Flabby Skin

newCourtney

Hey All,
I wasn't quite sure which message board to put this on, so I stuck it here. I am just starting to lose weight and have a significant amount to lose (about 130 lbs total). I have been overweight my entire life, and I am worried about having a lot of extra skin as I lose weight. I have heard that strength training will prevent this, but I have also seen people who said they did a lot of toning but still had the problem. Any help, especially from people with experience, would be greatly appreciated.
:happy: :flowerforyou:

2Bgoddess

It all depends on your skin's elasticity. Your skin will shrink some, and I have seen may before and after where women have lovely looking tummy's after three kids and losing 100 pounds. That said, I have hang skin :sad:

rachelhohenbrink

Your diet and your skin elasticity play a big role in that, Also your age and your hydration. Sometimes if you have a lot to lose it can become flabby other times its not so bad. It varies on an individual basis.

fairygirl716

It's all genetics! Look at your momma...if she has tight skin, you will likely bounce back.

This girls loose and saggy...but...I'm thin and healthy!

stacieroxursox

I've lost 100lbs and I dont have excessive flabby skin, but there is some. My doctor is confident it will shrink because skin has more elasticity the younger you are so the sooner you lose the weight, the better! I do a lot of strength training because I'm trying to minimize the chance of having excess skin. Hang in there. Even if you do get some loose skin, its not that bad. I feel way better 100lbs lighter with some extra skin than I would at my previous weight with my skin in place, lol.

Dani_Scott

Hi There

This is a topic quite close to my heart as I have always been overweight myself and have managed to lose around 120lb so far and have a little to go until I reach my target and I will admit that I have the saggy skin issue. I have always had stretchmarks etc so I kind of expected that my skin wasn't going to bounce back but exercise has definitely helped manage the damage and even though it does put a little bit of a downer on losing all that weight I feel FAR FAR FAR better with that then being 120lb heavier. You can't tell it's even there with good clothing (another bonus of ridding the weight) and other people certaintly can't tell unless you do what I do and get it out all the time.

I also think when you see people on TV etc with the extreme amounts of skin then it's always as a result of gastric surgery and extreme dieting, slow and steady will always have better results

I honestly wouldn't worry too much about it, exercise will help but just think how much better you will feel once that weight has gone regardless of the little scars it might leave behind. It's not always a bad thing to have a reminder of who you used to be, take it from someone who now knows xxx

GemmaRowlands

I have lost 77lbs so far, and thought that I would struggle with loose skin. However, I lost it sensibly and slowly, and therefore haven't experienced anything like that so far. I think it helps a lot if you're exercising as well as just changing your diet.

KEN1013

i have the flab,,,,after three kids they mess my stomach all up:sad: ...i have heard the same about weights and the water helping the skin get back too the way it was.,,,we shall see:noway:

sassyitalian3545

Hi here is my 2 cents worth...I had gastric Bypass (Jan 19, 2011) I have 20 lbs (drs. estimate) of flabby/excess skin, everything depends on your genes. My excess skin will NEVER go away no matter how much water, exercise, toning I do, the only option is surgery which as we know is cosmetic and insurance does not pay for it. However exercise will help some but not what you would think...Just makes me sick, anyhow good luck..:grumble:

newCourtney

Thanks everyone! That does make me feel better. I should be more focused on feeling better than looking better. My mom recently lost a lot of weight and has some hanging skin, but I would be perfectly happy if I have the small amount that she does. :happy:

Allyson1985

Just a few things to think about:

Do you want all the pounds of fat on your body or do you possibly want the flabby skin?

Consider adding a skin supplement to your vitamin regimen if you have one. It helped improve my skin elasticity, and I've seen a reduction in my flabby skin even over the last couple months.

Make sure you have strength training built into your exercise routine if you don't already. It will help tone up your muscles and improve your overall look.

Maggieq87

I had a hanging belly when I was fat. It's still there but I still have at least 50 lbs to lose. I didn't see a huge difference until I started using lotion. I massage my belly every night for about 5 minutes before bed and the difference I've seen in just 2 weeks is really amazing! I'm now confident I can get rid of it without surgery. My arms are still insanely flabby so I just started massaging them too!!

shvrngrl

I lost 98lbs when I was 34. I was really worried about excess skin also, but like many of the others I think age, speed of loss, and hydration, and exercise do play a big part. I also read an article about sugar reducing your elasticity due to the free radicals that attack the collagen being released. I know we count calories, but I do think the quality of the calories play an important role.

I have stretch marks and I know they won't go away, but those areas seem to be improving and shrinking. My brother lost 120lbs and he had loose skin on his stomach for awhile, but it has shrunk. That was about 15 yrs ago.

newCourtney

Thanks. Based on what y'all said, I will lotion my skin, keep hydrated, exercise, and be grateful that I am healthy and within an acceptable weight range. A little flabby skin is well worth it.

Lottalooks

Dont worry about it!1 You look Beautiful!

sassyitalian3545

Maggie if you don't mind me asking was it a certain type of lotion you are using? Was it a "lotion" or "cream" (my husband says I have an obsession with lotions I use a differnt kind of every part of my body...lol) I have ALOT of flabby skin and all the drs are saying plastic surgery (which I do not want) I have back problems and all this excess skin is just as bad as all the extra weight was so I will try anything if it will "tighten" me up some....

VR
Tammie