Starting strength training to avoid loose skin?

jennabeauchesne1

Hi all! Hope everyone’s morning is going well. I just have a quick question.
Once upon a time I lost 100 lbs and didn’t have much loose skin at all. Unfortunately, I gained back a whopping 150 lbs and here I am again.
Before I hadn’t really considered loose skin, but now I’m absolutely sure that I’m bound to have some, especially with that extreme loss and even more extreme gain. So I’m wondering what the correct procedure would be to prevent as much of it as possible? What types of strength training and what not? Thank you!!

NorthCascades

It might help with that, it might not. Strength training will have all kinds of benefits for you, so it's definitely better to do than not to do.

AnnPT77

I'd suggest that you just get healthy levels of both strength training and cardiovascular exercise, and eat in a nutritious, well-balanced way at a sensibly moderate calorie deficit (i.e., don't lose super fast), and try to get enough sleep, besides. Those things will help keep your skin (and all the rest of you) as healthy as possible while you lose weight.

Loose skin is considered to be primarily determined by genetics and age. Good health can't hurt, and might help, thus the advice above. Those things are also great for appearance, so there are lots of benefits.

I'd also point out that loose skin can look worse part way through weight loss than it will at goal (because remaining fat conspires with gravity to keep skin stretched out until most of the fat is gone from an area); and that true loose skin (thin wrinkles, not 1/2"-plus folds/rolls) can continue shrinking well into maintenance. Mine kept shrinking into at least year 2 of maintenance, possibly longer. (Hard to see differences without detailed photos, when you get down to the last bits that are willing to shrink. Into year 2 was clearly observable, and I only lost 50ish pounds.)

Best wishes!

AnnPT77

P.S. Info about well-respected strength training programs is in this thread:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you

MikePTY

Strength training is a great thing to do during weight loss no matter what. I am not sure if it will help you with loose skin or not, but it will help you preserve muscle mass and improve your overall health and fitness.

jennabeauchesne1

Thank you all for the insight!!