Loose skin???

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  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
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    Apparently, bulking (lifting weights + calorie surplus + sleep => muscle gain) can help. Not sure if it can or not, some say it does, and am hoping that it is the case, as that's my plan to tighten up things fully when I lose the weight I wish to :smile:
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
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    I've lost 86 pounds and only have a bit of loose skin. The most noticeable area is my lower stomach, where my stretch marks were the worst. If I stand normally, it's not very obvious, but any bending or twisting will show the "elephant skin".

    The only other area of my body that I really notice any loose skin is my upper arms, but it doesn't really show at all if I'm sleeveless and go about my normal day. It really only shows if it gets bunched up or twisted, and I can grab it and pull it a few inches away from my arm. It's my new party trick! But most people don't realize I have it.

    It's taken me almost two years to lose that much, so I'm definitely glad I went the slow and steady route. I also drink lots of water, and although I haven't done heavy weight lifting from the beginning, I have always done body weight/resistance training right from the get-go, and I'm very glad I did. I think that, plus maintaining a higher protein intake, has made a huge difference to my overall body composition. Plus, I'm much stronger and fitter overall because of it, and that is the best part. :)
  • AnnofB
    AnnofB Posts: 3,588 Member
    edited November 2014
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    Start saving now for surgery to remove it. If you don't need it, then you have a wad of cash to spend on new clothes for your great new figure. :D
  • go2grrl
    go2grrl Posts: 190 Member
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    You are plenty young and no doubt have plenty of collagen so have plenty of time to avoid the saggy skin look. I didn't get smart until I hit my late 30s so after losing (and then keeping off) almost 140 pounds the sag was kind of unavoidable, esp the older I got. But I also never set body composition goals. I only focused on weight loss and probably focused too much on cardio. My only advice is to try not lose too fast and try not go too low fat with your diet. Your skin will need those good fats!
  • firemist22
    firemist22 Posts: 20
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    iloseityes wrote: »
    Apparently, bulking (lifting weights + calorie surplus + sleep => muscle gain) can help. Not sure if it can or not, some say it does, and am hoping that it is the case, as that's my plan to tighten up things fully when I lose the weight I wish to :smile:

  • firemist22
    firemist22 Posts: 20
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    Damn you swear by this? Shucks but I always thought weights make people huge body wise soo does it work to get like thin too?
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
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    Iwishyouwell wrote: »
    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.

    This is a great point. Sometimes, you just have to keep working to get to a low body fat percentage, and the problem improves greatly. It can be hard to get there (sometimes nearly impossible), and stay there, though.
  • flatlndr
    flatlndr Posts: 713 Member
    edited November 2014
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    I'm in my 50s lost 105+ between Jan1 and mid Sep. I had some loose skin as a result. Since being on maintenance for two months, I've lost another inch from my waist, *without losing a pound, and the loose skin is a little less loose now. I'm hoping this trend will continue, as my focus is now on fitness and body fat % reduction, rather than weight loss.

    So yes, I have loose stomach skin, but I look and feel way better now with lose skin, than when I was 105 lbs heavier with tight fat! (See my profile pic for the before/after views)
  • flatlndr
    flatlndr Posts: 713 Member
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    firemist22 wrote: »
    Damn you swear by this? Shucks but I always thought weights make people huge body wise soo does it work to get like thin too?

    It hard to get "huge". The average person is more likely to just gain strength and a better general appearance.

  • flatlndr
    flatlndr Posts: 713 Member
    edited November 2014
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    One more point to add ... after losing 105+, I have to deal with some loose skin, but whereas before I couldn't walk a mile without breaking a sweat, I could barely walk down stairs, and I was taking 400 mg ibuprofen 3-4x a day for knee pain, now I do 35 minute fast elliptical sessions, go for 10 mile hikes, I have boundless energy, and I'm completely off the pain meds. If I'm saddled with lose skin as part of that package, so be it! I'll take "slim and healthy with lose skin" over "obese and of poor health with tight fat" every time. Do not let the fear of loose skin stop you from losing weight and improving your health.
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
    edited November 2014
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    fatcity66 wrote: »
    Iwishyouwell wrote: »
    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.

    This is a great point. Sometimes, you just have to keep working to get to a low body fat percentage, and the problem improves greatly. It can be hard to get there (sometimes nearly impossible), and stay there, though.

    Yep.

    Part of the problem is that we continue to emphasize weight over bodyfat. A lot people are totally unaware that there is even a difference. So they lose a ton of weight, get to a scale number that they think should mean they're finished, except their bodyfat percentage is still pretty high. As a result they assume what's left over is all "loose skin" that can only be surgically removed.

    I have rarely seen a picture of "loose skin" that wasn't also still filled with a good deal of adipose tissue. There are absolutely cases where a person is left with a lot of hanging skin, even on a very low fat body, but those images are far rarer than what you see from most people who claim their excess skin is only skin and can't be improved. Even doctors often get it wrong.

    The pursuit of a low body fat percentage only provides positives. Worst case you discover that you still have some excess skin. So if you want to get surgery the procedure will potentially be cheaper.

    Best case scenario is you discover, once very lean, that the issue isn't that bad and you just might have little, to no, visibly hanging skin at all.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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    firemist22 wrote: »
    Damn you swear by this? Shucks but I always thought weights make people huge body wise soo does it work to get like thin too?

    No... just no.
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
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    firemist22 wrote: »
    Damn you swear by this? Shucks but I always thought weights make people huge body wise soo does it work to get like thin too?

    It's very difficult -- nearly impossible -- to "get huge" by lifting weights, especially for a woman. Especially for a woman who isn't a professional bodybuilder. Lifting weights will help you maintain lean mass, strengthen muscle and bone, and, as you lose fat, you'll have some nice definition. In a nutshell, weight lifting is awesome.
  • tremroy1
    tremroy1 Posts: 90 Member
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    Loose skin is your victory badge. Embrace it, it is yours. Wear it with honour and the happy thought that you have reached the impossible. Or what you thought was impossible.

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