Skin? 5'5 200 lbs to lose

Sadly once the skin has been damaged by morbid obesity, there's really no way to fix it. Exercise, diet, and hydration are certainly important, but save your money by not buying potions and products that claim they'll help. :(

I'm not trying to be a downer here, but I had a thought while driving to my first post-op for reconstructive surgery #2. Some people consider the scars from reconstructive surgery to be "disfiguring" and "deforming" which is something to keep in mind.

I feel like the moral of the story is we will always find reasons to hate our bodies which really, truly sucks. It sucks that this is what our culture teaches us to do. So doing everything you can to figure out how to love your body, regardless of its "quirks" is in your best interest. It's hard - we've got a lot of societal conditioning to break. But, in the long run, I think it's the healthiest gift we can give to ourselves.

The year I had my VSG was the first year I ever had a goal for myself. That goal was simply "be kind to myself." It was hard. It's hard to do things for yourself and not feel completely selfish or guilty. But it has made a huge difference in my life in terms of mental and physical health. :D

I think you are extremely informative and enlightening. I don't find you to be a Debbie downer. Honestly I need someone to give it to me straight. You have provoked some thinking on my end, and now I can begin to figure out coping methods. Fat is my norm, skin will be a new norm. I will adjust. I may not like it, but maybe I'll be blessed enough to have plastics as well. One day at a time. ?

IMHO... Better skin than the fat....

That seems to be the consensus.

So, I've lost 'only' 140+ lbs & my opinion may not carry as much weight as those who've lost more but here goes: I am almost 50 yrs old, have very thin, stretched out skin from decades of being obese and yo-yo weight loss and it all sagged a lot after WLS (breasts, apron, thighs, etc). Honestly, it looked crappy beforehand, too, due to the years of yo-yo-ing. I can tell you with great emphasis that any sagging skin you have will be light years better than having huge rolls of fat filled skin bulging over/under bra straps, waistbands, sleeves, etc. Having inflated rolls rest on your lap when sitting, pushing on your neck when lying down, pushing through the sides of chairs when sitting, etc. I think you see where I'm going.

You will no longer feel like a sausage with too tight skin, clothes will fit better and fitting into a size 6, 8, 10, 12 etc with excess skin will feel infinitely better than squeezing into size 22, 24, 26 etc and having them feel tight.

You have to get your perspective in check (see Gwen's suggestion of therapy ASAP) otherwise I fear you might sabotage yourself, consciously or unconsciously, after surgery because of this unhealthy (and incorrect) fear of being deformed. This is major surgery and you have to be all-in to undertake it and have to be willing and encouraged to experience any/all results (sagging skin, saying No to foods you loved, little/no alcohol, etc. You need to celebrate and look forward to the post-surgery life. Because it's a choice.

I have had some plastic surgery because luckily I had opportunities made available to me, however, I was/am proud of my sagging skin because I worked my a$$ off for it. I earned it, just like all my stretch marks. You will not be deformed. You will be smaller and yes, your skin will be looser but you will feel better, look better and be so much healthier. Please, please do not undertake this major surgery until you work on your mindset - be ready for 'after', the hard work and end results instead of dreading them.

*stepping off soap box*

I love your comment about the skin and stretch marks. That's how I feel too. I earned these. I, literally, worked my ass off to have this excess skin. And I'm so freaking proud of myself for getting to a point where I needed to consider reconstructive surgery. Never in a million years would I have thought that would be something that I'd do in my life because things like boob jobs are for thin, pretty people. :D

This, exactly.

Wow, I feel a lot better. You are so right. I've got to get out of my head. Thanks so much for the feedback