Over 100 pound loss loose skin ?

lighteningjeanne855

I use unflavored gelatin powder in lukewarm water to improve the amount of collagen in my skin.
After losing 50 pounds in only 6 months, there was loose skin on my upper arms, belly, and upper thighs.
There was a long plateau with no weight loss, BUT thanks to using the unflavored gelatin,
my skin has tightened up. I stirred the gelatin into (room temperature) water
and drank it with my morning vitamins and supplements.

Flavored sugar-free gelatin desserts will accomplish similar results.

Another source of collagen is the broth that results from stewing
bone-in chicken (with its skin) and beef. The gel when the meat is cooled
contains collagen, too. Some Paleo folks buy and boil bones just for the collagen.

Best wishes,
Jeanne

flatlndr

I've dropped 100+ since 1 Jan (started at 279). I had some concern about loose skin for a while, but over time I stopped worrying about it. As my wife said "you look WAY better now than you did 100 lbs ago. That bit of loose skin is way better than that massive gut you had before". Plus, we've noticed the skin shrinking a bit in the last few weeks. Hopefully in a year or two, it will be even less noticeable. Even so, I'm way healthier now than before I started. I'll wear any lose skin with pride.

GetSkinnyWithKrystal

Congrats on all the success stories, you guys are all a inspiration to me!

RHachicho

I'm not one to deny, there are people who absolutely can, and may have skin that will go back, and they'll look wonderful! I won't be one of them. I've been fat 31 years. I weighed 100lbs before I was 7 years old. None of this is going any where. Am I vain? Absolutely. I will freely admit it. I've worked damn hard to get where I am, and I want to look good. I realize no surgery comes without risk. No surgery should be taken lightly. When I do it, it will be my first time having *this* type of surgery, but it's not my first rodeo with any type of surgery. I'll spare the details of the two I've gone in for, and it would make most people cringe, but it gave me my life back, and without it, I know I wouldn't be here today. It was extremely painful, but there's no doubt, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. For those that are concerned about us who eventually will be having surgery, have you gone through it yourself? Does this affect your opinion/advice you're giving to others?

The advice I gave I believe was that surgery should be a last resort when you have tried everything else not the first thing you reach for as a quick fix. It sounds like that was the case for you and the surgery was appropriate. I never once said that the surgery is for no one. Just that it should be carefully considered and avoided if at all possible. Which I still believe is sound rational advice. I am glad yours worked out for you. I don't wish a bad end on anyone.

I haven't *had* skin surgery, yet. I've had an obstetric fistula repair X 2. I was just curious if you or anyone else who were cautioning/advising to use surgery as a last resort had gone under the knife themselves for skin surgery. It is sound advise to weigh options, absolutely. Anyone who thinks it's gonna be a "quick fix", yeah, they're in for a rude awakening. There's nothing quick about it.

Ah forgive me I misunderstood. No honestly I haven't been through the surgery myself however after doing quite a lot of research into it I became determined not to do it unless I end up with yeast infections in my skin flaps. Thing is you are in for a long period where you can't be very active. And this usually means long periods of sedentary boredom. And for me as a comfort eater this is a recipe for disaster. And I think a major proportion of people who go in for the surgery will be in the same position as me. We love food, we are bored and our healing bodies are making us even more hungry. To me that sounds like tempting disaster. I would go to almost any lengths to avoid that scenario.

I am also newly infatuated with physical activity. It's one of the reasons I have lost weight quite quickly. I was gobsmacked to find that my opinion on exercise had completely about faced since my early years. I became really into fitness and weight lifting. And have managed to reach quite an impressive level of fitness. And a rather decent level of strength for only 7 months training. (probably about 5 of those actually decent). I don't want to spend months and months unable to push myself physically. I am also hoping that my regular physical activity, coupled with my attention to dietary discipline and regular exfoliation will help my skin to keep up with the rest of my body.

At the moment I have a few hanging areas however no where near so bad as to warrant surgery. And they are still pretty filled with fat. As I weigh less and less I intend to increase my diet slowly but surely to give my skin all the time in the world to keep up with my weight loss and make sure that it has all the nutrients and care it needs so that my loose skin is as small a problem as it possibly can be. And if there is any when I hit 15% body fat then I will carb cycle down to force it to tighten. If after I have done that I STILL have huge folds of loose skin (Which I actually personally doubt) Then and only then would I consider surgery. If I just have a little scraggliness I will just live with it. And be glad that I look 100 times better than I did.

Julieboolieaz

I've been obese my whole life...size 14/16 in 6th grade up to size 26 at 34y.o.-2 c/s, and a gall bladder surgery thrown in there.

I'm now 45. I've lost 130lbs and kept 100+ off for 11 years. I've exercised (although not the intense weight training I now enjoy) and drunk so much water I could float. But, I have saggy thighs, bat wings, loose belly, and deflated boobs. I'm hoping getting rid of the last of the body fat stored there will help, but I'm not holding out unrealistic hope. Even without any further progress, I look a million percent better than I used to!

Surgery is not a failure, and if you're able to have it, I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results.

Not that anyone dedicated enough to be active here at mfp would do this, but, there are a lot of unsuccessful surgery stories around. :sad: The main problem is the tendency to regain weight after the surgery-which really has a bad, puckered final aesthetic. That's some serious built in accountability!

Skin or no skin, being a centurion in the weight loss world is a badge of honor!! :flowerforyou:

Miss_1999

I'm not one to deny, there are people who absolutely can, and may have skin that will go back, and they'll look wonderful! I won't be one of them. I've been fat 31 years. I weighed 100lbs before I was 7 years old. None of this is going any where. Am I vain? Absolutely. I will freely admit it. I've worked damn hard to get where I am, and I want to look good. I realize no surgery comes without risk. No surgery should be taken lightly. When I do it, it will be my first time having *this* type of surgery, but it's not my first rodeo with any type of surgery. I'll spare the details of the two I've gone in for, and it would make most people cringe, but it gave me my life back, and without it, I know I wouldn't be here today. It was extremely painful, but there's no doubt, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. For those that are concerned about us who eventually will be having surgery, have you gone through it yourself? Does this affect your opinion/advice you're giving to others?

The advice I gave I believe was that surgery should be a last resort when you have tried everything else not the first thing you reach for as a quick fix. It sounds like that was the case for you and the surgery was appropriate. I never once said that the surgery is for no one. Just that it should be carefully considered and avoided if at all possible. Which I still believe is sound rational advice. I am glad yours worked out for you. I don't wish a bad end on anyone.

I haven't *had* skin surgery, yet. I've had an obstetric fistula repair X 2. I was just curious if you or anyone else who were cautioning/advising to use surgery as a last resort had gone under the knife themselves for skin surgery. It is sound advise to weigh options, absolutely. Anyone who thinks it's gonna be a "quick fix", yeah, they're in for a rude awakening. There's nothing quick about it.

Ah forgive me I misunderstood. No honestly I haven't been through the surgery myself however after doing quite a lot of research into it I became determined not to do it unless I end up with yeast infections in my skin flaps. Thing is you are in for a long period where you can't be very active. And this usually means long periods of sedentary boredom. And for me as a comfort eater this is a recipe for disaster. And I think a major proportion of people who go in for the surgery will be in the same position as me. We love food, we are bored and our healing bodies are making us even more hungry. To me that sounds like tempting disaster. I would go to almost any lengths to avoid that scenario.

I am also newly infatuated with physical activity. It's one of the reasons I have lost weight quite quickly. I was gobsmacked to find that my opinion on exercise had completely about faced since my early years. I became really into fitness and weight lifting. And have managed to reach quite an impressive level of fitness. And a rather decent level of strength for only 7 months training. (probably about 5 of those actually decent). I don't want to spend months and months unable to push myself physically. I am also hoping that my regular physical activity, coupled with my attention to dietary discipline and regular exfoliation will help my skin to keep up with the rest of my body.

At the moment I have a few hanging areas however no where near so bad as to warrant surgery. And they are still pretty filled with fat. As I weigh less and less I intend to increase my diet slowly but surely to give my skin all the time in the world to keep up with my weight loss and make sure that it has all the nutrients and care it needs so that my loose skin is as small a problem as it possibly can be. And if there is any when I hit 15% body fat then I will carb cycle down to force it to tighten. If after I have done that I STILL have huge folds of loose skin (Which I actually personally doubt) Then and only then would I consider surgery. If I just have a little scraggliness I will just live with it. And be glad that I look 100 times better than I did.

I totally get you. There are a LOT of people for whom food is their comfort or "go to", almost bordering on addiction. There are even some, who have food addiction. I can empathize, truly. The way you are by food, I am by cigarettes. I'm struggling right now with quitting, and it's a hell of a road. You are right, recovery is a bear from surgery. Although I haven't had skin surgery, the two surgeries I had, required me to be an absolute sloth for six full weeks. I know it's a LOT longer than that with skin surgery, but I'm not stranger to no lifting, restricted bending, going only from the bed to the couch, getting up every so often to walk to avoid blood clots, then back down again.

I won't lie, yeah, it does get to you, but you have to stay focused and remember, it's all a means to an end-- there's a reason why you went through this, and it's only temporary. Pain sucks, this is for sure, that's why I said I'd spare you the details of my *surgeries*. The first surgery they did that failed, when I woke up in recovery, they hadn't given me any pain meds prior to waking me up, and it was hell. Absolutely stupid, as well considering how they had me positioned. Second surgery went MUCH smoother.

I am hopeful for you that things go a lot better, that you don't end up with the complications and horrible time with skin that I and some others have. You've got a good attitude about your skin and have a good plan in place, and that's what's the most important thing, there! :happy:

EvelynR1967

If you can, workout as well as eat well. I exercised my entire journey and it helped keep things tone. I have some looser skin on my stomach because I'm pretty limited what I can do now due to an accident and it drives me a little crazy. But the key is to exercise.... it will definitely help and it will help with your journey! Good luck to you! You are doing amazing!

flumi_f

So many factors in this equation.... The amount of weight, how Long you carried it, how elastic your skin is, genetics, how well trained you are. Predictions are very difficult.

From my highest weight to now is a difference of 40kg = 88lbs. On a 5'2'' frame that's alot! I have quite a bit of loose skin. But I was obese since childhood and gained most of my weight during middle school. Since my 20s I have had an overlapping belly flap. I have the same sagginess on my bust. This even though I have a quite muscular build and do alot of different forms of cardio and strength exercise. No amount of training will help my ripped skin. So I'm having my bust and belly operated on. They just don't fit into my fit, trained, normal weight body and I feel to young to just let it be. It also bothers me during workouts and makes shopping difficult.

This is my personal choice. No reason to be 'scared' of what you will see after weightloss! Do the work - eating and workout wise and then see what you get and decide if you are OK with it. Even with the skin, I feel so much healthier than before my weightloss.

NikonPal

Not sure what I will do down the road…still need another 40-50 pound loss. I also have some other medical issues that might preclude my ability to have that kind of procedure. In addition to losing my final pounds, I will probably wait another 2 years for the reasons outlined in the following paragraph from the Cleveland Clinic.

“Weight trend: Has your weight been stable for at least a year with no further weight loss expected? For optimal results, body contouring should not be done for approximately 2 years following the start of any massive weight loss program. This time allows the skin to shrink as much as possible and your nutrition to be stabilized and optimized, factors that will aid in your recovery.”