I think I've ruined my boobs.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Through dieting.

Over the past 9 months, I went from 153 to 125 (last I checked). The impetus for this was trying on my bikini and being unable to lie to myself. It’s one thing if the bottom doesn’t fit, but when the top is too small, and you know the whole thing fit perfectly when you bought it, things have gone far enough.

So I lost weight, and now I can fit into The Purple Jeans, and sit down in them. But now I fear that it’s true what I’ve been told: the worst thing a well-endowed woman can do is gain and lose.

I’ve been a D cup since I was a teenager. I don’t know what I am now, but early last year, before the diet, I wanted to get a new bra, and only the DDs would fit. Didn’t, or refused to let myself, make the connection. That bra doesn’t fit any more, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I’ve had two recent discoveries that are almost as alarming as the bikini reveal.

The first [TMI ALERT] was when I realized that the girls are a lot floppier than they used to be. I’m convinced they’re smaller, which is not necessarily a bad thing, because smaller breasts can be beautifully shaped, but in my case, they’re not nicer looking, just smaller, and I have stretch marks.[/TMI] The second was just today, when my bra started to fall off. Seriously. The shoulder straps were slipping, which is nothing new, but always before, the cups would stay in place. This time, I felt the whole thing begin sliding down.

I dunno. I’ve been losing weight in unexpected places, like my arms – I’ve had to punch another hole in my watch strap. So perhaps I also lost a layer of fat around my ribcage, and it’s the back strap that doesn’t fit, not the cups? I’ve never had issues with my body, which I think is a reason why I gained, because I didn’t expect much of myself, but I don’t want to start now.

So do you think that if I increased my calorie count just a bit, and did more leg and ab work so I don’t gain there, would that help? And perhaps some upper body work as well? I keep picturing myself as Aunt Esther on Sanford and Son, whose chestal area was truly scary. I just hope the thread title is not as accurate as I fear!

2

I feel your pain. A couple of years ago I became seriously ill (IBD) and lost almost 80 pounds. Went from 212# DD to 135# C. The good news is that I’m no longer heavy and feel much better; having leveled off at a new weight of about 140#. The bad news is I no longer have bodacious tatas. Not only is my bust smaller, but I gained a droop factor that wasn’t there before. I work out religiously; but it seems that no amount of chest muscle is going to remedy the situation. Bummer.

3

I don’t think you can “spot” control weight gain or loss. I have heard of your plight before. I think you’re stuck with the less-than-bodacious look now. Would you consider augmentation?

4

[shakes head sadly]

Fifty years of Wimmins Lib, and young women are still judging themselves by how their tits look? Egad. :frowning:

Rilch, firstly, allow me to congratulate you resoundingly for having dropped 28 lbs. Way to go, girl! [thunderous applause] Your whole body (of which your tits are only a small and very minor part, until you actually need to nourish an infant) thanks you. Your whole cardiovascular system is jumping for joy. You’re looking good in the Purple Jeans.

Okay, so…you lost some weight and your tits are sagging. Welcome to the Gravity Club, girl. :smiley: After I was done with kids and breastfeeding and dropped 25 lbs, my tits sagged, too. And no, there’s nothing you can do about it (short of cosmetic surgery), because it’s the connective tissue and the skin that stretches. No amount of exercise (or miracle breast creams) will drag it back up again. And the stretch marks will fade with time, but they, too, are now part of your outfit. Creams won’t fade them, either.

I thought Alice had some cogent remarks on this subject:

Word.

So, your next course of action is to (a) remember that you are a strong and beautiful Woman, and if anybody finds your slightly-less-than-picture-perfect tits unattractive, say in an intimate setting, they just need to get over themselves and accept you as you are. Do they want you, or do they just want tits? 'Cause they can buy perky peepers on any street corner for 20 bucks. And think of your stretch marks as badges of honor–“these are from when I lost 28 pounds. I rock.” Wear them with pride. Seriously. It’s all in how you think about it.

And (b) treat yourself to a really cute, pretty bra that fits properly. Welcome to the world of “can’t grab a bra off the rack at Wal-Mart and assume it fits without trying it on”. A well-constructed bra can do worlds to improve your self-image, especially when coupled with the Purple Jeans.

Now, go get 'em! :smiley:

5

Fat goes where it wants to go. You can’t exercise your legs to keep the fat off, you’ll just have more muscle under the same amount of fat. You can reshape your body by building muscle in selected areas through exercise, but you cannot reshape your body by removing fat from selected areas.

6

We may need photographic evidence of both the current state of you boobs, your boobs at their biggest, and pre-weight gain. This should allow a more through and informed opinion.

7

Rilchiam, I’m not sure how old you are, but I know that losing weight is more likely to result in some sag as you get older. I’ve been lucky with my boobs (which somehow over the years have always stayed the same relative size, with only the band size expanding or shrinking), but I’ve come to accept that at 36, neither my ass nor my belly is ever going to be camera-ready. They’re certainly both smaller and firmer than they used to be, but stretch marks and mommy pouch are here to stay.

Of course, at 36, I’ve also decided that looking fabulous in my clothes is good enough, and that anyone who sees me out of them should be sufficiently fond and respectful of me that stretch marks and mommy pouch are a non-issue. And I’ve embraced the skirted tankini, which is everywhere this year, so I’m stocking up. :smiley:

8

Okay! Thanks for all the replies.

I don’t feel that surgery is called for. They’re not that much smaller, and they don’t sag that much. The bra still fits if the straps are up; it’s just not snug. (I didn’t realize until just now that it’s been a long time since I’ve gotten elastic marks on my skin.) I just thought that since this change is not extreme, but still enough to be noticeable, there might be something I could do about it. But if it’s surgery or forget it, I’ll forget it.

Duck Duck Goose, for me it’s not so much a matter of judging myself. I personally just think breasts are beautiful, and I like mine and don’t want them to go away. But if I just don’t lose any more weight (and since I’m getting close to my ribs, I think it is time to put the brakes on), and get some new bras, I should be okay. The only person who’s going to see my bare tits is Mr. Rilch, and he’s had no complaints.

There’s also the possibility that the bras themselves stretched when I gained, and haven’t snapped back. I know I’ve gotten smaller, judging by the bikini, but just to make it clear why that was the turning point for me, it was because I had rolls on my back, and sideboob all over the place. (Sorry, Madd Maxx, no pix!) That’s what I call too big, since the top used to fit perfectly, and I was happy with how I looked when it did. I wear generic panties, but only Victoria’s Secret bras, because they’re well-constructed and last forever, and now I can go back there. (That was the warning sign I ignored: when there was nothing in three VS’s that fit me.) And I might even still be a D after all.

That said, I’m still going to ramp up the exercise, for its own sake. Now that it’s no longer a pipe dream, I’d like to have good abs. I had to sit out almost the entire bare-midriff trend, even before I gained, and I hope it doesn’t end before I catch up. I don’t have as much ass as I used to either, and I hope you’re not going to tell me it’s pointless to try to firm that up! So thank you for listening. Guess I just needed to get that off my, uh, chest.

Oh, and DianaG, I’m 37.

9

Almost always, if the straps are sliding off your shoulders, it’s because the band size is too big. If you have bras you really love, a tailor can move the hooks over for you, otherwise it’s time to go bra shopping.

10

Oh, it’s definitely not pointless! I’ve lost about 30lbs, and increased my muscle mass by about a metric assload (hee!) and I’m frankly *amazed * at my ass, because relative to what it was, DAMN!!! Firmer, higher, rounder, and practically *sings * “look at me!” in jeans. But I’m *never * going to have the perfectly smooth, unmarked, cellulite-free ass of a bikini model. That’s okay, I don’t need to. I’m NOT a bikini model.

11

Fifty years of women’s lib, and people still assume that any time a woman talks about her body, she must be doing it on a moral rather than purely practical level. And that she must be an ijit teenager with nothing more “profound” to think about. Tsk tsk.

12

Thanks to the wonder of photoshop - THEY don’t have the smooth, unmarked, cellutlie free ass of a bikini model either.

Rilch, welcome to middle age. Mine set in suddenly with pregancy and nursing at 33 - and “the girls” will never be perky again. Good foundation garmets!

13

Well, first of all, I did have an idea of how old Rilch is, generally, but to me at 52, anybody younger than 40 (i.e. “premenopausal”) qualifies as a “young woman”. If you crawled inside my mind to practice your ESP and got that I thought she was an idjit teenager with nothing profound to say, you might wanna rethink your vocation as telepath. :wink:

Second, anytime someone opens a MPSIMS thread with an emotional title–such as, for example, “I think I’ve ruined my boobs”–I believe we are entitled to assume that the OP is talking about her body on something other than a “purely practical” level.

Keep yer “tsk tsk” for somebody who needs it. :wink:

14

Hey- I look fabulous in clothes! The girls are as perky as ever, even after two kids!

Oh, did you mean naked? Oh hell, that’s a whole 'nuther story! :wink:

Seriously, I am going to be 40 this summer, and I am wearing a bikini in Hawai’i next week. I may not be perfect but as long as the top supports the girls in their somewhat dilapidated state, it’s all good. I am curvier than I was, but I look good for a mom! Hubby still thinks I’m sexy naked, and believe me he’s the only one who see me that way! :wink:

Great undergarments are a must in clothes, and good diet and excercise are a must for bathing suits, etc. Heck, I got myself a belly button piercing last year (my mini mid-life crisis!) and I am proud of it, even with the little extra “pooch” I’ve gained since I did it.

I can remember seeing hubby’s great aunt trying on clothes once, and seeing her lift, roll, fold and stuff her big old boobs into her bra cup! :eek: Now, I do something similar, though on a much smaller scale (so to speak). :cool:
Edit- my 5 year old looked at this post and said “Look, it’s a smilie adventure!” :smiley:

15

Oh, don’t worry, babe. Things will even out as the weight loss continues. Weight comes off in the opposite order in goes on. If you’re predisposed to put weight around your middle, then you’ll lose weight everywhere else first. Arms, thighs… hell, I knew a guy who lost weight from his head so his hats were all too loose.

Exercise will help tone you overall, so eventually you can get that more sculpted look.

It’s like growing your hair out. You might look awesome with the short “Demi Moore in Ghost” haircut, and you may look awesome with long, lucious locks. But during the in-between stages, you’ve gotta wear a hat! Not suggesting you’ve got to be covering up or anything, just reminding you that, tranisition phases are always awkward, whether it’s losing weight, going through puberty, or changing your hair.

With significant weight lost, it can take time for looser skin to sort out where it belongs. Wait until you’ve plateaued for a really long time, before you start considering something radical like surgery, and in the meantime you can get bras that offer you better support.

16

Have you been doing any strength training? Push-ups and other exercises that work your pecs may help a little bit, since those muscles lie directly behind the breast.

And congratulations on the weight loss!

17

There’s a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours.

(congrats on the weight loss :D)

18

Rilchiam, hie thee hence to the nearest Nautilus machine and become intimately acquainted with the butterfly machine. While using it, do not clench your fists, or hold on to the pads as this will increase the load on your pecs. Do many, many reps and build the weight up. Then do some bench presses. Don’t put your feet on the floor like the guys do or you’re liable to ouch your lower back–feet up on the bench. Bench press like there’s no tomorrow. While you’re there, do some pulldowns to improve the triceps and get rid of any distressing batwing tendency–nothing gives away a woman’s age faster than granny arms.

No, this will not change any droop factor in the girls themselves, but it will put a hell of a lot more muscle behind them and pop 'em out more than a bit, and improving the pecs will also give you a better “shelf like” posture that puts the boobs out on show a bit more. Speaking of posture, if you tend to slump now is a fabulous time to break the habit. Great posture is the rack’s best friend. Keep really well hydrated to support your skin elasticity and use lots of cocoa butter lotion to keep the skin soft and supple.

After a while you’ll be surprised at how much the girls have recovered their erstwhile shape and bounciness and you’ll probably be able to make 'em wave howdy just by flexing–always a fabulous icebreaker at parties!

19

SmartAleq, would it be possible to recreate, with free weights, what you want me to do with a butterfly machine? Because we have a stationary bike, which I’ve been using, and a weight bench and free weights, which I have not. The idea was that we’d never have to join a gym, which is good, because the one nearest us relocated. I’d like to see the results you’re talking about, but I hope not to have to join a gym to produce them. What are pulldowns?

Cellphone, I’m trying to plateau right now. As I said, I’m getting close to my ribs, and I refuse to become one of those Californiacs who mutters, “I’m so fat, I’m so fat,” while dieting, exercising and tanning* herself to the consistency of pemmican. I don’t want to lose any more weight; I want to start toning my body as it now is. I’ll get new bras, but surgery is not going to happen. And I’m not chasing the photographic ideal. I’ve seen Keira Knightley on screen and in person (briefly), just to name one actress, and I can tell the difference.

Thanks to all who congratulated me! I’ll keep you apprised of further results!

*That’s another thing I don’t do. From birth to now, I have studiously avoided the sun. I remember being 12 or so, and having my abrasive Aunt J. say, waving her cigarette, “Rilchie, get out of the pool and get some sun! Your legs are as white as I don’t know what!” Well, guess what, J. – they’re still as white as they were then. They’re also still as smooth as they were then. Someone recently linked to a photo of Brigitte Bardot. That’s what sun worshipping does to you. No thank you madam.

20

But just to add to the conversation a bit, I have an out of whack perspective that might interest you guys.

That is. I used to weigh 300 pounds. Due to a gastric bypass I now weigh 135. I have a little damage…my thighs are very dimply, my breasts are lower than they used to be…but it’s nothing that I’m currently considering surgery for. And it’s MUCH less damage than I was expecting. I’m 37 and I figure I have an average-ish build for a woman my age. Though, I still really DO like my 34Ds and my waist ended up TINY…my belly flattened back up and didn’t sustain any of the expected damage.

So…for normal women to find that their breasts aren’t up where they used to be must be hard to come to terms with. But from MY perspective, I’m so happy that I can simply MOVE…that I fit in an airplane seat, can buckle my safety belt without strangling, can walk in the mall all day, go to the gym without being ridiculed and so forth. I guess I’m so grateful to only have THIS level of “damage” that I have a hard time being too down on myself.

Maybe I SHOULD be more ashamed of how I look, but I can’t muster the humility. And that’s cool with me. Maybe thinking of our bodies from a different perspective is a good idea. “Yep, everything’s working, I’m normal, healthy, and can MOVE if I want to exercise or have sex or whatever.”