Lilmo, I know what you are going through...been there, and I have done that..and that was my main reason for the reply. You are young, and can get back into shape. And I want to tell you from experience, that by having surgery is not the easy way out, it may be the worst thing that you could ever do to yourself... please please reconsider or find a reputable plastic surgeon. Now let me tell you why. I am now 52 years old, and until 3 years ago, was the fat child, the fat wife, just the fat person. I tried everything, every diet, fad, pill, shots, and then somes.... finally, due to my health issues a doctor suggested gastric by-pass. After months of researching, I found just the right doctor. And praise the Lord, no problems with vomiting and all of the other horrifying things that go along with the surgery. I went from 287 lbs. to 123 lbs. It took 3 long years, and it is not an easy quick fix. I had to eat only 4 ounces at a time, and take 40 minutes to eat that whopping 4 ounces, then wait another 40 minutes to be able to drink 4 ounces, and I had to eat every couple of hours. And then all I ate was zero fat, zero sugar, and the lowest carbs there are... I could go on and on about that... but now to the surgery. After loosing that much weight, I was wearing a size 4 petite jeans and a 6 petite jacket...long way from 24 and 26 plus sizes. I, too, was disgusted with my body, because the loose skin made me look like a freak. My legs actually looked a sharpei dog, you know the one with all of those hanging wrinkles, and my stomach just hung....well 3 years after my by-pass surgery, I had a bowel obstruction, had surgery, then 8 months later I developed two painful hernias. My by-pass surgeon suggested a plastic surgeon to remove my hernias, then do a tummy tuck, and thigh lift all at the same time., what a dream come true...I thought, wow, wearing a size 4 with all of this extra skin, I will wear size 2.... and then I would not be embarassed to have relations with my husband. Although he loved me just as much as when I was big as a whale. I did have the hernias removed, the tummy tuck, and my thighs lifted. What a nightmare. I have had many surgeries, and never the problems that I am having now. My stomach looks awful, I guess that it was not done right, and then I had sutures come loose on the inside that allowed skin to hang on my left side.... and my thigh lift. I thought that they would make a small incision at the top and inside of my thigh. I was wrong, when I can out of recovery I was cut from my inside thigh down to my knees. I have had swelling, numbness, pain, and have not been able to work since April. Knowing what I know now, I would not have had the plastic surgery done. And this was a well known doctor. Things happen, and sometimes not good. When I was in my early thirties, I was around 200 lbs, and was diagnosed with diabetes. I remember my grandmother dying from complications from her diabetes, and I did not want that to be me. So I dieted, and of course it was not healthy the way I did it, but I did it and lost so much weight, and toned and was able to wear a bikini....and I had two children. Now that I am older, and could not tone, I relied on a knife to cut away the ugliness left over from my weight loss...I would not do it over again, even knowing that another doctor would do it with better results. My body is not the same, my waist line is larger now, than before the surgery, and my legs are still swollen, and it has been over 6 months since I had the surgery..... work out girl...work out.... I did it, you can do it.... if you feel that having surgery is the only way you can do it, then by all means save your money because it is costly, and could end up costing you more than you bargained for... take care and God Bless