Excess skin..?

missimperfect

I am 19 and looking to lose at least 163 pounds. It seems like genetics have graced my family well with elasticity thus far and I'm just dreading the extra skin I'll have..

My tummy hangs low (its hanging up further than it used to) and my under arm flab is..hideous.

I'm worried I'll have loads of excess skin and that really discourages me.

I've heard that lotion, water, genetics and age have a lot to do with it...
If I lose this at a slow and steady pace do you think I'll have too much to deal with after..?
And how can that be done without surgery...I don't want to go under the knife..but I don't want to be flabby forever either
also, is there anything I can do while I'm losing the weight to help?

Thanks

Lobster1987

I've lost 135 pounds and I'd much rather have this flabbyness than be fat and miserable again. It's not as big of a deal as people make it out to be. There really isn't much you can do other than lose weight slowly, but with that much weight to lose you will have excess skin. Accept it. I embrace mine for now since hating it will do me no good. I'll more than likely have plastics done in the future just because it's a free country and I can, but the skin is definitely something I can live with.

kristilovescake

There's someone at my gym that lost well over 100 pounds and she doesn't have any excess skin. You have age on your side, but also make sure you do strength training as I think it should help tighten up your skin. I think as long as you take it slow and steady, it should give your skin time to tighten up. It would be worth doing a bit of research via Google to see if there's anything else you can do, but the woman at the gym mentioned that strength training helped her.

GMPOTS

You have your age on your side, I am 62 trying to lose 45 pounds and I know I will have flabby arms, but better than fat arms.

MinnieInMaine

Other factors are:

fats - you need healthy fats in your diet to help with skin elacticity
time - it can take up to 2 years for skin to recover
and exercise - the more muscle you have, the more likely the skin will retract or at least be filled in nicely

Plus, you've got age on your side. I probably still couldn't have convinced myself but there are days I get this thought in my head that if I could go back in time and plead with my 18 year old self to start losing the weight right away, I would give it my best shot!

For me personally though, now at age 37 (almost 38), I'd much rather be healthy and fit than be heavy and miserable. Not just emotionally but physically. Carrying around all that excess weight is just plain bad for your health!

ETA: My upper arms are the worst and drive me crazy BUT I've been keeping an eye on them through this process and although they're still pretty flabby after losing nearly 80 pounds, the skin is slowly retracting (and I notice the same with my belly flab). They may not ever be fully toned but they'll still be better than they used to be!

gem_cat

i have the same situation. i lost weight fast so now my arms are all flabby. the rest of my body jiggles when I dance. i'm only 20. currently, i'm swimming and do aerobic workouts plus my every other day strength exercises. I don't go to the gym.

only started this for 2 weeks so i don't see any results yet. i hope i do see results.

aranchmom

I have heard that skin brushing helps. http://forum.t-tapp.com/tags.php?tag=skin+brushing
I haven't tried it, so I have no idea if it works, bu there seems to be some pretty good testimonies....may be worth a look...