Flabby Arms, thighs, and belly

start strength training! that will help burn more fat and make you more lean!

After losing 140 lbs I had my flabby skin removed...twice.

Over time some skin will shrink, especially if you had stretch marks at the beginning of your weight loss. I know where you are at because at the point I lost 75lbs i had 40 to go and saw excess skin. If you get to your goal weight and are able to maintain it you can start on skin creams but might end up needing the excess skin surgically removed.

thank you all for your replies..Im really lost when it comes to strength training I have no clue how much weight to do and for how long

OMG, I just noticed you're really young. I think you will do really well with the strength training.

Also jumping on the Strength Training band wagon! I do have some sag after losing over 135 lbs, but compared to other women I see, I'm looking pretty good, mostly because I've been doing strength training.

Look at my profile pic as an example. I got those arms from boxing 5 times a week and 3 times a week I do 30 reps of Dumbbell Triceps Extensions (or dips), Arm Curls and Bench Presses. I also drink a lot of water too, that helps! Don't worry, I also got an extra 5 years on you, so you have an even better chance than I did of getting the skin to go back to normal.

My doctor told me that once you reach your ideal weight, you should wait 2 years before considering body contouring surgery since you want to give your body some time to 'snap back'. I wouldn't worry too much about surgery just yet...

When you decide to start strength training, make sure you give yourself rest days in between. I tend to do Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I do about 30 minutes worth of weights, including the exercises I mentioned earlier plus some others for the places I want to focus on. I know it sounds scary, but ask the people doing weights if they can show you how to use them if you're not sure on proper form. Most of the time these people are SUPER eager to help.

Also make sure to start out small. You don't want to hurt yourself, and you seriously can, so if your body is saying stop, make sure to stop. Anything that requires a barbell, I'd probably start with no weights on it at first, just the pole. For dumbbells I'd probably start at 2 or 5lbs. Feel it out and see what you're comfortable with. The best way to approach weight training is to split it up into repetitions and sets. So let's say you're doing 30 reps, you might want to split that up into two 15 sets or three 10 sets. By the end of the set you should be tired or exerting yourself, but only towards the end, though the beginning should be very doable and comfortable. This is how you know you have a good weight for you.

You can do several things in between sets. If you exercised right before weights, I'd say just rest as you don't want to overdue it and preserve your strength for the weights session. If you didn't exercise that day and don't plan to, I'd try something called cardio acceleration. Basically in between rests spend 30-60sec doing some sort of high intensity cardio (jumping jacks, knee tucks, sprinting, jump rope, etc). Just remember to start out slow and LISTEN to your body!

Let me know if you need any other help, and good luck! You've already come so far

Yes veronica is spot on with this, Ive done everything she talks about...and its working slow but sure...I am a fan of green tea for all the beni's, but it helps with my stomach i feel so flat in the morning, if I consume it warm decaf of course right before bed

Of course cody! No prob! Just keep rockin' on!! You will get there!!!

I won't be able to afford getting surgery but yes Ive had stretch marks since I can remember I've always been overweight. I always told myself if I lost the weight I hope I don't get the flabby left over skin but it must be something that comes along with it. I'm going to try and get rid of the flabby skin and then try to get rid of the stretch marks. I hope if you do get the surgery it goes smoothly for you thank you for your reply Chelsea!

Yeah, I think it's part and parcel, but as everyone says, it varies from person to person. Actively attempting to tone the areas that bother you with weights can only benefit, so it's definitely worth doing and you may find you achieve excellent results!

Just remember, the positives will outweigh the negatives, try not to focus on parts of yourself you see as flaws and be proud of your achievements

Good luck!

I started at a gym when I was in the 10th grade years ago and just really enjoyed the weight machines. I fell off the band wagon and just started up once again over three years later at a gym. I had a free personal training session when I signed up and he said that weigh training the the most important technique to losing weight, followed by nutrition and then cardio. If you work out at the gym, there are probably many weight machines that you can try. I'm still mostly just using those while trying to learn more about free weights and all the other equipment in the weight room.

For the weight machines I usually do 3 sets of 10 reps each. To determine the weight - it's just trial and error. If you find a weight that by the end of the sets you feel like you can do more... then you need to up the weight. But if you can't even finish the sets then the weight is too heavy.

Just try the machines and focus on those and start doing lots of online research about lifting. There is a lot of knowledge out there and on MFP.

Here are some great bodyweight exercises to help develop your core strength and stability - http://www.startbodyweight.com/

I am also a fan of lifting heavy but you can start the majority of these exercises today and without a gym.

P.S. I also think that your age makes you very likely to not need surgery. Focus on nutrition and fitness for now.