Loose Skin: 50lbs loss at 60+, 4+ years maintenance

AnnPT77

On my MFP friend feed, someone asked about my experience with loose skin, as someone who lost weight at 60+. Not the first time the question has come up. I decided to post a thread, being as honest as I can manage. Photos will be in spoilers, even though not indecent in technical terms (I'm wearing a tank top & short shorts that I wouldn't usually wear in public, but wouldn't be arrested for) . . . but I don't want to hear from anyone who doesn't want to see a li'l ol' lady body. You were warned: It's on you. I'm sharing this for others' information, not because I think it's fabulous looking. Also, different people will have different results, better or worse. This is n=1 me.

Background: I lost something over 50 pounds at age 59-60, 183lbs to 120s, in a bit less than a year. That was about 5 years ago. Over the intervening time, I drifted up 10-15 pounds, though still at a BMI in lower 20s, and have recently re-lost around 10 or so pounds, at 126.6 this morning, at 5'5", BMI 21.1, age 64. The photos below are from that weight, today.

I felt like the loose skin I had immediately after loss wasn't mostly disastrous, and certainly way better in every way than staying obese. The loose skin I had shrunk quite a bit during the first two years of maintenance, and maybe beyond. Now, I have a small amount of new loose skin from the re-lost 10 or so pounds.

On to photos. This one is what my midsection looks like, standing up straight, not sucking in, just standing relaxed.

You can see that sort of downturn/squint at the sides of my navel that shows there's been weight loss. The finer wrinkles just above the navel are, I believe, from the recent re-loss, and I suspect they'll disappear after some time.

I can make the midsection look worse by slumping forward (leaning to bring ribcage closer to pelvis). That's the next photo.

The finer wrinkles are what I'd consider to be true loose skin. They'll maybe disappear with time. The little roll above the waistband still has some subcutaneous fat in it, and won't leave unless I lose more fat.

Next up, legs. They're sturdy, not shapely, just how I'm built.

You may note that one leg has more remaining inner thigh fat than the other, and is saggier. Weird, but true.

Next, let's look at an area that many women worry about, the upper arms. This will try for an illustration of that thing I rant on about, with respect to "bat wings" or whatever ugly thing women may call it.

This is the first of two photos. My arm is relaxed and horizontal, and I'm pinching the area that most women would call "arm fat" "loose skin" "bat wings" or whatever, but I'm not pulling on it, just pinching. Big flap there. (Yes, my underarm looks weird. A surgeon took out some lymph nodes, so there's a divot.)

Next photo, I'm flexing that same arm, pinching what skin/fat I can, and *pulling down hard* to highlight as much loose tissue as possible.

I hope you'll agree with me that there's much less flap here than in the previous photo even though I'm trying to maximize the flappy part in this one, i.e., a decent share of the flappy part above turned out to be relaxed tricep muscles, muscles that are now engaged/tight in this photo. (I wish I could do a video of myself, because the difference in actual floppiness is pretty major.)

From the weight loss, the thing that looks the most worst to me is my face. Now, I never was Cutie McCuterson, and never will be. I'd also say that my face looks better than it did right after weight loss, but there is still noticeable droop there, that wasn't there when I was obese. I look better if I smile, but I'm intentionally not smiling, so you can see the maximum droop.

This would be the front view.

Besides the droop/wrinkly bit below my mouth on either side, my neck looks stringier than when I was fat. I suspect this has something to do with my own weird muscle/tendon structure that was underneath the fat the whole time, just covered up. I don't think it came from weight loss, but weight loss revealed it more.

Now, the side view.

You can see the droop/wrinkles below my lips quite clearly. There's mostly the stringy zone under my chin, but not IMO a lot of just hanging skin. I did have a good bit of fat there previously, when I was obese.

There ya go: Honest pics of loose skin, one woman's experience, after a few years of mostly maintenance, following 50+ pounds loss at about age 60.

solieco1

I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. Thanks so much. I'm just now at 30 lbs and noticing some real weirdness that has me worried. Your honest photos make me realize I'll look just fine and yes, be much healthier!

00markw

Your posts are an inspiration, AnnP! And you look great

I'm at the obese end of your journey age 55, and have been fighting my lbs for about a year. You make me feel like I can still do this.

Sand_TIger

I think it's wonderful that you posted this - it's useful information and also very kind of you.

CupcakeCrusoe

It takes a lot of guts to post this kind of thing. I so appreciate it.

gallicinvasion

Thank you so much for posting this and sharing all the details! I always always appreciate your clarity, honesty, and willingness to set aside time to demystify so much of this weight loss and weight maintenance process. You rock, Ann!

CSC61

On my journey- this is helpful and calming. Thanks!

charmmeth

This is very helpful; thank you so much for posting.

MaltedTea

Your lil ole lady body is Cutie McCuterson! The work you've put in is evident and your self-aware description is a realistic description for us all to learn from. Thank you!

msmangin

Love that you have "guns." Not only have you accomplished a healthy weight, maintained it, and gained muscle, you are incredibly brave! I am just 3 weeks shy of 57 and find myself weighing more than ever, with close to no motivation. You are an inspiration! Thank you so much for sharing your story and pictures.

darlin930

Thank you very much for this post! I found it encouraging. I am at 100 pound loss of a 150 pound goal. I am 55 and was developing a complex already over all the loose skin. So, thank you for building hope!

kimberlymck60

Thank you so much for sharing this! I'll be 60 in a couple of weeks. I've lost 75 pounds with ~25 more to go. While I'll happily take the loose skin I'm already seeing in exchange for all the benefits of my weight loss, it's encouraging to see and read what several years of maintenance looks like.

LuckysGurl

This is very inspirational and helpful! Thank you so much for your willingness to share your journey and your pics!

Latrellis

AnnPT77 Thank you for sharing & the inspiration!!!

HeidiCooksSupper

Thank you for sharing this. I'll try to do something similar when I "get there." I've still got a good deal to lose, am aiming toward losing 1/2 my body weight when all is said and done. Right now, I'm seeing some cellulite bumps that had previously been hidden by fat and my bat wings are hanging lower. The good news is that my collar bones have made a subtle appearance after being hidden for many years.

irish109

hi i just started my MFP weight loss journey I started out at 301 lbs 42in waste 64 yr old male. my goal is to get lose 60lbs 240 in 9-12 month I just started documenting my calories food diary MFP . I was over eating and didn't know it.I have cut my intake/calories in half Plus i've stopped sodas ice cream milk snacks,

I have dropped 8.5 lbs. 292.5lbs in the 1st 3 days I hadn't thought stretch skin after losing so much weight? Thank you sharing your success and end results photos It has given me a visual example of what my skin may look like skin will look like in 9-1n months .Group question Is there any skin tightening repair tips ,products, exercise techniques etc that I can do now to help tighten my skin during my weight loss journey. thank you best regards tim

AnnPT77

msmangin wrote: »

Love that you have "guns." Not only have you accomplished a healthy weight, maintained it, and gained muscle, you are incredibly brave! I am just 3 weeks shy of 57 and find myself weighing more than ever, with close to no motivation. You are an inspiration! Thank you so much for sharing your story and pictures.

Aww, that's so kind! ❤️

Just for truth in advertising: Most of any muscle development I may have - and I'm not saying it's significant - predates my weight loss. I'm pretty sure my general muscle configuration had been there while I was obese, but hidden under substantial fat layers.

For sure, my profile photo is showing what muscle was "just there" after weight loss, not new gains. I was surprised!

I was very active for around 12 years, while obese, including very large amounts of rowing (on-water and machine), regular spin classes, and some strength training (though I'm usually pretty lacadaisical about that last, to my detriment). I was the near-mythical pretty-fit obese person, when I started losing weight: Low resting heart rate, decent endurance, "in the pack" race times, decent strength for my age. I'd been training regularly most days of the week, competing in rowing races, and that sort of thing, for a long time, eating at maintenance. I'd gotten smaller from the start of my rowing until before the weight loss, probably 1-2 pants sizes, via recomposition (more muscle, less fat), at about the same bodyweight.

I'm quite certain my strength was close to the same before/after weight loss: My rowing machine race time stayed about the same. (The rowing machine is somewhat sensitive to weight, but not hugely.) My boat got faster, because the lighter body in the boat meant I was moving less weight through the water.

Correct rowing can build strength and even muscle mass, but it's super super slow as a route to that, compared with something like weight training. So, those who'd like muscle should weight train!

Diatonic12

Seeing is believing. I knew you had the goods all along. Your proof is concrete. You've always been a beauty on the inside and outside. It comes through your words, in the ways you encourage everyone every single day. I think you should win everything.

alligatorob

Thanks for posting this! And your body looks just fine, nothing to be ashamed of.

I have a lot more lose skin than you do, I have lost more weight and it is more recent. Also I think I am a little older than you. I have not worked up the guts to do what you have done, but seeing your post gives me a bit of courage. And knowing that some of your skin shrank back in the first 2 years is encouraging, hopefully some of mine will. But it will never likely look as good as yours!

Thanks again, brave lady.

Beautyofdreams

Thank you for posting on this topic. This came along at a great time since I am over half way through my fat loss journey and the remaining fat is looking dimply and gravity is doing its worst. This post is a wonderful reminder that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you for another educational, insightful post.

AnnPT77

irish109 wrote: »

hi i just started my MFP weight loss journey I started out at 301 lbs 42in waste 64 yr old male. my goal is to get lose 60lbs 240 in 9-12 month I just started documenting my calories food diary MFP . I was over eating and didn't know it.I have cut my intake/calories in half Plus i've stopped sodas ice cream milk snacks,

I have dropped 8.5 lbs. 292.5lbs in the 1st 3 days I hadn't thought stretch skin after losing so much weight? Thank you sharing your success and end results photos It has given me a visual example of what my skin may look like skin will look like in 9-1n months .Group question Is there any skin tightening repair tips ,products, exercise techniques etc that I can do now to help tighten my skin during my weight loss journey. thank you best regards tim

My opinion:

Many of us (me, for one) look a bit worse part way to goal weight than at goal weight. Fat cells may deplete anywhere in our fat mass: They don't disappear starting with the outer layer, and proceed neatly inward, necessarily (I wish!). This means that a fat area may get kind of floppy/squishy first (kind of like a water balloon partly full of just water, unlike one that's completely full of water so rounded & firmer). The squishy fat conspires with gravity to keep skin stretched, so there can be droopy or hang-y bits. Sometimes people get discouraged at this stage, and kind of panic.

However, as we keep losing fat, eventually some of those areas will more fully deplete, getting back to the smaller wrinkles that you can see in some of my photos, the wrinkles that came from my recent loss 10-15 pound loss - the ones that look more like wrinkles in medium-weight fabric, not 1/2"+ rolls or folds. At/around that stage, the skin can really start to shrink. And that shrinkage is (unfortunately) *slow*. So, it's a process. Like the weight loss itself, it takes time, and it can really get rolling *after* most of the weight loss (though that can vary by body area).

Then, many of us (also me) look worse at goal weight than we will after a period of time in maintenance. That's also a consequence of what I wrote above: Need to get the gravitational stretching mostly out of the way, then allow time for skin to adjust. 🙄

Personally, I was seeing slow changes well into year 2 of maintenance, and there may've been more beyond, just so slow it's hard to perceive. For sure, the total difference is quite significant.

As far as how to minimize loose skin, here's what I think: Genetics matter, and likely age does, too. That's the hand we're dealt, and it's unpredictable and pretty much unchangeable.

Beyond that, skin is an organ. The things that keep other organs healthy will also tend to keep skin healthy, which means elastic and more willing to adjust. These include:

* avoiding fast loss (because it's a physical stress to lose fast),
* getting good well-rounded nutrition (macros and micros, especially but not exclusively protein),
* getting regular exercise (both cardiovascular and strength),
* managing all-source life stress,
* hydrating adequately (not crazy much, but enough),
* avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol,
* specific to skin, also avoiding tanning.

People will say all kinds of things about creams, dry-brushing, etc., but personally I'm inclined to thing those are mainly ways to pass the time while skin does pretty much what it was going to do anyway. Help a little? Maybe. Big help? I doubt it. But it can feel good to feel like we're doing *something*.

Based on posts on MFP, I think many people are more worried early in the weight loss process (or midway) about loose skin, but likely to find that the results are not as bad in the long run as they might have imagined. There are lots of posts in this "Success Stories" part of the forum, including from people of all ages who've lost a lot of weight, some who've decided they need surgery to remove loose skin, some who've just let time do its thing. Reading some of those might give you a more well-rounded idea of the range of possibilities. Virtually everyone looks completely normal in street clothes, and many look great even in revealing things like swimsuits.

No matter what, I think the end result of being lighter and healthier is more than worth it, with benefits I never would've thought of beforehand, more than making up for any typical amount of loose skin. As with all of this, just my opinion.

Wishing you good outcomes!

gcminton

Thank you for sharing!

The looming specter of loose skin can be pretty daunting. Knowing it CAN improve to a certain point after maintenance does help, but then it's a patience game. Have I waited long enough? Is this it? Is there still fat in there to lose? Was all of the dieting worth it if I'll never look as good as I want?

It's an annoying reality that a lot of us are going to have to live with, especially if we've lost a hell of a lot of weight. Sometimes I kick myself (just a little) for not starting this when I was younger and maybe had a higher chance of tighter skin, but whatever. There's no changing that now. You're 100% right that some saggy skin is absolutely worth the effort and is much better than staying obese.

I appreciate you helping to normalize what is, in fact, a completely normal thing.

lauriekallis

Thank you for sharing your results/experience with us - and for your very thoughtful reflection so that we can have a better idea of what to expect. I think you look terrific. You are really inspirational. Thank you again.

ChrissyChickie

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Background: I lost something over 50 pounds at age 59-60, 183lbs to 120s, in a bit less than a year. ....

I felt like the loose skin I had immediately after loss wasn't mostly disastrous, and certainly way better in every way than staying obese. "


Thank you for sharing. I had to laugh when you said your starting weight was obese! To me, I would be really happy right now to be 183 lbs. I guess maybe my views are distorted because my starting weight is so much higher.

AnnPT77

In case it matters to anyone in evaluating all this, I'm going to throw in about the best before & after photos I have, even though they're not great. The before is a couple of years before I started losing weight, but at about my starting weight of 183lbs. The after is a few months after reaching goal weight, sometime in 2016, probably at a weight in the lower 120s, but might be a little under that. I was at 126.2 this morning, and don't think I look dramatically different from the after photo now, except for wilder gray hair (pandemic haircut skipping!). Personally, I don't think I look that much different from women my age who've always been thin, just walking around in the world, but your perception may differ. Though I'm not particularly vanity driven or vanity centric, I'm frankly pretty happy with how my body looks, at 64 years old: I don't wish or expect to look like I'm 22.

AnnPT77

ChrissyChickie wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Background: I lost something over 50 pounds at age 59-60, 183lbs to 120s, in a bit less than a year. ....

I felt like the loose skin I had immediately after loss wasn't mostly disastrous, and certainly way better in every way than staying obese. "

Thank you for sharing. I had to laugh when you said your starting weight was obese! To me, I would be really happy right now to be 183 lbs. I guess maybe my views are distorted because my starting weight is so much higher.

I'm just using the technical definition based on BMI: 183 pounds at 5'5" is BMI 30.4, just over the line into class 1 obese, which starts at BMI 30 (and up). That's not my highest weight ever - I got up into the 190s at times in the past. But I know others have different challenges.

So, I know some others have a higher starting point, so perhaps more to lose, but I've seen women here around my age who've lost from a much higher weight than I (200s-300s) down to a normal BMI, and who IMO look good, in terms of loose skin. I think many people may fear a worse result than they will actually experience, long term.

I know many people question BMI as a system, but in my case, as someone of a narrow-ish build (narrow hips, no breasts because post-mastectomy), I think I'm best in the lower part of the normal BMI range. I think the photos in my OP make clear that I still have well above zero body fat, at BMI 21-point-whatever (normal BMI is 18.5-24.9). I don't know my body fat percent, but my best guess would be somewhere in the mid-20s percents. My upper body doesn't have a lot of fat, but there's still a noticeable amount on my lower body, so I think mid-20s percent is reasonable as an averaged-out guess.

nexangelus

This is an apt post for me. Thank you! The stuff we want to ask and talk about but feel a bit uncomfortable talking about (a bit like the subject of incontinence pads/pants when lifting really heavy at competitions as a woman, young, old and in between)

I struggle with strength versus aesthetics. I want to be strong and feel energised. But I also want to see how much lean mass I have gained over the years of heavy lifting by getting more lean so I can see the hard work. Trouble is the more fat I lose, the loose skin effect around my belly region gets more extreme. It does start to hang and already at this weight it has this odd rippling effect (stretch marks aside). Looking at your photos, though, gives me hope. You look fantastic!

I am the same height as you and have been the same high and low weights. I am quite a bit younger, post menopausal (premature menopause), 46. I am sitting in the mid 150s at the moment (lbs) and this is sort of my happy weight, but not aesthetically or even athletically the optimum or best weight for me (I feel it is more 140 and just under). Yet the more I cut the calories (I am pretty active, work a long 60 hour week and try to train 3 to 4 times a week in the gym, commute 15 miles a day on electric bike, but not on full power), the more tired, grumpy, not motivated to do much exercise I become. It is all about the balance.

I suppose I just need to crack on and do one thing, focus on cutting down and then deciding what I want to do after I have seen the muscle mass I have managed to build. I just cannot seem to commit to it because tired, grumpy me just eats those extra calories to feel okay/better (only 100 extra a day when feeling run down). Also the clock is ticking and I compete as a masters strongwoman.

solieco1

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Many of us (me, for one) look a bit worse part way to goal weight than at goal weight. Fat cells may deplete anywhere in our fat mass: They don't disappear starting with the outer layer, and proceed neatly inward, necessarily (I wish!). This means that a fat area may get kind of floppy/squishy first (kind of like a water balloon partly full of just water, unlike one that's completely full of water so rounded & firmer). The squishy fat conspires with gravity to keep skin stretched, so there can be droopy or hang-y bits. Sometimes people get discouraged at this stage, and kind of panic.

So much this! Thank you Ann!!

ydailey

Thanks so much for sharing that! I've been worrying about that a bit with my over-the-hill skin!

AnnPT77

nexangelus wrote: »

This is an apt post for me. Thank you! The stuff we want to ask and talk about but feel a bit uncomfortable talking about (a bit like the subject of incontinence pads/pants when lifting really heavy at competitions as a woman, young, old and in between)

I struggle with strength versus aesthetics. I want to be strong and feel energised. But I also want to see how much lean mass I have gained over the years of heavy lifting by getting more lean so I can see the hard work. Trouble is the more fat I lose, the loose skin effect around my belly region gets more extreme. It does start to hang and already at this weight it has this odd rippling effect (stretch marks aside). Looking at your photos, though, gives me hope. You look fantastic!

I am the same height as you and have been the same high and low weights. I am quite a bit younger, post menopausal (premature menopause), 46. I am sitting in the mid 150s at the moment (lbs) and this is sort of my happy weight, but not aesthetically or even athletically the optimum or best weight for me (I feel it is more 140 and just under). Yet the more I cut the calories (I am pretty active, work a long 60 hour week and try to train 3 to 4 times a week in the gym, commute 15 miles a day on electric bike, but not on full power), the more tired, grumpy, not motivated to do much exercise I become. It is all about the balance.

I suppose I just need to crack on and do one thing, focus on cutting down and then deciding what I want to do after I have seen the muscle mass I have managed to build. I just cannot seem to commit to it because tired, grumpy me just eats those extra calories to feel okay/better (only 100 extra a day when feeling run down). Also the clock is ticking and I compete as a masters strongwoman.

How far are you cutting the calories? "Tired, grumpy, unmotivated' sounds like maybe a little deep of a cut? I 100% get that we want to just drop that weight fast and get on with life, but life is also happening during the cut, and if it's not happy life, that's kind of a waste in a different way, IMO.

As I mentioned further up-thread, I've been re-losing some vanity pounds, upper 130s to now upper 120s (and trudging toward middle 120s, not sure yet where I'll stop). Last Fall, I committed myself to losing gradually, and am down 10+ pounds so far, at an absurdly slow approximate average pound a month . . . but that 150-250 calorie daily deficit has been pretty close to painless. (I skip the deficit entirely now and then.) The downside is maybe psychological, i.e., sometimes even my trending app thinks I'm gaining for a few weeks, but I trust the process enough to know it's not true so the slowness and misleading short-term fluctuations don't really bother me. I really, really like that "pretty painless" part.

If your genetics favor mass/strength, you might even continue to make some slow gains at a tiny deficit.

Just some thoughts.

Regardless, wishing you the best in your strongwoman goals!

rockconner

Thanks for these helpful posts. I'm 60, have lost 100#, intend to lose 90# more, & I dread the loose skin. But I'll still march toward it.