Hi, Sharon ~
Thank you for the nice compliment, Little Darlin' but trust moi, I am not perfect. I have had no surgery - if I did, I'd have my eyes done! Those eye crinkles are startin' to bug me!
Re: saggy skin - I've written about it in other posts and you may do a search using the ‘search’ button at the ^ top of the page. Type in ‘saggy’ and ‘skin’ and my name as the author…here’s the short version of my story:
I like to use the analogy of a balloon.
If you inflate a balloon and keep it blown up for several days and then untie it, the balloon will be a bit puckery looking.
If you wait several more days, it gradually shrinks up - never quite returning to its pre-blown days but it still looks pretty good.
My bod is a lot like that.
After I reached my goal weight, my skin was puckered and loose but it continued to tighten up as time went by - it is not perfect. My thighs and upper arms are ‘shaky’ - but so are the thighs and upper arms of women my age that have always been a normal weight. I'll be 58 years old in October and I have been overweight for virtually all of my adult life. Not just 10 pounds overweight but a LOT overweight.
There are some people that will need to lose more weight than I have and their story may be different from mine. I had a large chest & waist, huge hips, wide buns and a big belly when I weighed 267 pounds. My belly was big but it was not a hang-down kind. I did not have a pannus or panniculus as some people do.
When we follow the 5 & 1 protocol and use the Medifast meal replacements, we lose our fat, not the muscle tissue.
One reason I avoided WLS was because I wanted to lose fat and not jeopardize the muscle tissue. I have a friend that had weight loss surgery and I interviewed others who had weight loss surgery – many of them need surgery to remove excess skin or to repair hernias from the weight of their skin pulling away from the muscle wall. My friend had a complete body lift. She did not lose as much weight as I did - she lost about 90 pounds and is 10 years younger than I am. Her surgery cost more than most people's cars...
If you follow the program, go all the way to your goal, complete the transition plan properly, your skin will tighten up. It will not do so overnight. Our skin is the largest organ of the human body and it is amazing. Think how it stretches when a woman is with child. It returns to semi-normal but not the same day she gives birth. Over time it happens.
I am so happy to be healthier and thinner. At times, I wish my thighs were not boingy but they are and they serve as a reminder to me of my former foody ways.
I do not allow despair to wash over me. I just wear a sexy little sarong around my hips and sashay with pride to the sea or pool.
I would never wish to return to my former flabby self. Never.
Before I went on my Medifast Journey, my porky legs looked like a pair of humongo panty hose packed with large curd cottage cheese.
The purple vein marks looked like a three year old with a Sharpie pen had a scribble fest all over them.
There are some people that use saggy skin as an excuse to go off the program or to prevent them from starting the program.
In my humble opinion, that is just plain dippy.
I would never sacrifice the joy of life, my new-found health and self-confidence for firmer thighs!
I have a wrinkle in my midriff area - but you know what? Only my Terry sees it and a few chosen friends – Terry rather likes my bod - he thinks it looks rather fine! Evidently the man at the grocery store liked it, too - I never got pinched when I was a chubbette!
Sharon, the important thing is that we are healthy women – when we feel good about ourselves, we look good.
I wear sexy clothes and look hot because I AM hot. I tell myself that and I believe it!
We are w-o-m-a-n!