Loosey-Goosey

I Said So... recently sent me an interesting question and I thought that I would share my answer here since it concerns an issue that I believe a number of people probably think about. She asked me if my significant weight loss has resulted in loose skin. My (perhaps too detailed) response to this query was as follows:

“I would say that the answer to the question is sort of half good. For me (and, of course, keep in mind that everyone is different so there is no way to tell what things will be like from one individual to the next), if I were to lift up my shirt and show you my stomach, it would look pretty much 100% normal. I really don't think that anyone would be able to tell that I ever lost such a huge amount of weight from that simple test.

However, if I were then to bend over and let gravity take over, there is some loose skin that suddenly appears, bunched up and hanging down from my midsection. Also, if I were to remove my undergarments, you would see that there is a small section at the very, very bottom of my torso - right above my pelvic area - where there is some wrinkling (for lack of a better word) due to the loose skin. Likewise, I see a slightly deflated look on my breasts (mind you, I was an H40 before).

As for the rest of my body, I am actually very surprised that things are as tight as they are. For a while I noticed quite a bit of bunching at the tops of my knees, where the thigh skin was being pulled down to (again, by that darned gravity), but that has tightened up a lot in the last few months and I am finally comfortable (for the first time since high school) with wearing shorts instead of capri's. My upper arms will probably always have a little extra hang, but they too are much, much smaller than I initially thought they would get. Plus, those hangy bits are only slightly noticeable when I lift my arms; they can't really be seen from the front, sides, or back when I am just letting my arms rest (which is really nice for photographs).

But, here's the thing that is really important... All of those bits of skin that do hang off of me - ever inch of extra which still remains - is a battle scar that I am really proud of. I don't care that I am never going to have a perfect body (I know that those don't exist anyhow); what I do care about is that every time I see a smidgen of loose skin I remember how hard I fought and how far I have come. I feel a sense of honour when I look at my body now, because - really - when you consider the alternative, I know that I am vastly better of now than I ever was before.

Smooth skin? Sure it might look nice, but to me it's what I had when I was obese. I'm okay with not being stretched to the max anymore. I earned my loose skin and, in a strange way, I really love it!”