Shirtless Phobia

Around complete strangers I could care less. It's when I'm hanging out at the pool with family members that I'm more self-conscious.

One of my goals was to go shirtless at a beach and not feel uncomfortable. I am almost there and hoping with another 20-30 pounds I will be very comfortable. My biggest thing are the moobs but they have gone way down and are barely noticeable depending on how I stand.

Hell no.....I have 457 lbs worth of skin.  Actually, my skin has retracted very very well. However, there are areas that look lose and I do not feel comfortable being shirtless especially with having bat wings (me being a guy? I don't want to show my bat wings).

This is an interesting question. I was twice the weight I should have been Since I was a toddler, so I had no ‘history’ Of going shirtless. Tits to rival the prom-queen weren’t something I wanted to share In my youth. Now? Even though all of my surgeries have left my torso looking like a shark chew toy, I will go ‘Buck-Nekid’ from the waist up with no problem. Thank heavens a life of no sun what-so-ever Left my skin in shape to draw-up pretty well. And my new navel the doc made for me passes as the real deal. If strangers ask about the scars? I admit that I worked my way through college as a chain-saw fighter. Best Wishes- Dx

Jason, 

I understand how you feel, I have always had issues with feeling uncomfortable shirtless in public.  I bet if you do take off your shirt in public, most people would not think twice about it, it is your issue. (I don't think any one of us is near ugly enough to cause people to run away screaming, which is probably what makes us feel so self conscious in the first place) If it is important to you then take off your shirt and go out in public.  If you feel so uncomfortable that you can not enjoy yourself, then is it really that important?

Two weeks ago my wife and I took our boys to the local water park and I was without a shirt.  It was very liberating, especially when I noticed that no one was giving me a second look.  I also noticed that there were many people who had worse looking bodies than mine.  

Good luck and let us know if you followed through.

Jim 

I might be in the minority here but i felt better taking my shirt off at 380 than at 180.  At 380 i was just another fat guy.  But at 180 I am a "normal" guy with all of this loose wrinkly skin.  So I think I will keep the shirt on until I can get some skin removed. Jim D

Thanks for all the replys ya'll.  I too been really lucky, thus far, as far as the loose skin , but I just still *FEEL* like I weigh 320lbs.  I'm really putting waaaaay to much thought into this I know, I even went out and bought a "body shaver" (basically an electric razor with a long handle) to do a little "manscaping" prior to The Event.  I did go about it shirtless for the first half of my mowing yesterday and, no, the neighbors didn't flood the local Realtor's office after I did .  After about 20 minutes of liberation, however, I put it back on due to the VERY bright sun yesterday.  Thanks for your help everybody!

Thanks everyone for this conversation.  I'm right there, too.  At 245 I'm feeling the urge to not give a f**k anymore... CB