The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[ChiNut]

Nancy, thank you so much for your reply to Sharon's question. You answered a lot of my questions and commented on many of the fears I have had. After two children and two c-sections I know my tummy will never go back to the way it used to be before children, but at least there is hope.

[Diana]

Nancy, ...wow... I can't wait to have similar pics to post!! Thanks for being a model and inspiration in so many ways.

[SharonR]

Nancy, thanks for answering in so much detail. You look fabulous, so I will take your word for it! I do get a little nervous thinking about losing a 150 pounds. I have known people who have lost weight and are so unhappy with all the sagging skin. But they are usually complaining the day they meet their goal, not years later, after the skin has had some time so shrink.
You give me hope girlfriend!
Thanks so much!
Sharon

[Nancy]

Saggy skin is not something any of us wants but thankfully it is something that can be repaired if we have the money and the inclination to have it done. I know that if I had not made a major change in my dietary habits, I would have a lot more serious things to consider than flappy skin.

My blood pressure was climbing, with the incidence of heart disease and diabetes in my family and the tingling in my extremities I was concerned about losing the functioning of my toes and developing diabetes myself...I'll take a bit of arm flappage over a heart attack or a stroke any day!

Some of you have seen me up-close and personal like so you will be able to better tell the others if I look okie doke or not. The bod's not perfect but it is healthy, it is happy and so much better than before. You're gonna be great - now we just have to getcha there.

[Diana]

Nancy, if I hadn't seen the pics for myself, I wouldn't have believed that you were EVER heavy or that you've never had any kind of skin removal type surgery.
The thing that impresses me the most is that you don't have that telltale turkey gobble of a chin a lot of women have after loosing so much. You look very lean to me. And the hope that I may actually result in a body, heck even just a chin, even close to yours thrills me to no end.

(I'd gladly look like Jan and/or Bonnie, too!! Although I'm much too vertically challenged to resemble the lovely and graceful Jan.)

[Nancy]

Thanks, Little Darlin' ~ You'll look beautiful - you have thick lush hair, a nice complexion, a great sense of humor, you have a positive outlook, a strong faith and you'll soon be curvy - things get really fun when you meet folks you haven't seen for a while! Sheesh! I might not recognize you!

[hulagirlfromhawaii]

Bump!!!

I was scrolling through the studio and came across one of my favorite before & afters of Nancy! What an inspiration!!!
Wow! you are stunning Nancy!!!

[beeah_b]

thanks hulagirl! I had never seen these. Wow. inspiration times 100.

[1Angel]

My Darling Nancy!

First of all, I miss you very, very much!!! I still have your pictures on my refrigerator door. You have been my greatest inspiration from the get going ...

Thank you so much for sharing those pictures ... what a difference ... I can't wait to get there (to my goal weight). It's been so long since I haven't been out of the house of the 200s that just getting to 199.9 is my ultimate goal for now. I am setting mini goals of 10 pounds at a time. This way I'm not so out of touch with my goals. The important thing is that I have not given up and I am back to stay until I reach my goal weight, regardless of how long it will take me.

I also used to be afraid of the extra skin, but after seen your pictures, I'm sure I don't have to worry about that. Our skin has a lot of elasticity and if we eat fish, specially salmon, twice or even 3 time a week, it will help even more. Have you noticed that the Japonese and other orientals hide their age very well. That's due to the amount of fish and fish oils (Omega 3 and Omega 6) found in fish.

Anyways, just thought to drop you a note and let you know how beautiful you look!!!
XOXOXO

[Nancy]

I thank you so much for your generous compliments and for missing me, too. We are away from home in Kauai with our family right now getting some much needed rest.

Pick a goal, break it down into all the mini steps that it takes to reach the goal and then peck away at it, day by day. It does take some time to get there, but everything is possible if you don’t give up!

We all experience great temptations and challenges, we do not need to be perfect but we do need to be diligent.

As I watch the development of our grandson, I notice the way he watches others, then mimics and practices and then he can do things by himself. He didn’t go from being an infant to being an adult; his progression is from an infant to a toddler, then to a young boy, an adolescent, and a young man, etc. For foodies to make healthful life changes, it takes practice and accountability; we can learn the lessons necessary to improve our eating style for the rest of our lifetime.

May we keep the proper perspective on our weight loss journey – gather the materials and take the beginning steps necessary to accomplish our goals, and then actually take that first step, keep our eye on the prize and continue towards improved health and an appropriate weight until we cross the finish line.

Good things happen to those who do not give up.

You are on your way! I believe in YOU!

[Elke]

WOW, you truley are amazing! You continue to inspire and give me hope. I enjoyed you post about the flabby skin because that is something I am hoping will shrink up with me. I don't want surgery but I don't want a saggy belly even more, but now I have new hope that maybe I wont need the surgery....once again I thank you for all you give

[jlaman79]

What an awesome thread. I continue to be amazed by Nancy and all the wonderful folks who post here. I was beginning to be concerned about the saggy skin, but now I'm not so scared. My tummy is definately looked deflated after my weight loss so far, and I have no idea what I'll look like when I get to goal.

Does strength training and yoga and things like that have any effect on the skin after the weight loss?

[Nancy]

I should think that all the things we do to make ourselves healthier - exercise, some nice emollient lotion for dry skin, keeping our body well-hydrated with plenty of water, will all help to contribute to our sense of well-being and how our body functions and looks. For me, it seemed like my midriff and belly area were puckery as I lost weight and then as time went by, it began to firm up over the course of time. My skin was far saggier during the deflabbing stage, kind of like after giving birth. I was so naïve when I was preggers - none of my friends had gone before me and had babies so I was my own science project. I don’t know why, but I assumed that right after giving birth, the lump would be gone and I’d step on the scale and have all 28 pounds of baby weight poof! and be gone. Doesn’t work quite like that, does it? It takes time for the tummy and midriff to return to normal – and it truly never shrinks all the way back to pre-baby form.

Many factors enter into the picture – just remember, we are moving towards our healthiest best here. It is doubtful that any of us wants to be saggy and baggy – we want to take a shake, slumber for a few months - avoiding all negative emotional influences and tempting foods! And miraculously wake up thin with firm skin and have no remnants of our flabbier selves. Drat! It does not work like that! It takes time to get the weight off, time for the skin to do its thing and for some people, they may need to visit Dr. Snipit.

I hate my upper thighs the most and yet that surgery is the one that appears to me to be the toughest for surgeons to correct. I do not know of anyone that has had their thighs lifted and ended up with awesome thighs. Guess we just drag out the thigh master and work out more! I’m at a point in my life where I can be satisfied with shaky thighs – they are a whole lot better than the thunder thighs I had before I started on the program at 267 pounds!