Loose Skin?? :( :( :(

polar5554
polar5554 Posts: 576 Member
edited September 24 in Fitness and Exercise
Ugggh...I'm kinda depressed...

I lost 70 lbs over the course of about 9-10 months doing Weight Watchers. YAY!!!

I went from 200 lbs. to 130 lbs. (I am 5'3)...

I also have had 2 babies and gained a lot (roughly 50-60 lbs) with both pregnancies..

i have been working out a lot but this damn loose skin above the pelvic area...it's starting to get to me. I see some of the pictures on here of the ladies with awesome looking abs and I don't think I will EVER be able to get them back (of course without surgery)...

Sigh...
:frown:

Replies

  • Fat2FitChick
    Fat2FitChick Posts: 451 Member
    I feel you on this one!! I have had 5 children and the last one was a c-section. I am 5'0" and right now have a saggy pouch as well. As I have been losing the pouch has gone down but the skin is just remaining and is still saggy. It will probably always do this unless I have it removed which is what i don't want.

    I wish I knew how to tighten that skin back up!! Uuuugh!!
  • smc1277
    smc1277 Posts: 239 Member
    Yep. I am there too, that really is the one spot i would love to get rid of, but everyone says the only answre is a tummy tuck. I would love to read more feedback on this.
  • ErrataCorrige
    ErrataCorrige Posts: 649 Member
    Amen, sister. I had two kids by C-section, and have lost about 50 lbs. Now I just have this gross wrinkly stretch marked pouch of skin underlined by a giant scar. SUPER SEXY, let me tell ya! My goal is to skinny everything else up and invest in sexy corsets?!? IDK, but I totally feel ya. If I every win the lottery it will be free tummy tucks for all the ladies like us!
  • LeAnn_Mae
    LeAnn_Mae Posts: 263 Member
    I hear ya. The more I lose weight the more the skin sags. I would love to know how to get rid of it!
  • Goal_Seeker_1988
    Goal_Seeker_1988 Posts: 1,619 Member
    Hey, I am 22 lost 75lbs and kept it off for 2.5 years no babies however I also have the loose skin. I have a pic of my stomach under my pics. It's something I will probably never be able to get rid of. But I will never quit tryin. Mine has tightened up a lil, not as bad lookin as it was 2.5 years ago but it's still there. It sucks but I guess it's like a battle scar it's there to remind you. Wish I could give you advice other than what you already know to do: exercise and eat clean. But it should lift and tighten a lil over time. Which it will probably never go away. :(
  • millyliza
    millyliza Posts: 45 Member
    I'm right there with you!! I have about 40 pounds to lose and I definitely don't see that "baby pouch" going anywhere!! I had a breast lift in August '10 and talked to the dr about the loose tummy skin and he said more than likely the only solution will be a tummy tuck. So probably next year I will be going under the knife again.
  • swbmcknight
    swbmcknight Posts: 19
    Right after I had my first son, (i'm 5'3, he was 9lbs 2oz at birth-no c-section) so I was HUGE. I lost all the weight I had gained and then some. I was stepping out of the shower and my husband actually said to me, "so when is that (pointing to the saggy belly skin) going to go away?"
    I promptly sat down and cried because after losing 50lbs and being pretty damn proud of myself, the saggy skin is what he noticed.
    BUT.....
    I told him that if I manage to get back down to that weight, about 130-140 again- if he wants the saggy skin gone, he's going to have to pay for it!
    My ob/gyn told me flat out, the only way to "fix" that kind of damage to skin is to have surgery. No amount of sit ups or crunches will repair the skin damage of pregnancy on a short woman.
    :-(
  • seemichellerun
    seemichellerun Posts: 219
    I had a tummy tuck almost a year ago. I had lost all the baby weight and still had a bunch of loose skin hanging from me. My doctor removed 4lbs of skin and stitched my abs back together (they were separated a little over 2 inches). I did not have any lipo done. I still have stretchmarks that go up to my belly (rather than up to my bra) and I have a scar that goes from hip to hip. It is expensive (I paid $7,000 for my surgery) and it is MAJOR surgery with a long recovery time. That being said, I have zero regrets. With my abs repaired, my core is much stronger and I don't have 4lbs of loose saggy skin hanging from my mid-section.

    If anyone has any questions about this procedure, I'd be happy to answer them.
  • smc1277
    smc1277 Posts: 239 Member
    See I am stuck I can't afford $7,000 for surgery.
  • seemichellerun
    seemichellerun Posts: 219
    See I am stuck I can't afford $7,000 for surgery.

    I saved up for 2 years to afford my surgery.
  • smc1277
    smc1277 Posts: 239 Member
    How long was the recovery time?
  • seemichellerun
    seemichellerun Posts: 219
    How long was the recovery time?

    Everyone is different, but on average it's about 6-8 weeks before you're back to "normal." I was pretty much bed-ridden for a week while I had my drainage tubes in. I couldn't use my core muscles, so I had to have someone help me pretty much do everything. After about 3 weeks I was allowed to do some light lifting (including my 3 year old son) for short periods of time. By week 6 I was feeling pretty much back to normal. And after 3 months, I would consider myself 100%. There is MAJOR swelling in the recovery process since the body needs to re-construct the lymphatic system in that area of your body so you do have to wear a compression garment in that time.

    This video has lots of info on what happens in a typical procedure: http://www.plasticsurgery.org/Patients_and_Consumers/Procedures/Procedure_Animations/Tummy_Tuck.html
  • Wooogirlem
    Wooogirlem Posts: 12
    I am convinced that I will never have a nice mid section ever again and I'm going to look six months pregnant for the rest of my life. But-you can hide that section pretty easily if necessary. What bothers me, is flabby arms! What do I do for that?!
  • itsjustme77
    itsjustme77 Posts: 102
    I started near 400lbs, I'm down to 265ish and I was once 195 (Summer 2009). I've had some set backs, but I'm still plussing away and I have some seriously loose skin. I will need arms, legs and tummy as well as lipo, breast lift and implants. I have no idea how I am going to pay for it, or have the recovery time, but I have to make it work, I can't live like this anymore. I was so sick for a really long time; I just got fatter and fatter and had no idea that I really was as big as I was. I mean, I was always fat, but never like that. Anyway, my body is a big old hot mess, but I suppose I have to learn to love it, right?
  • lareyna124
    lareyna124 Posts: 54
    Are you weight training?
  • polar5554
    polar5554 Posts: 576 Member
    Are you weight training?

    A little bit...

    I'm on day 26 of Power 90 (not P90X)....but the beginners edition.
  • Juliane_
    Juliane_ Posts: 373 Member
    I need help on that area as well. If I ever do need surgery I want to first do whatever is possible to get my tummy as lean and mean as it can be.

    I imagine that you can get your abs strong and that some exercise will help the transverse abs to help close up the separation gap women get from pregnancy.

    I'm still researching this but if anyone knows that would be awesome if you share! :)
  • dcaswell10
    dcaswell10 Posts: 37 Member
    Don't know if this helps but worth the try. http://www.ehow.com/how_2135049_loose-skin-after-weight-loss.html
  • lareyna124
    lareyna124 Posts: 54
    Are you weight training?

    The only way you can tighten it up is incorporating weight training with your cardio, and don't be afraid to lift heavy. The more muscles you gain the more fat you burn!
  • polar5554
    polar5554 Posts: 576 Member
    Are you weight training?

    The only way you can tighten it up is incorporating weight training with your cardio, and don't be afraid to lift heavy. The more muscles you gain the more fat you burn!

    Can u give me an idea of some example workouts??
  • EmelyJ
    EmelyJ Posts: 208
    Right after I had my first son, (i'm 5'3, he was 9lbs 2oz at birth-no c-section) so I was HUGE. I lost all the weight I had gained and then some. I was stepping out of the shower and my husband actually said to me, "so when is that (pointing to the saggy belly skin) going to go away?"
    I promptly sat down and cried because after losing 50lbs and being pretty damn proud of myself, the saggy skin is what he noticed.
    BUT.....
    I told him that if I manage to get back down to that weight, about 130-140 again- if he wants the saggy skin gone, he's going to have to pay for it!
    My ob/gyn told me flat out, the only way to "fix" that kind of damage to skin is to have surgery. No amount of sit ups or crunches will repair the skin damage of pregnancy on a short woman.
    :-(

    I'm not saying that, that's not the only solution, but I know a few people who are skinny have 2-3 kids and they do not have a saggy skin nor strech marks. I'd love to know their secrets, but honestly I think it depends on each indiviual bodies. This post is really good, because I too have that problem, and i've been thinking I was going to get rid of it but i guess i was wrong. The pouch has gone away but they sagginess is still holding loose.
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