Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Fearing the Flappy Flab

10/28/09

281.6 lbs

I really don't see this as a gain.  It fluxuated like this last week.  If it goes up tomorrow, I'll consider panicking.

I watched The Biggest Loser last night. I tuned in after "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown".  I don't really follow that show.  I've just never gotten past the fact that there are people out there that are watching it to make fun of fat people or exploit them or whatever.  You know they're out there.

I'm gonna sound like a bitch here...you've been warned. 

I was watching the "last chance workout" and saw a lot of emotional-baggage/crying-stuff stuff.  Why on earth would anyone allow themselves to have these breakdowns on national TV?  In a room full of sweaty people?  And with a personal trainer?!  It's not like he or she is a trained psychologist or something.  The girl trainer totally looks uncomfortable with the tears.  She's just mean, anyway.  This all bugs me.  Greatly.  Work on your issues elsewhere, please.  I had the same problem with More to Love.  All the "I've been sad all my life and that's why I'm fat" crap.  This isn't going to make me a popular person, but it is possible to be fat and be fairly well-adjusted.  Really.  It is.  Nevermind the fact that I had my own personal breakdown when trying to go to the gym.  That may have been talked about on the internet, but you wouldn't know me from any other cute fat lady standing behind you eyeing the peanut M & M's in the grocery.  Anonymity is not an option when you have a TV camera in your face.

Enough of that.  What I really wanted to comment on is a fear that I've developed after watching last night's episode.  In all seriousness here, I'm afraid of sagging skin when I finally drop the weight.  These folks are losing weight at hyper-speed (like 101 lbs in 7 weeks-WTF?!?) so they've drastically changed eating habits and work-out from dawn until way past dusk.  It's super fast weightloss so maybe the skin doesn't have time to recover, but come on...that's a lot of saggy skin. 

I've never posted full body pictures here...and maybe I should....so you don't really ever see anything other than the words I type on the screen.  Of course, this doesn't represent any of my physical qualities but my fabulous personality traits.  You all know you'd have fun with me if we ever went out for adult beverages.  I'd make you have fun.  You wouldn't be allowed to do anything else.  Anyway, my point is, I am less than 20 lbs away from 300lbs.  (There's a dose of reality for ya.)  There is only so much "weight appropriate" dressing you can do with a good top and bottom set.  Silhoettes only go so far. 

Well, there's a lot of skin covering a lot of fat here.  When the fat goes away, what's gonna happen to the skin?!?!  I'm nervous.  I'm thinking of my Middle and my arms here.  Not to mention my breasts.  I don't need them to deflate!  I've watched Dr. 90210 before.  I watched Adam Sandler's "Click" (it wasn't the best movie in the world). I've seen those mushy fleshy all puckered and flat pieces of skin that are just lying there on otherwise skinny people. 

For those of you in the reading audience who have lost large amounts of wieght and surface area, what happened to your skin?  If you lose the weight slowly, does this not happen? 

Is there hope or only serious cosmetic surgery in my future?


-jafg



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5 comments:

Katie J ♥ said...

That is a good question JAFG. I have been curious about it myself. I think there are a lot of contributing factors. Age, how long the weight has been there, level of exercise etc. It will be interesting to see what people have to say...

Anonymous said...

I think age and amount of weight to lose have a lot to do with it. Skin loses it's elasticity as we age. However, I think it's like a rubberband. Just because it's a new rubberband doesn't mean you can't stretch the flex out of it. Did that make sense? No? Okay, then. My answer is: I don't know. :-)

Regarding the being fat and not having issues thing. I agree. You can be thin and have BUCKETS of issues. However, you did admit to a mini crisis on your way to the gym. It's okay...I'm just pointing out that we ALL have our stuff. We all have our baggage and emotional knapsack that we carry around...fat or thin. I think the trainers could make anyone cry about any issue after they've worked them out for 12 hours.

Awesome post. Keeping it real in the blogosphere deserves kudos. *mmmm....kudos*

Anonymous said...

WHERE R U ??? You are almost a month late in posting anything!!!

Stephanie said...

I think people break down and cry on tv because of the stress of having a camera on them as they go through some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
BODA weight loss

SeaSpray said...

EXCELLENT post!

I agree wholeheartedly.

I am not far from your weight and for the last year have tried to lose weight and yo-yo'd within 20 lbs.

But I set this goal ..a reasonable one... that if I lose 20 ..I will be 1 pound under what I was back in the early 90s and haven't seen since. I even created a color zone chart in a program that I recorded my weights in. Working in the *teal* zone was the next color zone that would've given me great satisfaction and I was very close in March and then Mom died in April and I never went back to it ..even tho it was motivating me because I could see the progress, etc.

Bottom line for me ..I don't eat a lot ..but I stay up really late and eat all night while skipping meals all day and I am diabetic. I don't skip to lose weight but since HS, have gotten it in my head that I feel better on an empty stomach during the day. Also don't exercise even tho belong to the Y. Health issues are now here and I feel so tired. I'm not giving up..but can't get going ..consistently and where as I just wanted to look good feel sexy, pretty and all that..now..I just want to be alive and healthy for my family and quality life..although... I do care about looks. just that I feel physical changes ..like the weight has caught up with me and it scares me..and yet..here I am.

I also have concerned about the extra skin because I know several people who have had the gastric bypass surgery and every one of them have sagging skin.

There is a perk to being over weight..facial lines are smoother or non existent and doesn't sag.

I think age, genetics (skin types-texture/elasticity)and rapid weight loss are all factors in sagging skin ..oh and nutrition..I think our bodies need to maximize nutrition ..putting the best foods in and sleep. Positive attitude/faith ..i think it all ties in..but mostly..rapid weight loss ..the skin goes "Huh what's holding me up? Nothing? SAG!"

I apologize for the comment length and will just add a bit more.

For years I thought lose weight and I'll look great. I had this good image in my head. then my OB/GYN lost 100 lbs and he told me his stomach skin sagged and he had to tuck it into his pants. I was shocked talked with a friend/nurse and she said SeaSpray your NOT 17 anymore! and it hit me i was imagining a very young image with the same body responses. i was 33 at the time.

Well, since then I've spoken with gastric bypass patients and it turns out that not only does your stomach skin sag, but midriff on back, thighs, face and arms..but insurance will pay for the removal of excess stomach skin because it could be a health hazard from sweating/bacteria, etc. They took 17lbs of stomach skin from 1 coworker.

So hearing that freaked me out because I don't want to look like one of those Chines Sharpei dogs..all wrinkly. But..now..I want to be healthy.

I never want that extreme surgery..ever. I want to do it with a Mediterranean diet ..normal lifestyle and slow weight loss. Exercise is also key and again proper rest and nutrition.

I agree with your assessment regarding emotional breakdowns on TV. I didn't know it was possible to lose even close to a hundred pounds in 7 weeks without bypass surgery. And is THAT good for their bodies?