Loose skin

I am going to have Gastric Band surgery in Dec. 09.  I will be turning 51 in Sept and am really hoping I won't have the loose skin after my weight loss.  I am hoping that if I exercise a lot I won't have that problem.  Is this even possible?

You are dreaming if you think you will excercise and not have loose skin.  You probably already have a hanging belly, which translates into a panny.  It will only sag more as the weight comes off.  Your arms, your thighs, your boobs, your ass, even your lower arms will sag.  Sagging is bad but fat is worse.

It happens (loose skin) probably to everyone. Your body/skin stretched out to accomodate the weight and it just doesn't snap back. I think even much younger losers deal with the excess skin. I was pretty lucky that I only ended up with my body looking like a 90 year old woman's body with wrinkly, saggy skin. No huge panni or batwings. I would love to have some nip and tuck done but I am too poor at this point. For the most part I can keep it covered up and look great.

Yeah, unfortunately, you will have loose skin. It happens. You can exercise some of it into shape but not all of it. I was fortunate that my panni wasn't very large and that I lost my 180 pounds over three years so the skin came back into place slowly, but I still have loose skin in my thighs and I have batwings. But I don't care ... I can't afford PS, but I don't care. I am healthier and stronger than before WLS. That's why I had this done. Nobody sees me naked, and so with my clothes on, I look pretty good.

Plenty of people have PS (plastic surgery) but lots of us can't afford it, or chose not to have it (I'm there on both counts). Insurance will only pay for so much, and then you have to have medical reasons. I was about to have PS when I decided to have knee replacement surgery instead. Now, after have two knee replacement surgeries on the same knee, I've decided I don't want any more elective surgeries, including the PS that insurance may have paid for. It's just not worth it for me. My decision.

 Anyone with a big weight loss will end up with excessive skin. I hated mine because I felt like I looked 90 years old. Fortunately, plastic surgery was my answer. I had two different surgeries after losing my weight (upper body lift and four months later a lower body lift). I feel fantastic and better than I have ever felt in my life. If you want to read more about plastics there is another forum under surgical procedures (plastic surgery) where many people share their experiences and photos.

Congratulations on your desire to have WLS. It's life altering!

That is a reason I had Banding too.  I know I will have loose skin but, I'm hoping I will have less.  I am really trying had to keep my lose to 1-2 pounds a week.  I even postponed a fill to keep it slow and steady.

I know I will still have lots but, hopefully less than doing it faster.

I know I must sound really niave but, when you see the people on shows like the "Biggest Loser" losing huge amounts of weight and they don't seem to have all that skin then I wonder why I will.  I am going for the Band so I can have the same slow results you are talking about.  I didn't get this big (5'3" and 240 #) in just a matter of months and I don't mind taking my time getting it off.  My insurance doesn't cover PS and I can not afford it so I will just have to accept the results  I guess.  Thanks for the info!!

Most of them on the Biggest Loser are a lot younger than we are and they exercise like 8-10 hours a day. ( exercise does not  shrink the skin, but the underlying muscles) The older ones DO have skin issues. even a few of the younger ones have had some major bat wings, I find it interesting that when they first start at their heaviest they have to wear those bra tops, The women that is,then when they have lost a lot they are wearing t-shirts. I think that is so we don't see the skin. Camera angles probably cover a mutitude of sins also.