Bridget - I think I'm going to love you forever for that "tight as a drum" comment!
Smiles: I spent a lot of time, energy, and money trying to avoid the skin issue. You can check old posts to see that it's true - almost every form of exercise known to man, creams, scrubs, vitamin and herbal supplements, spa treatments, cold showers (still do that every day), blah blah blah But, it really doesn't make a whole lot of difference. I look at it this way - I've lost almost 130 inches in the last 11 months so the skin could be MUCH worse than it is. I could still have a lot more inches around my body in the form of loose skin. It's not attractive, it's burdensome, and it can easily make you feel bad about yourself. I'm currently working with my doctors on a hernia repair that will probably turn into a tummy tuck, but I also need an arm, breast, and thigh lift. I don't know if I'll be able to get any of those, but Christina's letter and approval give me hope.
Some additional thoughts:
- Absolutely no one in my life can tell that I have 15-20 lbs of loose skin when I am dressed. Becoming a normal size gives you an enormous amount of clothing options and you can definitely dress yourself to flatter the parts you are proud of and hide the rest. I wear a lot of v-neck and off the shoulder tops because I LOVE my collar bones and shoulders and I just started wearing shorter skirts (3" or so above the knee) because I'm becoming a lot more comfortable with my legs. There's only 2 or 3 short-sleeved shirts that I'll wear to work without a shrug or jacket because I have HUGE bat wings (seriously, I measured and there's almost 6" of skin hanging under the muscle).
- Even though I said that the creams, scrubs, treatments and supplements didn't work, there's really no way to tell. I don't know what my skin would have looked like by now if I hadn't tried all that stuff. Ultimately, I get a lot of compliments on how good my skin is - at least what skin I choose to show. Flax seed oil, Borage oil, and fish oils all have an affect on your skin, hair, and nails - they're cheap to buy and if you were going to try anything, I would try that.
- I think that my skin looks better overall when it's tanned. I know this is controversial with how damaging sun exposure can be, but I just started going to a tanning salon once or twice a week and I'm definitely a lot more comfortable with the way I look now. I'm very active and outdoorsy, so I'll stop the tanning when summer comes.
- I know one of my main fears was having someone new see me naked. I didn't worry about it when I was married, but I'm going through a divorce and started dating a few months ago. I've realized a few things: A) Guys like sex and I really don't know many who will turn it down if the girl's body doesn't turn out the way they imagined. Of course, hooking up with someone you're not in a relationship with is taking the chance that he will not call you after the hook up because he was bothered by the extra skin - but he could also not call you for a dozen other reasons. It happens to girls with perfect bodies all the time. B) If someone wants to be with you, they're going to be with you no matter what you look like naked. If they love you, they will love you regardless of your body. I now have a boyfriend who's 7 years younger than me, has a perfect, lean, surfer body and who I've tried to convince that he needs a young, fresh, perfect-bodied girlfriend. He's not having any of it because he loves me and thinks I'm the most beautiful thing in the world.
- When I talk to people about the extra skin, I'm always sure to add, "But this issue is one on a very small list of cons." Seriously, my life, my health, my outlook, my body is SO MUCH BETTER at 165 lbs than at 327... Extra skin "ain't no thang."