Arms....

I am 1.2 years out and 5 pounds away from my goal.  I have lost 164 pounds total since I started meeting with the surgeon and my arms look like bread dough.  Aside from surgery, has anyone found anything that can help this?  I am enjoying winter because I can wear sweaters without showing off my arms but not looking forward to short sleeve season because they are so flabby.  I have been lifting weights but that just seems to be building muscle and not toning anything. I know that I am complaining and I am extremely grateful for the weight loss and would not change a thing but I would say that this extra skin is bothering me the most (I can look past my saggy boobs, extra stomach and thigh skin).

Nothing except for plastics will help with this.  Sadly.  

I've lost 130 and still have around 70 to go, my arms are really saggy, but my arms are also super awesome and strong.  I love showing them off, excess hanging skin and all.  :D  

Here's the bad news:  when we are morbidly obese for years and year our body actually grows extra skin to cover our bulk.  People believe that our skin just stretches (and it does - hence the stretch marks) but our bodies are smart and generate extra skin where needed.  

Read that again:  You.Grew.Extra.Skin.  

When we lose weight we lose internal fat...we don't shed skin cells.   You can and should lift weights to tone up the muscles in your arms.  But those exercises won't do anything to tighten up the excess skin.  Only surgery is going to work on that. 

The good news:  Arm surgery is usually the cheapest surgery out there.  Cheaper than a boob job, tummy tuck or thigh lift.  And it's usually a pretty speedy recovery too compared to the others.  

You have done a FANTASTIC job at losing weight - hurray for you!  Do yourself a favor and go get a free consultation with a reputable plastic surgeon.  Get a price so you can start saving for it now.  It sounds like it would be totally worth it to you.  

Without plastics, welcome to the world of half-sleeves until you say "ahhh, what the hell" and let vanity go for the sake of comfort.  It took me a few years to get there.