Weight lifting program to fight loose skin

JaysFan82

I've lost 100 pounds since February and have noticed some loose skin starting to form. I do cardio for half an hour a day 5 days a week and I play baseball on Sundays. Plus I walk anywhere within walking distance

I've always hated lifting weights but I know it's a necessary evil. Any online weight lifting program recommendations. Not looking to bulk up, just (hopefully) tighten up this skin

Chef_Barbell

Losing weight too quickly without resistance training is a good way to have loose skin. Hopefully some lifting will tighten things up or there's always surgery.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

ninerbuff

Weight lifting DOESN'T tight loose skin. Skin is loose because it was stretched out. So while it can retract some, unless you fill the space you'll still have loose skin. While weight lifting helps to build muscle, unless you're willing to gain enough muscle to fill that space, loose skin will still be there.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

AnnPT77

Do you still have weight to lose? If so, it's quite common to look worse, in loose skin terms, part way through weight loss than we will at goal. I sure did! Even at goal, skin improvement keeps going. Mine kept shrinking at least into year two of maintenance, just getting more gradual as time went on.

When we lose bodyfat, it doesn't just peel off the outside layer beneath the skin, and proceed neatly inward. Fat cells can deplete pretty much anywhere in the fat mass. That means a fatty area can get squishy, floppy, droopy - like a water balloon half full of water rather than one tightly full to the point of being firm, rounded. The residual squishy fat conspires with gravity to keep the skin in that area stretched out. Until a given area is mostly fat-depleted, skin can't really do much shrinking, as a consequence.

IMU, true loose skin is thin wrinkles, like wrinkles in a medium weight fabric, maybe denim or corduroy. Folds or rolls that are half an inch or more probably still have some subcutaneous fat in there keep things stretched out.

Niner's right, IMO: Weight training doesn't shrink skin. It can fill out the area with some muscle, maybe (but that's slow).

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 that part is 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, supplements, etc., but personally I'm inclined to think 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-ish 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 the "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.

I understand the concern and even frustration, truly. I think this is - unfortunately? - another case where the best allies are patience, persistence, and positive habits.

JaysFan82

Thank you so much for this.

I do still have around 55 pounds left to lose

AnnPT77

JaysFan82 wrote: »

Thank you so much for this.

I do still have around 55 pounds left to lose

I think it's very possible/probable that you're in that difficult phase. I know it's frustrating, but hang in there - betting there are improvements ahead!