Plastics??

As I look at all of the before and after pictures, I wonder how many of them had plastic surgery. So I thought I would ask. How many of you have had plastics? Why or why not? If not, how do you look now and how did you get the skin to shrink. I am 38 and I am really hopefull with exercise, lotion and daily massage, it will shrink up for the most part. I do expect some areas like my lower abdomen and my arms to retain some stretched out skin. Am I being too optomistic? Am I too old for the skin to rebound? I am looking for answers and advice. Thanks!

I'm curious about the answers you'll get to this as well.  I'm 34 and wondering the same things!  I think honestly it's just a matter of each of us personally and how our own bodies handle things.  I don't think there really is an answer for you.... until you're at goal and can tell your own story :) 

I wish you well on your journey!!  I'm hoping to have surgery in May and I can't wait to see how far I can get with this tool!!

All the best,
Ginger

If you have been heavy for a long time, you have grown EXTRA skin, so, shrinking up is.. meh.. not terribly realistic.

Now, FILLING UP YOUR SKIN with muscle - THIS can be a reality. Massage and lotion are lovely, but those things help when you are GROWING BIGGER to try to not get stretch marks, they do not shink up your skin.

Go peek at my photos and you can see that you *never can tell* what is going to happen with skin, and building muscle IS ALWAYS GOOD!!  you can totally change your shape.  Plastics was not a reality for me unless I had medical needs, so I knew muscle was my only hope for giving my extra skin something to drape over. 

Genetics, age, how long you were heavy, HOW LONG YOU ARE OUT FROM STABILIZING, all sorts of things change how your skin fits. 

And too, even if you build up a nice muscle foundation and still need plastics?  You will not find a plastic surgeon in town who will tell you it was not a good idea.  And if you do?  You might oughta wonder if that's the guy you wanna be going to!

Here are some skin changes of my very own.  My back and shoulders and chest have changed *quicker* than my belly and hams.  I am nearly 2 years out too, so I am excited to see the changes that continued muscle building in trouble places and time brings!

And another thing, I am about 18% fat now - or, well I wwas in October, I will see again this month when the dunk truck comes, and *maybe* I could slim down my upper thighs and my tadpole belly more if I lost more fat, but I *really* like have a lilla sumsum to fill up my breasts and have them be cute little b cups (as opposed to B Cups :} ) so - I am doing what I can with what I have!  And *not* begrudgingly so!  Hooray!



Pssst - I am 44, was 42 when I had surgery and have been over 200 pounds for 12ish years. 

Here are some fronts with my funny little tadpole belly.  I am done with fat loss and am just building up muscle.  Losing any more fat will only give me more wrankles, so I am doing what I can to fill out what I have without making more wrankles!  Forgive the clowny pink bra, a girlfriend was asking how it fit (now) and, obviously, its kind of clowny!  I need rainbow hair, a honky nose, and huge shoes!  (well, fine.. I have huge shoes.. shaddup you!)

But my little tadpole belly, compared to my big ol branni before belly?  I will take it baby! In a heartbeat!



Edit to add - you have to scroll the bar at the bottom of my post over to see my before belly and my now back.

Also edit to add, I get that some folks can be weary of my bumflaps :} but for me, it bummed me out so much before surgery and right after when folks would tell us how horrible their skin was, or how much better it was, but NOBODY would SHOW anything!!  AAAHH PICTURES OR IT NEVER HAPPENED!!!

So.. my motto has been for many things, and for this also *Be the change you want to see* so!  Hooray and yall who are weary of my bottom can thank or be mad with Gandhi! 

I love these photo's! It gives me hope to get where you are, with the lovely physique Brandilynn..

Hugs

Donna

Thanks babygirl! You can do it!!

And *you* will have a I or an O for a belly button, instead of a dash belly button like me!!  :} 

How soon after your surgery did you start lifting? I am just getting back to my exercise I did before surgery since I am only 11 days out. It feels good and I look forward to doing more but I have a bad back, a bad knee and a cardiac condition that I have to work with as well. You look good.  I can only hope I can do as well. I have been overweight about 14 years. I am extremely out of shape due to my back and knee (particularly my knee for which I have been on disability for almost 2 years). I plan on getting a trainer for a while to help me find exercises that work with my knee and back. Thanks for your post. I have learned a lot from you over the past few weeks. Thanks!

I was a cardio queen until I called goal.  Like everything else in the whole wide world :} you have different schools of thought.  For lifting (because I had lifted before, this is not my first iron rodeo) I am of the school of thought that cardio and lifting are best done on separate days.

I spent until I called goal (at a size, because who knew what a lean healthy weight was for me? Not me) just doing cardio.  I needed to GET THE WEIGHT OFF, okay, then I switched to muscle building and FAT LOSS.

See the difference ?  Lifting WILL slow down the scale, it does not slow down your PROGRESS, but it will slow down the scale, so just remember that.  This is why its important to MEASURE and TAKE PICTURES IN LESS THAN YOUR STREET CLOTHES!! 

If you have knee and back issues, I would suggest, you just work on cardio stuff and you can pick up lifting at a later date. 

HEAL UP WELL THE FIRST TIME! DO NOT GET OVERZEALOUS AND SCREW YOURSELF BY DOING TOO MUCH TOO QUICK!!

That was not yelling just kind of being a loud emphatic talker!!  :}

You are welcome girlie!  Anything I have to share I am *glad* to share!! 

You can do as well as you *can* Be kind to yourself and your body, you will probably find it will not repay you in unkindness for the unkindness it has been shown, ultimately. 

Be sweet!  Go slow, HEAL UP!!  :}

Do I need to loose all the weight before I start lifting weights? 

Absolutely not! 

Just prepared to be thumped if you start crying about not losing eighty zillion pounds in a week.  :} 

And remember that any working out is not going to outdo a non nutritional diet.  You cant out exercise consistent poor food choices. 

Also measure and GET YOUR BODY COMPOSITION DONE.. because then you can see changes in your body *composition* when you do not see changes on the scale!

You can do anything you wanna do beebs! 

Also, this is REALLY important - if you have a physician who is monitoring your weight and has expectations of you to lose X pounds by X time - realize that you *may* NOT meet the same WEIGHT LOSS goals that someone who was not also attempting to put on muscle weight while leaning out would meet.

It may or may not be worth the flack you receive. 

My surgeon did his good work and the rest was up to me, so I did not have criteria to meet, x loss by x time for his stats, et cetera.  I am not saying that is a good or a bad thing, I am only saying its definitely something to consider!