muffin top/loose skin

barefootbluejeans8
barefootbluejeans8 Posts: 12 Member
edited November 19 in Health and Weight Loss
So my starting weight was 269 and I'm now to 217. I still have a muffin top but I'm terrified what my stomach will look like when I loose all the weight. Someone who's been there tell me....please!

Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Nobody can because it's mainly about time and genetics

  • sheltol
    sheltol Posts: 120 Member
    Over time you skin will tighten up to some degree. As mentioned there will be variation from person to person. A good friend of mine has a little bit of loose skin along his waistline after losing about 80lbs. His basic response to this question is I would much rather have a tiny bit of loose skin versus the 80 extra pounds I was carrying around for the rest of my life.
  • ogmomma2012
    ogmomma2012 Posts: 1,520 Member
    My starting weight was 262, now I'm down to 193. Overall it's shrunk quite a bit, a little saggy but as @rabbitjb said, genetics will determine how long it will take and how much it will shrink.
  • esyla
    esyla Posts: 15 Member
    That's something that you're going to have to find. Will you have loose skin? Probably. Will it be awkward? Maybe. All you can do is stay on track, keep hydrated, and try not to worry about it. I've got loose skin, but it's not something that some shapewear can't fix. I guarantee that whatever your results may be, some cosmetic issues are infinitely better than the alternative.
  • barefootbluejeans8
    barefootbluejeans8 Posts: 12 Member
    That's the truth, I'm almost halfway to my goal. I'm so excited, working out is not difficult anymore( running 3 days a week insanity 2 days a week). I look forward to weighing my food on scales and exercising now. Its almost like a game, seeing what results I get out of the effort put in. I can't for the life of me figure out why I let myself get this far out of shape.
    I'll keep doing what I'm doing and lotion up real good after each shower hope that helps!!
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    It's so hard to say what your skin will do. I still don't know what mines going to do once I move to maintaining (5-11 lbs to go).
    My heaviest was 260 lbs.
    I'm currently right around 135 lbs.
    I'm also average in height at 5'4.5".

    I do have some loose skin on my lower abdomen, but I'd rather have that than go back to the where I was before. Even with that loose skin, I'm still wearing a bikini this summer. I don't think it looks to bad when I'm standing up. In a plank position however it's a little strange looking. At the same time, how often am I going to be positioning myself into something similar to a plank position in public? It just seems like something that could be easily avoided and yet at the same time, I know I won't be thinking about it when I'm having fun.
  • faithyang
    faithyang Posts: 297 Member
    edited June 2015
    I lost weight over a year and a half but really dropped the kilos during a fairly short period of time - I can tell you that the loose skin will look like a pig skin football that has lost 3/4 of its air. Sort of like horizontally folding onto one another through gravity, and depending on the speed of weight loss + amount of weight lost, hang or flop over quite loosely.

    Best way to mitigate this:
    - Do not lose weight too quickly.
    - Massaging the area daily with olive oil / almond oil has helped firm/tone up the skin slightly through encouraging circulation from the daily massage. (If you have the $$ Indonesian pregnancy wrap sessions really help. Its a few century old practice that has helped women post-pregnancy get their 'figures' back, very popular in SE-Asia and YES IT WORKS)
    - Once weight loss goal is achieved, maintaining the weight lost or at least keeping the weight gain/lost reasonably low (meaning not blowing up 10kg a month after weight loss, then starving/exercising off 15kg) is equally important because if you end up ballooning and shrinking over and over it really stresses and stretches the skin, creates more wrinkles, lines, cellulite and stretch marks.

    While I never had my stomach literally flop over but rather just be a small saggy pooch for a while, its now alot more manageable - not supermodel flat which I don't need (but wouldn't mind :smile:), its not flopping over either.

    Don't panic, keep steadily at it, and don't worry about the loose skin - the achievement and benefits of weight loss and being fit and healthy is the best reward. Your body will slowly tighten up the skin there so long as the weight loss is not too drastic.
  • Magseye
    Magseye Posts: 58 Member
    Great information posted here, especially the first-hand experience. Thanks everyone! :)
  • pineapple_peach10
    pineapple_peach10 Posts: 239 Member
    I'm 5'10. Started at 234lbs and am now 155.

    The muffin top will go away eventually, I think mine went away when I was about 70lbs down. And losing slowly and staying hydrated will help with the loose skin.

    Also, not sure of your age, but being younger helps as well.
  • ArkMom35
    ArkMom35 Posts: 225 Member
    I started at 242 and am now 183. My belly sag has shrunk quite a lot, but it's still there. Keep in mind I've had four children though. My goal is just to keep losing, keep working out, and be happy with whatever I'm left with.
  • ArkMom35
    ArkMom35 Posts: 225 Member
    esyla wrote: »
    That's something that you're going to have to find. Will you have loose skin? Probably. Will it be awkward? Maybe. All you can do is stay on track, keep hydrated, and try not to worry about it. I've got loose skin, but it's not something that some shapewear can't fix. I guarantee that whatever your results may be, some cosmetic issues are infinitely better than the alternative.

    Love this!

  • barefootbluejeans8
    barefootbluejeans8 Posts: 12 Member
    pineapple_peach10 wrote: »
    I'm 5'10. Started at 234lbs and am now 155.

    The muffin top will go away eventually, I think mine went away when I was about 70lbs down. And losing slowly and staying hydrated will help with the loose skin.

    Also, not sure of your age, but being younger helps as well.

  • barefootbluejeans8
    barefootbluejeans8 Posts: 12 Member
    I'm 29, only had 1 kid. Hope I'm young enough lol
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Time and genetics. WTG on your loss!

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