Scared of getting saggy skin :(

Bekarington

I'm a morbidly obease gal weighing in over 300lbs and I want to lose weight and be healthier. I've started walking alot (been advised not to try running til I loose a bit as it will damage my joints) and I'm eating much better, cutting down the calories and fat, trying to learn the delcate balance between good and bad foods, fats, salts and sugars, etc...

the thing that puts me off the most is saggy skin, I'm terrorfied of it! so much so, it puts me off loosing weight.

can anyone give me advise (especially those who have been in my position) on how not to get saggy skin???

JesterMFP

To a large extent, if you're going to get it, you're going to get it. Some things you can do that might help are not losing too quickly, doing some resistance training as you lose (this is a good idea anyway), getting good nutrition, keeping well hydrated and keeping your skin moisturised. Those are some general recommendations you'll hear, but there aren't really any definitive answers. Genetics plays a part, as does age, so you might have a bit more than if you were losing at age 20, but you should be in a much better position than if you were losing at 40, 50 or 60. Unfortunately, there is a chance that you will have some, but it may not be as bad as you think, and I promise you: losing the weight will still be so worth it.

delisep

Here's the deal about sagging skin, there are so many variables. Genetics, age, how long you have been morbidly obese and the condition of the skin all play a part. I started at over 400 pounds and have lost right at 125 pounds over a period of almost three years, most before finding MFP. My tummy was horrible and I did end up having reconstructive surgery. The surgeon said if I lose anymore that my tummy should bounce back like it is supposed too and I am seeing that happen. With all that being said, my upper arms are very bad and my thighs have some bad places up top that I don't think will snap back. My advice would be to stay hydrated, and keep your skin hydrated and exercise.

sandra80

hon, i feel your pain and i am there. i have lost nearly 200 lbs and i have lots of sag. the good news is where it is, is under clothes. and i can hide it. please, look through my pics, you'll see it's not that bad. spanx are a girls best friend lol. trust me, it's better to have the sag and be healthy than to have it all filled in and to be unhealthy.

Bekarington

Thanks guys, really appreciate the honesty and support.

Just to answer a few questions, I'm 31 and have been morbidly obese since I was in my teens, hence the worry my skin wont snap back, on top of that, my mums stomach never recovered from pregnancy so I'm assuming I would suffer the same fate (while loosing weight, not having a baby.).

Im nit very good at moisturising, probably cos there is so mucb of me that it takes to long.

Also I worry because my boobs have already sagged, I blame my age and always having big boobs, but I tool it as a sign that the reat of me will too.

Also, bit of a gross question, but if you have folds of excess skin, do you get sores? Does it get sweaty?

Rachelphobia

I think this is something we all worry about, OP! I've heard it really varies person-to-person. I think in the long run we are all going to be much happier even if we sag a little. And we can always fill out with a little muscle

As for the boobs- that's what I'm most afraid of! I'm at about a 38J right now and I while I understand they will probably get a bit smaller I cannot imagine if they deflated/shrunk. yucky!

That being said, I think if you're losing weight slow and in a healthy way that you should be giving your skin enough time to unstretch back. I already have plenty of stretch marks, so I really hope I turn out okay!

BusyRaeNOTBusty

It might happen. Would you rather be fat or have a little bit of lose skin? What about non-appearance motivation? I'm sure you'd be a lot healthier and comfortable if you lost weight, have more energy, etc. And if it really bothers you and you have the money you can have surgery to remove it.

Bekarington

I would never have surgery. Not only does it scare the life out of me, but ive had a simple procedure before in the past and was told by a plastic surgeon that the scar would be invisible, yet 20 years later I live with a huge scar inder my chin which looks square when I loose weight.

Add to that the stress on your body, the risks and the pain and lack of movement afterwards no thanks!

kazsjourney

I started at 380 pounds and am around 200 pounds now. Yes I do have some excess skin (thighs and tummy mostly) and yeh i dont love it....but i much prefer it too how i felt at 380 pounds. Eat well, stay hydrated, weight train, get enough sleep, eat good fats to help minimise it. Even if you end up with the excess skin...you will learn to dress well...so you can still look good despite the excess skin!

sandra80

Also, bit of a gross question, but if you have folds of excess skin, do you get sores? Does it get sweaty?

I don't get sores but some do get them. i sweat less now then i did before because even though it sags, it raised up off of other areas the more weight i've lost. it is kinda like pizza dough lol

delisep

I didn't really have sores, but it would get sweaty and have an odor. I did have the surgery and it has improved my quality of life greatly. I can move better when I exercise and it also added to my confidence level. The scar is fading and was tiny and neat when it began healing. I just hated not only the way I looked, but also feeling nasty and unclean. I had lost a good amount of weight and that just seemed to drop and hang. It didn't stick out as far as it did before the weight loss, just hung. I felt extremely limited in exercise as well as clothing and other aspects that require movement. The plastic surgeon took 27.3 pounds off of me that was skin and tissue- no lipo. I had a good surgeon and a good experience with healing from the surgery, but I was very prepared for possible problems and followed all the rules to the letter.

whierd

Well, ultimately you will have to choose.

Lose weight and possibly have saggy skin.

Or just stay fat.

I know which I would choose.

candylilacs

Yeah, I think you're putting the cart before the horse here, Poster. First, you have to have lost *a lot* of weight for this to be an issue, so I don't understand how this is worrying you right now unless you're just freaking out about eating less an exercising more and this is a good enough excuse to stop the process. Just losing 15-20 pounds will not create masses of saggy skin.

I'm not young and I've lost more than 30 pounds in two months. Honestly, I'm more toned now, and any sagginess has lessened. If I let "sagginess" deter me from losing weight then I never would have. It's sure easier to stay as you are, but not necessarily better for your health or life.

allshebe

If whatever saggy skin you end up with tends to develop sores and infection, insurance will often cover reconstruction (but not generally if the only problem is "aesthetics"). I'm 61, have lost about 40 pounds and see some sag (mostly on my upper arms), but it's definitely not getting worse and "may" be getting better. I've only been doing this since the beginning of the year, so can't tell with any certainty what the final end result will look like (thinking of dropping my goal down another 5 pounds)

lewcompton

Planning to drop a little bit more and then I may have some tuck action to take away the excess skin... Its not too bad, but it will be better without it. After 182 pounds I definitely do see some loose skin but its better than seeing a gut stick out a few feet in front of me.

raye1984

i've been a big girl since i was little but you cant really tell how much i weigh because im so tall. im 28, 6'0" and when i started actually looking at getting healthier i was 274lbs, through some hard times and different techniques i was able to drop down to 264 and with MFP i lost another 10lbs bringing me to 254lbs. and i look at myself in the mirror and ask myself the same questions on if i will ever be able to tighten up the skin on my belly n some of my thighs. so i found that doing the wii fit plus workouts especially the hola hoop workouts and doing low cost "body wraps" has really helped with the beginning stages of tighting up the skin. i've only been doing the body wraps for less than a week now and i've noticed a difference of how its firming up.

i hope this helps out and dont be discouraged by the skin, it can all be taken care of even if u have to get medical help. all that matters is that you are healthy

Bekarington

how much weight did people lose before they started noticing the excess skin?

SteelySunshine

how much weight did people lose before they started noticing the excess skin?

I have lost "only" just under 60 pounds so far. I haven't seen any issues with saggy skin. But, I have been losing ever so slowly it's taken 9 or 10 months. I do think it will become an issue though when I am getting closer to goal weight. I think that it's good to be aware of the problem now so you can take steps to avoid it as much as possible. Like losing weight slow not more than an average of 2 pounds a week. Add resistance training when you are able to and as soon as possible and moisturize. In my case one out of 3 ain't bad.

Railr0aderTony

I have lost 122 pounds so far. I look like a F'N Shar pei without my shirt on but you know what? I look pretty good in clothes and my sugar and blood pressure are normal and I can workout and do things I could never do. saggy skin is not pretty but it beats the Hell out of being Fat. Time is your friend. go slow and let your body adjust. Mine gets better with every week. Slow and steady and drink lots of water.

jackilync

I am worried about saggy skin too but I'd much rather have the saggy skin than to feel the way I feel now. So far I am down 33 lbs and I am starting to notice a little bit of excess skin. I just try to do full body workouts, I do planks every day too. I really don't know if it's possible to completely avoid excess skin though. My plan is to get to my goal weight (100 lbs to go for my "healthy BMI) then worry about it. For now, I just want to get the weight off. I totally understand your fear because it's a fear for a lot of us, but getting healthy is much more important than your skin. Good luck!

whisker84

I don't want to make light of your concerns. I am also obese, and I will have loose skin. I understand how difficult it is. Do I regret letting myself get this way? Yes. Do I wish it had never happened and my body would be perfect? Of course.

But what I think about now are things like avoiding the consequences of obesity. Kidney failure, dialysis, cancer (much more likely statistically if you're obese), amputations from diabetes, stroke. I love myself so much that I refuse to go down that road, and that's why I'm here. The loose skin will suck, but it will be **so much better** than killing myself with food and forcing my family to suffer along with me.

Congrats on your success thus far! Best of luck.

MyOwnSunshine

Interesting. We seem to have opposing fears. I've lost over 100 pounds and have a little bit of sagging skin, but I'm terrified of regaining my weight and having rolls of fat to contend with.

I much prefer being fit, confident, wearing normal sized clothes, having energy, being healthy and having some loose skin to contend with.

brraanndi

I'm in your position and I could care less about the skin.

No time like the present to stop letting how your body looks or may look or will never look rule your life.

garber6th

I'm a morbidly obease gal weighing in over 300lbs and I want to lose weight and be healthier. I've started walking alot (been advised not to try running til I loose a bit as it will damage my joints) and I'm eating much better, cutting down the calories and fat, trying to learn the delcate balance between good and bad foods, fats, salts and sugars, etc...

the thing that puts me off the most is saggy skin, I'm terrorfied of it! so much so, it puts me off loosing weight.

can anyone give me advise (especially those who have been in my position) on how not to get saggy skin???

You're in denial, plain and simple.
Right now, today, you look terrible (and so do I).
You could be the Fat Lady in a circus. Seriously.
So. You have months, probably a year or two, before you have to worry about this skin issue, which you are, let's be frank, way more concerned about than the damage your obesity is currently doing to your heart, liver, kidneys and lungs. Oh, yes, and back, knees and hips. Arms? Can you raise them over your head without panting? I doubt it.

Please try to face your issue honestly rather than deflecting it to some down-the-road imagined scenario.

All the best to you.

Harsh much? I am all about honesty, but geez....how do you know if she can raise her arms over her head without panting?

I get how the OP feels. It's a legit concern. I for one will be happier to have saggy skin then 200 lbs extra.

Ed98043

Health issues aside, does anyone think that being of average/healthy weight but with saggy skin is aesthetically worse than being morbidly obese?

FatOldBat

.

FatOldBat

I'm a morbidly obease gal weighing in over 300lbs and I want to lose weight and be healthier. I've started walking alot (been advised not to try running til I loose a bit as it will damage my joints) and I'm eating much better, cutting down the calories and fat, trying to learn the delcate balance between good and bad foods, fats, salts and sugars, etc...

the thing that puts me off the most is saggy skin, I'm terrorfied of it! so much so, it puts me off loosing weight.

can anyone give me advise (especially those who have been in my position) on how not to get saggy skin???

You're in denial, plain and simple.
Right now, today, you look terrible (and so do I).
You could be the Fat Lady in a circus. Seriously.
So. You have months, probably a year or two, before you have to worry about this skin issue, which you are, let's be frank, way more concerned about than the damage your obesity is currently doing to your heart, liver, kidneys and lungs. Oh, yes, and back, knees and hips. Arms? Can you raise them over your head without panting? I doubt it.

Please try to face your issue honestly rather than deflecting it to some down-the-road imagined scenario.

All the best to you.

Harsh much? I am all about honesty, but geez....how do you know if she can raise her arms over her head without panting?

I get how the OP feels. It's a legit concern. I for one will be happier to have saggy skin then 200 lbs extra.

I know because I 've been there. If my comment offended you, I apologize. How great that you're "all about honesty", however.

LumpySpacePrincess1

The best thing you can do is strength training. My friend lost about 130lbs and when she was done her stomach was saggy. Not very saggy, but obviously it was noticeable to her. She took up an intense strength training regime and there's nothing there now except the tiniest crinkle on her abs.
She said she reduced her body fat and filled out the rest with muscle.
Now I know her way wouldn't help everyone, but it definitely helped her.
However, please allow me to be blunt, I'm not trying to hurt your feelings. But would you honestly prefer to remain how you are? From a health standpoint it's bad, and I'd imagine physically you're already unhappy with the way you are. If you lose weight and exercise you'll improv the quality of your life dramatically, with or without sag.
I can't tell you whether you'll have loose skin or not, it comes down to genetics and how fast you drop the weight. But it's a worthwhile risk imo.

TakinSexyBack

Im just going to be honest. Would you rather stay where you are today or be healthy with a little saggy skin? If you exercise throughout your journey, the sag should be at a minimum. You may have some just like I may have some when I reach my goal but being healthy is WAY more important to me than if I have some saggy skin that I can get taken care of later if I feel I need to! DONT let that put you off from trying to lose!! Your health is way more important than what your skin looks like! Just like it is for me, if we are not ALIVE, it wont matter what our SKIN looks like!!!!

PaulaKro

I'm 61 yrs old and have lost 85 pounds and am only starting to see sag.

So why don't you drop 80 pounds and then choose if you liked losing the weight and want to continue; or if you want to stop so you don't get saggy. Can you even imagine being on a roll like that; and then deciding "gee, I think I'll stop now." You will be feeling so good losing the weight, you'll be thrilled to keep going!

By the way, remember to get at least 80gm of protein a day (protein shakes, quest bars, Injury, etc.) to get enough nutrition - it'll help you stay on plan, feel satisfied, have energy, and reduce cravings.

Instead of undergarments, sports clothing is designed to hold you in place as you exercise and I suspect they keep things from sagging as you shrink. (But I do like Genie bras. Sorry if TMI...)

Jacqson84

Lifting will help a great deal!