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

DopeItUp

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.

This is sort of a sour grapes situation. Overweight people use as an this excuse to stay overweight. If you're going to look terrible when you lose weight, why bother? Just stay fat and happy right? As I said, it's just an excuse.

When you lose the weight you will look, feel a thousand times better and BE a thousand times healthier. Even from a pure vanity standpoint, if you end up with a bit of saggy skin, who cares. You'll still look way better than you did. Maybe you won't look a supermodel naked but you'll look great in clothes at least!

ms_cataclysm

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?

The younger you are and the more gradual your weight loss is, the more likely it is that your skin will recover. It also depends on your genes. I don't know anyone who's lost over 5 stone but my two friends who have lost that much say that their skin was back to normal within 6 months.

As I've got older, I have noticed that it's taken slightly longer for my skin to recover in some places but it does still recover. If you're worried about this, try to keep yourself hydrated , avoid sunbathing and smoking and try to have a body wrap to tighten the skin every ime you go down two dress sizes.

beachlover317

:flowerforyou: Lose the weight. If I have to wear spanx under my bathing suit - I will. My health is the most important thing to me now. You are young. Do it NOW! Try hard not to listen to negative voices. You will find them everywhere. Listen to your friends on MFP! They are pulling for you!!

Elleinnz

I am 52 years old - and have been overweight for a good 25+ of that time - there is a bit of loose skin, sagginess - but you know what - in my clothes I look pretty damn good - and even naked I look a 100 times better than I did when I weighed 125 lbs more!!

I am choosing some saggy skin over being unhealthy ever day........and it is not all that bad considering 25 years of neglecting my body....

Decide why you really want to lose the weight - and then don't let anyone derail you with their negative thoughts.....

Just by the way - I have lifted weights right from day one - I get in a fair amount of cardio - used to do C25K until I stuffed my knee - now do mostly exercycle and kick boxing (without the kicking) - but the biggest success for me I believe is lifting - both very heavy, but also body weight routines thrown in the mix...

AmberCHM

Yep. I hate it. I plan on getting it fixed one day. For now, I'll enjoy being the size 10/12 that I am instead of the 22/24 that I was. I hate myself naked, but I sure didn't love it when I was 116 lbs heavier either. At least I can enjoy shopping now....and I no longer have to squeeze my fat self into movie seats, I can take a flight of stairs without getting out of breath, I no longer have to worry "will I fit in that booth", and I'll never again be denied health insurance because of my weight. I'd much rather have some loose skin than have to deal with those things again.

Bentley2718

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.

I lost 100 pounds over about 7 years, ages 20-27, and I had a ton of extra skin. There are a range of experiences. You won the extra skin lottery, this doesn't mean everyone will.

LuckyLeprechaun

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

I do.

C'mon. It's pretty easy to see why..........if you can do it, that means they can do it, too. And if they can, but they just don't.......well that doesn't make them feel very good about themselves, mmmmmm?

You know what scares me waaaaay more than the idea of saggy skin? The idea of amputations or permanently open wounds due to the complications of diabetes. THAT'S scary.

kaseysospacey

Thanks you guys,I actually feel better because I've got some things on my side- I'm young, I don't smoke, drink, do drugs, I'm eating a very healthy vitamin rich diet and I'm doing circuit training so that includes strength training/lifting weights, although not super heavy ones. I am looking forward to 6 months from now when I'm in better shape enough to exercise longer...right now I feel completely weighed down and have no tolerance for running yet, but we all have to begin somewhere.

GeekMom17

I've lost 90 (10-15) to go and it's stretched and a bit saggy but, I also had to 9+ pound children. Just take it slow. I also use lotion on my EVERY day. It's Gold Bond CoQ10. I have some crazy stretch marks and it helps them too and I've noticed since I started yoga more often the skin is a little bit better.

You will have saggy skin. It's taken me a long time to even begin to come to terms with it. When I first started seeing it I felt like a gross old man with saggy and wrinkly skin. I actually cried about it. We're young this is supposed to happen as we age.

Just love you for you and work on losing the weight and try to remember you are beautiful every step of the way. So what if you have some loose skin. They have those like tummy tuck shirts at walmart for under clothes. I have one that is a tank top that I wear a lot and it makes me look like I have no excess skin on my stomach.

Good luck on your journey!

EvanKeel

You know what scares me waaaaay more than the idea of saggy skin? The idea of amputations or permanently open wounds due to the complications of diabetes. THAT'S scary.

And let's not discount the possibility of knee replacement surgery in one's later years due to decades of carrying around significant amounts of excess weight all day.

ambut

People here have provided a wealth of knowledge and personal experiences, so this is kind of moot to add, but...

I've lost 50 lbs so far and plan to lose about 15 more (I was 197 at my heaviest, now 147, looking to end up in the 130s - I have no idea of a "goal weight" because I've never been a healthy weight as an adult). Since my weight loss was not a gigantic number and also relatively slow (about a pound a week, sometimes closer to 2 lbs), I wouldn't expect to have tons of saggy skin for me, and true enough I don't really have any. I have been doing strength training (please try barbells/free weights! Circuit training is better than nothing but there is no such thing as "toning" and it's kind of a made-up concept trying to sell 3lb weights to women!) and eating better so I think that helps too. The only thing I have noticed is that my boobs are noticeably saggier. They're not down to my belly button or anything, but I went from a D on the verge of DD down to a small D or big C cup, which doesn't sound like a big shift, but there's definitely less mass and they hang much lower. They look fine in a bra but it bugs me that they don't look right to me when I'm bra-less. I'll be honest, it does bum me out. HOWEVER, I would never ever ever trade my weight loss for higher boobs! The changes I've made in the last year have made me so much happier and healthier, and my body is looking a helluva lot better!

Also, side note, the people who discourage you from losing weight (for whatever reason, saggy skin or otherwise) are NOT people who are going to be helpful to you on this journey. The person who equated them to alcoholics trying to talk someone out of going sober had it right - whether these people think they have your best interests in mind or not, they are being horrendously negative and will not help you. People who work hard and lose lots of weight face this - even with my super positive and supportive friends/family, sometimes I get little comments like "haven't you lost enough weight yet?" as if my commitment is somehow harming or inconveniencing them. I think a lot of it has to do with people being uncomfortable with someone being motivated and successful while they themselves are self-consciously unmotivated or unsuccessful. There are also people who just don't value health, and therefore can't understand why someone else would. Don't let **** like that affect you. Always ask yourself, "is this person speaking from a place of genuine concern, knowledge, experience, or care?" If the answer is no or maybe, grain of salt. Surround yourself with positive, knowledgeable, motivated people and you will be better for it. :-)

LuckyLeprechaun

You know what scares me waaaaay more than the idea of saggy skin? The idea of amputations or permanently open wounds due to the complications of diabetes. THAT'S scary.

And let's not discount the possibility of knee replacement surgery in one's later years due to decades of carrying around significant amounts of excess weight all day.

agreed. the benefits of weight loss are many. the drawbacks, very very few, and damn near insignificant in comparison.

I'm cold a lot more often now, too. But I don't want my layer of blubber back!

proudmommy1003

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.

I bet they're just jealous and afraid to try to lose the weight cause they feel they'll be unsuccessful.
The biggest I have been is a size 11 after having my son but If I were overweight I rather to have lose skin than being overweight. Dont let other discourage you

Goofy076

I guess it all depends on your body, genetics and your daily routine... I am 35, had two kids, lost 212 lbs and have no sagging skin at all on any part of my body but I drink tons of water, use toning lotion every day, work out 5 days a week doing cardio and weights but I know people that have lost less and needed surgery... I dont think the fear of skin should stand in your way of getting healthy... skin can be corrected, the damage to your organs cant so I say go for it!!!

ambut

You know what scares me waaaaay more than the idea of saggy skin? The idea of amputations or permanently open wounds due to the complications of diabetes. THAT'S scary.

And let's not discount the possibility of knee replacement surgery in one's later years due to decades of carrying around significant amounts of excess weight all day.

YES - this! My mom just had surgery on her "good" knee after several minor tears and injuries took their toll, combined with some arthritis. She has been overweight since her twenties (now in her fifties), obese for many years. My whole family is big, and the health problems are astounding. Knee injuries are super common (we all have luxating patellae, so that doesn't help), plus foot and ankle problems, back pain, hypertension, and everyone's pre-diabetic (well, not me anymore!). My mom isn't at the point where she needs knee replacement yet, but it's a virtual guarantee for both her knees. My aunt has already had it done.

17ChargerGirl17

Mine isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.
But If I still have it when I lose all my weight, I am definately having a tummy tuck.... LOL

kaseysospacey

Yeah, I plan on losing weight I just wanted an idea of what to expect. I keep seeing the stomach of the mom from jon and kate plus 8 (you can gooogle it, it was realllllllly wrinkly and big from her multiple pregnancy) and I'm like, I don't want that! But I am going to get in shape regardless, because I want to be healthy. I've been lucky that I have no high blood pressure or cholesterol, but I do have acid reflux since my c section and some other problems that I suspect but haven't seen a doctor about yet. I don't want to spend my days worrying about getting diabetes! My mom and sister both have hypoglycemia, which is a type of diabetes (I think? I'm no doctor) and our family is rife with cancer/diabetes/heart issues/early death. There are 0 people in my family that have lived past their 60s in recorded history, paternal or maternal. My paternal grampa died at 66 last year, my nana just died at 60 and she only turned 60 in June. Its so scary. I live my kids so much- I want to be there for them, and their kids (when they are old enough to have kids!)

superstarcassie

I have some saggy skin- but it is SO worth losing the weight....don't let the fear of that stop you on your journey. Mine isn't as bad as I thought it would be, and there is amazing shapewear that I use when I want a flatter looking body. Best of luck on your journey! :flowerforyou:

honkytonks85

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?

I have lost about 170lbs. Yes I have loose skin. Lose the weight gradually and do strength training, wish I had known this before I tried to shed the initial kilos.

If I get to my goal weight and I am not happy with the excess skin, I will be getting it removed surgically.

monicamk1975

I have loose skin on my stomach, arms, thighs and even my neck to some degree. And I lost weight the right way, it just depends on genetics, but I would never trade being in firmer skin at 265 pounds for having some loose skin at 165 pounds now. There is no way I looked better at 265 than I do now, loose skin and all.