I should be happy....but I'm not
 

I've been overweight pretty much all of my adult life but never as big as I was after having my last son. I weighed in at 265 pounds. I had a c section and was trying to recover from that when I fell and shattered my ankle. I had to have reconstructive surgery and was off of my feet for another 3 months. I couldn't support my own weight on crutches and was just disgusted with myself. Needless to say I gained more weighed and the scale couldn't even get my weight because the numbers didn't go that high. When I learned how to walk again and was able to leave my house, the depression lessened and I started doing Paleo/Low Carb. I went up and down but have managed to drop more than 70 pounds and keep it off for over a year. I went to the Dr and he said I have 40 more to lose, and put me on orlistat/Xenical which makes no sense because of the high fat intake. I should feel happy that I've lost the weight but my body is a mess. My skin is so loose and hangs. I'm in my 32 and thought it would bounce back. My dr is recommending I do surgery to get my pannus removed because it hangs so bad. Does anyone else feel this way after they have lost most of the weight? Does the skin ever tighten back? I notice my face looks more wrinkled too.

"...Does anyone else feel this way after they have lost most of the weight?"

Feel what way? "not happy"?

Katerina 20-- You should be so proud of yourself having lost a significant amount of weight and keeping it off! Great job!

When did the depression begin? Was it your doctor's suggestion that you lose 40 more that set it off or had it been building before then?

As far as losing weight with Orlistat, you are right - it's a ridiculous idea. Your doctor may have prescribed it but you do not have to put it in your mouth - or even fill the prescription. If you are taking the Orlistat, it may well be responsible for your depression.

As far as loose skin, for some people it tightens, for others it does not. Some people wear support garments that help them look good in clothes. For some that is a long term solution; others will want to undergo surgery. There is no right or wrong.

All the best to you, whatever you decide.

I'm sorry that you are unhappy. Perhaps you are just focusing on the wrong things. There has to be many, many good things that have improved in your life for having lost 70 pounds. I have lost a lot of weight. I have some loose skin. I can't say that I'm happy about that, but I prefer where I'm at 100 times more than where I came from. Some consider loose skin battle scars. I tend to think of it as an inevitable consequence of getting so large. I am doing what I can short of surgery to make it better, but even if nothing changes I'm happy to be me - even with my sagging skin.

I've read much on the subject of loose skin. How much it bounces back depends on age, how large you were, how long you were large, and a roll of the dice with genetics. I lost 70 pounds back in my 20's and had no loose skin. It bounced back completely. Then I proceeded to spend 25+ years weighing in the 300 to 400 pound range (with an added bonus of 40 pounds at the point I started eating low carb). It took me 30 months to lose 250 pounds. After seeing the 'biggest loser' type shows on TV I was mentally prepared for the worst as far as loose skin goes. I expected it to be bad.

Frankly, my loose skin is not as bad as I thought it would be and it continues to get better. I didn't lose the weight as fast as those 'biggest loser' contestants and not as fast as those who have had weight loss surgery. I have sagging skin. No doubt about that. But it never did hang as badly as those examples I saw on TV. Along the way the more I lost the more my skin would sag... up to a point. Then as I got closer to my goal weight the less it would sag. In other words, the sagging was at its worst while I was in the middle of my weight loss journey. There was still plenty of fat in that skin to weigh it down with the forces of gravity. With time and increased fat loss, my skin has started to tighten back up.

My goal weight was not very ambitious. It was simply not to be obese. So I picked 210 pounds. I didn't think I would ever get there, anyway. But I stuck to this WOE and to my surprise I actually surpassed my goal. Right now I am still classified as "overweight". I still can pinch more than an inch. I have fat remaining in my sagging skin. I've been maintaining my weight loss for nearly a year now. The loose skin continues to slowly improve. Again, from what I've read, I can't know how far it will bounce back until I lose that last bit of excess fat. So my goal between now and the end of the year is to see if I can get down to a normal BMI. I want to lose this last bit of fat. But losing the last 20 is proving much harder than the first 250 pounds. I'm working at it. Time will tell if I can get to where I want to be.

I am over 50 years old and I used to be twice the size I am now. Even if I can make it down to a normal BMI (179 pounds is my max) I have my doubts that my skin will fully recover. I do expect that it will be a little better than it is now and right now it is not bad. It is certainly better than it was 2 years ago.

One last thing... I had some serious 'bat wings' under my upper arms. Lifting weights, time and continued weight loss helped quite a lot. If you look at the 1000 Days of Healthy Eating milestone (see my signature line) - I have a photo there that shows much improvement.

I don't know how bad your skin issue is compared to mine. But your journey is not yet complete. With time and additional weight loss it should improve. Keep working at it. Perhaps you will need skin removal surgery when all is said and done. Perhaps you won't. Lose the weight. Be happy with what you have accomplished. Enjoy the freedom of being light on your feet.

6 years ago I lost 96lbs. And I looked great in clothes. But I did not feel great because in my mind I saw crinkly skin and not the body I had dreamed of. It was a tough reality check to what I was and what I thought I would look like.
I was in such despair over it I ended up gaining weight back. And I regret that horribly.
Now here I am I don't have as much to lose but I still have weight to lose and I am not older.

I would not go on the drugs. I would do what you know works for you and ignore the drs advice.

I will tell you that working out helps the body bounce back a little. You are young. And while there may be some things you don't like about the way you look, Would you feel better with 70 extra pounds? I don't think so.

It is so tough to face reality, especially when it is not what you thought it would be. I have been there but I know that while I may never look like cindy crawford, I will be strong and healthy.

Don't beat yourself up. You did an amazing thing, Without drugs, I might add.

Hugs because I know how you feel. :)

You actually have a choice as to what you focus on. You can celebrate your weight loss or you can bemoan your loose skin and the additional pounds you would like to lose. I don't understand why your doctor prescribed orlistat. As Liz said it could be contributing to your depression and also you have been very successful by diet alone. Everything I have heard about this drug suggests that it is a nasty drug. You may feel miserable right now but there are things you can do to turn your attitude around and find the positives in what you have accomplished. I plateaued at a 70 pound weight loss for a long time and then I lost the rest of it. All the time I figured that at least things were better than when I started. The plateau didn't feel like a failure to me. It felt like the success that it was.

Jean

First of all, congrats on 70 pounds gone. That is amazing!

I have lost 110 pounds and have been able to maintain a 100+ loss for almost a year now. I have some sagging skin around my arms. I started lifting weights about eight months ago. That has tightened things up quite a bit. The only time it is noticeable is when I am doing a doing overhead press types of exercises or showing off the guns in my biceps. There is off and on a little bit of skin on my abdomen as well. Depends on how much ab work I have been doing. My first is advice is to start doing some weight training. That and time will help tighten things up. How much no one can predict. But it will help.

The one thing that time and working out will not help me with is losing just about everything in my chest. I never had large breasts, but I had nice ones. Now everything is totally sagging. No amount of working out will change that. I would probably be okay with that except that I found out that my husband had started an affair about half way into my weight loss. He continued it until I found out about 6 months ago. The other woman is gone and we are trying to work things out. But it has made me totally insecure about myself. Especially the thought if things don't work out and I start a new relationship.

So I am in the process of seeing plastic surgeons to have a breast lift done and possibly some lipo on the remaining fat on my thighs. I guess what I am saying is no, you are not alone in being unhappy. You are still young and if it makes you feel better, surgery should be an option for you to consider.

HUGS.