[Val]

Jumbo, thanks. You're sweet.

Puddles, I'm not one to shy away from cosmetic surgery. As soon as my baby bearing is over (2007) I will not hesitate to let my shallowness evolve towards "the knife".

Super QT, Wow! I knew you had made tremendous changes by looking at your photos, but 40 lbs is amazing. You should be damn proud. Another 30 will have you looking like a freakin' super-star! You will be crazy shredded. I know that losing weight can cause the sagging skin as well. There are a lot of factors that play into whether it tightens back up or not. Genetics (skin elasticity), how long you carried the weight, how quickly you lost it, age. There is a skin cream called Strivectin that's supposed to work wonders. One of my girlfriends gave birth a couple of days after me and had gotten stretch marks really bad. She also ended up w/ a c-section and quite a bit of loose skin. She used it for several months and noticed a huge difference. Strivectin is REALLY expensive, though and I don't have the $$$ for that kind of thing.

I'm trying to do more core work and improve my posture in hopes that this will make a difference. It sort of looks like a little fat pocket right around my belly button, but there aren't any wrinkles in it like some of my girlfriends have. It's just strange, b/c no matter how much weight I've gained in the past, I've never really stored fat in my belly. It always tends to gravitate towards the butt and thighs.