Stomach exercises

cfrj697

Hello all! I need some exercise help.

I am 42 and hitting this weight loss hard after FINALLY hitting rock bottom with my weight. I am happy to say I am down 8.8 pounds in almost 3 weeks and feeling great!

My problem is that I'm already noticing loose skin, especially in my stomach. I have had 2 c-sections and a hysterectomy so I know it's not all going to go away but what exercises can I do to manage that along with the weight loss? I have a knee without cartilage so anything high impact on the knees is a no go.

Thank you in advance!

AnnPT77

Exercise per se can't change loose skin. But try not to worry. It's too soon.

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 (at age 60+ BTW), 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. Once most of the fat depletes from an area, then skin can start to shrink . . . and it will take some time to finish to its best achievable outcome.

Like I said, exercise 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 and history (childbearing, surgeries, yo-yo diets, etc.), 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.

DebbsSeattle

Loose skin will result from weight loss. It can sometimes be minimized, mitigated, or managed. How long have you been overweight? How overweight were you? How old are you? What did you eat? What do you eat now? If you want to dive deeper in a knowledge quest start reading up on collagen production. Our bodies do it well in youth but we begin to get bad at it in our 40’s. This is why people get wrinkles as they age. Things you can do to have less loose skin as you fight your way to good health:

Drink plenty of water…stay hydrated…eat a lot of water based fruits and veg too.
Eat plenty of vitamin C rich foods. Vitamin C allows collagen to be produced and utilized.
Eat plenty of healthy fats…fatty salmon, mackerel, sardines…olive, grape seed, avocado, coconut, flax oil. Key is omega-3 fatty acids.
Consider adding hydrolyzed collagen protein peptides. These are great for skin, hair and nails.
Keep your skin well moisturized from the outside too. I prefer natures solutions. I have used organic coconut oil for about 10 years. The coconut oil liquifies above 70*, is readily available, inexpensive and absorbs nicely. Plus it is food so it is safe for skin. It even has its own spf. That is correct…spf~8-10. I used this on a sunny vacation and did not get that after vacation skin peel/shed that happens. I use it on my face too without breakouts. I even put it in my hair and have incredibly strong and healthy hair to my waist.

We will all have a different outcome. Chances are if you gained your 100+ extra pounds over the age of 40 by eating Cheetos and lose the weight just by eating fewer Cheetos, you will have loose saggy crepe skin. If you pursue very rapid weight loss by means of starvation, and deprive your body of healthy nutrition food, vitamins, minerals and collagen boosting fats, you will have loose saggy crepe skin. But, if you make good choices, follow good practices, give you body a chance to conduct cellular repair the way it does…you may come out with great skin or at least not bad skin.

Please do your research - Google will net you a ton of good info. AND make good choices. I speak from seeing my sister choose surgery over the hard work. She lost 150 pounds very quickly and has kept her weight at 130# for 10 years. The money from their privileged lifestyle ran out after surgery. She has never gotten rid of the excess skin. She also quit producing collagen well. She is still in her 40’s but looks like she has skin in it’s late 50’s. Because of her band on her stomach she still must minimize food and thus gets poor nutrition and does nothing to make sure she gets complete nutrition. She might be thin but can’t wear anything that shows skin anywhere on her body all the way from her wrists to her ankles. I do not want that for me so I’m doing everything I can to avoid loose skin.