Scared of loose skin

lethalsarcasm
lethalsarcasm Posts: 15
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
I know this is probably way too far down the line for me to think of, but with so much weight to lose I am sure that when I get closer to my goal I will have problems with loose skin. Is there anything I can do now to help prevent this? I'm almost scared that the loose skin will be worse than the fat (cosmetically speaking) when all is said and done....

Replies

  • keynesian
    keynesian Posts: 44 Member
    Aim for a slow and sustained weight loss, drink lots of water and moisturise frequently.
  • tammyquinnlmt
    tammyquinnlmt Posts: 680 Member
    Loose slowly...it gives the skin a chance to readjust. Also, try cocoa butter...body wraps. And tone the muscle underneath!
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    If you do a lot of exercise as you lose, the loose skin shouldn't be a problem. I was worried about this on my stomach as I already had terrible sagging and stretchmarks from pregnancy, but it's actually got better as I've got fitter. Losing weight by diet alone may leave saggy skin, I found that last time I tried to lose weight, but do enough exercise and it will go.
  • SparkleLisa
    SparkleLisa Posts: 42 Member
    Depending on your age, the only people that really have to worry about loose skin are those that take drastic measures like gastric bypass or similar surgical methods. Lotion with Q10 is supposed to help with firming skin as well. If you do a gradual weight loss and exercise regularly, you shouldn't notice any loose skin. :)
  • margielewis
    margielewis Posts: 52 Member
    bump
  • Angela4Health
    Angela4Health Posts: 1,319 Member
    Be sure to get your strength training in as well as your cardio and you should be fine. I wish I had incorporated strength training from the beginning because I would have seen more results, more quickly, but now that I've added it in, my "loose" skin is starting to get toned.
  • wewon
    wewon Posts: 838 Member
    Would free weights and lots of strength training help?
  • wewon
    wewon Posts: 838 Member
    Be sure to get your strength training in as well as your cardio and you should be fine. I wish I had incorporated strength training from the beginning because I would have seen more results, more quickly, but now that I've added it in, my "loose" skin is starting to get toned.

    Okay, asked and answered.


    LOL!
  • lethalsarcasm
    lethalsarcasm Posts: 15
    Thank you so much for all the replies. I actually feel *much* better now. It's nice to know there are little rewards out there for those of us who want to stick it out the slow and sensible way. :)
  • realme56
    realme56 Posts: 1,093 Member
    If you do a lot of exercise as you lose, the loose skin shouldn't be a problem. I was worried about this on my stomach as I already had terrible sagging and stretchmarks from pregnancy, but it's actually got better as I've got fitter. Losing weight by diet alone may leave saggy skin, I found that last time I tried to lose weight, but do enough exercise and it will go.


    That works for younger folks but for us older folks our skin does not have the same elasticity. Some will bounce back. Slower weight loss will help give the skin some time to catch up but surgery may be necessary if it bothers you. I am already saving for skin removal.
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    Yes, gradual weight loss helps your body adjust... when my sister was pregnant she swore by wheat germ and cocoa butter.

    A friend of mine told me that taking a break to maintain for a month or so after you've lost 10% of your body weight. And repeat every time you drop 10%.

    I googled this to try and verify, but found nothing on it either way, suggesting that it was healthy or unhealthy.

    On one level it seems to make sense to me. But also found it hard after spending time and effort to learn my new eating habit to have to relearn the new maintain habits, to have to go back to the lose habits.

    What has been working for me, has been the closer I get to my goal the slower I step down my loss rate.
    (hard to be patient, but it think it's what will work for me because then I won't have a giant dietary disruption when I go to maintain.)

    Once I hit my last goal I'm going to the amount of calories to maintain 5 lbs less than that. Those last 5 lbs should take me a year to lose, but I'll already be on maintain long enough to tweak my habits and see what works best for me.
  • ShellyMacchi
    ShellyMacchi Posts: 975 Member
    Being older (54) and having lost weight before, primarily through exercise the last time (weights and cardio) and healthy-ish eating, losing slowly.. i still had the sags :(... most noticeably on my inner thighs and 'wings'. i tend to build muscle relatively easily and it made no difference... in my case.

    i have read that you need to give it about a year to see how much the skin will move on it's on, but... anytime after a year after weight loss if it has not returned to non-saggy, it is not going to, and your choices then are to live with it, or have plastic surgery.

    This time (final time *smiles proudly*).. i started losing at first primarily through very healthy eating, then have been slowly adding more exercise.. and so far i see no difference in sag (not more, not less than last time, about the same).. BUT this time i know i will still be here a year from now so will be able to THEN report on how much (if any) of the sag improved after a year of continued exercise and maintaining the weight loss *S*
  • fcrisswell
    fcrisswell Posts: 234 Member
    Too many factors at play here.

    Depends on: how much you lose, genetics, skin elesticity, age, etc. Gastric bypass patients, yes lose weight quickly but same thing applies. If you only had 20, or 50 to lose and are young and have great skin to begin with....you are probably golden. If you have 150, are over 40, use to smoke, etc. chance are you are not so lucky.

    Once the skin is stretched out beyond its lmits it will not return to perfect condition no matter what you do to it. No lotions (granted the do help mousturize and prevent the pruneyness), no magic cures will help. Exercise will. Toning up the muscle under your skin will prevent a lot of saggng. But, again, if you lost the equivilent of a grown 6 ft 4 inch man then chances are you are screwed.

    Those that lose less and didn't stretch their bodies to 3 times a norma lhuman are less likely to have skin issues like some of us others. When you lose 200+ pounds there is no way around the extra skin. You either save up for plastics or you learn to love your girdle (like I do). No one has any idea what is hiding under your clthes but you and your SO. And, I might add, even with all my extra baggage, I met my SO after I had lost all my weight and the extra was not a problem for him. I would love to one day afford plastics but if I never do oh well. I have a daily reminder of where I use to be and would much rather live with some saggy skin than the puffed out body I use to have.

    It is your body no matter what in the end....love it no matter what!
  • l3xii
    l3xii Posts: 160
    I had the same concerns..... so I thank everyone as well.
  • katberz
    katberz Posts: 123
    I dunno about this. I used to weigh 300 lbs, I dropped down to 180 over the course of a year I think? The last 50 lbs went really fast. I still have loose skin years later, particularly on my upper arms, inner thighs and stomach. I know some of it is from having a baby but the arms really get me down. I'm 29 too so I can't really blame my age. I drink tons of water and moisturise daily as well, always have.

    Edit to add: I also lifted weights 4x a week!
  • lethalsarcasm
    lethalsarcasm Posts: 15
    I lost about the same amount of weight in high school when I trained for rowing, and I didn't have any sagging, so hopefully the few extra years won't make a huge difference. *fingers crossed*
  • suzieqdiva
    suzieqdiva Posts: 183 Member
    You are so young & your skin elasticity is still great... so I don't think it will be a problem:drinker: Though slow weight loss & strength training should help & drink lots of water. After I am done showering, I take some baby oil on my palm & just spot place it on several body parts of the body & stay in the shower with the warm water doing the distributing... skin stays moisturized through out the day .. just a pain when cleaning the shower... but it works:)
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