Loose skin???

It's not 100%, but it's kind of unavoidable if it's going to happen. Genetics plays a big part, as does how long you've been overweight. I've heard people say that a slow loss help reduce loose skin, but do not have personal experience with it.

Lose slow and lift heavy.

I've lost 80 lbs and I have a lot more to go (50-60), but I was told if you lose it slowly and lift often it should help minimize it, I myself too have been of overwight my entire life, but I carried my weight really well, so fingers crossed! for you as well! Good luck!

I have tons of loose skin in my stomach area after losing 180 pounds. It is slowly shrinking, but it's gross and nasty. But it sure as all heck beats having 180 pounds of excess fat on my body.

There is really no way that I know of to predict whether you will have loose skin after losing 100 pounds. I know people who were older than you are currently who lost over 100 pounds with little or no loose skin, and I know of people younger than you who lost far less than 100 pounds and have loose skin. That is simply a reminder that genetics have a lot to do with what happens. Probably much more than we would all like it to play.

Losing slower may help as it gives time for the skin to adjust. Lifting weights my helps a little as well as may good nutrition that provides the vitamins and minerals needs to keep the collagen in your skin healthy, but in the end it comes down to genetics.

Also realize that when you reach your goal, it can take 2 years before your skin tightens to the maximum it will tighten, so that loose skin may reduce even after you stop loosing and enter maintenance.

I have some loose skin after losing 70 lbs (I'm 5'2"), but it's basically all from my stomach where I had stretch marks post-pregnancy. I couldn't care less. I didn't lose the weight to look good, I lost it for health reasons. Any improvement in appearance is coincidental.

IMO it's not really worth thinking about unless/until it happens.

galaxyhearts wrote: »

Wow, thanks everyone - lots of great advice here. Thank you thank you all. I'll definitely accept it, whatever it ends up being - but I am seeing a lot of thoughts on heavy lifting here and I should definitely give that a try.

Any advice for a lifting beginner? =]

Stronglifts 5X5 is what I used at the beginning. It's straightforward for me.

randomtai wrote: »

0somuchbetter0 wrote: »

Age and genetics are the two biggest factors. You're young, so your skin is more elastic that someone 20 years older. So yes, lose the weight now!

I do have a question for those who recommended heavy lifting. How does strengthening muscle help skin?

The muscles fill out the skin and recomps your body.

Hmm...that doesn't make much sense.

I attached a link to the beginner's workout routine that I started on a few months ago. I now am on to another plan. Its from Muscle and Strength Website. They even show demos of the lifts and describe them in great detail. Also, if you can afford it, a personal trainer may be good to help ensure you are using proper form when lifting. You don't want to hurt yourself. I lifted 20 years ago (in high school) I currently do not have a spotter, so instead of bench pressing (which is better to use free weights) I use an Incline press machine.

Being young is a huge help, because your skin loses elasticity as you age. Losing slowly may help.

Don't pay for the creams. They're scamming. One of skin's Major functions is to act as a barrier so things can't get through...and those creams (even if they had the ability to make your skin more elastic) aren't getting through to where they need to go. If you must try a Vitamin E cream, dab a little on to test it first. Reactions are common with that.

Lifting weights won't help your skin itself. If you build muscle, that may take up space under the skin and fill it out more, so the skin isn't as loose.

I didn't have loose skin until I'd lost about 60 pounds. It's already so gross at 75 that I worry a bit about how much there will be when I'm done. I used to be all, "Who cares about loose skin if the fat is gone?!!" Now that I have it...I care. Still, it is better than fat.

They say time helps. I'm hoping that's true.

I lift weights because I like the muscle definition and I like to be strong, but I don't think it does a thing for my loose skin.

Yep, like most people said, age and genetics plays a huge role.

But I also want to remind you that in some cases people do often confuse fat with loose skin.

Loose skin on a person with very low body fat (not just weight) looks VERY different than people who still have considerable fat left on their bodies, even if they're in a normal weight range. Real loose skin, that is not filled with fat, is very thin. Skin, even at it's thickest, is a very thin organ. A lot of the images you see of people who say they have "loose skin" is still filled very much with a lot of fat.

I've lost over 100 pounds. I still have a ways to go as I recently lowered my goal weight down 20 pounds. There have been periods during this journey where the fat became looser, disconnected, and baggy. It looked exactly like what a lot of people call "loose skin". Except it wasn't, it was just area of fat where the loss was uneven. The remedy was to just keep losing until the whole area looked more uniform.

This is why the emphasis should be on body fat percentage, not just weight. That will tell you a much more realistic story about how much of what you have left is actual excess skin, and how much is just skin that's sagging due to excess fat.