Is this loose skin or am I paranoid?

Keaiducky
Keaiducky Posts: 6
in Introduce Yourself
I'm 5'6 and 18 years old and I began losing weight late December- Early January 2013. So far I've lost 21 pounds and I don't really see a difference in my appearance. My higest weight was 207 pounds and now at 185ish I've noticed that my arms just look flabbier than they did at my highest weight. I'm starting to wonder if I will have lose skin.

I saw someone wrote on here that if you have strechmarks, you're more likely to have loose skin. I have them on my arms, inner thighs, and hips. I was under the impression that if you're young and don't lose 60+ pounds too quickly, you won't have loose skin. Now I'm starting to worry. Is there any way to prevent loose skin before I lose my last 40 pounds? Will I even have loose skin?

Replies

  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    If you get loose skin or not is a mixture of things from genetics to age to the original weight you were. I'm personally not convinced that speed of weight loss has much bearing as I've known people who have lost lots of weight incredibly quickly much as immediately they have had loose skin a year or so later it's settled down and retracted There is lots of myths and theories flying around about how you can stop it. Being younger your skin will be more elastic. It can take a while for it to retract back. All you can do is keep going exercise keep the stretch marks moisterised. In the long term hopefully it will all settle down no matter what just remember the positive effects your weight loss will have.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    I was under the impression that if you're young and don't lose 60+ pounds too quickly, you won't have loose skin. Now I'm starting to worry. Is there any way to prevent loose skin before I lose my last 40 pounds? Will I even have loose skin?

    There's no hard and fast rule. Your age will definitely work in your favour, but it comes down to genetics as well. It's hard to tell without seeing it, but "flabby" could be a combination of loose skin, and residual fat. It's weird, but sometimes the fat can seem to have a different consistency. Check this out: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html

    Are you doing any strength or resistance training? You are probably losing a little lean mass as you lose weight (most people do), but without any resistance training, you risk losing even more. If you end up losing muscle mass, then you will end up with a "flabbier" appearance, as muscle gives a firmer appearance.

    I agree that there are a lot of myths about how to avoid loose skin - or at least, unsubstantiated advice. I've never seen any real evidence of what works. Everyone's bodies are different in this regard, so it's hard to say if something worked for someone, or if they wouldn't have had much loose skin anyway. Generally, it seems to be advised that you don't lose too quickly, strength train along the way, keep the skin moisturised, keep well hydrated, and give it some time. I've heard quite a few people say that loose skin they had when they reached their goal improved over a year or two at maintenance.

    I lost 85 lbs, and I have some loose skin, especially on my upper arms, chest and abdomen. It's not that bad though, and I'm 15 years older than you. Hopefully, any that you do end up with will improve greatly because you're still very young. All the more reason to lose the weight now and learn the habits you need to avoid gaining it back again in the future!

    I would not worry about it too much. It's definitely worth losing the weight, even if you do end up with a little loose skin.
  • cerexflikex
    cerexflikex Posts: 58
    I was under the impression that if you're young and don't lose 60+ pounds too quickly, you won't have loose skin. Now I'm starting to worry. Is there any way to prevent loose skin before I lose my last 40 pounds? Will I even have loose skin?

    There's no hard and fast rule. Your age will definitely work in your favour, but it comes down to genetics as well. It's hard to tell without seeing it, but "flabby" could be a combination of loose skin, and residual fat. It's weird, but sometimes the fat can seem to have a different consistency. Check this out: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html

    Are you doing any strength or resistance training? You are probably losing a little lean mass as you lose weight (most people do), but without any resistance training, you risk losing even more. If you end up losing muscle mass, then you will end up with a "flabbier" appearance, as muscle gives a firmer appearance.

    I agree that there are a lot of myths about how to avoid loose skin - or at least, unsubstantiated advice. I've never seen any real evidence of what works. Everyone's bodies are different in this regard, so it's hard to say if something worked for someone, or if they wouldn't have had much loose skin anyway. Generally, it seems to be advised that you don't lose too quickly, strength train along the way, keep the skin moisturised, keep well hydrated, and give it some time. I've heard quite a few people say that loose skin they had when they reached their goal improved over a year or two at maintenance.

    I lost 85 lbs, and I have some loose skin, especially on my upper arms, chest and abdomen. It's not that bad though, and I'm 15 years older than you. Hopefully, any that you do end up with will improve greatly because you're still very young. All the more reason to lose the weight now and learn the habits you need to avoid gaining it back again in the future!

    I would not worry about it too much. It's definitely worth losing the weight, even if you do end up with a little loose skin.

    That was a great post, just wanted to say thanks.
  • Keaiducky
    Keaiducky Posts: 6
    Thanks so much for your reply!

    To answer your question, no I am not doing any resistantce training. In fact, I haven't done much since I started losing weight. I've been wondering for a few weeks why after losing 20 pounds the only difference I saw was on the scale. I kept noticing how much my thighs and arms jiggle (they never did before, even at 200+ pounds) I was just scared that there might be something wrong.

    I now know that it is loose skin...but I guess not a whole lot, since I'm just now noticing it. Can you reccomend any resistance/strength exercises? I was thinking about doing squats. As far as my arms go, I'm at a loss for ideas. I hate working on my arms. They've always been weak. I can't even pick up a large detergent (or milk ) jug off the shelf at the store without nearly dropping it. I swear that happened to me once and an elderly woman picked the same one with ease...I wanted to cry! XD So if you know of any, that would great! :)
  • kayleavaughan7
    kayleavaughan7 Posts: 1
    Try going to a swimming center or even cycling, I have the exact same issue and I'm only 19, I also found it does me a lot of help with how much I can take on exercise wise without giving up for the day. (So far I can swim 1/2 mile without stopping)

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