Hey Former Fat People: How much did your big tattoos change?

[lebe frei]

I'm 5'10 and in the low 300s, the weight is starting to come off at a noticable pace. I am not going to stop for anything, but I am a bit concerned about my tattoos warping. I see wildly different reports online of people either saying "they look way better now that they shrunk some!" to others saying that they are ruined, warped, etc.

 

I have about 30% body coverage, including spots that are going to end up shrinking quite a bit. Now, on my upper arms and forearms I have actually experienced significant growth since I started lifting, and I can't really say that they have been ruined in any way, just enlarged a bit.

 

I would like to know for anyone has lost a substantial (100+ lbs) amount of weight how has it changed your big tattoos, and further more did you experience even more change as muscle replaced that fat?

 

Thanks!

[smftexas86]

that is definitly something i have been curious about. I don't have any tattoos and a reason being is i don't want to get one and it deform when i reach my goals.

[lebe frei]

i don't want to get one and it deform when i reach my goals.

Yep. I have thousands invested in it, so I'm going to be pretty damn disappointed if any are "ruined"... although my health is more important. It's not a bad idea to wait if people say they got warped.

[dodg1988]

I have wondered this too.  i am about 100 lbs from my goal (with maybe even 30 lbs more on top of that) and I want to get a tattoo.  I think I am going to hold out and get it as a reward for my weight loss.

[porchcricket13]

My back piece has more damage from weight gain (stretch marks) than weight loss. That being said, the most I've lost at one time is 55lbs. I've got a goal of 100lbs this time around (I'm 20% down now). 

 

My guess would be it would depend in part on the placement of said tattoo. To those who have a lot to lose that haven't gotten the tattoos yet, waiting is your best option. Also, loose skin is harder for the artist to work with, so that may be a factor as well.

[lebe frei]

I guess I'll just wait until I experience it. I'll update this if I have major changes to my tattoos... or if I don't, and hit my goal.

[porchcricket13]

I wonder if your artist would have a better answer for you? They may have seen it before.

[lebe frei]

Nope... remember, major weight loss is actually really rare. Large tattoo coverage is really rare. Putting those two things together is well under 1% of the population. I have had little luck online, as I stated in my original post... some people say they warped horribly, some people say they actually looked better, but almost no one talking about tattoos and weight loss either has huge ones or has lost a lot.

 

It's definitely not common information, unfortunately.

[porchcricket13]

Boo. It probably has so many personal factors if the responses are that varied. My fingers are crossed for you, I know what a large piece can mean. My back piece is so much more than just beautiful art.

[lebe frei]

Right? I don't even remember what I look like with normal skin. It's all a part of me, both visually and for the meaning behind each piece.

[smftexas86]

i wonder if any bad issues that came up is something a good artist would be able to work with and make look good again

[EchoWolf]

did a little research online for this as i was curious about it (I'm in the waiting until i lose weight group) and found this

 

"Depending on how much weight you lose, it may or may not affect your ink. But in most cases, even dramatic weight loss only shrinks each part of the body a small amount. And slight shrinking of a tattoo usually won’t change the appearance much at all, unless the tattoo was too detailed to begin with. Lines that run too closely together could theoretically blend and cause a distorted image, but this is a very rare occurrence. After losing over 90 pounds myself, I have not noticed any significant changes in my ink. If anything, they look better.

The only possible exception to the above rule would be drastic weight loss over a short period of time, such as from bariatric surgery or illness, which results in areas of sagging skin. If a tattoo resides in an area where the skin is sagging, obviously it will also affect the appearance of the tattoo itself."

obviously its only one persons experience but maybe it will ease your worrying.

[lebe frei]

Yeah thanks, but I have read that. I feel like I've read all of it, but a lot of it feel anecdotal or like second-hand knowledge. I was hoping to hear from someone that had actually, definitely gone through it.

 

So far that doesn't seem like something I will find.

 

I have lost a decent amount so far... I've still had more size change from muscle increase than fat loss, so far, though. Nothing bad yet.

[Spark]

I've been extremely curious about this. I don't have any tattoos now, but I plan to reward myself with them as I hit weight milestones. I figure that something on my shoulder, forearm, or the back of my hand would probably be okay, but I think I'm going to hold off on chest or belly tats for some time. =)

[lebe frei]

back of my hand

 

I advise you not to get any hand tattoos until you're fully committed to being quite tattooed. When I had upper arm tattoos no one thought twice. When I had large forearm tattoos I definitely got looks. When I had hand tattoos I got looks of fear. That is often going "too far" for many people. It's goofy, but it is the world we live in.

[Spark]

I'm six-three and four hundred-plus pounds. I get The Look fairly often. Besides, I'm mostly planning text tats.

 

Thanks for the thought, though.

[lebe frei]

I'm six-three and four hundred-plus pounds. I get The Look fairly often. Besides, I'm mostly planning text tats.

 

Thanks for the thought, though.

 

I'm also large, maintain a shaved head and don't have the nicest face... and believe me, it's still a hell of a change. Hand and neck tattoos frighten people.

 

I'm certainly not advising against them at all, I just don't suggest them as a starting point.

[Spark]

Fair enough. I was planning to start with my shoulder anyway. We'll see how it goes from there.

[momburntdinner]

I have sporadically placed tattoos that I got when I was 120 pounds heavier (wrist, and both outer ankles.) and all three were unaffected.  I got a shoulder/back tattoo about 60 pounds ago, and it hasn't been affected either.  That being said, My shoulder isn't the "fleshiest" part of my body, so it didn't really "droop" whereas if I had tattoos on other parts of my body, say, bicep/tricep/"tramp stamp" hips, stomach, or upper breast area, they likely would have warped.  I was worried about all of this as well, but as long as you strength train as well as you lose weight, you should be just fine.... avoid the saggy skin all together... I wish I had!

[momburntdinner]

Yep. I have thousands invested in it, so I'm going to be pretty damn disappointed if any are "ruined"... although my health is more important. It's not a bad idea to wait if people say they got warped.

I want to see the tattoos!

[Outlier]

I've lost 50 pounds and gained some muscle. My tattoo's are on my arms and they havn't changed much. Most people who lose a lot of weight have issues with sagging skin in the stomach area. I'd think that tattoo's on arms and legs will take a considerable level of body mass change before you would notice drastic changes. Anything on your midsection would be more susceptable to distorting though.

[Guzzi]

I advise you not to get any hand tattoos until you're fully committed to being quite tattooed. When I had upper arm tattoos no one thought twice. When I had large forearm tattoos I definitely got looks. When I had hand tattoos I got looks of fear. That is often going "too far" for many people. It's goofy, but it is the world we live in.

Hmmm..... I have some fairly obvious scars on my wrist and hand from surgery that I've been wanting to do something with.

They're fairly pronounced and "lumpy" and I had wanted to use them to do something cool, but gotta admit, the whole "hand tattoo prejudice" worries me.

On the wrist a tattoo is nothing, but on your hand.... Different story. I'm still trying to come up with a really good idea to make the most of 'em anyway. Plenty to think about...

[lebe frei]

They're fairly pronounced and "lumpy" and I had wanted to use them to do something cool, but gotta admit, the whole "hand tattoo prejudice" worries me.

On the wrist a tattoo is nothing, but on your hand.... Different story. I'm still trying to come up with a really good idea to make the most of 'em anyway. Plenty to think about...

 

Hmm, those scars still look pretty fresh and raised. Can a tattoo artist cover them? Yes, but you're going to have a hard time finding one willing to do it. I had a lot of scars that I had covered; it's what got me started, and I am so glad to not have to see them anymore (although I can see raising in the sun at the right angle, but that's it)

 

Anyway, it does help that you're a female. Do you live in a liberal area? People 40+ are going to look down on you for hand tattoos, but you won't generally get treated the same way a a guy. My wife is in her 20s with hand tats and she gets shit sometimes, but never the fear that I receive. We are self-employed though, and kind of have to be. Now, there is makeup that covers tattoos, so that is an option.

 

Honestly though, at first glance I am going to assume that there are people who think your scars are from a suicide attempt. Considering that, getting them covered with something meaningful to you, and beautiful, instead of a reminder of injury, might be enough of a personally uplifting experience to not care what judgmental conservative dicks think about you.

[Guzzi]

Actually..... I want to make a feature of my scars rather than cover them up. They're my Battle Scars But yeah, you're right, a lot of people assume they're self inflicted. These scars are less than a year old, but they replace an almost identical set from 2.5 years ago, so it's been on my mind for a while.

[lebe frei]

Actually..... I want to make a feature of my scars rather than cover them up. They're my Battle Scars

 

 

That's cool; in that case I highly recommend finding a place that does both tattoos and body mods. They can work with and around the scars; you probably want a tattoo artist that also does scarification. They're comfortable around scars, and if you are interested they could add some additional scar patterns in, wind colors around it; you could end up with something amazingly unique and cool.