I'm scared...

So I am 200ish pounds and I want to weigh 160 and have a medium frame size. I guess I am scared to lose weight. I want to but I'm worried about losing my breasts and having extra skin. I'm 22. My skin should still be elastic enough that if I were able to lose the weight it would retract right? I need opinions

Whilst you are scared you have made the right decision and a step in the right direction here and you should be so proud of that! My advise to you would first be consult with a physician find out your ideal weight, and don't try to loose it too quickly.

Don't worry about loose skin. You are trying to find excuses not to lose weight. Cross the "skin bridge" when you get there - not now. Focus on the losing, being healthy and feeling good. You will be so happy with yourself that the skin issue will get solved - if it happens!!!

Hi, I really don't have the knowledge to advise but I would think that being the youngster that you are , you'll prob tone up pretty well.

You have passed the first hurdle by wanting to take part & do it for yourself, give yourself a big pat on the back for having the courage to do so.
:happy:
Whatever route you take on the exercise front-enjoy it !!!!!
Well done you.

;-)

You are young and you are not morbidly obese. If you lose the weight slowly, like a pound or less per week, you will probably never have saggy skin. If I could only give you one bit if advice it would be, make sure you set a realistic calorie goal and focus on hitting it everyday. Not under, not over. Learn about the other things like macros and incorporate that over time. Concentrate on calories to begin with. And yeah, get a food scale.

Fear...my fear is that I won't be successful at losing weight without surgical intervention. Make changes now so you don't have to face knee replacement surgery, high blood pressure, diabetes, .... Weight training and strengthening is the best thing you can do to keep skin tightening as you lose. Remember to get your cardio in as well as you need that too. In the summer, I do yard work every day as my exercise. So, best wishes. MFP is a great tool and you will find many success stories here! :flowerforyou:

Losing 40 lbs at 22 is not going to give you loose skin. As for losing breast tissue - your body doesn't eliminate fat from one area of your body. You will lose it from all over. But that shouldn't keep you from being afraid of getting into a healthy weight range for your body type and height. GO for it!!

I am 5 feet and 1 inch tall..way too much. I have been 150 in the past and I was loving it and comfortable with my body because I have a bigger frame. I guess I rely a lot on what people think of me. I think 160 is reasonable. I'm excited because this is really the best thing I've done about my weight. I'm just not very educated on how to judge portions or anything

im hopeless with portion sizes too

As others have said, invest in a food scale. The single best piece of advice that I got when I first joined a month ago, and it has been awesome. You would be amazed how easy it is to be WAY OFF when you estimate, both high and low. Sometimes, I was eating 3 portions or less than half a portion when I thought I was eating 1. I now weigh pretty much everything that goes in my mouth so I know EXACTLY the amount I am eating.

It should be okay as you're still young. It might be that you hold a lot of your weight on your chest, in which case they may get smaller, but it's better to be small everywhere than big everywhere! As everyone else has said, just focus on losing weight slowly and steadily - if it's too quick you're more likely to get saggy skin I think. Also exercise consistently throughout - as well as cardio, include toning and strength exercises. If you're particularly worried about your chest, press ups are good and you can google other exercises to work on the muscle groups surrounding that area to 'lift' your chest and keep it looking perky!

Don't be scared though, it's so worth it. You don't want to go through your twenties being overweight and unhappy. Think how amazing you could look by the time you're 23!

I'm 45, started at 190 and am now at 164. No loose skin and I'm WAY older than you. Don't worry about the skin. As for portion control, weigh and measure everything. After awhile you'll be able to tell on your own what the portions are. It's all a learning process.

When it comes to portion sizes, the best solution is to read the labels. Take a look at all the nutrition information per serving. A can of Campbell's soup actually has two servings instead of one, so something with 410 mg of sodium could give 820 instead if you eat everything in one can. As for fresh foods, I'd follow the others here and get a food scale.

hi and welcome.

change can be scary and challenging but it can also be good. I don't know what your height is but 200 lb is probably too much. Don't focus too much on the "what might go wrong" and stay focused on the good. and if you exercise properly, you will probably prevent any saggy skin issues.

I agree...I would like to add if you don't lose the weight too quickly and exercise, strength training included not just cardio, you should be fine. It's when you loose weight to fast that your left with all that extra skin..Good Luck!

It can tighten up by weight training.Sit ups lounges squats ect.you wont have lose skin if you weight lift and tighten up.Don't be scared do something about it

Definitely get a food scale. It's so easy to under estimate portion size and think you are taking in less/more calories than you are taking in. You don't need a fancy scale, just one that is accurate.

This for portions.

Don't worry about loose skin you'll be fine. I agree with many of the posters in that you should lose the weight slowly. And lift, lift heavy