Losing weight but worried that my belly will look ugly when

ruby_red_rose

Hey guys,

When I started, I was 70lbs away from my goal. Now I am about 40 lbs away, and I am worried that when I do reach my goal weight, I will have an ugly belly because I carry most of my weight around my belly. Are there exercises I can do starting now so that when I reach my goal weight my tummy is flat?

I read a post recently about a girl who has reached her goal weight, but needs a tummy tuck now. I would like to prevent having surgery, so any advice on things I can do starting now will be very helpful.

Also, for the people who have lost a ton of weight, how does your body look? Are there lots of stretch marks, and extra skin? Or were you able to tone by regular exercise?

Thanks a lot!

2Bgoddess

muscles will tone up, but the skin, not so much. there will be some shrinkage, and at least the stretch marks are the same color as the rest of my skin, but my belly is getting yucky looking...I will continue with the weight loss because it's about my health, I am sad (to the point of crying sometimes) that I have done so much damage to my body that it will never be just right again, if it ever was. i console myself that I will be healthy and look great in my clothes and that my husband loves me no matter what.

(He did laugh really hard when I asked him if he will still love me when I am nothing but a wrinkle-bag)

I think it also really depends on what type of skin you have, how much you lose, how quickly and how old you are. I am 40. wish I did this many years ago.

LolasEpicJourney

I have this fear too.. So fat my stomach had been shirking but I don't know if it will keep doing so. If you don't lose weight as quickly-doing it in healthy intervals out should drink plenty of water also

eddyca

Your skin will be looser no matter what unfortunately. It will tighten with time and you can be proactive about taking care of your skin. Nivea's skin-firming lotion works pretty good, it contains CoQ10 which improves skins elasticity. I've been using it everyday after my shower for a couple months now and I love it!

KeriA

I have a strategy that so far has worked. 1). lose slowly.2). exercise alot. Since I have alot to lose I have had a plateau or 2 and they actually have allowed my body to catch up with the loss as well. Losing slowly has 2 benefits it helps your body adjust to the loss including your skin and it helps to keep off the weight once you lose it. Plateaus or periods of maintaining one weight can have simitalr benefits and if they are as long as 2 months at a weight you will will reset your weight so that you are not fighting your body as much.

You have asked what exercise. When you use your legs you tend to use your core especially if you do it right. Crunches will not flatten your stomach but they will burn fat and build muscle and muscle will help you burn calories so until you have lost all the weight around the middle they will help and it will firm you core muscles. Once you have lost the weight push ups and planks are great at flattening your stomach from what I hear. I have found Aquafit to be an amazing help in losing weight and firming around my middle and strengthening my core. You have to use your core muscles to keep from floating away while you move your legs. When you move anything in the water it tends to propel you but in order to move your legs and stay in one place what do you use? - Your core muscles. To balance in the water you use them too. Just with walking and aquafit I have lost around my core and strengthened those areas. I have started to add run intervals into my walks after doing C25K. Even when you lose too fast for your skin to adjust if you contine to exercise and firm up you body while maintaining, alot of progress can be seen but may take some time. I figure I would rather deal with the problem as I go along than have a huge problem at the end. Water is another aspect to keeping your skin elastic. It just helps with weight loss and so much else. I would say that doing alot of different exercises that hit all of your body will help. In aquafit we move our legs when they are side biside or turned out or spread apart. We kick to the front and to the side. We do jumps and crunches to the front and to the side. That way we are also using our obliques. I also do Zumba when I can.. I have started to do weight training to keep the loss going. So variety has its advantages as well.

LiveEnjoyEndure

I have been loosing around 1 to 1.5 lbs a week and have not experienced any significant sagging skin...

I think this in the main due to the fact that I do a lot of cardio, and try to eat the calories I have burned. Of course our skin looses it elesticity, this is true for all people not just those who have been overweight.

ruby_red_rose

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I am losing slowly (33 lbs in 21 weeks). I also do a lot of cardio (zumba and elliptical), and some strenth training (machines and crunches). I drink 6-7 glasses of water a day - I will increase it, and try out the nivea firming lotion.
Thanks again.

CyberEd312

I'm going to post but may be an exception to the rule. But I have 1.) lost it slow (2.5 lbs. a week over the last 112 weeks) and 2.) I do Alot!! of cardio.... Now I also have lost alot of weight and have around 30 lbs. to go... but I am facing skin surgery at the end of my journey. It is just unavoidable, the surgeon says to expect 30 lbs. removal in the surgery (and that is mostly in my stomach area which is where I carried the majority of my weight. I look at it this way, 28 months ago I couldn't walk from one room to another and now I can workout with braces and pain meds and have a life again. Being able to go outside and feel the wind on my face and see things like tree's losing their leaves will outweigh anything to do with this excess skin... Is it a pain in the rear "Most Definitely!!" but life is so much better on this side that I tend to not sweat the small stuff...... Good luck to you........

rileysowner

Skin will shrink, but how much is completely dependant on your age and genetics. Some people can lose 100 pounds in their 30s or even 40s and not have loose skin. Others in the 20s will lose 25 pounds and have loose skin. The only thing you can do it lose the weight and then give it a year or two as it will take that long for the skin to shrink. I would suggest taking your time losing as that gives time for the skin to adjust. Strength training will give a good base for the muscles. Exercises like planks, side planks, stability ball roll-outs and bird dogs will help build that as will weighted squats and Romanian dead lifts using heavy weights. They primarily work your legs, but using free weights they force your core to brace and build its strength as well.