Worried about loose skin

I am just starting my journey and I am worried about loose skin when I finally reach my goal. I am currently 242 lbs and want to get down to 145/150lbs. What have those who have started where I am to help tighten the skin while losing weight?? I am also wondering about the "wing" are on my arms.

Replies

shadow2soul

I have loose skin (though it's not too horrible I guess) and only on my lower abdomen. It mostly comes down to genetics, age, how long the skin was stretched, and patience.

I have done some sort of strength training all throughout my weight loss (not sure if that helped or not), but other than that I use coco butter lotion to moisturize my skin (I have been doing that though since before I was even obese to begin with). Personally I prefer the loose skin to being obese.
This is mine (125.4 lbs down from 260 lbs/5'4.5")

RainaProske

I weighed 237 when I started at age 60 and ended up weighing 112.5-114 now, at age 67. Yes, I have that flabby skin but less than I expected. I have more than I expected at my stomach and less than I expected on my upper arms. BUT I never exercised. I wonder if it will be different for you because you are young, and I wonder if exercise will make a difference? Of course, there's always surgery . . . .

jemhh

Aside from getting in a time machine and going back to before you became overweight and then not gaining the weight, there is nothing you can do to prevent loose skin. At this point, the damage is done and if you're going to have loose skin, there is nothing outside of surgery that will change that.

Finish losing weight and then wait for a few years (1+ definitely, quite possibly 2-3) to see how much your skin shrinks. How much it shrinks is dependent on how big you were, how long you were big, genetics, age, and how much yo-yoing you did weight-wise.

Creams, wraps, lifting weights, losing slowly, etc. do not help shrink up skin. Creams will keep your skin moisturized. Wraps will help dehydrate the area and may tighten it up temporarily but not permanently. Lifting weights will make you stronger and will help your physique and give you something to obsess over and think about. Losing weight slowly will help minimize how much your skin shrinkage rate outpaces your fat loss rate. But none of these things will prevent loose skin or increase its shrinkage.