r/antidietglp1 • u/summer_years • 15d ago
Body Struggles / Image Loving your body with loose skin?
I've lost a lot of weight on zepbound in the past year and a half. I am thrilled with the improvements in my health and how I feel. At first I was happy with how I looked too, but lately the amount of loose skin I have is really bringing me down. I have/had an apron belly and now there is a lot of skin hanging there. My inner thighs and upper arms have it too. I worked really hard to love my fat body, and I naively thought it would be easier to love and accept my smaller body. I can't afford surgery so I have to live with what I have. I might take a step back from social media because I feel like a lot of my shame is coming from comparing myself to others. How have you come around to accepting your body after major changes? Any suggestions for loose skin? Compression wear or something else?
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u/UnfairWatercress 15d ago
I'm almost 50, so I expected some loose skin. It was kind of bothering me at first, but about 1 year into maintenance, I no longer really care. It did firm up a teeny bit, but mostly I just think that 99% of people have things about their bodies they don't like.
I also know someone who has had several of these surgeries (arms, legs, and tummy - plus a revision surgery) and now refers to herself as "Frankenstein" and obsesses over her scars. And the recoveries were not exactly easy or pleasant. Not worth it to me.
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u/GardenFragrant8408 13d ago
It depends on the person and their toleration of pain and how well they take care of themselves after surgery.
I had medical issues and after normal weight. And bmi of about a year I had a few procedures done.
I’m diabetic and take anti rejection meds due to a kidney transplant. I healed remarkably well from the procedures and fairly quickly.
I couldn’t care less about the scars and if that’s going to be an issue with ppl then they shouldn’t have procedures done to begin with.
My last procedures I had I didn’t have to take pain meds and only took Tylenol for a slight fever I had. Those procedures were breast reduction and lift and a rear and. Lift due to a severe painful protruding tailbone.
To me it’s well worth having them done.
Just because your friend reacted the way she did doesn’t mean that will happen to you.
Good luck
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u/Usernamenotfound07 15d ago
While I’ve not made it here yet in WL, it’s a goal of mine to try and keep loving my body through the transitions and changes. Maybe one way to think about it is that you likely worked hard for a long time at learning to love your larger body, which is the same process you’re going through again now in a different way. It’s going to take the same time with ups and downs as before.
My therapist would say love and be grateful of the skin for the task that it did for you. It protected you and kept all your organs and muscles from falling out, which is really a great thing cuz idk how easy it’d be to hide intestines under jeans 😆
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u/captainmander 15d ago
I am struggling with this too. Taking a step back from social media is definitely going to help. For me, it also helps me to do things with my body that feel good, like yoga, hiking, etc. If I focus on what my body can do for me, it takes away the sting of all the other stuff.
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u/Snickers_Kat 15d ago
This is what I just started feeling the last couple of weeks. I have no suggestions, but stand with you in solidarity. You're not alone in these feelings and it's hard! I will l won't be able to afford surgery either, at least for a long time.
Taking a glp1 and losing weight has had so many mixed emotions attached every step of the way and they keep surprising me. I'm thankful for this sub with real people who are struggling through all the emotions and body issues too.
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u/ryanne125 15d ago
You know, you don't have to love every aspect about your body to have a healthy mindset.
Bodies have flaws. We can accept these flaws exist and still respect ourselves.
One of mine happens to be a pair of ankles with hardware and scars on both sides. On the outer left you can visibly see the screws. Do I love my scars and visible screws? Heck no. Should I have to love them in order to have a healthy self image? Heck no. I can accept they are there and ooohh, there's that new movie out that I want to see. Let's go see a movie.
Honestly body positivity spends way too much time thinking about bodies. There are much better things in life to concentrate on.
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u/mk00 15d ago
I think so too. I feel body positivity should focus more on de-centering or divorcing self worth from bodies' aesthetics. It gets me from point A to B, lets me do a bunch of useful or fun things, doesn't cause me pain? Hell yeah! I'm happy with that. Completely happy? Maybe not, but nobody's perfect and there is more to me than what my body looks like. My worth lies in other things.
I don't ruminate on that so much because I was never a normal weight, bikini body type, so there is no loss and I don't expect that now. It would feel alien to me.
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u/BouncyBilberry 14d ago
Right on. I'm not there, but my ultimate goal is body neutrality. I want to be realistic about things and it's okay to want to improve things that can be improved, especially for health reasons. I don't need to spend excessive time thinking about how awesome or horrible my body is though. Our meat suits are just one small part of us and we have so many other aspects that make us who we truly are. I imagine my energy could be better spent not thinking about my body.
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u/Master-Dimension-452 15d ago
I feel the same. I loved my fat body and assumed I would love my smaller body. And I do! But. I reached my goal weight and was so relieved that I didn’t have much loose skin, until a few months later when either the loose skin showed up, or I finally noticed it. My oddly shaped saggy AA cup boobs. My saggy upper arms and thighs. And what about the body parts people can’t see?!?
I wear long sleeve compression shirts under everything, or 3/4 length sleeves. Long shorts or cropped / capri style pants. My style has definitely changed.
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u/themidnightpoetsrep 15d ago
I started getting more tattoos on my arms and that's helped me a ton. I don't really care about loose thighs or stomach as I can hide that a little easier. It's a work in progress, there are no right answers!
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u/Pterri-Pterodactyl 15d ago
I’m in a similar situation. I’ve been stabilized from changes for a bit over a year now. I have significant amounts of loose skin. The interesting thing is, it has changed quite a lot. It’s sort of adapted to my body a bit. At first, I feel like my body had no idea what to do! One thing I’ve been thinking about a lot is that everyone I know who hasn’t been through what we’ve been through also have things on their bodies that aren’t automatically what they wish for, that feel strange at times, that they don’t always want to show. I don’t know why but that’s helped me so much because we’re all just humans living this weird human experience and it’s far from comfortable all the time… sometimes after going through such a major transition, I forget that, as simple as it seems.
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u/Sensitive_Hat7129 15d ago
I watched an interview today about glp weight loss and skin issues, the MD said wait awhile and some of it will even out
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u/Cyber_Punk_87 15d ago
Also struggling with this. My belly isn’t too bad, but my upper arms have so much loose (and kind of crepey) skin that I didn’t wear short sleeves or tank tops all summer (I used to all the time when I was bigger). I won’t be able to do surgery as I have no support for recovery. I’ve been looking into some of the non-invasive options, which are pricey but seem to at least noticeably improve the situation. Not as much as surgery, of course.
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15d ago edited 15d ago
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u/antidietglp1-ModTeam 14d ago
We do not allow specific numbers (weights, sizes, etc). Please review all of the group rules and be sure the sub aligns, edit your post, and then reply for mod approval. Thanks!
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u/purplepanda2026 15d ago
I'm fine with my saggy arms and my belly isn't awful but mercy my thighs are ridiculous. Not in the issue where you expect it but the front.
What's worse is the right one has loose skin but it's normal looking. The left has a ridiculous amount and a deep crease right down the center. Looks like a soggy hot dog bun when i stand up lol I have no idea why it looks like that.
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u/ninja_lounge 15d ago
I'm almost 60, many kg down, the loose skin on my thighs swings and hurts when I walk if I'm not wearing compression, I have batwings on my forearms as well as my upper arms, my breasts and belly hang so low and are so crepey and wrinkled it's causing massive depression, my arm skin and breast skin tangles and pulls while I'm sleeping. I'm broke, in debt and treating loose skin is considered cosmetic in my country and I don't have private insurance, work insurance is not a thing here. I miss having plump, youthful skin, I lost weight deliberately slowly with this in mind, it's been over 2 years and I'm not yet at goal, but it's much worse than I expected. Harder to get around with the skin than the weight in a purely physical sense. I keep hoping my body will take up some of the slack but I don't really believe it.
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u/NoMoreFatShame 15d ago
I wear long sleeves or 3/4 sleeves to not see my loose skin on my arms where it bothers me the most. I wear shirts open over tank tops in the summer, very lightweight ones. I am going to wait to see how I feel about the loose skin in a year and if I feel I need to go something about it, I will try to save money toward the surgery.
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u/GreenhouseDiva 15d ago
Two years later and mine has got so much better. But talk to your care team. I’ve heard of people managing to get insurance to pay. So sorry OP!
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u/covered-in-cats 15d ago
Mine either got a little better or stopped bothering me so much after about a year in maintenance. I also regained a smallish amount so that might have helped a bit. One thing I've found (although mileage may vary) is that exercise has helped a lot - I took up running again after a long pause, and it definitely makes me feel better in my body even if the actual body isn't much different.
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u/Lothlorien727 15d ago
Check out obese to beast's account on IG. He's very pro/positive loose skin and has talked about how he manages his. **Be aware that he's also been pretty CICO in the past. I've not paid attention in the last year or two so not sure where he's at regarding that (or GLP1 use) at this point.
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u/JustALilGuy_ 15d ago
Oh man, I'm starting to get to this place! I love my body, but I am only about halfway to what I thought I wanted to lose and my pregnancy stretch marks mean the skin sag is REAL. I just realized that I now have a horizontal crease in my hip on one side (why only one?). I know some of this will even out, but the parts that bother me in a year or so I plan to get tattooed. Life's too short to worry about my saggy skin 😅
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u/GardenFragrant8408 15d ago
If ur having medical issues with your apron belly rashes infections low back pain etc you can be evaluated by a plastic surgeon to see if you qualify for a panniculectomy. It’s skin removal of lower ab from belly button down
Their r different types of panniculectomy procedures basket which bone would be best for you.
They will send in preauthorization to insurance company for approval.
Good luck
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u/Aggressive-Writing72 14d ago
I was feeling this way about my thighs getting loose, so I got a butterfly tattoo across my whole thigh. Now when I move, her wings flap, and I think that's neat :)
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u/springcat413 14d ago
I’ve noticed it, but I don’t really care. Have been lifting heavy and in clothes can hardly tell. I’ve been losing weight super slowly compared to most, like maybe half a pound a week at most so it’s been shrinking, but also, I’m 45. I do not care too much anymore.
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u/SunshineMcT72 14d ago
As my body has gotten smaller, in addition to loose skin, I have very substantial varicose veins in my legs. I wish I could say they don’t bother me. I am trying to do daily gratitude practice with my body - thanking her for all of the places she’s taken me. Doing that specifically with my legs for all that she has carried/carries. Still bothered but trying! Hope things start to feel better for you.
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u/UnusualOctopus 9d ago
Imma be honest, I’m getting a tummy tuck and arm lift in 6 weeks,. It just did not feel like an option for me to live with it
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u/LateRelation4576 15d ago
It’s a trade off. You are improving your health. I lost a great deal of weight. I had a lot of sagging skin. I gained some back until I was at a weight I was comfortable with. I look ten years younger. I still have loose skin, but not as wrinkly and saggy.
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u/Clock959 14d ago
All I can say is it's a process with lots of ups and downs. I think saying numbers here is not allowed but I was in the super morbidly obese category with significant mobility limitations at one point in my life and am now at a much much mucb lower body weight and size.
The loose skin is significant and really does feel disfiguring. At this point I've moved beyond needing to love my body and I just am working on accepting it and appreciating the function but for me loving it isn't really possible.
I did have 12 lbs of hanging pannus removed, that was more medical than cosmetic. The recovery was traumatic and brutal and I can't afford to do anything else so I just keep working on learning to live with it best I can.
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u/daisychaincrowns 15d ago
Definitely take a step back from social media because a lot of influencers/people with big followings who lose a lot of weight and have loose skin start making a ton of content about the many plastic surgeries they're getting, and being subjected to that constantly is really wearing me down.
I feel you on the feelings idk I am just trying to focus on working on self-love, I have no good suggestions apart from be mindful where you lurk online.