Loose Skin

I have read online that toning and exercise can help, but its probably going to be unavoidable. Also if you lose the weight gradually your skin will retract some too. I face the same problem going from 314 now down to 270 I have some loose skin in my stomach, I too fear that at the 225 I want to be at it will be worse.

You raise a very good point and I'll share with you my experience.

Like you I was always overweight as a child and into my adult life I just grew bigger. At my peak I was 20 stones. Over the last 3 years I've slowly lost the weight and am now down to 12 stones 4 with only a few pounds left to go before I hit my all time goal.

I won't lie to you, the worst aspect of the weight loss is loose skin, particularly around my stomach area. I won't scare you all with photos, but there is plenty of excess skin there and no matter how much running or exercise I've done it hasn't gone away. I guess the point I am making is, if your body has been stretched to such a size for so many years (like mine was) then it isn't going to fall into the perfect shape quickly if at all. I think one thing is for sure, if you lose weight too quickly the loose skin will be far worse than if you let it come off 1 or 2 pounds a week.

The benefit is, even though your skin may end up loose, you're going to look and feel so much better when you've lost the weight and it almost falls into insignificance.

My advice is loose the weight slowly and steadily, do a decent amount of exercise to build muscle in the areas where loose skin is apparent, but most of all, try not to worry about it.

My online blog is at www.aroundthewaist.co.uk where there is some photos of me before I started losing weight and now.

Best of luck!

Great for you for changing some habits of a lifetime! :flowerforyou:
I'm not sure about the skin worry, but I will say that a friend of mine had gastric bypass surgery and has only been left with considerable amounts of skin around her tummy. However...her weight loss was drastic...I am sure that a steady weight loss would not result in a huge amount of skin...however, I cannot guarantee this.

I am very sure that a strict exercise regime will help avoid this excess fat as building muscles will result in more calories being burned during exercise and should help tone up those areas. I would focus on areas where excess skin is prone to developing...such as the tummy, and top of arms. :flowerforyou:

One thing I will say is excess skin is a small price to pay when you are changing your health and fitness. Being overweight brings with it many significant health problems and you are doing an amazing job by deciding to change this :flowerforyou:

As you are young, I would also believe that your skin still has considerable elasticity in it and therefore your skin may respond differently to the changes when compared to someone who is considerably older.

Welcome to MFP and congrats on the fanastic weight loss so far :flowerforyou:

Lose the weight slowly, 1-2 pounds a week; that's anywhere from 52 to 104 in one year. AWESOME!! Make sure that you are adding cardio and strength training in the mix so you're adding muscle. You are only 21, so you have your age as a big advantage in that your skin should have a lot of elasticity left in it. Chances are there is going to be some loose skin hanging around, just not wanting to say goodbye. But I have to tell you -- I would rather be healthy and fit, hiding a little bit of excess flab, than being a 100 pounds overweight and dying a slow death!

Good luck on your journey and, until you are able to possibly surgically rid yourself of the excess skin AFTER you have attained your goal, relish in the fact that you are a little bit healthier everyday!!

Blessings!! :flowerforyou:

I have been wondering the smae thing. I have lost 54 lbs in the past year and have over 100 to go. I am hoping not to have surgery to remove the skin. Congrats on your success and wishing you the best in the future. Keep up the good work.

I have to agree with everyone else. 1.) You are only 21, so it's more likely to snap back than mine (I am twice your age). And 2.) building muscle will help to fill out the space where your fat used to live. And 3.) Don't worry about it. You'll feel so great when you reach your goal, it's not going to be a big deal anymore.

I do have lots of loose skin. But no one but my husband sees me naked, so I don't really care. I'd much rather have loose skin than keep those extra 80 or 90 pounds around. I suppose I can have surgery some day to tighten up the skin on my flabby arms, tummy, and elsewhere. But I've heard that skin tightening surgery is pretty painful. My loose skin isn't going to keep me from swimming or wearing tank tops or shorts. But I'll never wear a bikini.

You're so young and it's "only" 60 pounds. I lost 80 pounds at age 25 and had no problem with no loose skin. Good luck.

Hello,
This is my personal experience. Others may have different stories to tell but I hope this helps.
I have lost just over 90lbs and until a year ago had been overweight and unfit for most of my life. (I am 38) I understand that loose skin is a worry and I doubt you will escape with non whatsoever. However I believe that despite what you think now, you could gain a new perspective on what a good body looks like. I know I have. I have a good body, no it's not asthetically perfect and I could waste time and energy by comparing it unfavourably with models in magazines etc. but it is slim, (in most parts) toned, allows me to wear most styles of clothes, is strong, fit, healthy, energetic and I am so proud of it. I don't give a monkeys about the odd stretch mark or wobbly part frankly, and just feel so thankful and happy to have got this far!
I have some loose skin, mostly on my tummy but it is also the area where I still ha have some excess fat. I am toning, toning and toning it like mad. Elsewhere, with lots of exercise, everything is pretty much fairly toned and perky! I expect to always have some lose skin but also know that if my tummy follows the fine example set by my arms, legs, bottom and chest as the fat goes and the tone develops, the skin becomes so much less of a problem.
There are no short cuts - drink lots of water, moisturise, eat healthily (not just low cal but avoid the rubbish and get lots of vitamins inside of you), exercise wisely and don't expect an overnight transformation - this is long haul. Building muscles/muscle tone will give the skin something to gain support from and be lifted by.
You are also still very young and that has got to help.
Thats about as personal as I can manage publically! = ) Feel free to message me if there is anything more specific I can help you with.
Best Wishes
Gail

You are 21 and your youth will make your skin more elastic than if you were older. Just be sure to take it off no more than 1-2 lbs a week and exercise. If your muscles grow, it will plump out your skin a bit and you will look fabulous.

Good luck.
[/quoteAge is on your side!]

I've read a lot how it also has to do with genetics. Some people are just more prone to loose skin after losing large amounts of weight. I'm lucky and I talked to my mom and she said that she didn't have any problems when she dropped all the way down to 127 in her 20's. I'm down to about 30 pounds above where I want to be and I'm OK so far. I looks like my skin is snapping back, so I may have my mom to thank for that. Just maintain a gradual weight loss amount, moisturize, and maybe ask around your family if anyone has lost weight and had any issues. I felt a lot better after talking to my mom.