Over 100 pound loss loose skin ?

stephiejean37

Hey everyone. My goal is to lose over 100 pounds! 160 to be honest. I started out at 335 (ugh) I have been using MFP and exercising for 4 months and have lost 46 pounds I was so happy to get under that dreaded 300 pound mark! My question is has anyone lost this amount of weight and had issues with skin? I'd love to see some before and after photos to reassure me that my skin will tighten. I mean I know I will never be a model, but hoping I don't have saggy skin forever. I am only 27 so I have time for it to tighten. Yes I drink a lot of water. Been drinking 8 cups a day! And trying to lose the weight slowly as too keep it off, and give the skin a chance to tighten as well.

Thanks! I am definitely here for the long run!

therealklane

We started at almost the same weight. I've lost almost 80 and the places I notice my skin really "sagging" are my arms and upper thighs. Truthfully, I am working my *kitten* off in the gym to try to tighten these areas, but I still have a long way to go...so. Interested in seeing other people's feedback.

Ready4thanewme

I started at 365 in January and I am also curious to see how people who had lost 150 or more have faired.

BekaBooluvsu

I started at 360. I've lost 81# and I've definitely noticed saggy, loose skin. I don't think it will always be like that. You have to give yourself a couple years after hitting your goal weight for your skin to catch up. I have a 5 year goal, 3 years to hit my goal weight and another 2 years to tone and tighten. Once I get there I will reassess my skin and decide whether or not to have surgery.

I have been obese for 20 years so I am aware that some areas may not tighten up as well. I've seen other people who've lost 100+ pounds and continue to strength train and who've tightened up a lot. Young or old you can tighten your skin a lot if you strength train.

stephiejean37

I just looked at your pictures, you look great! Great job on the 81 pounds! And thanks for the response!

stephiejean37

We started at almost the same weight. I've lost almost 80 and the places I notice my skin really "sagging" are my arms and upper thighs. Truthfully, I am working my *kitten* off in the gym to try to tighten these areas, but I still have a long way to go...so. Interested in seeing other people's feedback.

Great job on the 80 pounds! My biggest worry spot is my belly after having 2 kids, but I figure id rather have loose skin and be healthy then weigh my 335 pound starting weight!

Thanks for the reply!

BekaBooluvsu

I just looked at your pictures, you look great! Great job on the 81 pounds! And thanks for the response!

Thank you! I love the forums. I'm always reading something :-)! You can do this! Just take it one-day, one-meal at a time.

frankiep73

I previously lost 100# in under 12 months. Ridiculous, I know. But I had serious motivation and I did it. That being said, I did not face any saggy skin as I did it with consistent exercising of all muscle groups. I was very lucky. I did encounter the female "bat wings" under my upper arms, but that is something I just could not ditch... When I was walking, either on the track or the treadmill, I always had hand weights in my hands to move additional and did other arm motions with the weights. To me, that was key in getting toned they way I did.

Great job on the weight loss! I'm hoping I can get my butt back in gear and lose it again!

3athlt

I have about 150 pounds to lose and loose skin is also a concern of mine. To address my loose skin concern, I'm drinking lots of water and strength training 6 days/week.

I also have a concern about stretch marks. I haven't lost enough weight (yet) to have loose skin or stretch marks. From what I understand, stretch marks appear once you lose a lot of weight. I'm battling stretch marks by applying cocoa butter lotion to my gut and love handles.

Is anyone else concerned about stretch marks?

teemama2

Other than my arms the worst place where I have saggy skin is where I carried my children. I continually workout and do strength training. Skin removal surgery is way too expensive and a risky surgery that I would rather do without.

Wanted to share that all the fit women in my step aerobics class complain of flabby arms. I am hoping that with continued workouts that I will see improvement.

TheSatinPumpkin

what loose skin i have can be covered with clothes (upper arm and upper thigh). I take some loose skin over 432lbs of mess... Congrats on your progress so far.

WaterBunnie

I had the same concerns when I started here, and had used it as an excuse not to do anything about my weight for a very long time, but I promise you the pluses of being slimmer/fitter/looking nicer in clothes will far outweigh the negativity you may feel about looser skin. Nobody can predict how your body will end up but don't let it worry you, we sag as we age anyway so none of us will make it out of life wrinkle-free!

besaro

i lost 100 and have not so much loose skin but water balloonish skin/fat? on my belly. I have considered surgery, but in the end its not for me, for the most part i can disguise it with clothing, it doesn't really hinder me doing things and it seems like a drastic surgery and any time i can avoid the risk of surgery i think i will.

don't let the fear of having loose skin be an excuse to stay fat. get healthy, lose the weight, and face that problem when and if you need to.

HerbertNenenger

It really depends on your age, how overweight you are, and how long you were overweight. Skin can only take so much abuse and after it has been stretched over for a long period of time, there will most likely be some consequences with the loss. I am 47 and have lost over 70 but have very little, as I was not overweight for that long, and probably wouldn't have any if I were younger. With that said, when you lose the weight, you will feel healthier and happier and any skin concerns will take a big backseat (if you have a healthy attitude about it). The benefits of the weight loss FAR outweigh any little saggy skin problems, and loose skin will not cause poor health, as being overweight does. Just focus on one thing at a time and don't worry about that for now. Good luck !

CindyMarcuzAdams

Congrats on your success. I started at 333 12 years ago and lost 140. I had to have a tummy tuck and back lift. Also had my arms done twice.
My daughter has lost 160 and will need the same thing. She is 24. She has a lot of loose skin. She is waiting until she has kids to fix it.
I think with that amount of weight loss its inevitable to have some loose skin. It just depends on what you can live with.

jasonctyler

Yeah, I'm going to have a little saggy skin... I was over twice a healthy body weight for my stature and frame. Like everyone else has said, it gets better with time... some things that I have actively noticed improve the issue for me:

1. Strength and weight training, specifically hypertrophy training, will help immensely. Filling in those areas in with muscle with help firm and tone saggy skin.

2. Good ole "Palmer's Cocoa Butter Skin Firming Lotion" $5-$7 USD a bottle. Especially a problem for guys cause we tend not to care about it, but the truth is dry skin is not happy or healthy skin.

3. Drinking more water. Kind of falls in line with no. 2, but why was my skin dry in the first place? Hydration. Your body needs it.

Miss_1999

I'm gonna be brutally honest, when you drop an extreme amount of weight, it is an unfortunate fact that you're going to have skin. When you stretch it out that far, it just doesn't go back. Exercising does help! Toning up muscle is great, and it does tighten up some of the skin, but unfortunately, when you go from a large body mass, to a much smaller, that skin unfortunately doesn't shrink. I've got a lot of skin hanging off of my arms, my stomach looks really bad, and the tops of my thighs. My breasts have suffered as well, but that's from being middle aged and giving birth. When I get off the last 40/50lbs, I'm going to have a body lift, and get rid of all of this skin, and have everything lifted and put back where it's supposed to go. My husband has been extremely supportive, and told me that any time I'm ready, we'll start looking for surgeons. **Edit, it cut my husband out of the second picture! He's lost over 170lbs as well!**

BekaBooluvsu

I'm gonna be brutally honest, when you drop an extreme amount of weight, it is an unfortunate fact that you're going to have skin. When you stretch it out that far, it just doesn't go back. Exercising does help! Toning up muscle is great, and it does tighten up some of the skin, but unfortunately, when you go from a large body mass, to a much smaller, that skin unfortunately doesn't shrink. I've got a lot of skin hanging off of my arms, my stomach looks really bad, and the tops of my thighs. My breasts have suffered as well, but that's from being middle aged and giving birth. When I get off the last 40/50lbs, I'm going to have a body lift, and get rid of all of this skin, and have everything lifted and put back where it's supposed to go. My husband has been extremely supportive, and told me that any time I'm ready, we'll start looking for surgeons. **Edit, it cut my husband out of the second picture! He's lost over 170lbs as well!**

If you right click on the image and open in a new tab you can see the full picture. Way to go! You both look amazing. My hubby and I have lost 185# combined. It's a great feeling to lose it with your SO. :-)

NatalieSkywalker

I started at 251 an have lost 90lbs so far, 20 more to go, and I am lucky enough to have no loose skin so far. Although my boobs aren't as full as they used to be so I guess that could be some excess skin but it's not that bad.

Missjulesdid

I've lost 120 and my skin is sooooo wrinkly and saggy already. I knew it would be.. Even when I was heavier, it was saggy. I had a friend who lost 130ish pounds with gastric bypass.. her skin looked like she had never been fat.- so everyone is different.

Your skin may retract some as time goes by.

The less time you've been fat, the more likely your skin will retract.- I've been morbidly obese my entire life. Sucks for me
The younger you are the more likely your skin will retract.. I'm over 40. Sucks for me
The more genetically blessed you are with elasticity in your skin, the more likely your skin will retract.- my normal weight mother is VERY saggy and my optimal weight athlete baby sister is in her 20s and has batwings.. sucks for them.. AND for me because this is my genetic lot in life.

Some say if you dutifully wear compression garments throughout the process of losing weight that it will help the skin to retract.
Doing strength training can help fill out the area that was once fat with muscle but honestly, you're not going to gain THAT much muscle to fully fill out the volume of skin that will be empty once the fat is all gone. EXERCISE DOES NOT TIGHTEN SKIN. PERIOD.

Personally I'm saving for cosmetics.

CharliJo

This is a huge fear of mine! I have actually started using body wraps along my journey and I can definitely tell they are helping with preventing the skin issue.