If you have issues dealing with your skin... insights from a plastic surgeon.
Thank you for this post! After my surgery I'm hoping as my weight has been up & down my entire life that I won't have too many problems but I am older now so dunno we'll see. I already suffer from flappy arms which my daughter kids me about, I just tell her that they're my angel wings. LOVE LOVE this post & he was right yes you are attractive. If there wasn't some amount of happiness in our lives when we were/or in my case fat...surgery is in two days...then we won't be happy or ever satisfied or accepting of ourselves as skinny either.
With God ALL things are possible! VSG 3/13/14 Dr. John Mathews
I work in an ENT clinic with a facial plastic surgeon. I was talking to him about my disdain for my new flappy saggy shrinkly body - wishing that he would nip and tuck more than just faces. He laughed at me and told me that I was very attractive and that I just need time to fall in love with the new me.
He told me a story about going to Africa on a cleft palate team and doing surgeries on toddlers with cleft lips - where their faces are terribly misshapen. He said that all the nurses and staff were always thrilled an applauded ... but the most lukewarm reactions came from the moms. You see they fell in love with their babies just like they were - split faces and all. Even though the surgically repaired face looked better to others - it wasn't what the mom's fell in love with.
For some we had to fall in love with the fat self. We were comfortable with the fat self... now suddenly we are dealing with the skin self. Despite how much we think we may have hated being obese... we were used to it. Now we have the new skin self to deal with. He told me to give it time and try to remember we have to love ourselves in different forms!!
I thought that was cool coming from a plastic surgeon.
That is the kind of plastic surgeon I want to do my surgery in the future!! God bless him and all who go to do such amazing work for the people in need in Africa!
So I have been REALLY disciplined in keeping my arms covered. Even when I was obese, those puppies stayed under wraps. I ONE TIME wore a sleeveless outfit after I had lost the 'normal' 40 lbs I was always able to lose and my male parent told me that I looked ridiculous, fat and like I could not afford a jacket to cover "those fat balloons you call arms". So...even my PJs had sleeves after that.
Yesterday was a GORGEOUS day here. I mean, the kind of day you want to just run up and down meadows and hills singing with small children. And I had a gorgeous CK sleeveless top I had intended to wear under a short sleeve cardigan. But I was getting ready, putting make-up on, zipping in and out of rooms in my house and my husband said we were late to leave and so I zipped out to the car without said sweater. I got in, put my seatbelt on and realized...CRAP! No sweater. I told him I was going to go get it and he said "Try it without one today. You look amazing. You don't even realize how good you really look. No one is going to care or even notice any skin on your arms."
And he was right.
I need to learn to love the smaller imperfect me, because I did love the obese imperfect me and just need to get used to, and fall in unconditional love with, my excess skin self. Which is not to say I won't have my arms and tummy done someday. I know I will. But it won't be grinding away at me between now and then.
Really appreciate your post, Sherrie. Food for thought...and that is always calorie free. :)
HW333--SW 289--GW of 160 5' 11" woman. I only know the way I know & when you ask for input/advice, you'll get the way I've been successful through my surgeon & nutritionist. Please consult your surgeon & nutritionist for how to do it their way. Biggest regret? Not doing this 10 years ago! Every day is better than the day before...and it was a pretty great day!
I love this post! I feel that I am one of the luckier ones with skin issues. My arms aren't perfect, but the skin in minimal and lifting weights has helped their overall appearance. My stomach looks pretty great (I didn't carry a lot of weight in my stomach), but my thighs on the other hand. . . not good. I feel like I look like an old lady!! I also need a boob job because the boobs have left the building!!! In clothes, I look fantastic, like I never had surgery, but in a swim suit (or heaven forbid, naked) I look like I had WLS. I still look a zillion times better than when I was 130 pounds heavier. I have no plans for plastic surgery, or any other surgery in my future. This is me and I can live with it. I'm turning 40 on Saturday and throwing myself a big party. . . I've got a lot to celebrate!!!
Well, then, you too were born in an AWESOME year! 
(Just ask Sin Kim if you don't believe me!)
My first birthday was the day of MLK's "I have a dream" speech in August, 1963. I'm not sure quite why, but I have always thought that was kind of cool.
happy birthday
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
Happy birthday!
very true words and inspiring coming from a surgeon! wich usually they try and get you to do things to yourself ...theres a saying that you gotta love yourself before you love anybody else. true again thing is we are a work in progress and am one of the unlucky ones and yes there are days I feel "gross" I look like a sharp pei standing up lol or like I have the body of a skinny 200 year old woman I look pretty good dressed and I have a wonderful husband that adores me...and no he met me after the surgery ...he makes me feel so beautiful and tells me daily and I still have issues being naked but am so thankful that now am healthy and can move around I have three beautiful girls when I was told I would never be able to carry because of my weight and issues . so yes we gotta love our new bodies and deal with them but we can always improve I went from a 44 DD to a 34 deflated skin bag B so my biggest hang up is my breast ..so many things come up before my surgery that I keep putting it off but it will happen oh and those wonderful arm flaps ...yea my babies call them fairy wings and I fly off at nite lol I don't care I worked hard to get where I am and its a badge of courage!! now if anybody can point me in the right direction for surgery in payments am game lol. yall have a lovely day :)
TaNyA BeCeRrA
