Losing weight/gaining saggy skin

I'm having surgery in 4 days.  I'm worried I'll have lots of saggy skin.  I have about 112 pounds to lose (to get to my goal - about 132 to get to where my surgeon says I'll be after surgery). I was wondering if someone could tell me what they have done to avoid a lot of saggy skin or am I bound to be stuck with it.  I know I will not be able to afford plastic surgery so I want to start right after surgery getting myself in shape.  That will be a big challenge for me since right now I never work out - that is why I have no idea what exercises I should do.  I also have a bad back so I will have to be careful with that. Any suggestions?

Skin is an organ. It will not get better with exercise. There will be some spring back but you will have excess skin. the only resolution is plastic surgery. I know we all wish that was not the reality of wls and loosing the pounds we put on.. but it is the fact. Exercise will give you some muscles which in some ways will hide some of the excess skin but it is still there.. They say it will take at least a year after the loss of weight for what the final results will be. I have a lot of skin on my stomach. My arms and legs are not to bad. I am looking into plastics for my stomach as we speak not to mention the loss of mass in my breast. I will be looking to have that repaired as well..

Hi Beth, Fortunately you don't have to lose too much weight and are therefore likely to not have to deal with as much (if any) excess skin as many of us do.  The damage that's been done to the skin has already been done to it, and one hopes and prays to have some elasticity left so that the skin bounces back.  Weight training may help a LITTLE, but there really is no magic trick. The truth is that you should focus on losing the weight.... Deal with the excess skin IF and when you cross that bridge. As terrible as it can be for some of us, being a healthy weight even with the skin is a WHOLE lot better than remaining morbidly obese. :) Caroline -225 lbs @ goal and maintaining 3 rounds of PS Certified Personal Trainer

Hey Caroline,

I see we both started out at the same weight, 370! I am so happy to see you've done wo well with your WLS. I have the Lapband and I am almost to my goal weight. I am at 156 right now and I hope to lose the last 26lbs by August. I want to get into a slick little black dress for Xmas parties this year...whoo hoo!! Anywho, what you say is so true, I am seeing the results of my years of obesity, it's sad to see so much excess skin but I'd rather have that than die of a heart attack at the age of 37!! I'm looking into PS, especially the boobs and my face. Later I will tackle the TT as I hear that's pretty damn painful...anywho, it's good to see someone who started at the same weight look so wonderful. I see you've become a certified trainer, that is just so awesome...it's great to have someone that knows what it's like to live the life of obesity. I know I wish I had a trainer that understands what I am going through....but they do try their best to understand.

Take Care!

Kelli

The 2 posters above are right, the damage that has been done is done and gaining muscle after the surgery will help filling it out a little.  Just losing the weight is the important thing to focus on right now, not the excess skin.  Deal with it when/if you have to...but for right now, just focus on losing the fat.  Good luck!