super serious question

VioletNightshade

You might. I'm in the same boat with you. I was 260, down to 219, and it recently hit me that loose skin might be a very real thing for me on my torso.

I'm considering trying getting some of those bandages they use for sprains, putting skin firming creme on, binding my torso, and just resigning myself to sleeping with that on once I get to 200 in hope that it might help at least a little bit after that point. Granted, I've more to lose than you do, but there's no way to know ahead of time.

If it happens, it happens, and there's always tummy tuck surgery and a tattoo to cover the scar, I suppose.

Cranquistador

Any way, thank you to all of you wonderful people who were informative and not sarcastic, or judgmental. I appreciate it, as this is my first time having to deal with losing a major amount of weight, and i had a simple question that needed a simple answer!

There is no simple answer.

no matter what the answer is, its simple. even if you say "Only time will tell" its still simple.

OK, no.

MaryPoppinsIAint

Okay, you're exactly my height, and just about where I was weight-wise at your age, and I wish to GOD I had found this site back then instead of trying desperately to be a cardio bunny and cutting calories way too low. (Psst... it doesn't work. Not long term.) I am now 30 years old with an almost two year old son, and in January I weighed approximately 245 pounds. I started on MFP in early February, then had my gallbladder out in the middle of the same month... gave me about a seven pound jumpstart because I was in the hospital for a week not being allowed to eat. I came home and got serious.

I used MFP's settings for a week or so, but stumbled across the In Place of A Road Map threads/groups almost immediately. The TDEE-% method, from the reading I did, seemed to work more consistently (like, for virtually everybody, it works), did not require that I turn into a gym nut or give up chocolate, and when I ran the numbers, didn't limit me to a caloric intake that left me going to bed hungry and dodging migraines. (Here's the IPOARM thread I got started on... it's a lot of reading, but wade through it, it's worth the effort. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13 )

As of this week, I'm at 217.4. That's right. 2.4 pounds shy of a thirty pound drop. In 24 weeks. And honestly? I hit thirty pounds in early June, got busy, got lazy, and put ten of it back on, so now I'm making up that ground. It took approximately a week of getting back into the habit of logging Every. Damn. Thing. that goes into my mouth, and re-starting my salad habit, but the weight is coming off again, just as easily as it did the first time.

Thirty pounds gone, at a pretty decent clip, and nope, no saggy skin here. This past Sunday at church I got my very first "Woah! How much weight have you lost??? You look AWESOME!" You're twenty years old, hon, your skin will bounce back, especially given your innate level of activity. You need to be *lifting*, don't add any extra cardio, you do plenty as it is. You will feel SOOOOOO much better once that weight is off your body.

The biggest "woah" moment for me was when I hit 25 pounds lost... the same weight as my son. I mean... I was carrying around another whole TODDLER on my body. And he's heavy!!

chimanlifts1

You'd be better off asking for winning lottery numbers. No one knows. And who cares anyway? What difference would it make if you knew the answer?

well i rather be the size i am now then be 125 pounds and look like a pile of wet mud cakes

Okay I've been staying away from the mfp forums because I couldn't take it, but this forced a response.

You'd rather be unhealthy and overweight in lieu of being fit with some extra skin?

This logic astounds me.

royalty819

Okay, you're exactly my height, and just about where I was weight-wise at your age, and I wish to GOD I had found this site back then instead of trying desperately to be a cardio bunny and cutting calories way too low. (Psst... it doesn't work. Not long term.) I am now 30 years old with an almost two year old son, and in January I weighed approximately 245 pounds. I started on MFP in early February, then had my gallbladder out in the middle of the same month... gave me about a seven pound jumpstart because I was in the hospital for a week not being allowed to eat. I came home and got serious.

I used MFP's settings for a week or so, but stumbled across the In Place of A Road Map threads/groups almost immediately. The TDEE-% method, from the reading I did, seemed to work more consistently (like, for virtually everybody, it works), did not require that I turn into a gym nut or give up chocolate, and when I ran the numbers, didn't limit me to a caloric intake that left me going to bed hungry and dodging migraines. (Here's the IPOARM thread I got started on... it's a lot of reading, but wade through it, it's worth the effort. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13 )

As of this week, I'm at 217.4. That's right. 2.4 pounds shy of a thirty pound drop. In 24 weeks. And honestly? I hit thirty pounds in early June, got busy, got lazy, and put ten of it back on, so now I'm making up that ground. It took approximately a week of getting back into the habit of logging Every. Damn. Thing. that goes into my mouth, and re-starting my salad habit, but the weight is coming off again, just as easily as it did the first time.

Thirty pounds gone, at a pretty decent clip, and nope, no saggy skin here. This past Sunday at church I got my very first "Woah! How much weight have you lost??? You look AWESOME!" You're twenty years old, hon, your skin will bounce back, especially given your innate level of activity. You need to be *lifting*, don't add any extra cardio, you do plenty as it is. You will feel SOOOOOO much better once that weight is off your body.

The biggest "woah" moment for me was when I hit 25 pounds lost... the same weight as my son. I mean... I was carrying around another whole TODDLER on my body. And he's heavy!!

Awesome advice, and thank you for sharing your story with me

RunFarLiveHappy

Rude party of one, your table is ready.

OP, maybe you are sensitive, but here's the truth: you post a question on a public forum asking for advice and you lash out at anyone who doesn't tell you exactly what you want to hear. If your mind is already made up I don't understand what the point was for posting the "serious question" in the first place.

Also, I'll throw my hat in the group that literally CANNOT comprehend that you'd would actually say that you'd rather stay 80 pounds overweight vs. get to a healthy and fit weight and lifestyle and potentially have some loose skin. Really?! Now that you've had some more time to think about it, is this seriously your final answer? I started needing to lose more weight than you do. I am also a bit older. I will keep my bits of loose skin to never see the 119 pounds I lost EVER AGAIN. A bit of extra skin vs. a lot of extra fat? No brainer.

Good luck to you. I hope you take the suggestion of integrating strength and resistance training into your regime. Take care of your body and it will take care of you.

RBurnham90

You'd be better off asking for winning lottery numbers. No one knows. And who cares anyway? What difference would it make if you knew the answer?

well i rather be the size i am now then be 125 pounds and look like a pile of wet mud cakes

Okay I've been staying away from the mfp forums because I couldn't take it, but this forced a response.

You'd rather be unhealthy and overweight in lieu of being fit with some extra skin?

This logic astounds me.

this ^

When I weighed 245 lbs a few years ago, "loose skin" was the last thing I was worried about

Lupercalia

You'd be better off asking for winning lottery numbers. No one knows. And who cares anyway? What difference would it make if you knew the answer?

well i rather be the size i am now then be 125 pounds and look like a pile of wet mud cakes

Okay I've been staying away from the mfp forums because I couldn't take it, but this forced a response.

You'd rather be unhealthy and overweight in lieu of being fit with some extra skin?

This logic astounds me.

this ^

When I weighed 245 lbs a few years ago, "loose skin" was the last thing I was worried about

Yeah, all of this. The possibility of sagging skin crossed my mind when I started losing fat, but as a sane person, I was most concerned with my health and fitness, rather than whether or not my skin hung a bit strangely in places. I'm still losing and still not concerned with loose skin.

MyJourney1960

You'd be better off asking for winning lottery numbers. No one knows. And who cares anyway? What difference would it make if you knew the answer?

Exactly! Set and reach a goal! Worry about the residuals LATER! There are surgeries to get rid of that ****, ya dig?

thats the thing, i dont have surgery money, or time to heal

but you do have the money for blood pressure, diabetes, cholestral medication? for possible knee surgery? why are worrying about somethign that may or may not happen?

you say you are 78 lbs overweight. that is not doing any good to your body and will cause short and long term problems. i know - i am now living with those problems. do what you need to do to get healthy - if you do it slowly and exercise and tone your body you should be fine.

Heather_Rider

If you lose weight slowly with a moderate calorie deficit and do some strength training with heavy weights while you are losing the fat, the skin has a greater probability of bouncing back and not just hanging loose on you.

^ Exactly! I have very little sagging skin & ive lost 83 pounds. My goal is somewhere around 100 or so... Your feelings are totally valid, so dont let anyone shame you for feeling this way. However, dont let it stop you from losing weight, either...

You are young and as long as you DO keep up with the workouts & training with weights while losing like the above poster mentioned.. you will be just fine!!

kem05

I lost over 30kg (66lbs) when I was younger, about a 1kg per week on average. I have NO loose skin. But, I gained it all back during a very low period of my life, and now that I'm losing it again, I find I have loose skin, probably a lot to do with age...

But, you know what, who cares? I'm not going to run around in a bikini, I'm not planning any centrefold photo-shoots (yet lol) AND I'm doing this to get healthy, have energy and control my PCOS symptoms.

CoderGal

No you definitely won't have loose skin its not even a possibility. I feel like you're looking for excuses not to lose the weight.

If i were looking for excuses, I wouldn't be walking 7 miles every day trying to loose this weight so ask, before you "feel" some type of way

it was just a concern that crossed my mind when i was watching "extreme weight loss"

Walking 7 miles a day is massive overkill, and heading you in the direction of loose skin, burnout, or injury.

Go with a TDEE-20% calorie cut, lift some weights, do more moderate cardio and eat back the calories, and you'll get there healthfully and with low risk of loose skin.

Look, I'm not your best friend. I'm not going to snuggle you with platitudes of social niceties. I'm telling you the truth, whether you like it or not.

first of all, 7 miles is not over kill, considering that i have been walking every where that i go since i was 16. i walk every single day of my life.

second of all, i am not asking you to be my "best friend" or sugar coat anything .

you assumed something, and you assumed wrong. So " I'm telling you the truth, whether you like it or not."
even if you did feel like i was making excuses, you still shouldn't assume.

I could feel like you are a total "b.i.t.c.h" or i could feel like your really a 90 year old man on the other side of the computer screen, pretending to be who you are. . .but i do not know you in person, so there fore i wouldn't state it on a forum. for all i know your the nicest person God ever made, and you really are who you say you are.. WHO AM I TO ASSUME

And instead of taking or asking questions about the best advice one could ever give you about your super serious question (particularly the weights part) you come out with this thought.

CoderGal

..I personally think you will firm up fine because your young ..but please...Im 37 when I finish my weight loss do not call my loose skin mudcakes when you see me jogging by....be nice please lol

lol, i wouldnt say that. it was an insult that i directed at myself, it wasnt meant toward any one else...I'm always a prick to myself...

And saying that in a public group to people, some of who which experience loose skin and could perhaps insightfully answer your question, are probably not going to reply because you are also being rude to others, and yourself.

rachelmccook92

Flabby skin is usually the result of losing weight at too rapid a pace especially after cutting your meals dramatically. As long as you keep eating a good amount but exercise more your skin should regain its elasticity xx

Wilhellmina

If you lose weight slowly and with exercise you *shouldn't* have flabby skin regardless of your starting size.

Like this!

DebbieLyn63

You'd be better off asking for winning lottery numbers. No one knows. And who cares anyway? What difference would it make if you knew the answer?

well i rather be the size i am now then be 125 pounds and look like a pile of wet mud cakes

Okay I've been staying away from the mfp forums because I couldn't take it, but this forced a response.

You'd rather be unhealthy and overweight in lieu of being fit with some extra skin?

This logic astounds me.

Obviously you haven't seen someone that has lost over 200 pounds. I'm not saying it is healthy to stay obese, because it is NOT, but you need to understand the mental aspect of someone looking in the mirror and seeing something that horrifies them. People gain weight over a longer period of time than they lose it, generally. We get used to seeing our body get larger, and 'curvier' over time, and gently grow used to seeing it larger until we get to the point where we say 'enough is enough'.
We can fool ourself for a long time, into thinking that we don't look 'that bad', when we are gaining year after year.

Now take that person and let them lose 100-150 pounds in a years time, and most of them are going to have some saggy skin. Especially if they are older. They see the changes so much quicker than they did when they were gaining the weight. It CAN be very traumatic to start seeing the skin start to sag, and for many, that scares them into gaining the weight back, because they are comfortable seeing their body round, but not with flaps of skin hanging off. And so are their husbands and wives.

I am not saying this to insult anyone who has sagging skin after weight loss. Nor am I saying that it is ok for people to remain unhealthy rather than have some loose skin. I am just trying to show the perspective of some people when they start to lose.

It CAN be a big hurdle to get past, and can be a hindrance to weight loss, mentally.

For those who are younger, and not so much overweight, this can be a great motivation to get the weight off NOW, before you gain even more over the years and your skin loses it elasticity.

For those who are in their late 40s and beyond, we have to decide what is more important to us. For me, my health was more important, ultimately, but I was still concerned with how I would look to my husband when I lost 80 pounds. I will be 50 in 3 weeks. No matter how slowly I lose, or how much I lift weights, I will be left with loose skin.
One of the things that has helped me continue losing weight over the past year is that my husband said I can have whatever cosmetic surgery I need, to feel good about myself after the weight loss. He will love me no matter what I look like, but I have to be happy with what I see in the mirror. Or at least not completely horrified to be naked in front of my husband.
Knowing that surgery was there as an option, gave me that mental safety net to continue on.

I still have 30 left to go, and have been on maintenance for the past 2 months, but am starting to work on the next 5-10 pounds. These past 2 months have giving me time to get used to my body at this size mentally and physically.
In the end, I may decide not to have any surgery. The skin is not nearly as bad as I thought it would be so far. We will see what happens over the next 30 pounds.

The TL:DR version- there is way more to weight loss than just losing the weight for most people. There is a huge mental aspect to handle these changes. A little empathy for people who are in situations different than yours, goes along way.:flowerforyou:

BTW, even with the loose skin, I am much more happy and healthy being 50 pounds lighter than I was a year ago. Definitely worth it.

royalty819

Some of you guys just aren't understanding what is going through my mind, or as you put it "you don't understand my logic"

Even at 209 pounds,I don't think i look extremely "bad" as I see people that weigh less than me at the same height, and they look bigger than me ( for example my sister is180 pounds and looks 220) so naturally, I'm not too unhappy with my appearance, and my husband LOVES my size, BUT I KNOW IT IS UNHEALTHY!!!! So I decided that I should loose the weight for my health's sake, and to look better of course. That is when loose skin crossed my mind, and I began to wonder if my ideal weight was worth the loose skin. Being that I am young, AND married, I do not want to be unattractive this early in my life, and this early in my marriage just because of sagging skin hanging off of my stomach, thighs, and arms. So i thought maybe i should just maintain my 209 pounds, and not gain or loose. I do not want to ashamed to stand naked before my husband. At least at this size, I know he is he is pleased with my appearence. I'm not saying he would love me less because of my sagging skin, but lets face it, love and sex are two different things. and just because he loves me doesn't mean he will have sexual desire for me.

But many responders say that because I am young, and I don't have to loose a couple of hundred pounds, so I should be fine. So my journey to 125 pounds continues. . . and I am not carrying your judgmental comments with me. because you guys obviously have no regard for why I worry about loose skin. (for those of you who posted judgmental
statements,)

MinMin97

Some of you guys just aren't understanding what is going through my mind, or as you put it "you don't understand my logic"

Even at 209 pounds,I don't think i look extremely "bad" as I see people that weigh less than me at the same height, and they look bigger than me ( for example my sister is180 pounds and looks 220) so naturally, I'm not too unhappy with my appearance, and my husband LOVES my size, BUT I KNOW IT IS UNHEALTHY!!!! So I decided that I should loose the weight for my health's sake, and to look better of course. That is when loose skin crossed my mind, and I began to wonder if my ideal weight was worth the loose skin. Being that I am young, AND married, I do not want to be unattractive this early in my life, and this early in my marriage just because of sagging skin hanging off of my stomach, thighs, and arms. So i thought maybe i should just maintain my 209 pounds, and not gain or loose. I do not want to ashamed to stand naked before my husband. At least at this size, I know he is he is pleased with my appearence. I'm not saying he would love me less because of my sagging skin, but lets face it, love and sex are two different things. and just because he loves me doesn't mean he will have sexual desire for me.

But many responders say that because I am young, and I don't have to loose a couple of hundred pounds, so I should be fine. So my journey to 125 pounds continues. . . and I am not carrying your judgmental comments with me. because you guys obviously have no regard for why I worry about loose skin. (for those of you who posted judgmental
statements,)

I can understand your anxiety about loose skin, totally. However, as I said earlier I really really really don't think you will have loose skin at all. The other think I want to add is that I think your husband will appreciate the beautiful changes you will make, BUT I don't think he ultimately would value you less/find you less attractive... with any amount of loose skin. Women, in general, IMO waaayyyyy underestimate their attractiveness to their husbands, and to men in general.
All this to say....I think you can take a big, deep breath and RELAX:happy:

royalty819

Some of you guys just aren't understanding what is going through my mind, or as you put it "you don't understand my logic"

Even at 209 pounds,I don't think i look extremely "bad" as I see people that weigh less than me at the same height, and they look bigger than me ( for example my sister is180 pounds and looks 220) so naturally, I'm not too unhappy with my appearance, and my husband LOVES my size, BUT I KNOW IT IS UNHEALTHY!!!! So I decided that I should loose the weight for my health's sake, and to look better of course. That is when loose skin crossed my mind, and I began to wonder if my ideal weight was worth the loose skin. Being that I am young, AND married, I do not want to be unattractive this early in my life, and this early in my marriage just because of sagging skin hanging off of my stomach, thighs, and arms. So i thought maybe i should just maintain my 209 pounds, and not gain or loose. I do not want to ashamed to stand naked before my husband. At least at this size, I know he is he is pleased with my appearence. I'm not saying he would love me less because of my sagging skin, but lets face it, love and sex are two different things. and just because he loves me doesn't mean he will have sexual desire for me.

But many responders say that because I am young, and I don't have to loose a couple of hundred pounds, so I should be fine. So my journey to 125 pounds continues. . . and I am not carrying your judgmental comments with me. because you guys obviously have no regard for why I worry about loose skin. (for those of you who posted judgmental
statements,)

I can understand your anxiety about loose skin, totally. However, as I said earlier I really really really don't think you will have loose skin at all. The other think I want to add is that I think your husband will appreciate the beautiful changes you will make, BUT I don't think he ultimately would value you less/find you less attractive... with any amount of loose skin. Women, in general, IMO waaayyyyy underestimate their attractiveness to their husbands, and to men in general.
All this to say....I think you can take a big, deep breath and RELAX:happy:

lol, thanks!

jonnythan

In