Are you Age 40+, lost 70+ lbs, without loose skin?

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  • PoesyP
    PoesyP Posts: 37 Member
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    I'm over 40 and been big all my life and I've lost about 60lbs from my highest weight but I still have a fair way to go. I have no sign of loose skin yet. I don't want to count my chickens, but I think I have a good chance of getting away with losing it all without loose skin, or at least minimal. Why? Well, I can look at my skin now and it's good, it's bright and healthy and bouncy and as I get smaller, everything is lifting and tightening.

    I could list a million lifestyle reasons why that might be, but I don't think it would help you because I'd only be guessing and personally I suspect how your skin handles the expansion is the crucial bit and it's too late to influence that anyway.

    But one thing I do know for certain is that genetically I have skin that is prone to over-production of collagen and I suspect that is what's really making a difference as to how it's behaving with weight loss.
  • lalalalalaurie
    lalalalalaurie Posts: 80 Member
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    I'm over 40 and been big all my life and I've lost about 60lbs from my highest weight but I still have a fair way to go. I have no sign of loose skin yet. I don't want to count my chickens, but I think I have a good chance of getting away with losing it all without loose skin, or at least minimal. Why? Well, I can look at my skin now and it's good, it's bright and healthy and bouncy and as I get smaller, everything is lifting and tightening.

    I could list a million lifestyle reasons why that might be, but I don't think it would help you because I'd only be guessing and personally I suspect how your skin handles the expansion is the crucial bit and it's too late to influence that anyway.

    But one thing I do know for certain is that genetically I have skin that is prone to over-production of collagen and I suspect that is what's really making a difference as to how it's behaving with weight loss.


    Congrats! Although I believe that skin does play a role, I am in the camp of thinking that muscle loss plays an enormous role in firmness and tightness of the skin. For example anyone over 50 loses a pound of muscle a year and leading up to fifty after the age of thirty one can lose 15 pounds of muscle purely by being sedentary, combine that with rapid weight loss, stealing muscle weight instead of fat, you end up with unsupported skin. This is why I suspect this happens, I am not sold on the lose "skin" topic. This is why I am asking these questions. I DO benefit from knowing what you do at home. I too have good collagen but I suspect it is my atrophied muscles that will do me in in the end of this if I purely cut out calories.

    Do you eat a lot of protein at your meals?
  • lalalalalaurie
    lalalalalaurie Posts: 80 Member
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    This man is 42, lost over 100 pounds and thus far has avoided loose skin.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omxM4rqxLPE
  • Live_To_Win
    Live_To_Win Posts: 340 Member
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    1. Age - 49
    2. How much weight you lost - 90
    3. How quickly you lost it - 9 months
    4. How much weight resistance and intensity you did during the process - Only for the last 2 months
    5. Did you drink a lot of water? - 12 - 20 8oz glasses a day
    6. Did you moisturize your skin daily? - Nope
    7. What type, if any, of exercises outside of weight resistance did you do and how often? Walking, lots of walking

    I have just a little bit of loose skin on my upper arms and in my belly where I I carried most of my weight
  • PoesyP
    PoesyP Posts: 37 Member
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    I am in the camp of thinking that muscle loss plays an enormous role in firmness and tightness of the skin.

    I think in the case of people with a smaller amount of loose skin it will certainly make a difference, but in the serious cases I've seen no amount of muscle will solve that.

    The thing with most of the stuff you listed - resistence exercise, moisturising, drinking water etc - none of that's going to harm you in anyway, so even if it's just in hope, you may as well!

    For me, I've always moisturised, since being a teenager, and I've always drurnk water - I'm old enough that I grew up when that was the drink provided on the school lunch tables and you had drinking fountains! My main exercise is swimming so that does build muscle, but I've only very recently started going to the gym a few times a week and really resistence exercising. I don't particularly aim to eat protein but I do consume a fair bit of milk as well as my meals so I don't think I'm particularly low on it either! Average, I guess! :-)
  • brewinggirl_butskinnier
    brewinggirl_butskinnier Posts: 108 Member
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    I had less loose skin after my second pregnancy than after my first (the skin on my belly actually was tighter after my second pregnancy than it was before the pregnancy), in spite of the fact that I was 9 years older (42) the second pregnancy.

    I personally think that this was due to wearing a compression garment for 3 months after I had my second child. I wore it for 23 hours per day.

    Granted this is completely anecdotal.

    None of the other factors (water, how quickly I lost weight etc) was any different.
  • lalalalalaurie
    lalalalalaurie Posts: 80 Member
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    1. Age - 49
    2. How much weight you lost - 90
    3. How quickly you lost it - 9 months
    4. How much weight resistance and intensity you did during the process - Only for the last 2 months
    5. Did you drink a lot of water? - 12 - 20 8oz glasses a day
    6. Did you moisturize your skin daily? - Nope
    7. What type, if any, of exercises outside of weight resistance did you do and how often? Walking, lots of walking

    I have just a little bit of loose skin on my upper arms and in my belly where I I carried most of my weight

    Congrats! 90 is a lot! I believe walking is considered a weight bearing exercise. You drink a lot of water. Very good. Thanks for the input.
  • lalalalalaurie
    lalalalalaurie Posts: 80 Member
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    This man is 42, lost over 100 pounds and thus far has avoided loose skin.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omxM4rqxLPE

    Actually I realize he lost 140 lbs. not 100
  • lalalalalaurie
    lalalalalaurie Posts: 80 Member
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    I had less loose skin after my second pregnancy than after my first (the skin on my belly actually was tighter after my second pregnancy than it was before the pregnancy), in spite of the fact that I was 9 years older (42) the second pregnancy.

    I personally think that this was due to wearing a compression garment for 3 months after I had my second child. I wore it for 23 hours per day.

    Granted this is completely anecdotal.

    None of the other factors (water, how quickly I lost weight etc) was any different.


    How interesting!!! I wonder if spanx and a right bra will keep my skin tighter while I lose! I am going to look up compression now. Thanks for your input
  • LoneWolf_70
    LoneWolf_70 Posts: 1,151 Member
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    I am soon to be 44, have lost 110, unfortunately, there is little you can do as loose skin will happen, but...loose skin is better than fat skin. My advice? Lift weights, eat 1.25g of protein per goal weight.
  • brewinggirl_butskinnier
    brewinggirl_butskinnier Posts: 108 Member
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    This man is 42, lost over 100 pounds and thus far has avoided loose skin.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omxM4rqxLPE

    I actually do dry brush (one of his recommendations) and think it might help but even if it doesn't...it's a good thing. Generally great for keeping dry skin in check and very invigorating.

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