Really lose skin!!

MandiK3
MandiK3 Posts: 218 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've lost a decent amount of weight (77lbs) after being overweight for 10 years, 3 kids and a million stretch marks later. I still have about 20 ish lbs to go... Which is great! But! The excess skin and gooshy fat that sags is soooooo annoying and is discouraging. I go in water.. it floats. My kids like to poke it and play with it.. :( ever wearing a thong?.. Forget it! I want to feel good about my body after so much hard work. Anyone else experience this wonderful "side effect" of losing weight? What do you do to minimize feeling blah about it...

Replies

  • Cheeky_and_Geeky
    Cheeky_and_Geeky Posts: 984 Member
    I've lost 40lbs & have had 1 child & have a ton of stretch marks & loose skin. I hear strength training will help a lot with lowering your body fat & helping skin tighten up. I have the most loose skin on my arms, stomach, & breasts unfortunately :( After I have my next child, I'm getting my tubes tied, a tummy tuck & a breast lift! The weight loss is well worth it & I didn't expect to look the same as before I had a baby & gained all this weight.

    Good luck!
  • AnnmarieGomez
    AnnmarieGomez Posts: 4 Member
    Oh you're not alone, my stomach has stretch marks, and it sags, so far people have told me that I need to start to do more strength training and less cardio, and since I started doing more strength I can see small results, mostly in my arms I can see it, my stomach well it's seems to be a slower process. However I can see results ^_^, if you do find another way, please share I would love to know!
  • nuttyfamily
    nuttyfamily Posts: 3,394 Member
    Weight lifting can help diminish but it most likely won't go away completely. It does suck but sometimes skin loses so much elasticity, it never goes back without having surgery.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Here's a good article about loose skin :)

    http://www.burnthefat.com/loose_skin.html
  • courtm82
    courtm82 Posts: 35 Member
    Congrats on your weight loss you look great! Could never tell by the pic you have a problem with loose skin! I too am worried about this, as I have so much weight to lose. I know surgery to get it removed is so expensive. A dr told a friend of mine that drinking a glass of skim milk a day helps with the elasticity of the skin, but I don't know how accurate that is for sure.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I'm in the same boat, my belly looks awful. I have some in other places too but it's not as bad... it hangs there, I can play with it and it stays in place. Disgusting, but beats having a ton of fat under it, I guess.
  • Running_Spirit
    Running_Spirit Posts: 32
    I know what it's like dealing with loose skin. It took me a long time to accept the parts of my body that were a bit "saggy & loose". I started lifting heavy and I'm trying to gain muscle/cut my body fat percentage. Honestly, it helps. It doesn't "fix" everything completely but I'm noticing a WORLD of difference in my body. I keep a positive body mentality.. and even with my imperfections I'm as confident as a person without extra skin. Stay strong & positive ladies & gents! Love yourselves and how far you have all come!
  • snowmaniac
    snowmaniac Posts: 600 Member
    Lift heavy weights, drink plenty of water, and be patient. Depending on how far it was stretched, it will take time. The only other option that I can think of is plastic surgery. Give it a try with the weights first and see how it goes.
  • Bunnyeye
    Bunnyeye Posts: 13
    TA Snowmaniac i hope but guessed that,s the real deal"!!!! uk::grumble: lol!:huh:
  • jerilynn529
    jerilynn529 Posts: 7 Member
    Before you go the drastic surgery route may I suggest using a compression garment. I've used them in the past in addition to weight training and it worked great.
  • supergirl6
    supergirl6 Posts: 224 Member
    Weight training won't change your skin - but it will change what's UNDER the skin. Totally worth it for lots of reasons.

    But mostly you just need to give it time. A lot of time. A friend of mine had bariatric surgery and the doctor she talked to about removing loose skin told her to wait a year after she was done losing weight, then come back and talk to him. Her thighs were the only spot that didn't bounce back in that time.

    You can't really do a lot to help the process along, but you can keep the skin healthy by drinking lots of water and staying hydrated, stay out of the sun and tanning beds, moisturize if need be. My doc recommended fish oil for lots of things, but said it would do some good for my skin too. Take care of your skin and give it time.

    Good luck and congrats :-) You've come a long way, so take pride in your body, even its battle scars.
  • nautiluver
    nautiluver Posts: 23 Member
    Ladies,ladies, ladies - we don't have stretch marks - we are simply a tigress whose earned her stripes! :)

Categories