Anyone who has lost a significant amount of weight...

closeyone

You've received some excellent advice here. I would just say take it slowly, remember that everyone is different and keep drinking that water - there really is nothing better for the skin. I am also a massive fan of Bio Oil. Ok, it isn't cheep but it helps (plus you can often find it on offer in TX Max). It may not help with sagging skin, but it helps with stretch marks (which people often think you get for weight gain, but can also come with weight loss). Best of luck for the future

pepsigirl53

I think your mom is probably afraid that when you lose the weight, you won't want to eat what everyone else does....assuming she's a fabulous cook that can seem like a threat to her....i have lost 25+ pounds before I heard about this sight and although my mom hears others compliment me on my weight loss, she just give me a dirty look...( I think she's afraid I'll get skinnier than her ) at any rate, DON'T let your mom discourage you !!! you're not doing this for her but, for you....Like others have said, go slow, exercize, and eat healthier and you won't be sorry and the skin will not be as saggy as you might think !!!

StarkLark

I definitely have saggy skin and I still have a long way to go.

I am definitely starting to look "deflated".

No I don't like it, but I'll take an entire body of saggy, deflated skin over a single day of being the way I used to be. I fully intend on having surgery to help correct this in the future once I reach my goal weight.

The benefits of getting healthy and fit FAR outweigh loose or saggy skin issues. Anyone that encourages you to not get healthy for fear of skin problems does NOT have your best interests in mind.

TheNewDodge

Better to live a long life with saggy skin than to die in misery far too early.

JaninaRello

I've lost 220 and yes, I am covered in saggy skin. If you lose 179 pounds, you'll have saggy skin - I promise you that.

But...

Do you want to be insecure and uncomfortable 24/7 because you're obese? Or do you want to be insecure and uncomfortable only for those rare times in which you get nekkid and in front of a mirror, staring at yourself, but confident and secure the rest of the day when you're clothed?

Would you rather be healthy, fit, and active or would you rather be plump, but not saggy?

Your obese friends don't want you to leave their "Fat Girls Club". If you get slim, not only will you be leaving the club, but you'll make them feel inadequate because you are bettering yourself and they are NOT.

Get your priorities in order. Saggy skin and insecurity while nekkid or a Healthy, Activite, Confident and better life the other 99% of the time.

Janine

HowieTwoPointZero

Better to live a long life with saggy skin than to die in misery far too early.

I was 249 lbs heavier at one point. What he said.

kris4chloe

i have lost the weight slowly, it has taken almost 2 years. There is a little bit of sagging in my belly and chest but nothing to bad. I have been weight training since January and doing cardio as well as I drink lots of water and try to eat good clean food. My arms have almost no sag and that was the part I was most worried about. My plan is to wait a good year after I reach goal weight and continue to work on my fitness and if i need to get surgery I will address it then. I have read that sometimes your skin will eventually go back.

But saggy skin is worth all the health benefits of losing the weight. My back, knees and hips thank me, plus i am being a good example to my kids and several people at my work have started working out and eating better after seeing what I have accomplished.

Your overweight friends are just trying to find excuses to keep you from making them feel bad for not doing it themselves, do it for you, don't worry what anyone else says about it. You will live longer and be happier because you are getting healthy!

briannadunn

I have lost and gained over 300 pounds with 5 kids. I gained from 187 to 298, down to 175 back to 289 with my second child to 164 to 250 with my twins back to 200 back to 278 down to my current 252. My secret to my skin not looking like a deflated balloon is Palmers cocoa butter firming butter...it is cheap and it works on returning your skin to its natural form..I used it after my second child while I was losing weight and I was so excited that my tummy returned to really close to normal..definitely not saggy.

xoMeaghan

I expect to be a bit saggy, but overweight people I know keep telling me I'll look deflated and terrible. I don't know why all of the overweight people I know are against me getting in shape? I am doing circuit training so I'm hoping to tone up a lot, I don't just want to lose weight, what I care about is losing inches of fat and gaining muscle. I care less about numbers and more about having less fat on my body and being stronger/having energy. I don't want to be skinny, I want to be fit! Maybe added muscle mass will help with minimizing the saggage. I do use coconut oil on my skin/hair so maybe that will help too.

Hey! In all honesty a lot of people will tell you bad things(Correct me if I'm wrong) but those people could be just jealous that you are looking to lose weight, that you're taking the time out of your day to recognize that you're not healthy and that you wanna get into better shape, so they're just putting you down because they can't do what you wanna do.

Also: A good way to prevent loose skin/bagginess is exercise!!! Strengthening your muscles, tightening your skin. I'm not sure if you'll still have some loose skin going on but it's better than the fat being there! Also, you can look into surgeries that are offered free, just ask doctors and they'll give you a guideline. For my mom she lost a TON of weight(by gastric by-pass) and has to keep it off for a whole year and steady before they offer her the surgery. Keep at it, don't get discouraged, and good luck!

BoatReadyBody

Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods


I think it takes a minute for the skin to catch up with the weight loss. I was saggy skin for a few months after the last baby but I belive the running tighten it up.

jimmeezwyf

Check out this link for some inspiration!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/female-transformation-amy-barnes.htm

Aviendha_RJ

WEIGHTS!!! Weights, weights weights weights weights weights weights weights weights weights weights weights weights weights!

Oh... & after you've done that? Try some weights!

ImKindOfABigDeal40

I have lost about 60 lbs myself and no sag. I subscribe to the theory that if you take your time losing, eat right and don't starve yourself to lose quickly, exercise the whole time, you should be fine. I have a friend on here that lost well over 100 lbs. She has no sag at all.

dup32

have lost 85 pounds with 15 to goal and yes I do have sagging skin.. I did loose it slowly but was heavy for most of my adult life. Some skin has shrunk but some areas have not..... like my arms, tummy and upper thights slightly. I feel it is better to have the loose skin and be healthy.

christina423

My boyfriend lost 100 pounds when he was and it took him about two years when hew as 22/23 years old. His skin stretched back just fine the weight loss was slow enough that his body could adjust. You look young so your skin should be nice and elastic You should be fine!

Bentley2718

I lost about 100 pounds then gained 20 back (which is why I'm here) but I'm still at a "normal" weight (i.e. not morbidly obese like before). I fared worse than a lot of people in the extra skin department. It's pretty gross. But you know what? As far as I know extra skin isn't associated with any major adverse health effects (unlike being *morbidly* obese, they call it that for a reason). Having extra skin doesn't make it harder for me to move around the way being fat did. And even though I don't look great naked, or in certain types of clothing, I still look a lot better than before. Would I rather not have the extra skin, sure, but as I've tried to make clear, it's a lot better than the alternative.

Oh and people will try to tell you that losing weight slowly, drinking lots of water, vitamins, etc. will help. Realistically, they won't. It's largely a matter of how long you were big, how big you were, and luck. Nor will lifting weights help either by "firming up" skin or by filling out extra skin (unless you want to build up as much muscle as you used to have fat, which is physically unlikely and kinda pointless). With the amount of weight you want to lose, you will almost certainly have some extra skin.

SmallMimi

Helps to drink lots of water and moisture your skin. Don't let your mom deter you from losing the weight, do what you want to do and get health. I'm 54 and my skin was alittle saggy at first but, it is slowly firming up with attention to caring for my outer body as well as gettng healthy on the inside.

Hearts_2015

Do you have a ton of sagging skin or anything like that? I'm terrified that I'll lose weight and just look like a deflated sack. My mom (who is very overweight) is kind of against my dieting and has said that I'll look bad because of having been so heavy in the past, I'll just have skin to my knees and deflated boobs, etc. Is it really that bad?

With nearly 200 lbs. to lose it is likely you will need to have skin removal sugery done. That's the price we pay for weight gain and then the skin stretches out (think about a ballon that's deflated) and has no where to go.

It's a very very small price to pay for getting healthy! Start saving up your $$'s now for surgery in the future or your insurance might pick it up like mine.

There are many photos on here from the past of those that have been large, had surgery and the gory details of those not having it. In the end we all make a decision of staying heavy with fat under the skin or losing the fat and keeping the skin and making a choice after that.

Getting healthy is so worth it, you have quite a ways to go before you'll need surgery so focus on the positive to keep you motivated and even if you do end up with loose skin, it's truly not the end of the world. :flowerforyou:

Clothes cover up so much so keep moving forward and you'll find some cute outfits to wear if you opt out of surgery.

Your Mother may or may not be thinking of your health when she warns you of loose skin and her not wanting you to loose weight. Enablers don't want to be alone, you've got to do what's the healthiest for your body and if noone else agrees we learn to deal with it.

Good luck:drinker:

themommie

It depends how much you lose, how fast you lose it, how much strength training and exercise you do, your age and your skintone. i am 49 and have lost 105 lbs it took me 21 mths to lose it and i have worked out the whole time, Not crazy workouts just walking, bike riding, swimming, and some strength training. I have a little bit of hanging skin but it isnt horrible and i diffinately look better then i did before i lost the weight. Also my skin is getting better all the time , I can see a difference weekly. Just lose the weight, dont lose it too fast , work out and use weights as you lose and worry about it as you lose. You will still look better after you lose the weight. JUST DO IT

bridgett28

I have lost almost 100lbs from my top weight. Yes, there is sagging skin and deflated boobs, however we are young enough that there should still be some elasticity in your skin that it should bounce back. I know some of mine has, especially with weight training and cardio exercising.

LizHowerton

I have lost 90 pounds and kept it off for three years.

I'm 49 and have had three kids.

Overall, I think I look pretty darn considering.

The one "saggy" area for me is my lower tummy. I workout consistently and hard, but it is still there. Hopefully with time and patience and hard work it will shrink some more.

The rest of my body, looks better than I ever expected it to.

pikselinka

You'll only have loose skin if you'll lose a lot of weight very quickly, which is very unlikely by the way. I lost 40 kg (~80 lbs) within not even half year and have no loose skin, everything is normal. I did some research on this topic before I even started dieting and exercising and let me tell you that as long as you'll go back to your normal weight before you turn 30-35 your skin will get back to normal eventually. After 35 it's very likely you'll have some loose skin, but then there are special treatments for this.

rbail114

Worst case scenario of losing 174 lbs. is having saggy skin. Worst case scenario of opting not to lose the 174 lbs. could result in several health problems both physical and mental. Sounds like your mom doesn't want you to be a success story. Prove it to yourself and to her that you can be. Try to urge her to join as well. Having a partner to push you and encourage you can be very rewarding. You can do this!

jmo325

I expect to be a bit saggy, but overweight people I know keep telling me I'll look deflated and terrible. I don't know why all of the overweight people I know are against me getting in shape? I am doing circuit training so I'm hoping to tone up a lot, I don't just want to lose weight, what I care about is losing inches of fat and gaining muscle. I care less about numbers and more about having less fat on my body and being stronger/having energy. I don't want to be skinny, I want to be fit! Maybe added muscle mass will help with minimizing the saggage. I do use coconut oil on my skin/hair so maybe that will help too.

Overweight people are telling you that because that is how they justify staying overweight to themselves. Do what's best for your body and lose it.

waffleflavoredtea

I've lost about 70-80 pounds and went from a size 18 to a size 8 since 2009 and my skin is not saggy at all, except my boobs... My boobs shrunk and were saggy... UNTIL I started heavy lifting. Now I swear they are perkier than ever!! Then again I'm 20 years old so being young probably helps me bounce back better than someone who has been overweight for a long time. I was only overweight for about a year after some depression in college, and after that I decided to put effort into my health and stop the guesswork.

Because of what's happened to me personally, my advice is, lose the weight without any hangups or worries about sagging or people's discouraging comments, then once you've lost a lot of fat, start weight training and heavy lifting, it's been such a confidence booster to me to see my skin taught and firm even though I used to take up a lot more space!

Hearts_2015

You'll only have loose skin if you'll lose a lot of weight very quickly, which is very unlikely by the way

:huh:

Hearts_2015

You can't really compare and we are all different and you are young so with exercise you have a could chance.

I am 50 so yeah I have saggy skin but I will take that over being the size I was every day of the week and twice on sundays!!!

Best of Luck!

Great thoughts and I absolutely agree, health over vanity any day. Maybe it's an age/wisdom thing?

dalgal26

Good Afternoon,

I see that you are 22 , so you have youth on your side.

I am 55 and yes, I do have sagging skin, but alot of that is age related. After you get a certain age, gravity takes over no matter what. I do not stress over it. I don't go sleeveless, nor do I wear shorts, except walking shorts and capris. A good support bra is a must and then when wearing dress slacks, I do wear a lightweight spanx type under garment just to smooth out the lumbs and bumps. And yes, I do look nice in my clothes. :happy:

I really believe that since you are so young, if you exercise and take the weight off slowly, you will minimize any sagging skin.

So....continue your journey to a healthier life and just remember to enjoy the ride. :flowerforyou:

Sending best wishes your way for continued success!

threnners

I don't know why all of the overweight people I know are against me getting in shape?

Because it makes them face their lack of motivation to do it themselves. You're doing this for you, not for them. Keep the faith!

samiamfish23

I lost over 100 pounds in a two year span and I have very minimal loose skin. I had been heavey all my life so some loose skin was expected. I have a little on my arms (when I flex I have none) and my boobs went down half their size, so they sag yes, but I dont think its too bad. I have a little with my stomach, but since I lost if over two years it wasnt too bad. It helped that I was in my 20's and doing it the right way, eatting healthy and working out. If you are worried about not finding anyone, let me tell you, I found someone who loves me for what I am...he knows why I am like I am and is more proud that I decided to make myself healther then just living with it. Some days are tough and I dont like it sometimes, but I remember where I was and how much better my life is without the weight. My mom lost weight around the same time, but since she had surgery she lost hers really fast and yes did have the saggy skin which she ended up getting surgery. But since you are younger, you should be able to loose weight and not have too much.