60+ BMI weight loss and little to no excess skin?

dhaemon
dhaemon Posts: 110 Member
in Motivation and Support
I don't know what is real and what is fake with websites and people claiming that they lost 200+ lbs of weight loss with little to no excess skin.

I honestly find it hard to believe that the body eats away the excess skin when you lose weight, I'm looking for real proof!

So I'm asking real people out there (YOU) to tell me that it is possible (I'm 37) to accomplish without any surgery.
FYI: I'm losing weight at a slow steady pace.

Replies

  • MsBetteDavis
    MsBetteDavis Posts: 118 Member
    I don't know what is real and what is fake with websites and people claiming that they lost 200+ lbs of weight loss with little to no excess skin.

    I honestly find it hard to believe that the body eats away the excess skin when you lose weight, I'm looking for real proof!

    So I'm asking real people out there (YOU) to tell me that it is possible (I'm 37) to accomplish without any surgery.
    FYI: I'm losing weight at a slow steady pace.

    I don't have any pictures, but in high school my friend went on the Bernstein Diet (which I don't recommend) and she lost a TON of weight within just a few months without excess skin. However, we were 17 at the time, and I think that had pretty much everything to do with it.

    I think what really helps is not just doing cardio to lose the weight but to also strength training. I've seen that improve a lot of the sagging skin on people while trying to lose weight.
  • amyk0202
    amyk0202 Posts: 666 Member
    I think it just depends on the person's skin & age. Some people just luck out. I also think the "slow loss" theory is wrong. Skin takes up to 2 years to shrink. If you lose slow, you will think you didn't ever have loose skin because it had time to shrink while you lost. If you lose fast, it will still shrink as much as it's going to but you have that in-between time while it's noticeable. I had WLS & lost it fast. I had loose skin on my tummy, thighs, arms, & a flap along the sides of my lower breasts. In the time since, my thighs have gotten slightly better on their own. My arms are a little better, but not great--not the worst I've ever seen & liveable for me. My tummy & the flap on my sides did not go away. I recently had surgery to get rid of them. You will hear a bunch of theories--use lotion, dry brush, lift to fill the skin, drink a bunch of water, lose it the "right" way. I don't think any of that will hurt, but I also don't believe it will solve the problem if you just don't have the elasticity in your skin to shrink it back up again.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Yeah chalk me up in the column of if you lose over 200 pounds (and really depending on circumstances less than that), that you WILL have some loose skin to deal with and I don't think age is going to make a huge difference at that weight.... At 560 pounds I had a 78 in. waist and by the time I lost 300+ pounds I had a 42 inch waist but I also needed surgery to remove 17 pounds of skin from my torso and they did an ab repair that cinched in my stretched out abs by 6 1/2 inches. I now have a 36 in waist... I lost my weight slowly over 3 years and even after 2 year in maintenance and working on body composition I still have loose skin on my inner thighs and upper arms and my chest is sagging but frankly I have moved past all the vanity crap... Had I not changed my ways 5 years ago I would have been dead so I chalk every new day I have as a major bonus and I sure as hell am not going to let a little loose skin ruin my days ahead..... Best of Luck..
  • lukewind
    lukewind Posts: 177 Member
    I am 37 also and I can already see that I will have some loose skin when I am done. I started at 559 and I have been at least over 400 for 20 years. It can be a crap shoot with some people but at our age it is very unlikely that you will escape without lose skin.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
    My weight loss has taken just over 3 years, and I've been pole dancing for the last year of that, which is pretty major strength training, and I have soooooo much loooooooooose skiiiiiiiiin.

    I'm going to try and make the most of it, though. I think if I stood at the top of a hill with my arms and legs stretched out I could glide like a flying squirrel! :D
  • Rlavigne93
    Rlavigne93 Posts: 119 Member
    I'm pretty sure that dramatic of weight loss would by nature leave you with extra skin. Skin may be pretty elastic, but even elastic wears out if you push it too hard. I'm getting pretty tired, too, of seeing people claiming to lose 60 pounds in 90 days and suddenly have a perfect beach body. I've lost about 50 pounds total in a year and have plenty of extra skin. It's definitely frustrating.

    I just try to follow my mom's advice, plenty of cocoa butter and patience. :/
  • dhaemon
    dhaemon Posts: 110 Member
    Damn this is depressing and expected.
    The full on tummy tuck is just a crazy surgery. I don't think it is worth that.
    I think I rather get down to around 240-275 and build a lot of muscle.
  • joshpass
    joshpass Posts: 82 Member
    I went from 320 to 160 and then bulked up to 230 with under 10% body fat and still had loose skin unfortunately. I hate it. I've worked so hard for my health and body but it makes me feel and look like I've not. I'd do the surgery if I had money but I don't and probably will never have that much extra cash laying around lol.
  • Phoenix__Rising
    Phoenix__Rising Posts: 9,981 Member
    I'm long from finished. Am in a medical stall now. Recovery from a
    serious surgery and another coming soon too .. Started out over
    300 pounds. I'm just under 160 now and all the photos I share
    are flattering to not scare others from the process. Yes, there's
    loose skin and stretch marks. Time, cocoa butter and fitness are
    really the best ways to turn it around. Building muscle will do a lot.
    Not everyone will have huge amounts of excess skin, I believe
    mine is better than those who rushed the loss. It took me a long
    time to get where I am.
  • CrusaderSam
    CrusaderSam Posts: 180 Member
    I think I have some more bad news for you...but at 240-270 with a "lot of muscle" would make most people Arnold sized or bigger. Most people that take a ton of steroids cant get that big. So you might want to change that goal too. I would just say get as much muscle as you can with a bmi of under 30. If you just do that you will look and feel so much better then you are now. Nothing to be depressed about looking and feeling better then you are right now.

    Yeah I was overweight almost my whole life and I have a lot of loose skin but I think I look better now then I would have had I not lost the weight (in a wooden box 6 feet under the ground).

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