In His Own Words: Christian on Excess Skin and the Choices That Follow Major Weight Loss
Recently, Christian — a longtime voice in the bariatric community — shared a candid reflection on his social media. His honesty struck a chord with us, and with so many of the people we serve. With his blessing, we’ve translated his words into English below. Here it is, in his own words.
When you lose a significant amount of weight, there’s a victory people rarely talk about. And there are challenges they talk about even less.
For a long time, I believed that once I reached my natural weight, everything would become simple. The reality is more nuanced.
After my bariatric surgery, I found an incredible sense of freedom. I could run again. Cycle. Walk hundreds of kilometres. Climb mountains. Compete in triathlons. Live experiences I never would have believed possible before.
But like many people who have gone through major weight loss, I also live with excess skin.
And excess skin isn’t only a question of appearance. It’s the painful friction during a workout. The pulling sensation when I run. Having to adapt certain clothes. Sometimes it’s looking at a photo and struggling to reconcile the image I see with everything I’ve been through to get here.
For several years now, I’ve also been thinking about skin-removal surgery. At times, it feels like the logical next step. At others, I look at everything my body already allows me to do today, and I wonder whether I really want to go through another surgery, another recovery, another stage of transformation.
I know I’m not alone in weighing this. Between accepting your body as it is, improving your day-to-day comfort, and considering reconstructive surgery, there’s no right or wrong answer. Only deeply personal choices.
Over the past few months, I had the chance to test the ActiveMX from Bariatric Technologies — a garment designed specifically to support and hold excess skin in place.
I’ll be honest: I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. But after several runs, cycling sessions, and my everyday activities, I noticed a difference quickly. Less uncomfortable movement. Less friction. More comfort.
What surprised me most is that the effect isn’t limited to sport. In a more fitted shirt, at a conference, in a meeting, or simply going about daily life, that support brings a kind of comfort that anyone living with excess skin will understand immediately.
It’s not a miracle solution. It doesn’t erase excess skin. But it’s a tool that can help improve physical comfort — and sometimes even the confidence with which you show up in the world. And often, those small improvements have far more impact than you might expect.
In fact, after testing their product and talking with their team, I made a decision I had never made before: to become a brand ambassador.
Those who have followed us for a long time know that we’re usually very cautious when it comes to partnerships and recommendations. Over the years, we’ve chosen to keep a great deal of independence in the positions we take and the resources we share with our community. This time, the situation is different.
Bariatric Technologies has developed an innovative solution that answers a very real need experienced by so many people after significant weight loss. As far as I know, it’s a unique approach in this space — designed specifically for our reality. I was also proud to discover that it’s a Canadian company, innovating to improve daily life for people living with excess skin.
The company is led by Dr. Mary Forhan, a respected figure in the field of obesity in Canada. Knowing the depth of her expertise and her commitment to people living with obesity certainly reinforced my confidence in this innovation and the mission behind it.
After using the ActiveMX in my own activities and seeing the benefits day to day, it felt natural to support this initiative and to accept becoming an ambassador for the brand. As always, I’ll keep sharing my experience with transparency and honesty.
Now, I’d love to hear from you. For those who live, or have lived, with excess skin after major weight loss: have you ever considered skin-removal surgery? What influenced your decision?
A note on availability: the ActiveMX is currently available for men, and the company is developing models for women and for different body types.
Christian is a Bariatric Technologies brand ambassador and shares his experience with the ActiveMX as part of that partnership. His reflections above are his own.