Loose skin???

galaxyhearts

Iwishyouwell wrote: »

Yep, like most people said, age and genetics plays a huge role.

But I also want to remind you that in some cases people do often confuse fat with loose skin.

Loose skin on a person with very low body fat (not just weight) looks VERY different than people who still have considerable fat left on their bodies, even if they're in a normal weight range. Real loose skin, that is not filled with fat, is very thin. Skin, even at it's thickest, is a very thin organ. A lot of the images you see of people who say they have "loose skin" is still filled very much with a lot of fat.

I've lost over 100 pounds. I still have a ways to go as I recently lowered my goal weight down 20 pounds. There have been periods during this journey where the fat became looser, disconnected, and baggy. It looked exactly like what a lot of people call "loose skin". Except it wasn't, it was just area of fat where the loss was uneven. The remedy was to just keep losing until the whole area looked more uniform.

This is why the emphasis should be on body fat percentage, not just weight. That will tell you a much more realistic story about how much of what you have left is actual excess skin, and how much is just skin that's sagging due to excess fat.

Thanks I'll keep that in mind...!

jennilsf

When I lost 100 lbs 5 years ago, I used a lot of cocoa butter products meant for pregnant women, which did help.
...Now I have to do it all over again, and I know it's going to be much worse since I've done this to my skin a second time. There's only so much muscle you can build and not be bulky, but like else said- it took time to stretch, it will take time to shrink, and what's leftover after that is unavoidable, really, but I believe that carrying around some extra skin is a whole lot better and not at all as dangerous for us as that weight we carried around!
Best wishes to you, and congrats to those who have lost such amazing amounts!! WOW!!

Miss_1999

Every person is different, and unfortunately you won't know until you lose it. Everyone has given you excellent advice. Drinking water, LOTS of water is good! Also, take care of your skin. Moisturize. It doesn't have to be those expensive fad creams, either. I'm talking about regular body lotions, or even cocoa butter. In addition to exercise/lifting (which has been excellent advice from so many above) making sure that your skin is properly taken care of <u>may</i>help improve elasticity.

Now, I've lost 186lbs, and my body is just a hot mess. I look awful. Yeah. In about another two years, I'm getting an overhaul. It's all getting cut off. Aside from the fact that it doesn't look good, it doesn't feel good. So, it's going away.

LoneWolf_70

ive lost 113...sorry, no way to fully avoid, but lift heavy and hit your 1-1.5g of protein per body weight goal per day.

_whatsherface

Hell, I know I'm going to have loose skin. I've been big my entire life. My stomach is stretched to the max plus I had my son weighing at 320 so my stomach is gonna show it. I lift weights. Not real heavy ones but I noticed in my arms my skin is more loose since lifting. I will probably switch to heavier weights though. Good luck!

SLLRunner

randomtai wrote: »

0somuchbetter0 wrote: »

Age and genetics are the two biggest factors. You're young, so your skin is more elastic that someone 20 years older. So yes, lose the weight now!

I do have a question for those who recommended heavy lifting. How does strengthening muscle help skin?

The muscles fill out the skin and recomps your body.

I have noticed this is absolutely true. I can see the difference in my tummy area.

meganjcallaghan

As people have said...age, genetics, length of time overweight. All these things are against me. Hopefully not so for you. As to speed of weight loss, the amount of loose skin you have at the end will be the same regardless of how slowly or quickly you lose. However, it takes (apparently) about a year for the skin to tighten as much as its going to. So all that means is if you were to magically lose 100 pounds in 2 months you'd have another 10 months to stare at a very slowly shrinking empty skin sack and it might seem worse than if you took the whole year to lose and the slowly shrinking skin sack seemed to follow to receeding fat a little more closely.

meganjcallaghan

Kalikel wrote: »

Being young is a huge help, because your skin loses elasticity as you age. Losing slowly may help.

Don't pay for the creams. They're scamming. One of skin's Major functions is to act as a barrier so things can't get through...and those creams (even if they had the ability to make your skin more elastic) aren't getting through to where they need to go. If you must try a Vitamin E cream, dab a little on to test it first. Reactions are common with that.

Lifting weights won't help your skin itself. If you build muscle, that may take up space under the skin and fill it out more, so the skin isn't as loose.

I didn't have loose skin until I'd lost about 60 pounds. It's already so gross at 75 that I worry a bit about how much there will be when I'm done. I used to be all, "Who cares about loose skin if the fat is gone?!!" Now that I have it...I care. Still, it is better than fat.

They say time helps. I'm hoping that's true.

I've found a few sources that seem to suggest the general rule of thumb would be about 10 pounds of skin for every 100 pounds lose. So i'd have somewhere around 17 pounds of skin. This makes sense considering the one handful above my belly that i was able to pull out far enough to drop on the package scale at work without leaning was about 1.5 and there's waaaaaaay more where that came from

meganjcallaghan

*lost - blast no edit option

Kalikel

meganjcallaghan wrote: »

Kalikel wrote: »

Being young is a huge help, because your skin loses elasticity as you age. Losing slowly may help.

Don't pay for the creams. They're scamming. One of skin's Major functions is to act as a barrier so things can't get through...and those creams (even if they had the ability to make your skin more elastic) aren't getting through to where they need to go. If you must try a Vitamin E cream, dab a little on to test it first. Reactions are common with that.

Lifting weights won't help your skin itself. If you build muscle, that may take up space under the skin and fill it out more, so the skin isn't as loose.

I didn't have loose skin until I'd lost about 60 pounds. It's already so gross at 75 that I worry a bit about how much there will be when I'm done. I used to be all, "Who cares about loose skin if the fat is gone?!!" Now that I have it...I care. Still, it is better than fat.

They say time helps. I'm hoping that's true.

I've found a few sources that seem to suggest the general rule of thumb would be about 10 pounds of skin for every 100 pounds lose. So i'd have somewhere around 17 pounds of skin. This makes sense considering the one handful above my belly that i was able to pull out far enough to drop on the package scale at work without leaning was about 1.5 and there's waaaaaaay more where that came from

I've read that, too. No idea if it's accurate or for whom it is accurate. It would leave me with 10-12 pounds of skin. Yech!

My extra skin is just creepy to me, like Silly Putty or something. The worse it gets, the more I consider the idea of cosmetic surgery when this is over. But that's a ways off and not a decision I need to make yet.

Still, "Better than fat...better than fat..." It's like my mantra, lol.

icrushit

Apparently, bulking (lifting weights + calorie surplus + sleep => muscle gain) can help. Not sure if it can or not, some say it does, and am hoping that it is the case, as that's my plan to tighten up things fully when I lose the weight I wish to

bajoyba

I've lost 86 pounds and only have a bit of loose skin. The most noticeable area is my lower stomach, where my stretch marks were the worst. If I stand normally, it's not very obvious, but any bending or twisting will show the "elephant skin".

The only other area of my body that I really notice any loose skin is my upper arms, but it doesn't really show at all if I'm sleeveless and go about my normal day. It really only shows if it gets bunched up or twisted, and I can grab it and pull it a few inches away from my arm. It's my new party trick! But most people don't realize I have it.

It's taken me almost two years to lose that much, so I'm definitely glad I went the slow and steady route. I also drink lots of water, and although I haven't done heavy weight lifting from the beginning, I have always done body weight/resistance training right from the get-go, and I'm very glad I did. I think that, plus maintaining a higher protein intake, has made a huge difference to my overall body composition. Plus, I'm much stronger and fitter overall because of it, and that is the best part.

AnnofB

Start saving now for surgery to remove it. If you don't need it, then you have a wad of cash to spend on new clothes for your great new figure.

go2grrl

You are plenty young and no doubt have plenty of collagen so have plenty of time to avoid the saggy skin look. I didn't get smart until I hit my late 30s so after losing (and then keeping off) almost 140 pounds the sag was kind of unavoidable, esp the older I got. But I also never set body composition goals. I only focused on weight loss and probably focused too much on cardio. My only advice is to try not lose too fast and try not go too low fat with your diet. Your skin will need those good fats!

firemist22

iloseityes wrote: »

Apparently, bulking (lifting weights + calorie surplus + sleep => muscle gain) can help. Not sure if it can or not, some say it does, and am hoping that it is the case, as that's my plan to tighten up things fully when I lose the weight I wish to

firemist22

Damn you swear by this? Shucks but I always thought weights make people huge body wise soo does it work to get like thin too?

fatcity66

Iwishyouwell wrote: »

Yep, like most people said, age and genetics plays a huge role.

But I also want to remind you that in some cases people do often confuse fat with loose skin.

Loose skin on a person with very low body fat (not just weight) looks VERY different than people who still have considerable fat left on their bodies, even if they're in a normal weight range. Real loose skin, that is not filled with fat, is very thin. Skin, even at it's thickest, is a very thin organ. A lot of the images you see of people who say they have "loose skin" is still filled very much with a lot of fat.

I've lost over 100 pounds. I still have a ways to go as I recently lowered my goal weight down 20 pounds. There have been periods during this journey where the fat became looser, disconnected, and baggy. It looked exactly like what a lot of people call "loose skin". Except it wasn't, it was just area of fat where the loss was uneven. The remedy was to just keep losing until the whole area looked more uniform.

This is why the emphasis should be on body fat percentage, not just weight. That will tell you a much more realistic story about how much of what you have left is actual excess skin, and how much is just skin that's sagging due to excess fat.

This is a great point. Sometimes, you just have to keep working to get to a low body fat percentage, and the problem improves greatly. It can be hard to get there (sometimes nearly impossible), and stay there, though.

flatlndr

I'm in my 50s lost 105+ between Jan1 and mid Sep. I had some loose skin as a result. Since being on maintenance for two months, I've lost another inch from my waist, *without losing a pound, and the loose skin is a little less loose now. I'm hoping this trend will continue, as my focus is now on fitness and body fat % reduction, rather than weight loss.

So yes, I have loose stomach skin, but I look and feel way better now with lose skin, than when I was 105 lbs heavier with tight fat! (See my profile pic for the before/after views)

flatlndr

firemist22 wrote: »

Damn you swear by this? Shucks but I always thought weights make people huge body wise soo does it work to get like thin too?

It hard to get "huge". The average person is more likely to just gain strength and a better general appearance.

Unknown

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flatlndr

One more point to add ... after losing 105+, I have to deal with some loose skin, but whereas before I couldn't walk a mile without breaking a sweat, I could barely walk down stairs, and I was taking 400 mg ibuprofen 3-4x a day for knee pain, now I do 35 minute fast elliptical sessions, go for 10 mile hikes, I have boundless energy, and I'm completely off the pain meds. If I'm saddled with lose skin as part of that package, so be it! I'll take "slim and healthy with lose skin" over "obese and of poor health with tight fat" every time. Do not let the fear of loose skin stop you from losing weight and improving your health.

Iwishyouwell

fatcity66 wrote: »

Iwishyouwell wrote: »

Yep, like most people said, age and genetics plays a huge role.

But I also want to remind you that in some cases people do often confuse fat with loose skin.

Loose skin on a person with very low body fat (not just weight) looks VERY different than people who still have considerable fat left on their bodies, even if they're in a normal weight range. Real loose skin, that is not filled with fat, is very thin. Skin, even at it's thickest, is a very thin organ. A lot of the images you see of people who say they have "loose skin" is still filled very much with a lot of fat.

I've lost over 100 pounds. I still have a ways to go as I recently lowered my goal weight down 20 pounds. There have been periods during this journey where the fat became looser, disconnected, and baggy. It looked exactly like what a lot of people call "loose skin". Except it wasn't, it was just area of fat where the loss was uneven. The remedy was to just keep losing until the whole area looked more uniform.

This is why the emphasis should be on body fat percentage, not just weight. That will tell you a much more realistic story about how much of what you have left is actual excess skin, and how much is just skin that's sagging due to excess fat.

This is a great point. Sometimes, you just have to keep working to get to a low body fat percentage, and the problem improves greatly. It can be hard to get there (sometimes nearly impossible), and stay there, though.

Yep.

Part of the problem is that we continue to emphasize weight over bodyfat. A lot people are totally unaware that there is even a difference. So they lose a ton of weight, get to a scale number that they think should mean they're finished, except their bodyfat percentage is still pretty high. As a result they assume what's left over is all "loose skin" that can only be surgically removed.

I have rarely seen a picture of "loose skin" that wasn't also still filled with a good deal of adipose tissue. There are absolutely cases where a person is left with a lot of hanging skin, even on a very low fat body, but those images are far rarer than what you see from most people who claim their excess skin is only skin and can't be improved. Even doctors often get it wrong.

The pursuit of a low body fat percentage only provides positives. Worst case you discover that you still have some excess skin. So if you want to get surgery the procedure will potentially be cheaper.

Best case scenario is you discover, once very lean, that the issue isn't that bad and you just might have little, to no, visibly hanging skin at all.

randomtai

firemist22 wrote: »

Damn you swear by this? Shucks but I always thought weights make people huge body wise soo does it work to get like thin too?

No... just no.

0somuchbetter0

firemist22 wrote: »

Damn you swear by this? Shucks but I always thought weights make people huge body wise soo does it work to get like thin too?

It's very difficult -- nearly impossible -- to "get huge" by lifting weights, especially for a woman. Especially for a woman who isn't a professional bodybuilder. Lifting weights will help you maintain lean mass, strengthen muscle and bone, and, as you lose fat, you'll have some nice definition. In a nutshell, weight lifting is awesome.

tremroy1

Loose skin is your victory badge. Embrace it, it is yours. Wear it with honour and the happy thought that you have reached the impossible. Or what you thought was impossible.