Woman with loose skin asked to cover up

RenaTX

I'm curious. I'm seeing a lot of negative feedback on FB about this article. Many people are claiming the woman in this article must of lost her weight too fast to have this much loose skin. They think she had something like her a lap band rather than losing through regular diet and exercise. Are the assumptions correct or can someone who has a lot to lose really have this much loose skin as a result?

I'm not criticizing or anything I'm just curious. This lady lost 172 pounds and I have to lose about 90 so I'm sort of wondering if my future is similar.

Thanks!

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/health/fitness-magazine-asks-woman-who-lost-172-pounds-cover-her-stomach?fb_action_ids=10204064083032490&fb_action_types=og.comments

vickee13

I have a lot of loose skin after loosing 9st (126lb), I was 20st (280lb). I lost my weight through diet, but blame the lack of excercise for the excess skin! Even after I gained weight again it did not tighten, but with the help of excercise I will fight it. This time the weight is staying off and I'm going to tone up!

KatDJZ

I would have expected more after 172 pounds! If I ever get to my goal weight, I assume I'll have much more than that, so I don't think it's a case of her losing it too fast or anything like that.

leggup

I went to shape.com's success stories page (http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/success-stories warning- lots of popups and ads). I looked through success stories dating back to 2011. I only saw ONE woman wearing a sports bra as a top in an after pic and ONE woman in a bikini in a before pic, but it was at an angle to the side and you really couldn't see much of her body (arm covering her torso from view). I really do believe that it is the company's current policy to show people in shirts. There were absolutely no success photos of women in triangle bikinis.

Iwishyouwell

Her accomplishment is notable.

But she looks terrible in that bikini shot. It's not a good look for her, regardless of the background of her story.

This is a for-profit magazine, not a church community bulletin. They're going to try and make their subjects look as good as possible to their potential readership, regardless of how "pro-women" they claim to be.

When do we stop? Should anybody be featured in any magazine wearing any thing they want, just because they're a woman who lost some weight?

ravenmiss

I went to shape.com's success stories page (http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/success-stories warning- lots of popups and ads). I looked through success stories dating back to 2011. I only saw ONE woman wearing a sports bra as a top in an after pic and ONE woman in a bikini in a before pic, but it was at an angle to the side and you really couldn't see much of her body (arm covering her torso from view). I really do believe that it is the company's current policy to show people in shirts. There were absolutely no success photos of women in triangle bikinis.

Yet I just looked and saw 6 ladies in bikinis and crop tops in the success section a matter of a few minutes....

Yet I agree it's silly really, she's annoyed because a magazine doesn't want to show reality? Haha of course they don't, they want money and cute stories not real life and it's blemishes!

The media is not and never really will be about real life.

RenaTX

I went to shape.com's success stories page (http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/success-stories warning- lots of popups and ads). I looked through success stories dating back to 2011. I only saw ONE woman wearing a sports bra as a top in an after pic and ONE woman in a bikini in a before pic, but it was at an angle to the side and you really couldn't see much of her body (arm covering her torso from view). I really do believe that it is the company's current policy to show people in shirts. There were absolutely no success photos of women in triangle bikinis.

I'm seeing three so far not counting Holly Madison.
http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/success-stories/scrawny-six-pack-how-one-woman-did-it
http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/success-stories/how-2-readers-lost-weight-fast
http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/success-stories/16-fitness-experts-who-used-be-overweight

Maybe those aren't what you are referring too?

Iwishyouwell

Oh, and for those who are terrified of "loose skin", keep in mind that the vast majority of pictures you see documenting the occurrence are people who lost a lot of weight...but still have a pretty high level of body fat. Even Brooke, despite losing the equivalent of a grown man, still has a considerable amount of excess fat on her frame. She's smaller, and at a "normal" weight, but she's not lean.

Yes you can get lean and still have some loose skin. But the overwhelming majority of people will never know truly how much of their skin is JUST skin, and how much of it is hanging fat giving the appearance of loose skin. It's just that most people never actually work toward a lean, low bodyfat level in order to find out.

If surgery isn't an option for you, try actually getting down to a lean, low bodyfat percentage. You might be surprised at the improvement you see even without going under the knife.

RenaTX

Oh, and for those who are terrified of "loose skin", keep in mind that the vast majority of pictures you see documenting the occurrence are people who lost a lot of weight...but still have a pretty high level of body fat. Even Brooke, despite losing the equivalent of a grown man, still has a considerable amount of excess fat on her frame. She's smaller, and at a "normal" weight, but she's not lean.

Yes you can get lean and still have some loose skin. But the overwhelming majority of people will never know truly how much of their skin is JUST skin, and how much of it is hanging fat giving the appearance of loose skin. It's just that most people never actually work toward a lean, low bodyfat level in order to find out.

If surgery isn't an option for you, try actually getting down to a lean, low bodyfat percentage. You might be surprised at the improvement you see even without going under the knife.

Thank You. I was wondering about the loose skin.

Jestinia

Oh, and for those who are terrified of "loose skin", keep in mind that the vast majority of pictures you see documenting the occurrence are people who lost a lot of weight...but still have a pretty high level of body fat. Even Brooke, despite losing the equivalent of a grown man, still has a considerable amount of excess fat on her frame. She's smaller, and at a "normal" weight, but she's not lean.

Yes you can get lean and still have some loose skin. But the overwhelming majority of people will never know truly how much of their skin is JUST skin, and how much of it is hanging fat giving the appearance of loose skin. It's just that most people never actually work toward a lean, low bodyfat level in order to find out.

If surgery isn't an option for you, try actually getting down to a lean, low bodyfat percentage. You might be surprised at the improvement you see even without going under the knife.

There are photos of anorexics who are at dangerously low weights but who still have loose skin rolls. Even though there is obviously some fat underneath, it apparently doesn't go away.

lee91356

First off, she said it took her 4 years to lose that weight so if she had surgery it would have happened sooner.

Second, the whole "lose quickly will cause loose skin" is a myth. Yes there is SOME effect but it doesnt play that big of a difference. Where the difference comes is in loss or muscle.

Now to the point, I thought that although there may be a policy in the magazine against having a bikini/ bathing suit picture for a "non-model", all the women said was that she didnt want to be in the article if they did not want the photo she wanted displayed. She tried to explain why that photo was important to her and the magazine wasnt interested. To her having that picture was part of the point of her journey and she wanted to show herself at her proudest. I think that if the magazine REALLY cared about the empowerment of what she did in losing her weight, and showing the true struggles of success they would have allowed her to display the photo of her choosing, but NO they were interested in selling her story how they wanted it, and it was to show a nice looking girl, nicely made up and sell they dream that less weight = pretty, which is not the whole truth. For many who are very overweight and lose it, and many other, there is a second level which is not just to be happy with your weight but is acceptance with the flaws of our bodies, and be proud and courageous enough to display it.

lsorci919

I don't think 90 lbs will cause as much loose skin as the 172 pounds this woman lost. Also I'm going to agree with the comment about her not being lean. I've lost over 85 pounds and yes I have a little loose skin on my stomach and inner thighs but the more time passes and weights I lift, the better it's looking. I think over time my skin will catch up with the rest of me..... plus I'd rather deal with the small amount of loose skin then the 85 pounds of fat.

sugarstrawberries

which is not just to be happy with your weight but is acceptance with the flaws of our bodies, and be proud and courageous enough to display it.

Just this part.

earlnabby

Age, and how long a person has been obese makes a difference as to how well your skin will shrink with the weight loss. If you put on the weight fairly recently or are fairly young, chances are good that the skin will go back but it loses elasticity with age. I didn't read the article so I don't know either of those things about the woman in question.

I wonder if that is really her point: you can lose a lot of weight but loose skin is a very real possibility.

SLLRunner

My sister in law has excessive loose skin, and she lost about 100 pounds after gastric bypass. She hates exercise, so she did not exercise and she lost it really fast. She became overweight after her children were born. In fact, she has gained some of the weight back.

I have lost 80 pounds over a twenty year period- some bad dieting,, etc. ,and I was born fat (no kidding, the doc had mom give me less formula because I was too fat), and I was a fat kid. Well, this last year I have lost 42 or so pounds and I do have some loose skin but not a whole lot. As an adult, I have exercised a lot, ran even when I was overweight, and I have lifted weights and continued running this last year. I now lift heavy weights and I am seeing amazing changes in my body. I guess I am blessed. I don't know if all my loose skin will tighten up, but I've sure seen some of it do so.

Still, I would not wear a bikini because I don't have the body for it. I just don't and that's okay. I really have nothing to say about the lady, even though I saw her picture, except that she's accomplished a lot in losing her weight.

Iwishyouwell

Oh, and for those who are terrified of "loose skin", keep in mind that the vast majority of pictures you see documenting the occurrence are people who lost a lot of weight...but still have a pretty high level of body fat. Even Brooke, despite losing the equivalent of a grown man, still has a considerable amount of excess fat on her frame. She's smaller, and at a "normal" weight, but she's not lean.

Yes you can get lean and still have some loose skin. But the overwhelming majority of people will never know truly how much of their skin is JUST skin, and how much of it is hanging fat giving the appearance of loose skin. It's just that most people never actually work toward a lean, low bodyfat level in order to find out.

If surgery isn't an option for you, try actually getting down to a lean, low bodyfat percentage. You might be surprised at the improvement you see even without going under the knife.

There are photos of anorexics who are at dangerously low weights but who still have loose skin rolls. Even though there is obviously some fat underneath, it apparently doesn't go away.

Take a look at pictures of concentration camp victims. Even though there are photos of people who went in overweight, you're not going to find a single picture of people starved to a skeletal state with mounds of "loose skin", with fat attached, hanging off of them.

Find me a picture of a person at the brink of true starvation, not just vaguely underweight, that has the kind of "loose skin" you routinely see. I'd be very interested to see it...

ilex70

Haters gonna hate.

It isn't a flattering picture. Yes, looks like she might have 5 pounds extra pounds still hanging on.

OTOH, her body, her choice. People who think others with extra skin somehow did it wrong, or didn't try hard enough is just crap.

sargessexyone

I saw that article this morning. I honestly don't think she is wearing the bikini thinking I lost all this weight now I can wear what I want. I believe she put it on for the picture to show what exactly she accomplished.

I feel that the magazine is wrong. What they should have done was tell her about the "dress code" before she submitted a picture. If they had a criteria for submitted pictures, for example, no bikini pics, that should have been explained to her beforehand. Then to make matters worse they blame it on a freelance writer.

SLLRunner

Haters gonna hate.

It isn't a flattering picture. Yes, looks like she might have 5 pounds extra pounds still hanging on.

OTOH, her body, her choice. People who think others with extra skin somehow did it wrong, or didn't try hard enough is just crap.

What do you mean "haters gonna hate"? Nobody is being hateful.

Strokingdiction

Oh, and for those who are terrified of "loose skin", keep in mind that the vast majority of pictures you see documenting the occurrence are people who lost a lot of weight...but still have a pretty high level of body fat. Even Brooke, despite losing the equivalent of a grown man, still has a considerable amount of excess fat on her frame. She's smaller, and at a "normal" weight, but she's not lean.

Yes you can get lean and still have some loose skin. But the overwhelming majority of people will never know truly how much of their skin is JUST skin, and how much of it is hanging fat giving the appearance of loose skin. It's just that most people never actually work toward a lean, low bodyfat level in order to find out.

If surgery isn't an option for you, try actually getting down to a lean, low bodyfat percentage. You might be surprised at the improvement you see even without going under the knife.

There are photos of anorexics who are at dangerously low weights but who still have loose skin rolls. Even though there is obviously some fat underneath, it apparently doesn't go away.

Take a look at pictures of concentration camp victims. Even though there are photos of people who went in overweight, you're not going to find a single picture of people starved to a skeletal state with mounds of "loose skin", with fat attached, hanging off of them.

Find me a picture of a person at the brink of true starvation, not just vaguely underweight, that has the kind of "loose skin" you routinely see. I'd be very interested to see it...

The 30s and 40s weren't exactly times when there were many people 200lbs overweight. Using concentration camp survivors to make your point is ridiculous. The demographics of those survivors don't even come close to the demographics of people that would have a lot of excess skin after losing 100s of lbs of weight.

Iwishyouwell

Oh, and for those who are terrified of "loose skin", keep in mind that the vast majority of pictures you see documenting the occurrence are people who lost a lot of weight...but still have a pretty high level of body fat. Even Brooke, despite losing the equivalent of a grown man, still has a considerable amount of excess fat on her frame. She's smaller, and at a "normal" weight, but she's not lean.

Yes you can get lean and still have some loose skin. But the overwhelming majority of people will never know truly how much of their skin is JUST skin, and how much of it is hanging fat giving the appearance of loose skin. It's just that most people never actually work toward a lean, low bodyfat level in order to find out.

If surgery isn't an option for you, try actually getting down to a lean, low bodyfat percentage. You might be surprised at the improvement you see even without going under the knife.

There are photos of anorexics who are at dangerously low weights but who still have loose skin rolls. Even though there is obviously some fat underneath, it apparently doesn't go away.

Take a look at pictures of concentration camp victims. Even though there are photos of people who went in overweight, you're not going to find a single picture of people starved to a skeletal state with mounds of "loose skin", with fat attached, hanging off of them.

Find me a picture of a person at the brink of true starvation, not just vaguely underweight, that has the kind of "loose skin" you routinely see. I'd be very interested to see it...

The 30s and 40s weren't exactly times when there were many people 200lbs overweight. Using concentration camp survivors to make your point is ridiculous. The demographics of those survivors don't even come close to the demographics of people that would have a lot of excess skin after losing 100s of lbs of weight.

Actually there are pictures of FAT Jews who entered into the concentration camps. It's a total myth that nobody was fat or obese pre-80s. And since people are claiming to have lots of "loose skin" even when they are far less than "200 lbs overweight", you should still see some people with mounds of loose skin since it wasn't uncommon for some of the victims to have lost close to a 100 lbs.

But nix the Nazi concentration camps. Unfortunately there are plenty of photos of entire peoples starving to death in modern times.

Find one person who, when starved to a skeletal state, had sheets and mounds of "loose skin".

Now I'll counter with this example. Here is the case of a 50 something woman who went in for gastric bypass surgery. The surgery was botched, leaving her with a rare absorption related condition that allows her to continue losing even while eating above her maintenance. The woman lost approximately 200 lbs and ended up 84 lbs, in a skeletal state. Guess what is missing? The folds of "loose skin" so often associated with weight loss. This woman has almost none, despite her age, how obese she was, and how rapidly she lost.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2288359/My-gastric-bypass-nearly-killed-Woman-eat-5-000-calories-day-stay-alive.html

The point being that yes loose skin exists, but in the overwhelming majority of cases you're seeing skin being dragged down by FAT. You do not have a clue how much loose skin you have unless you either get to a skeletal state (obviously not recommended), or cut your bodyfat levels extremely low while maintaining muscle mass. Only then can you truly tell how much of what is left is skin, and how much is contributed to fat.

AllOutof_Bubblegum

Her accomplishment is notable.

But she looks terrible in that bikini shot. It's not a good look for her, regardless of the background of her story.

This is a for-profit magazine, not a church community bulletin. They're going to try and make their subjects look as good as possible to their potential readership, regardless of how "pro-women" they claim to be.

When do we stop? Should anybody be featured in any magazine wearing any thing they want, just because they're a woman who lost some weight?

I agree with with completely. I'm sure the magazine is out to inspire as many women as possible, and while the woman's achievements are inspiring, that belly shot might have the opposite effect in some women, scaring them away from making the commitment to weight loss, for fear of ending up with loose skin like that.

Strokingdiction

Oh, and for those who are terrified of "loose skin", keep in mind that the vast majority of pictures you see documenting the occurrence are people who lost a lot of weight...but still have a pretty high level of body fat. Even Brooke, despite losing the equivalent of a grown man, still has a considerable amount of excess fat on her frame. She's smaller, and at a "normal" weight, but she's not lean.

Yes you can get lean and still have some loose skin. But the overwhelming majority of people will never know truly how much of their skin is JUST skin, and how much of it is hanging fat giving the appearance of loose skin. It's just that most people never actually work toward a lean, low bodyfat level in order to find out.

If surgery isn't an option for you, try actually getting down to a lean, low bodyfat percentage. You might be surprised at the improvement you see even without going under the knife.

There are photos of anorexics who are at dangerously low weights but who still have loose skin rolls. Even though there is obviously some fat underneath, it apparently doesn't go away.

Take a look at pictures of concentration camp victims. Even though there are photos of people who went in overweight, you're not going to find a single picture of people starved to a skeletal state with mounds of "loose skin", with fat attached, hanging off of them.

Find me a picture of a person at the brink of true starvation, not just vaguely underweight, that has the kind of "loose skin" you routinely see. I'd be very interested to see it...

The 30s and 40s weren't exactly times when there were many people 200lbs overweight. Using concentration camp survivors to make your point is ridiculous. The demographics of those survivors don't even come close to the demographics of people that would have a lot of excess skin after losing 100s of lbs of weight.

Actually there are pictures of FAT Jews who entered into the concentration camps. It's a total myth that nobody was fat or obese pre-80s. And since people are claiming to have lots of "loose skin" even when they are far less than "200 lbs overweight", you should still see some people with mounds of loose skin since it wasn't uncommon for some of the victims to have lost close to a 100 lbs.

But nix the Nazi concentration camps. Unfortunately there are plenty of photos of entire peoples starving to death in modern times.

Find one person who, when starved to a skeletal state, had sheets and mounds of "loose skin".

Now I'll counter with this example. Here is the case of a 50 something woman who went in for gastric bypass surgery. The surgery was botched, leaving her with a rare absorption related condition that allows her to continue losing even while eating above her maintenance. The woman lost approximately 200 lbs and ended up 84 lbs, in a skeletal state. Guess what is missing? The folds of "loose skin" so often associated with weight loss. This woman has almost none, despite her age, how obese she was, and how rapidly she lost.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2288359/My-gastric-bypass-nearly-killed-Woman-eat-5-000-calories-day-stay-alive.html

The point being that yes loose skin exists, but in the overwhelming majority of cases you're seeing skin being dragged down by FAT. You do not have a clue how much loose skin you have unless you either get to a skeletal state (obviously not recommended), or cut your bodyfat levels extremely low while maintaining muscle mass. Only then can you truly tell how much of what is left is skin, and how much is contributed to fat.

I somehow doubt that even in a skeletal state, this flap would disappear.



http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/real_life/4821758/gastric-ops-left-dad-with-2stone-of-loose-skin.html

ETA: I never said there wasn't obesity pre 1980 but it was far less prevalent than it is today.

RenaTX

I don't think 90 lbs will cause as much loose skin as the 172 pounds this woman lost. Also I'm going to agree with the comment about her not being lean. I've lost over 85 pounds and yes I have a little loose skin on my stomach and inner thighs but the more time passes and weights I lift, the better it's looking. I think over time my skin will catch up with the rest of me..... plus I'd rather deal with the small amount of loose skin then the 85 pounds of fat.

I'm with you on that. 90 pounds isn't comparable to 172 either. Thank you.

leggup

I went to shape.com's success stories page (http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/success-stories warning- lots of popups and ads). I looked through success stories dating back to 2011. I only saw ONE woman wearing a sports bra as a top in an after pic and ONE woman in a bikini in a before pic, but it was at an angle to the side and you really couldn't see much of her body (arm covering her torso from view). I really do believe that it is the company's current policy to show people in shirts. There were absolutely no success photos of women in triangle bikinis.

I'm seeing three so far not counting Holly Madison.
http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/success-stories/scrawny-six-pack-how-one-woman-did-it
http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/success-stories/how-2-readers-lost-weight-fast
http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/success-stories/16-fitness-experts-who-used-be-overweight

Maybe those aren't what you are referring too?

Weird, they didn't show up when I went down the list. I must have had an additional modifier/only went back 1 year. It looks like the "16 Fitness Experts Who Used to Be Overweight" are all wearing sports bras, not string bikinis. Even that list is from March 2013.. over a year ago. Shape.com may have a new policy. "How 2 Readers Lost Weight Fast" seems to be the best comparison, but yeah, even that is old (2012).

Jestinia

Oh, and for those who are terrified of "loose skin", keep in mind that the vast majority of pictures you see documenting the occurrence are people who lost a lot of weight...but still have a pretty high level of body fat. Even Brooke, despite losing the equivalent of a grown man, still has a considerable amount of excess fat on her frame. She's smaller, and at a "normal" weight, but she's not lean.

Yes you can get lean and still have some loose skin. But the overwhelming majority of people will never know truly how much of their skin is JUST skin, and how much of it is hanging fat giving the appearance of loose skin. It's just that most people never actually work toward a lean, low bodyfat level in order to find out.

If surgery isn't an option for you, try actually getting down to a lean, low bodyfat percentage. You might be surprised at the improvement you see even without going under the knife.

There are photos of anorexics who are at dangerously low weights but who still have loose skin rolls. Even though there is obviously some fat underneath, it apparently doesn't go away.

Take a look at pictures of concentration camp victims. Even though there are photos of people who went in overweight, you're not going to find a single picture of people starved to a skeletal state with mounds of "loose skin", with fat attached, hanging off of them.

Find me a picture of a person at the brink of true starvation, not just vaguely underweight, that has the kind of "loose skin" you routinely see. I'd be very interested to see it...

You can be dangerously underweight before you get to concentration camp victim status. Once a woman goes below 18.5 bodyfat, according to everything I've read, she's putting her health at risk. And there are photos of women online under that 18.5 who still have loose skin.

This is the one I'm thinking of in particular. According to the article, she was given six months to live at that weight:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1383049/Malissa-Jones-Britains-fattest-teenager-battling-anorexia.html

Iwishyouwell

Oh, and for those who are terrified of "loose skin", keep in mind that the vast majority of pictures you see documenting the occurrence are people who lost a lot of weight...but still have a pretty high level of body fat. Even Brooke, despite losing the equivalent of a grown man, still has a considerable amount of excess fat on her frame. She's smaller, and at a "normal" weight, but she's not lean.

Yes you can get lean and still have some loose skin. But the overwhelming majority of people will never know truly how much of their skin is JUST skin, and how much of it is hanging fat giving the appearance of loose skin. It's just that most people never actually work toward a lean, low bodyfat level in order to find out.

If surgery isn't an option for you, try actually getting down to a lean, low bodyfat percentage. You might be surprised at the improvement you see even without going under the knife.

There are photos of anorexics who are at dangerously low weights but who still have loose skin rolls. Even though there is obviously some fat underneath, it apparently doesn't go away.

Take a look at pictures of concentration camp victims. Even though there are photos of people who went in overweight, you're not going to find a single picture of people starved to a skeletal state with mounds of "loose skin", with fat attached, hanging off of them.

Find me a picture of a person at the brink of true starvation, not just vaguely underweight, that has the kind of "loose skin" you routinely see. I'd be very interested to see it...

You can be dangerously underweight before you get to concentration camp victim status. Once a woman goes below 18.5 bodyfat, according to everything I've read, she's putting her health at risk. And there are photos of women online under that 18.5 who still have loose skin.

This is the one I'm thinking of in particular. According to the article, she was given six months to live at that weight:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1383049/Malissa-Jones-Britains-fattest-teenager-battling-anorexia.html

You don't have to prove the existence of loose skin to me. That was never in question.

My point was that you don't have a clue what your "loose skin" is comprised of until you get a low body fat level. Quite a few people, myself included, had sheets of stuff that looked like "loose skin", only to continue cutting fat and discovering that it wasn indeed NOT that at all.

As for Malissa Jones:

A. She lost a whopping 336 lbs.
B. Still has less excess skin than people who've lost half as much.
C. Is starving herself and lost a lot of muscle. You an be underweight and STILL have a high body fat percentage.
D. Is suffering from malnutrition.

GreatDepression

I watched her interview on CNN. I commend her for being honest and open about her body and journey.

paulawatkins1974

I applaud her success! But to me the way her hands are positioned it kind of looks like she's pushing the extra skin down to make it show more?

aimforhealthy

I applaud her success! But to me the way her hands are positioned it kind of looks like she's pushing the extra skin down to make it show more?

Yep. She's pushing all her excess skin together. I too can get a similar look if I slouch while smooshing all the skin and tissue in my abdomen near my belly button, yet I have a nearly flat stomach and just a little excess skin when I stand normally. Methinks someone was trying to prove a point.