Stretch marks and weight loss

lovelyrose11

Hi Guys - So, I start at 218 I am down to 199 and want to lose another 60 lbs or so. I got horrible, deep stretch marks during my pregnancy. My son is 6 months old now and they are fading. However, I am concerned what my stomach will look like when I lose all the weight. Will my tummy be "ripply" and will my skin look loose? Not sure if that makes sense. Would anyone be willing to share before and after pics??

Tanyawhite30

Hi I have the same concern has you after having 2 kids..I still have 50 pounds to lose but my stomach does not look very nice...I have seen my doctor about it...He told me to keep on doing exercise...and to reach my ideal weight for my age and height and said that most likely I will be left with stretch marks due to the large amount of weight I have lost...He told me the only option for me after all that would be a tummy tuck..I dont think I will ever do that but It is a option. But I guess everybody is different..and it depends how bad it is..

purpleipod

No one can tell you what yours will look like considering everyone is different. Stretch marks fade over time and become almost unnoticeable, sometimes people have loose skin and sometimes they don't. No one is the same so you'll just have to wait and see.

lovelyrose11

Thanks guys...I know I won't have surgery to fix it. I am too chicken for that! lol.

samatalma

It might. But, I think the best way to avoid that is to incorporate strength training into your workout and focus on the abdominals to strengthen them. That is what I am trying to do!!

beckylawrence70

Ya, stretch marks MAY fade from purple to clear but they will ALWAYS be there, they never go away no matter what, only a tummy tuck can "remove" them on the belly, any other part of the body they're there for life.......sorry.

Tanyawhite30

I know what you mean...I am way too chicken for that too lol!!!

lovelyrose11

I am currently doing the couch to 5k program along with the 30 day shred. Hopefully, the strength training will help a bit. I know they never go away...kind of depressing. Oh well, my baby boy is worth every single one...even if I never get to wear a bikini again. haha

chevy88grl

It will all depend on your body. I've lost almost 60lbs total and my belly - while not gorgeous (and bikini worthy) doesn't look too bad. The stretch marks have faded and match my skin now. I do have a bit of loose skin, but it isn't too bad. Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do for your skin - it will all depend on how your body reacts to the weight loss (I truly believe slow and steady weight loss is much better for your skin because it has time to adjust to the changes vs a fast weight loss where it is there one day and gone the next!).

cramernh

I gotta tell you... Im 69lbs down and Ive noticed most of my stretch marks are nearly gone. There are just hints of pale-pink at this point...

Will I need surgery after all is said and done? Im pretty much counting on yes... when I had my daughter 18 years ago, she was a hella-big baby! Just shy of 10 pounds, and she was almost 22in long! Forget newborn, I had an instant toddler! LOL!!!!! At my highest of 303lbs, ohhhhh yeah, I was a walking human road map! BWAHAHAHAHA

But, Im down to 234lbs as of today and sonovagun, most of the stretch marks are gone... I do have a few under my arms that are still there... but not like before...

Im sure as you continue losing weight, you will begin to notice changes...

But the most important thing here is not the stretch marks... its gettng healthy and losing the weight... so make sure you keep your focus on that instead of the stretch marks... If you lose focus, you wont stay on track....

Tanyawhite30

My bikini days have been over since I had my son 10 years ago lol....But there are very nice 2 piece bathingsuits now hahaha...Like you said...Our kids are worth everything!

rmwinters

Start using Body Butter for Stretch Marks....you can find it at Walgreens or Walmart. Works great!

mowu

And just to chime in with a guys point of view - don't obsess too much over stretch marks....we really don't notice them too much.....they are merely reminders that you carried our children and that you lost weight to try and look good for us (never mind that we already think you look great).

lovelyrose11

Thanks for the encouragement. My hubby says the same thing.

JustJanis

Aloe Vera in the morning
Coco butter in the afternoon
Tee Tree Oil at bedtime!!

iuew

i had a couple on my lower stomach when i was really heavy. i can't find them now. i think that they can fade pretty well given enough time.

lovelyrose11

Aloe Vera in the morning
Coco butter in the afternoon
Tee Tree Oil at bedtime!!

Thanks for the tip!

JustJanis

That is SO cool to hear a man say that! I mean I have ALOT of stretch marks because my skin does not have alot of elasticity but I really dont let them bother me because of the SAME reason Good to know some guys out there appreciate from the same angle

CapriceD

I think there is a difference between stretch marks and loose skin. I have both. I'm more concerned about the loose skin. There is nothing I can do about it. I was at one time over 300 pounds and am around 160 now. Once fat cells are "emptied" they don't disappear, so my skin just hangs there. My marks are all over my stomach and they look like ridges. Luckily that is the only sign of my past life. The rest of my body looks pretty good except maybe my upper thighs. There is a procedure that freezes fat cells. Google freezing fat cells. There are many links. I may do that in the future. My question is what happens if you regain weight.

Pete1471

Loose skin is quite an controversial topic. Some people say they have it, other say they don't. Some will say if you have it you can't get rid of it without surgey, some say you can. Some even say it doesn't exist.

Firstly ncardell and Tanya the fact you are 29 and 30 goes in your favour. The younger you are the more elasticity your skin is so it should shrink and tighten up really well and not leave you with loose skin. As you get older your skin naturally gets looser so the odds of you getting loose skin goes up. It's very rare that you see people under 40 with turkey neck flapping about for example. But elderly get that a lot.

The best way to try and avoid it is to lose weight gradually and not drop huge amounts of weight as your skin will adjust to the size of your body decreasing. If you've ever watched the TV show The Biggest Loser I'm always suspicious why when they start and are at their heaviest they are shown without shirts showing off their vast bodies for the world to see. But as they start to lose more and more weight and have lost 60+ lbs in a 2-3 months suddenly they get weighed in wearing t shirts. Why? is there something they don't want the viewer seeing?

I mentioned that some people say that loose skin doesn't exist. The reason for this is when you look at the thickness of skin you aree looking at millimetres. Even if you say it's 1cm at a maximum, you then get a fold of loose skin is it more than 2cm? If it is more than that is it really loose skin. Lots of people say that is actually pockets of fat.

As no doubt you are aware you can't target where the weightloss will come from. If you have say bingo wings and want to lose them first then your thighs and so forth you can't just diet and they will disappear in that order. For this reason people find that no matter how much they diet they just can't shift it.
What some people say is you can lose these pockets of fat but it's not just a matter of conventional basic dieting. In the same way athletes eat and train and get their bodies down to jusr 0.5% body fat, that is what you need to do to hammer out these fat pockets. When you get begin going down to that low a percentage of body fat the pockets go and that tin will tighten up too.

What is right and what is true I don't know.

I do tend to have some belief in the pockets of fat theory. I also know that a lot of people tell themselves or hide behind the idea they have loose skin. My sister's partner lost a lot of weight. She then said that she can't lose anymore and it was loose skin. I don't agree. I think she lost a lot of weight by burning calories on an exercise bike, the weight dropped off and then it stalled because just doing the exercise bike isn't enough anymore. Id she did other things using other muscles she would probably burn more calories and lose fat. She would likely have done much needed toning too. As I say she says she has loose skin. maybe she does but how is that possible that this loose skin is on her forearms, bulbous giving her arm a circumference of about 24-26inches? Surely loose skin should be flapping about like the turkey neck? Is that bulbous arms really a huge fat pocket of fat that isn't getting burned> She has similar on her thighs and her belly below her belly button. All bulbous areas.

I think that you can just accept if it does exist and you can't do anything about it then just lose weight and and accept it. Don't let it start to create a negativity in your head so you start self sabotaging.

Pete1471

And just to chime in with a guys point of view - don't obsess too much over stretch marks....we really don't notice them too much.....they are merely reminders that you carried our children and that you lost weight to try and look good for us (never mind that we already think you look great).

I have to say I agree with this. I don't know any guys that are put off or find stretch marks disgusting. It's possible the 18-20 may but they tend to be the immature ones that are only looking at women as possible conquests (if you get my drift) and objects rather than people.

VonRockette

I heard BioOil works amazing for stretch marks. I believe it is just Vitamin E oil, but you will have to double check on that. It smells fantastic and leaves your skin feeling very soft and smooth. It's kinda pricey per bottle ( I think around $20 ).

I don't have stretch marks on my tummy, but I do have them on my hips and breasts from puberty. To be honest (and this might sound weird to people), I like them. I call them my tiger stripes they are like my tattoos, minus the pain. I could very easily hate them and be put off by them but they are a part of my body that might not go away - so I chose to accept them and make them into something positive.

cramernh

And just to chime in with a guys point of view - don't obsess too much over stretch marks....we really don't notice them too much.....they are merely reminders that you carried our children and that you lost weight to try and look good for us (never mind that we already think you look great).

You must be related to my husband... I already love you.....

HeatherR930

And just to chime in with a guys point of view - don't obsess too much over stretch marks....we really don't notice them too much.....they are merely reminders that you carried our children and that you lost weight to try and look good for us (never mind that we already think you look great).

This is the sweetest thing ever! Thanks for saying that!

I bragged about not having any stretch marks during my whole pregnancy & up until a few months ago. 40 lbs later, now that my skin isn't as stretched out from being bigger, I guess...they have begun appearing! They are white & not too extremely noticeable, but I am seeing them around my belly button area! It kind of stinks, but I'd rather have a nice, flat, defined stomach with some white stretch marks than the huge non-stretch marked belly I used to have!

quiksandy

I think everyone is different. I had two 8 lb, 21" long babies (the youngest is 5 now!) and I still have a road map of stretch marks on my tummy that will likely never go away. I have some loose skin too after my weight loss.

I try to use the skin firming lotions and do lots of ab exercises. I'm doubtful that the lotions help but ya' never know. I'm hoping if I build a six-pack the skin will wrap around that and not be so noticeable. One can dream....right?!