Wednesday, May 7, 2008

80 year old saggy elephant skin

I went to see my wellness doctor today. Actually, I just went for a weigh in. I sometimes dread weigh in's because there are times when I don't lose weight and there have been two times when I have gained weight. It's usually right around my period when I gain weight and the doctor has never said anything the two times I gained weight. She is really supportive and can usually tell, just by looking at my print out from the scale, that I am carrying water weight. She came in one day and asked "Are you going to start your period soon?" She just gets it. Kudos, Dr. G.

Today I was down two pounds. It doesn't sound like a lot, but that is okay with me. There have been times when I have lost 7 pounds in a week, but now that I am getting closer to my goal, the amount I lose each week has become smaller. I like being consistent and losing about two pounds a week, because it is safe. Now I only have 46 pounds to lose. Hopefully, I can be at my goal by the end of the summer or early fall. I might be able to get there quicker if I could do two workouts a day, but I don't really have time to do that I am afraid I would turn into a hulking mass of muscle. Now, I love being muscular and having definition, but I don't need to look like a body builder.

Anyhow, I was in the shower the other day and I noticed that even though I have dropped the weight and toned up, I have some places where my skin is hanging and looks bad. I have lost 131 pounds, so I should have some loose skin. It's inevitable. However, since I workout regularly, I have been able to get some of the skin to shrink and tighten up. But not all my skin will be able to shrink and tighten up like it would had I never gained all the weight in the first place. I was standing in the shower today and I thought "I look like an 80 year old women with saggy elephant skin."

So, what does a girl with saggy 80 year old elephant skin do? Well, I have a few options. I can do nothing and just deal with it. It's not like anyone sees it when I am dressed. I hate my legs, but as long as I wear long enough skirts or dresses, you can't see the parts I really hate. I could have major plastic surgery, but that costs lots of money and I had already decided I wouldn't have any surgery until I had been at my goal weight for a year. Dr. G. told me they had a patient who had surgery right after getting to their goal weight and in a year, the person looked all weird because their skin continued to shrink and well, the doctor had cut all the excess off and well, the person's newly contoured body didn't look so good. Why spend all that money and go through the pain if you won't get the results you want.

I guess I am just going to have to hope and pray my skin continues to shrink. So far, I can't really complain because I could look a whole lot worse. I can't lie when I say I would like to not have the excess skin and my elephant look, but it is a reminder of how far I have come and that I don't want to go back again. Until next time, Diva Divine

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