Avoiding loose skin after weight loss

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kkhall29
kkhall29 Posts: 14 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have heard that loosing 2lbs a week and working out will prevent loose skin. Has anyone lost a considerable amount of weight without surgery and not had problems with loose skin? Just want to hear your thoughts.
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Replies

  • JenCatwalk
    JenCatwalk Posts: 285 Member
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    Well i lost about a pound a week for 2 years and lost 100 pounds. I don't have loose skin. However, I would like to know the answer to this question as well, so heres a bump!
  • lilpoindexter
    lilpoindexter Posts: 1,122 Member
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    I've lost at least 60 lbs since sept 2011, and I don't have loose skin...i think relativey slow weight loss is the key...sometimes my skin had that empty walmart plastic sack look, but it seemed to tighten up on it's own. My formerly ridiculous belly is just about completely deflated, and no signs of loose skin...yay me.
  • NYCNika
    NYCNika Posts: 611 Member
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    I've been losing 2lb a week for 10 weeks now. I run a lot. No skin problems so far.

    I think human skin is resilient. Think about pregnant women - how fast and how far their skin stretches. And it goes back. It takes months, but it does. Even if pregnant with twins.

    I think that it is mostly when we do things that are unnatural (like cutting our part of your stomach) that body does not cope so well.
  • Jolene8992
    Jolene8992 Posts: 127 Member
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    Lucky girls. A little over 70 lbs in a year. Yeah, back of my thighs, stomach and upper arms. Depends on how big you wete to start with. I was pushing 300. Skin can only stretch so much before it breaks. Like a rubber band . Eventually the stretch breaks. Exercise only.builds up the muscle and fills in the loose skin. But that skin is there. Only way to get rid of it once elasticity breaks is surgery. No way. Loose skin is better than fat. I wish u luck.
  • NYCNika
    NYCNika Posts: 611 Member
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    Lucky girls. A little over 70 lbs in a year. Yeah, back of my thighs, stomach and upper arms. Depends on how big you wete to start with. I was pushing 300. Skin can only stretch so much before it breaks. Like a rubber band . Eventually the stretch breaks. Exercise only.builds up the muscle and fills in the loose skin. But that skin is there. Only way to get rid of it once elasticity breaks is surgery. No way. Loose skin is better than fat. I wish u luck.

    I was pregnant with twins. I looked like I swallowed a giant beach ball. I even had ugly stretch marks blossom in the last month. It all went away. Even though so many people on pregnancy forums said that stretch marks don't go away. Skin is a living organ and does so much!
  • jajnn
    jajnn Posts: 33
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    unless you're morbidly obese you don't really have much to worry about. Stay hydrated, your skin is a living organ that will adapt itself to your body shape over time. A lot of times people confuse excess subcutaneous fat for loose skin.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
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    I lost 75lbs in 7 months & dont have loose skin. Actually I'm now down to 80lbs & still don't. But I use bio oil to help & coconut oil from the inside :)
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
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    I plan on making soo many gainzzz I won't have loose skin.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
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    I've lost my weight over the period of nearly 2 years now. I'm still fat, just not morbidly obese (I think I'm technically just "obese". Yay!) and the only way I'm going to completely avoid loose skin is with surgery. I think there's a point where you just can't get away with it. There was a time in my life when my skin was accommodating a 400 lb body. That skin just isn't going to fit my 240 lb body quite right.
  • Jolene8992
    Jolene8992 Posts: 127 Member
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    I've lost my weight over the period of nearly 2 years now. I'm still fat, just not morbidly obese (I think I'm technically just "obese". Yay!) and the only way I'm going to completely avoid loose skin is with surgery. I think there's a point where you just can't get away with it. There was a time in my life when my skin was accommodating a 400 lb body. That skin just isn't going to fit my 240 lb body quite right.
    I was beginning to think I was abnormal. Yes I was 270+ and that is morbidly obese. Now im just obese. Dont ya love it?
  • shrinkingbrian
    shrinkingbrian Posts: 171 Member
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    I have lost 178 pounds in 63 weeks (about 2.8 pounds/month). For the past six months, I have been averaging a loss of 2.1 pounds per week. I don't have problems with loose skin. I also lift weights, swim daily, and stay hydrated. Age and genetics can also be factors. My mother had bariatric surgery followed by several skin removal surgeries (there goes my inheritance). I have lost weight without surgery and I don't have loose skin.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,525 Member
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    There are variables that will dictate if you get loose skin or not. Age, genetics, how fast you lose and how much you lose. There is no real way to tell till you get there.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Kimdbro
    Kimdbro Posts: 922 Member
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    I lost 90lb in 1 year and had loose skin around my stomach. I've gained 80 back in 4 years.... this time I'm going to use bio oil and coconut oil (supposed to help) and use more strength training and cardio. Last time most of my muscle was in my arms and accross my back from kayaking, and I didn't do a lot of crunches etc. Hope it works. I didn't have a lot of skin... I'm probably the only one that noticed.
  • DalekBrittany
    DalekBrittany Posts: 1,748 Member
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    It depends on a lot of factors like age, weight before losing, how much protein you consume, hydration level throughout, how quickly you lose weight, if you incorporated strength at all during weight loss, etc. There are so many things. I hope that given my age and a few other factors that I won't have too much when I'm all done...
  • EmilyEmpowered
    EmilyEmpowered Posts: 650 Member
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    nevermind Ill keep thoughts to myself today
  • nixthebrownies
    nixthebrownies Posts: 13 Member
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    water, strength training, slow and steady weight loss, bio-oil/coconut oil, time.

    If it took you a few years to stretch your skin, it'll take you a few to tighten it. And maybe not all the way. Don't let google and weight loss shows scare you. Remember, in those shows they're losing pretty rapidly. And google is always worst case scenario. Even still, worst case scenario skin sagging is better than worst case scenario obesity, which could be sacrificing your life.
  • bernicesmission
    bernicesmission Posts: 100
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    bump
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
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    What is bio oil?
  • oc1timoco
    oc1timoco Posts: 272 Member
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    I lost a 160 lbs. in 10 months. I lost it way to fast. Now the loose skin that I have been dealing with for 2 years is only diminished by 70%. Loose skin is the price you pay for impatience in my opinion. My age and the number of years I weighed over 350 lbs. are factors as well. I would urge anyone who wants to lose over a 100 lbs. to use weights as well as cardio and not to lose more than 1 &1/2 --- 2 lbs. a week.
  • CarmenSRT
    CarmenSRT Posts: 843 Member
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    It depends on your skin, which is a function of your unique genetics. Please don't feel as if you did something "wrong" if you have loose skin when you're done. The folks crowing about having no loose skin and then saying it's because they <insert whatever here> are really just lucky. There's no magic or trick involved in their result.

    I'm not one of the lucky ones. That's life. Still better to have loose flappy skin from a health perspective than being obese. :tongue:

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