Worried about excess skin.

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johncostello662
johncostello662 Posts: 9 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi folks, I have set myself a target to lose between 54 and 70 pounds. I'm confident of doing it but worried about the loose skin. Any advice?

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  • tcscholz554
    tcscholz554 Posts: 43 Member
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    I'm worried about the same thing. I'm hoping to lose 40 lbs. hopefully!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Loose skin comes with the territory. I've lost 87 pounds and yes, I've got some spectacular flaps. They have tightened up a little bit. Losing slowly will help a little bit.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpKDteQ3FIQ

    Wear conforming clothes. On my wish list this summer is some high quality bicycle pants. I also now own a few sports bras.

    If there are any rashy or chafing spots, keep them clean and dry. Body Glide (used by runners) can help with the chafing. http://www.bodyglide.com/
  • aliegh1
    aliegh1 Posts: 2 Member
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    Lots of cardio and weight training will tightn skin
  • johncostello662
    johncostello662 Posts: 9 Member
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    Thanks
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Weight training and lose slowly.
  • johncostello662
    johncostello662 Posts: 9 Member
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    I have started training with body resistance weight. I am also sometimes struggling to eat my healthy recommended calories as I can't believe how much good food you can eat.
  • sequinsquats
    sequinsquats Posts: 5 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Would you rather be 70 lbs overweight of have loose skin when you are done? Some people get it, and others don't. It's true that weight training helps, but there are a lot of factors at play. I used to be afraid of it too, but there are so many other things about losing weight to be excited about!
  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
    edited January 2015
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    FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »
    Weight training and lose slowly.

    +1

    Also, if you do lose too fast, you can always use Spanx if not for molding a look for your body, it will hold things in tightly. If you can use some sort of snug all over body (or wherever you're worried about) type of Spanx or spandex, it will do wonders. This is why if you wear tight pants all the time, you would see an indentation on the snug part. Eventually your body will tighten up the skin around the area that is constantly snug.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    There are some things you can do that may help, like lifting weights, moisturizing, and losing slowly. I don't think any of those is proven to prevent it though. I have a very good friend here, Otterluv, who has done everything "right" and still has some. A lot of it is age and genetics. And keep in mind that some of it is just time. You may have more at first but it can improve with time.
  • johncostello662
    johncostello662 Posts: 9 Member
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    I'm 35. Does this help?
  • denisegresham1
    denisegresham1 Posts: 47 Member
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    I think the younger you are the faster your skin will snap back. Mine is going very slow.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    johncostello662 wrote: »
    I have started training with body resistance weight. I am also sometimes struggling to eat my healthy recommended calories as I can't believe how much good food you can eat.
    johncostello662 wrote: »
    I have started training with body resistance weight. I am also sometimes struggling to eat my healthy recommended calories as I can't believe how much good food you can eat.

    If you are having a difficult time eating the recommended number of calories, eat calorie dense foods like nuts, seeds, nut butters, avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, fatty fish like salmon, ground beef, ice cream, etc.
  • christinehuds
    christinehuds Posts: 42 Member
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    At my highest, I was about 260 and right now I'm nearly 100 pounds lighter at about 166. I barely have any loose skin, just a little on my stomach when I bend over. None anywhere else (thighs, arms, back) The bit of loose skin I do have on my stomach is because I lost about 70 pounds in 6 months. Most of my loose skin originated during that time of rapid weight loss and I carried most of my weight in my stomach to begin with. But, even with a 100 pound weight loss, I have such a small amount of loose skin, that I felt comfortable wearing a 2 piece swim suit this summer. How?

    Lose weight slowly. The people you see on TV with a ton of loose skin usually lose all that weight in a year or so, leaving no time for their skin to adjust. I only noticed loose skin when I lost a lot of weight at once.

    As I lose weight, I've continued doing a lot of weight training and cardio, which I've found really helps.

    I imagine eating well and caring for your skin helps too! Certainly can't hurt!

    Since you're not losing hundreds of pounds, I think you'll be ok! Don't let a little loose skin scare you out of losing weight! You'll be fine!
  • jamieben1824
    jamieben1824 Posts: 46 Member
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    denisegresham1 wrote: »
    I think the younger you are the faster your skin will snap back. Mine is going very slow.

    So true, i was young when I lost my weight and I was able to tighten up pretty well with exercise. Thats what it takes for sure. As I age though, i find even slightest changes in weight up and down will cause sagging skin. Keep working out, esp weight training. It helps with everything.
  • johncostello662
    johncostello662 Posts: 9 Member
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    I'm 35. Hope that I still have the necessary snap in the skin. Thanks
  • johncostello662
    johncostello662 Posts: 9 Member
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    Thanks all
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
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    I lost 70 lbs fairly quickly in 8-9 months (not intentional, just happened that way). I'm 5'2" and over 40 (ahem). My only exercise when I was losing was a daily walk which I started after about 4 months of doing nothing.

    I have some small amounts of loose skin primarily on my stomach, but that's as much from pregnancy as losing weight. Very small bits of loose skin elsewhere are just tightening up with a bit of time. It's down to genetics and age.

    It's help if you think carefully about why you're doing this. For me, it was only ever about my health, so I couldn't care less about loose skin. It just means I have to make different clothing decisions, which I would have to anyway, because I'm a different body shape now. If you're losing to improve appearance, then you might want to think now about ways you can mitigate any potential loose skin, so you're all ready when you get there and it won't bother you as much.
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
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    I've lost over 60 pounds. I have very little loose skin. At first, I had more, but it tightens up with time.

    Losing your weight slowly, lifting weights, and staying hydrated will help. Genetics and age will play a huge part of it too, which you can't change unfortunately. Don't let the thought of loose skin deter you from losing weight and getting healthy though because it is worth it.

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