I have taken a lot of the morning to catch up on peoples blogs, and to read new ones. It amazes me how many I read, and they can relate to my life. Just when you feel like you are all alone. There is another story. Yea, the story has a few tweaks that dont apply but overall, it could be your evil twin living your life.
I have longed to be thinner for so long, that I dont know what its like for that yearning to not be there. I was trying to decide when will I have enough? when will I be comfortable in my own skin? Will it be when I hit a certain weight, reach a certain size? I dont know the answers to these questions. Like a lot of us, I wing it and go day by day.
My hub was giving me a back massage last night, and he said omg I can feel your bones. Two things popped into my mind.. Wow, was I that doughy he couldnt feel it before, and yay, maybe something is paying off!
There are areas of my body that I am noticing loose skin and its driving me insane. Where as before at least it had something filling it...if that makes sense. The area that kills me is the under side of my arms, when it flaps way longer than you move your arm. It makes me wonder if all the work for weight loss is for nothing. I will have saggy skin in my belly, thighs, arms...and I still wont be content with myself is my fear.
I dunno if these fears are normal but I cant help but wonder every day, will I ever really be happy with me? No, this is not some blog about me falling off the wagon, or wanting to quit because I DO want to be smaller..despite the skin. It just brings about the question, what will it take for me to be happy in my own body. Is there ever such a thing as perfection within ourselves?
keep up the great work...
Gail
Posted By: chickofegg
Comments to this post:
06/28/2007 14:35
I don't know
Is it possible for a woman to feel good about her body all the time? I don't know. There are some days I feel hot and sexy, the next fat and bloated. One thing's for sure, there's no such thing as perfection. How boring would that be anyhow?
I think this journey is way more than just losing weight. It's also finding ourselves. And learning to love ourselves. No matter what our size is. And just because you love yourself as you are doesn't mean that you don't still want to improve. I think you have to look deep inside. I don't know if we ever will be happy. Because once we lose our weight, any problems that exist now will still be there. We'll just be smaller. And in some ways, since we've all focused on losing weight for so long, it will be a let down to reach goal. What then? I don't know. So, I guess I'm babbling.
Just remember, there's always plastic surgery for that skin. :-)
Don't worry about any flapping--your skin just needs to adjust to your new bod. Have you tried weight lifting or some other firming/strengthening/toning exercise? Added bonus: more muscle = faster metabolism. Yay to hubby for noticing--and giving you a hard-earned massage.
I read a quote the other day that seems to resonate with my own frustrations or just questions about what a future of fitness will be like for me. I think Michael J. Fox said it... it was something like "Perfection is something only God can accomplish. I'm just striving for excellence." It reminds me that all I can do is my best, but that I also need to put that in perspective, which means acknowledging the success I've had so far and recognizing the limits to what I can accomplish during this short lifetime.
I for one, am looking at my health! Yes, I have the insecruities of the skin or having someone look or touch me. I am doing weights so that it can help tighten what I do have. I'm scared that someone will look at my jiggly arms, thighs, and stomach and thinks its gross! However I believe the greatest thing that we can do is make our bodies the best we can and thats making it healthy from the inside out!
i think these are questions we've all had along our journey: will we be content with ourselves when we reach there? it's a question that cannot be answered at present, but tell ya what - you can and should be dang proud of what you have accomplished so far!
Those are the exact things I have been thinking of. Saggy skin vs. slenderness.
Since I am single I fear being thin, meeting a man fully clothed, get married and then have to undress in front of him. Aack! Will he ask me to put my clothes back on?
Hey there...I know no woman who is truly happy about every aspect of their body. Just focus on the things you do like and be pround of your accomplishments. Also, think about the other benefits of losing the weight. Better health, more energy, etc. You asked me about my plan on my blog and due to the # of requests, I have posted the details.
there was a large guy in some james vanderbeek movie (it was football). I saw him on Montel Williams last year. He had lost I want to say around 400 lbs. He had the saggy skin as well, especially around the belly. In his case he needed plastic surgery cause well toning wasnt doing it. But for MOST of us toning exercises will help take care of sucking in the loose skin. I also brought him up because he talked about the hard time he had dealing with that loose skin, how badly it made him feel. Here he achieved a healthy weight, healthy lifestyle, and yet he felt sad to look at himself cause it wasnt his idea of what a healthy person should look like. I don't know what to say to make you feel better, but you are definetly not alone in looking at yourself and bothered by imperfections. If its of any help I still love ya lol
P.S. a touch of irony, that large guy can not get work in hollywood cause of his weightloss....people actually wanted him to get bigger again so they could type cast him. Sad isnt it?
I have this horrible loose skin from my c-section and my skin is so thin from the deep stretch marks I know that it will never be 'firm'. Of course I'd rather look good 'in clothes' that NOT look good in clothes...lol. You're not alone my friend!
