Saggy skin or just fat? I need input please!!

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Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    Loose skin is the same as pinching the back of your hand. If pinching another area is more than that, there is still fat to lose. Fat doesn't weigh very much, contrary to popular opinion. Five pounds of fat is about the size of a medium pumpkin.

    No. Most people don't have much fat at all on the back of their hands, but pretty much everyone has some fat on their belly, so there's no way it will feel the same at all.

    They don't feel that different. They really are similar when you have low body fat. If it is just loose skin (like my picture above) it will feel nearly identical to the skin on the back of your hand.

    Except there is extra skin too, while your hand doesn't... I honestly don't think it's comparable at all. Also my hand skin bounces back right away, while the belly skin creases and stays that way.
  • thunder1982
    thunder1982 Posts: 280 Member
    Keep in mind surgeons make you wait 2 years at maintenance weight before they will do skin removal because that's how long they are given the skin to tighten naturally before they look a what they can remove.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    Loose skin is the same as pinching the back of your hand. If pinching another area is more than that, there is still fat to lose. Fat doesn't weigh very much, contrary to popular opinion. Five pounds of fat is about the size of a medium pumpkin.

    No. Most people don't have much fat at all on the back of their hands, but pretty much everyone has some fat on their belly, so there's no way it will feel the same at all.

    They don't feel that different. They really are similar when you have low body fat. If it is just loose skin (like my picture above) it will feel nearly identical to the skin on the back of your hand.

    Except there is extra skin too, while your hand doesn't... I honestly don't think it's comparable at all. Also my hand skin bounces back right away, while the belly skin creases and stays that way.

    If you pull the belly skin out so that there are the same number of layers as your hand they do feel the same. The actual layers of skin are relatively similar when measured with calipers. Most competitors see this because our body fat gets low enough that the measurements are extremely close. If you can tell the difference between 4 mm and 6 mm that's impressive. You can speculate that they don't feel similar, but my experience with how it feels says different.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    Loose skin is the same as pinching the back of your hand. If pinching another area is more than that, there is still fat to lose. Fat doesn't weigh very much, contrary to popular opinion. Five pounds of fat is about the size of a medium pumpkin.

    No. Most people don't have much fat at all on the back of their hands, but pretty much everyone has some fat on their belly, so there's no way it will feel the same at all.

    The subject is loose skin, not fat.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    Mine looked a lot worse ! ( c section) but the good news is, it should get a lot better in time. ( mine did! Of coarse my massive scar and staple marks never went away but as I progressed , the skin did seem to tighten up some and looks tons better now )
    Keep up the hard work and give it some time . :)
  • SteveMFP123
    SteveMFP123 Posts: 298 Member
    The plank photo makes me think mostly skin, I have the same issue in that pose. If I had the money I'd have it removed in a heartbeat, I hate it.
  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
    Ugh, yes my tummy does that when I'm in the plank position too! I'm only 2 pounds away from being in a healthy BMI, and I know i still have some fat on my tummy, but unfortunately it's a lot of loose skin. I've had 4 kids and I've lost 72 pounds so I'm not surprised.
  • oolou
    oolou Posts: 765 Member
    May I just say thank you to those who were brave enough to share their pics of their bellies. I'm at the start of my weight loss journey and I'm sure I'm going to end up with a belly (and other bits) that has loose skin similar to what is in those pics (middle aged and been obese for all my adult life, yup it's likely going to happen). While not thrilled at the prospect it helps to know that this is the experience for others as part of their weight loss, that it is normal - and I would rather that than the big belly I have now.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Yup I also get that when I'm in a plank position but it's gradually getting less over maintenance with continued lifting (6-8 months) and I'm hoping in another year and a bit it will tighten more

    Lose skin is the crepey very wrinkled part ...fat is palpable. I figure carrying two babies, 2 c-sections, and being overweight for decades will do that. That said I'm just happy it's not noticeable when I stand up

    I think you do have some fat still to lose ..keep going
  • malioumba
    malioumba Posts: 132 Member
    edited October 2015
    All of you women who report loose skin, is this mostly because of giving birth or being over-weight, obese?
    How big do you suppose an over-weight person would weigh around to potentially end up with loose skin after weight loss?
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    edited October 2015
    malioumba wrote: »
    All of you women who report loose skin, is this mostly because of giving birth or being over-weight, obese?
    How big do you suppose an over-weight person would weigh around to potentially end up with loose skin after weight loss?
    A little is from when I was pregnant, but a very, very little. I was young then and had nice bounce-back. Most of mine is from being so very fat. I've lost about 96 pounds so far (more to go) and it's so bad now that it literally hangs down in a big droop off my butt.

    When it starts, it begins as the wrinkly, crepe-paper thing people describe. But as you keep losing, it gets more and more loose and in some places, it literally falls down - droops, like cloth does if you fold it over your arm or a balloon drapery (minus the balloony part.)

    No creams, oils, pills or brushes can fix skin that has lost it elasticity. They cannot prevent the skin from becoming loose.

    They say that losing slow is helpful, but I've lost VERY slowly and still have it. I'm over 40, though. Young peeps will have an easier time of it.

    Theoretically, you could fill the empty space left by fat loss with muscle. I would have to build the muscle Arnold Schwarzenegger had to fill all that space. Not sure I could do it and know I don't want to try! Lifting weights will not fix the skin itself, though.

    They say that time will help it improve. I'm not sure that's true and hold out little hope, but it sure would be nice. :)
  • PaulBonham
    PaulBonham Posts: 42 Member
    JenAndSome wrote: »
    pretty much the only people likely to see me doing planks in just a sports bra are my kids and I gave them life so they can deal with the "horror."

    Lol, I love that!
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    This looks like skin as opposed to fat - just my opinion.
    Looking great anyway! :)
  • freesiasun5
    freesiasun5 Posts: 3,122 Member
    malioumba wrote: »
    All of you women who report loose skin, is this mostly because of giving birth or being over-weight, obese?
    How big do you suppose an over-weight person would weigh around to potentially end up with loose skin after weight loss?

    I think if you have stretch marks of any kind, that's a good indication you'll end up with loose skin after weight loss. (Not that they are necessary for loose skin, just more of a guarantee.)

    At my heaviest (9 months pregnant with my first) I was 210. I'm currently 128. I have some loose skin, and when I plank my belly definitely does the same thing as OP's.
  • kazminchu
    kazminchu Posts: 250 Member
    malioumba wrote: »
    All of you women who report loose skin, is this mostly because of giving birth or being over-weight, obese?
    How big do you suppose an over-weight person would weigh around to potentially end up with loose skin after weight loss?

    I've never been pregnant, I'm 24 years old, and I lost the majority of my weight over a year ago. I've lost 96lbs in total. My loose skin and fat hangs down a good few inches when I bend over.
    I used to weigh 245lbs, but I've seen people who were never that big to begin with have loose skin, so a lot of it depends on your genetics and lifestyle as well.
    I'll pop back and post a picture of my skin/fat later, I have no idea how much of either it is so it'd be interesting to see what people think.

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