? About your skin after weight loss

I am not to goal yet, but have lost a significant amount and I am shocked that I don't have as much loose skin as I had imagined I would. My belly is a bit flabby, as well as my arms, but it's slowly getting better. I've noticed that those who lose weight super fast usually have more excess skin, though I am clearly not an expert. I believe slow and steady wins the race. Be patient, you will not see results overnight, but over time you will.

Best of luck! You are well on your way to a healthier lifestyle!

I can deal with it anyplace but on my arms. UGLY. Think of it as a badge of honor. Thats what I am hoping to do. And a reminder of what you neer want to have to go through again. And I already know I will be haivng braciaplasty. As long as spelling the word incorrectly doesn't prevent me from having it. Will save my pennies from not buying 'bad' foods to help pay for it.

I just read this recently, about this topic.

http://getfitguy.quickanddirtytips.com/how-to-tighten-loose-skin-after-weight-loss.aspx

Great tips!! The only thing I'd add is to include healthy fats in your diet as well - which is probably why one of the previous posters noted that avocado's seem to help.

I've definitely seen some tightening as I've lost but still have some loose skin on my upper arms, upper thighs and belly. I'm hoping as I lose the rest of the excess body fat and continue to exercise (including strength training) and keep a healthy diet that this will improve over the next year or two. It does take time, just like the weight loss journey itself!

I am accepting some of the sagging skin that has already arrived, but I am furious over the skin under my arms. I've been using hand weights HOPING I can at least make it not so bad. The majority of my exercise, up to this point has been running/walking and stationary biking. My legs (skin) look a LOT better than when I lost weight from eating habits alone. My tummy doesn't have a hope in hell. I've been over 200lbs since 1998. I had a baby (though I only gained 11 pounds) and delivered via C-Section. BUT - my panniculusgrading HAS improved (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panniculus) just in the time I've been here. I don't know if it's possible to avoid the sag (it appears some people have done so), but I do believe it's possible to minimize, to an extent. I don't think any method is going to HURT, so if it's suggested, DO IT (water, lotions, spot toning, etc...) Different things work for different people ALWAYS, about EVERYTHING, and these things may NOT help, but it isn't going to hurt to do them, just go into it considering the possibility that you may still be disappointed with your skin results. Then again, you won't know how it would have looked if you had avoided all of those things. Also, I do think adding strength training into your regimen sooner, rather than later, is very important in the attempts to get the least amount of sag possible. I think a lot of us, with over 100 pounds to lose, tend to rely on cardio, because it's working, forgetting the importance of strength training as well. We are so excited to be losing weight, we don't want to change a thing. Once we begin to LIKE exercising, we get comfortable, we have to step out of that comfort zone sooner and change it up if we want to maximize our efforts all around.

Great article! Thanks for sharing that. In August, I lost 18.8 pounds and started to worry about loose skin. I even looked up information about Biggest Loser contestants and discovered many of them had to have plastic surgery. I know my insurance will refuse to cover that for me and I also know I can't afford to pay for it out of pocket. Some of the tips given I'm already doing (e.g. eating protein rich foods after a workout and drinking more than 2 liters of water a day). I now have more tips to work on putting into my routine to help with the skin's elasticity.