Loose Skin Worry

DarthKity · June 2013

Hi just looking for some advice,
I have a LOT to loose and well on my wat doing it (already 30+ pounds down) but my main niggling worry at the back of mind is that i'll get down to a weight I want and be left with loose skin. I'm scared of this cos then it'll be like i worked my but off and still hate my body(i know about health benifits etc blah blah blah but you can see where im coming from.
So a bit of info I'm 23, 219 pounds(down from 250 and can see no evidence of saggin yet), I workout at least 5 days a week with a mix of weights, cardio, HIIT and Tug of War Training(wich ends up basicly a power lifting day) I follow a strict diet based on a 40/40/20 macro. I suppliment protein, greens and vitamins (heavy on Vit c as i heard that improves skin collagen) and with regards to skin i mousturize daily(sometimes more) with and intence Vit E firming lotion.
Just basically want to know if there is anything else i should be doing or anything im doing wrong that could help with the skin, need reassurance.
Thanks in advance
x

kerstinelaine · June 2013

Hi, I ended up with a lot of loose skin after I had my first child. I lost the weight after each child, I have two, but gained even more after going back to work at fast food for 3 years. My doctor said because I was really small before I got pregnant, and I gained 40 lbs per pregnancy, I was treating my stomach like a balloon. That I gained the weight too quickly. My guess is losing slowly would be better. I tried the different butters during and after my babies were born, but I didn't see that they worked. Good luck!

QuilterInVA · June 2013

Genetics also comes into play. Lose skin is sometimes the price we have to pay for abusing our body. I can't wear sleeveless shirts or tank tops because of lose skin on my arms.

ADixie4You2Know · June 2013

At my heaviest i was 248. I am now 178. The only place Ive had an issue with "loose skin" is on my neck under my chin where my face was sooo big. everything else seems to be fine so far.

Iceman420 · June 2013

I'm also worried about loose skin. I've got over 200 pounds of extra weight to lose, and I'm guessing I will need surgery to remove the extra skin when I'm done. Hope it doesn't cost too much.

WaterBunnie · June 2013

Being young is in your favour since you still have plenty of elastin in your skin which decreases as you age but it is going to be down to genetics and losing it at a reasonable rate I expect. It's something I worry about too and I do have loose skin now already but I'm enjoying being fitter and looking better in clothes.

kazsjourney · June 2013

I started at 380 pounds and have lost 184 pounds. Yes I have some excess skin, primarily my tummy and thighs but its really not the end of the world. I would prefer to be here with the excess skin then where I was at 380 pounds. Just do things the best you can...eat well, get enough sleep, lift, hydrate. We really can only be the "best me" we can be with what we have...Im sure regardless you will be happier

sweetnlow30 · June 2013

I started at 380 pounds and have lost 184 pounds. Yes I have some excess skin, primarily my tummy and thighs but its really not the end of the world. I would prefer to be here with the excess skin then where I was at 380 pounds. Just do things the best you can...eat well, get enough sleep, lift, hydrate. We really can only be the "best me" we can be with what we have...Im sure regardless you will be happier

^^ This! ( and well done by the way!)
I have some crazy saggy bat wing arms now and for a year I refused to go sleeveless but this summer I have been wearing my tank tops again. I will admit that it still bothers me and I won't wear short shorts because of my loose thighs but I still love my new healthier body and it has been totally worth it. I have mentioned before that I usually wear a spandex undershirt under my clothes because my stomach is loose and I don't like that feeling. I have also had two ten pound babies so that doesnt help the situation. I started with the undershirts while I was losing weight and now I am so used to them, I feel bare without them. It is an option if you need some support to smooth things out. Don't let the idea of loose skin get you down!

Brad805 · June 2013

I'm also worried about loose skin. I've got over 200 pounds of extra weight to lose, and I'm guessing I will need surgery to remove the extra skin when I'm done. Hope it doesn't cost too much.

I have heard estimates like $17k in the US.

Think of your stomach like a balloon. You inflated it for however many years, and now you would like it to spring back and be tight. Sadly, that is not always the case so we end up with battle scars that we get to live with. Some of us have stretched our skin by more than 10", and that is a lot. You are young, so your skin is much more elastic than many of us. The degree of obesity and your genetics play a big role in how well your skin springs back too. Those of us with the typical overhanging bellies have the worst time with this. I have seen many male transformations that end up perfect because they started with a round stomach (fat held higher).

Goop some stuff on if it makes you feel better. Personally I don't think it makes a lot of difference, but the cosmetic companies think otherwise.

On the plus side getting a clean bill of health at the doctors office and guys taking double takes when they walk by might be ok?

DarthKity · June 2013

Thanks a lot for the advice guys x

hiyomi · June 2013

I am currently having this problem and its a little weird for me. I have lost 22 pounds so far and weight lifted quite a bit in my arms. At first my arms seemed to be firming up but now I have extra skin underneath them! x.x Its not overdramatically a lot, but its weird. People say I need to lift more, but I thought it was weird how they were looking all nice and firm them BAM, excess skin. x.x

kao708 · June 2013

I lost 88 lbs a few years ago and didn't have an issue with sagging skin. This time around, that's a different story. I think the more times your skin has been stretch back and forth the harder it is to retain the elasticity. That being said, I do believe genetics play a role as well so you may be lucky and not have any issues at all! Don't let what might happen deter you from getting healthy!

operation_cute · June 2013

Before I even started losing weight I've had loose skin from having 4 children back to back

I only see it getting looser as I lose weight unfortunately, and definitely don't see it going back to normal regardless how much water I drink, or how much lifting I do

Skin was just too damaged :sad: May dedicate one of my tax returns for a tummy tuck after I hit my goal or within a couple of years at least

runningagainstmyself · June 2013

I lost 88 lbs a few years ago and didn't have an issue with sagging skin. This time around, that's a different story. I think the more times your skin has been stretch back and forth the harder it is to retain the elasticity. That being said, I do believe genetics play a role as well so you may be lucky and not have any issues at all! Don't let what might happen deter you from getting healthy!

I also think that it depends on how long you've been carrying around a significant amount of extra weight for.

I dropped 80+lb during my journey, and I have a pretty significant amount of loose skin around my abdomen. I've managed to make it smaller through exercise and lifting and whatnot, but I doubt it would ever go away without having an abdominoplasty procedure. I'd rather be where I am, being unable to wear a bikini but rocking the clothes, than be where I was where I was nearing morbid obesity, unable to look at myself in mirrors without crying or calling myself names.

Carry on with yo' bad self.

reankanesmom · June 2013

I have loose skin on my arms and my thighs. I had it on my stomach and ended up having a tummy tuck to correct that because the weight of it and just the fact that I was uncomfortable. However I lost the majority of my weight really fast so I'm betting if I had slowed down and lost it at the right pace and did some weights I probably would not be in this position. I am trying to tighten it up now at least on my thighs. All in all I would rather have the saggy thighs and the hanging arms than 90 or so lbs sitting on my body causing other issues. Give it some time, drink more water if you need to, lift some weights. They say it takes 2 years for skin to tighten up.

Warchortle · June 2013

1) don't worry about something you can't control

2) don't worry about a problem that isn't relevant yet

Joshacham · June 2013

I lost all the weight, I'm at my goal weight and I got loose skin. Arms, belly and legs... I'm hoping it eventually absorbs back into my body, but I heard it could take up to 2 years for that to happen. It's a total mind F to me. I keep wanting to lose more weight because I'm able to grab my skin like a ball and it feels like more fat. I go to do pushups and my skin touches the ground before I get all the way down. If only plastic surgery wasn't too expensive. Cocoa Butter doesn't seem to be working.

Elicur · June 2013

I had that problem when I was fifteen and lost 100 pounds.
I've been working on it, but with weight gain and two babies, seven years after I lost all that weight I still have the loose skin.
Now, my mission is simple, burn the fat with cardio but with ALOT of strength training as well, drink water as main fluid, multi-vitamins and moisturize daily.
Who is 100% happy with their body anyway?

thisisiamj · June 2013

Depends on many factor -- age, genetics, how long you've been overweight. I've lots 40+ and have been overweight all my life and my skin seems to be coming along fine but I won't really know until I'm done. I was super worried at the beginning too, but the alternative is to be overweight and unhappy. For me, it was choosing the lesser evils of the two -- I'd rather have some skin issues but be healthy and fit. When you're done you can always opt for surgery to get rid of the skin. For now, do what you can... lift weights, drink plenty of water, lose slowly, and lotion up. I use cocoa butter every morning and night and even if it doesn't help at least my skin and soft and smooth

Best of luck... and you are only 23, so time is on your side and skin elasticity shouldn't be a huge issue.

ShannonMpls · June 2013

I don't look like someone who never was obese. I "can't" wear short shorts or skirts - my thighs aren't tight like someone who has always been at a healthy weight.

But I look great in capris and knee-length skirts. I love wearing tank tops because my weight lifting time has earned me great shoulders and arms. Retro-style bikini bottoms are in style so I can hide the small amount of loose skin on my stomach.

And my body can do really, really awesome things, like bench pressing 135 and running 10 miles.

I don't waste a minute of my life "hating" my body.

You're young. If you have so much loose skin as to cause health problems, you can probably get insurance to cover removal. It comes down to genetics. Hope for the best, but when you reach goal weight, I hope you don't waste time focused on your "flaws" either.

drojen · June 2013

I will have loose skin. It doesn't make me happy, but being as big as I was made me more unhappy. I have age working against me now and one small baby that I carried really, really low doesn't help either. I'm hoping over time it will get a little better, but at 40+ pounds, I can already feel it in my lower stomach. Better, more "control" top underwear are in my future, for sure. That arm waggle? Yep, it happens in other places as well. I have lower stomach waggle. Not good, but better that than fat, I can assure you. My arms waggle too - but it's too hot for me to care about what they look like.

You are young so you will have better odds. Genetics will matter, as will how fast or slow you lose.

Loose Skin Worry

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