After pondering on whether or not to put up some progress pics I realized there is one more part to the whole process that I have not mentioned very much if at all. After you have the procedure and lose all the weight, there is going to be the issue of the excess skin. In some cases it can cause some health problems but most of the time it is a cosmetic issue. My doctor recommended that I wait at least 18 months before having the excess skin removed. This gives the body time to completely heal after the surgery. It also allows time for the weight loss to even out, and to make sure you are not going to put weight back on by falling back into old habits. Having the skin removed is a procedure done by a plastic surgeon and not usually covered by health insurance. With the amount of skin I will have to have removed I am sure it will be at least two procedures. I would like to have it all done at once and be done with it but will just have to wait and see once the time comes.
More to the point here is the progress pics. You have undertaken this huge step and gone through all that comes with it, and now, you feel better, stronger, more healthy, yet there is a down side. You don’t see the fat person that was there, you see something else. For me it occured in the gym. I was sitting on a bench doing curls and I looked to the side in the mirror to check my form and I saw it. I saw the loose skin on my face. Okay, I expected it everywhere else, but on my face? So I finish the workout and get home and take a serious look. Took an inventory of it if you will. There is a lot of it. Now the mental part kicks in and you wonder if now you look worse than before. Did your body look better when you were fat versus with all the hanging skin?
Will I put progress pictures up? Yes. Will there be some of the excess skin? Yes. Does it make it difficult to see the progress? Yes it does, even to me so I know it will be hard for others to see in the photos that go up. The purpose of putting them up is the same as the purpose of this entire section. To help those who are considering, having, or know someone who is dealing with this process. The best way for you to judge your progress is by tracking your goals and gains and by feel. You can feel the muscle growth underneath even if you can’t see it. Stay at it and in time it will be evident.
Be well and safe.
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