loss, i may look WORSE than i do now, due to the extreme sharpei effect etc (i'm pretty bottom heavy). Any thoughts? — miriam A. (posted on June 26, 2003)
June 25, 2003
I lost fast 120 pounds in 6 months to goal then went on with heavy exercise
helping a friend gut a fire damaged house to loose another 20 pounds or so.
I admit I looked awful. But then I bounced back that 20 pounds and look
good. I will be 2 years out in july.
— bob-haller
June 25, 2003
I'm down to a size 2, and have had a Tummy Tuck and Breast Lift Reduction,
but I think I look "old", my face and neck look "old"
my batwings make me look "old" and my saggy baggy thighs make me
look "old". I'm only 44, but feel I look at least 10 years
older. Just to confirm this, an acquaintance and I had lunch recently, he
held the door for me and I went in first, his comment was, "You look
like an 18 year old...from the back".. But, I feel young, I can do so
much more, so I guess it was a fair trade.. I'll just enjoy looking
18..from the back.. lol
— Gail M.
June 26, 2003
Good question for someone in your line of work. If you're still modeling,
or plan to, maybe you should consult with plastic surgeons who've done work
on WLS patients -- perhaps, even as a pre-op, they can give you a better
idea what you might look like after your weight loss, and whether and what
kind of plastics you might want or need later. Everybody here reports such
differences in their skin elasticity after weight loss, it's really hard to
judge how you'll look when the losin' is over.<P>Fact is, though,
that the older you get, the harder it is to carry excess weight around
(health-wise). You've already found that out, and that was what motivated
me when I saw just how inactive I was becoming because of my weight (I had
a 42 BMI also as a pre-op). So you may not have much choice, in terms of
your health, than to lose the weight -- and I'm thinking we'd all wind up
with excess skin (WLS or not) with big weight loss, and after all, skin is
less elastic as we age even for those whose weight remains stable. Change
is inevitable no matter what you do.<P>Having said all that, and
being a proud member of the Melted Candle Club, there is *no way* that I'd
want my 138 pounds back on me now -- frankly, neither my pre- or post-op
look is all that great on me, but one (being M.O.) kills, while the other
just allows me to roll it up in some Spandex and Have A Nice Day. I figure
I was gonna get older either way, or at least, I hope to! ;-)
— Suzy C.
June 26, 2003
My face does look older, although not as bad as it did at 18 months
post-op. My inner thighs now hang and jiggle (I've already had
reconstructive surgery on my breasts and tummy). However, I wouldn't trade
it for the world as I can now play with my kids, walk without pain, take
care of my family, and sleep without that darn mask.
— mom2jtx3
June 26, 2003
Although I always considered myself a cute and cuddly five-hundred pound
guy, I was delusional-- after all, I had more rolls than a bakery, a
swollen face and was always sweating and gasping for breath after exerting
myself (by doing things like trying to get off a couch). Sure I was an
attractive site.
My new body (down about 231 pounds in 8 1/2 mos) is much more
proportional-- I've lost my bulbous bottom, my face looks normal and my
chest and stomach have smoothed out. Sure, I've got extra skin and my
vericose veins are kind of odd looking on my legs. But I figure that I had
the same excess skin before (except that it was filled with fat cells) and
the vericose veins can't look any worse than the rolls of skin that
surrounded me.
For me, though, it has never been about how I look (I was blessed with a
sweet and loving wife, great kids and non-judgmental friends). But, I do
love feeling confident and stress free that I won't break chairs at
people's homes, will fit in movie-theatre seats and don't have to make sure
that restaurants won't put me in a booth.
As for the sharpei effect, as long as you don't droop like hound dog, you
will still be beautiful.
— SteveColarossi
June 27, 2003
Since you are a model, you must have some pictures. Let's take a look at
you (post some pix of yourself)! You are going to get old one day too. We
can't always rely on our looks. Your BMI isn't too high. You may have
some saggy skin, but it is fixable with plastic surgery. I'd be more
concerned about getting healthy than if my skin sagged a little. Just
think, you may look worse getting bigger!
— doubleh
June 27, 2003
It's not about looking better, it's about feeling better.
Having said that, there's always plastic surgery to help with the
less-lovely side-effects of losing a lot of weight.
— mandajuice
June 27, 2003
I am way shorter than you but had a BMI of 43. I do not "need"
reconstructive surgery. My butt/thighs are not too bad, even though I was
also bottom-heavy. I became much more proportional (36/28/36) than I had
ever been--even when I was "thinner" before. I had a sort of
saggy, drawn, emaciated look when I hit goal, even though I am not exactly
a bag of bones wearing a size 6. I just felt like I was wearing a
"girl suit" that was a size or two too big. But after several
months at goal my skin recovered somewhat and I don't look as saggy-like.
The only real trouble areas for me are my abdomen and my breasts and,
ironically, that is not from being MO, but from pregnancy. Some of my
non-MO friends complain about the same things! So you will probably be OK.
If I had all the money in the world, I'd probably have a tummy tuck, but
it's definitely not worth $5000 of my own money!
— ctyst
June 28, 2003
i think you should think of it as a health reason not an
"appearance" reason. if you are having health problems, or feel
it is in your future, then think positive about how you could live a
longer, healthier life. think about if your gaining weight with every
passing year or staying the same? where will you be in 5 years or 10 years,
health & weight wise? these things are more important that what you'll
look like- plastic surgery can deal with what you don't like about your
appearance. i hope you make the right decision, for the right reasons! good
luck in your journey.
— heather S.
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