Extreme Makeover Weight loss edition has me alittle freaked

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I am currently in the process of losing weight and I started at 306 pounds and am now down to 259...I am worried about loose skin. I saw that their solution to the girls loose skin was to have surgery. My question is if I lose at a much slower rate than her (and she also weighed more than me), will I still have that much loose skin? I really really want to slim up naturally and I am deathly afraid of surgery and needles. If anyone knows or has experience with losing alot of weight and knows how to prevent loose skin please let me know.

Thanks
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Replies

  • MissAnjy
    MissAnjy Posts: 2,480 Member
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    make sure you're incorporating strength training a long with cardio. It will help.
  • mawhite717
    mawhite717 Posts: 202 Member
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    in order for you to not have excess skin you really need to include strength training in your workouts and lose it slow so your skin can adjust. if you do this, you should have very litte, if any, excess skin. :bigsmile:
  • jqg81180
    jqg81180 Posts: 14 Member
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    bump...
  • kittytompsett
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    I think if you go fairly slowly you should be ok. You could also use a firming body cream, dunno if you're in uk or us but in uk Palmers do a great coco butter body cream for pregnancy and weight loss. I use it and it's lovely :)
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
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    zoey, I watched it to............just a copy of the Biggest Loser......

    that girl , the cry baby, the 369 lb girl was a joke......She lives at home, she cant talk with out crying , and her mom needed help

    That show was bland.........in regards to that skin removal, she really didnt work out as much as those guys on Biggest Loser, with trained professionals............they just let her move back to her pink gym in her moms house.....

    I was disappointed to say the least

    I ve lost 118 lbs and I work on my Abs and legs, to build up the excess skin, and Im having great results..........Dont get surgery, if you can at least try to work the muscle............I m doing it, and Im 56........Im not there yet ,but Ive only been working out 11 months, but the progress I have made is significant.......

    I think Ill pass on this program...........Kind of a rip off of Big Loser..................Best wishes, .......Lloyd
  • cowpacino
    cowpacino Posts: 77 Member
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    well from what I hear, for some people it's bad, and for some people, it's not so bad. If you've been loosing at something like one or two pounds a week, it shouldn't be that bad according to most of what I've read. Most people think the skin is some kind of bag around your body that once it stretches out, it's stuck that way forever, but the skin is a living organ and will snap back in place pretty well if you're young and loose at a slow steady pace
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
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    Harsh criticism of the show! lol

    Well...I liked it. ;)

    So about the skin, you might have extra. You're still young so maybe your skin's elasticity will help. Don't worry about it now. A year after you hit goal, if it hasn't tightened up, then start considering whether or not surgery is right for you. Til then, focus on what you can.

    Also, skin-firming lotions with CoQ10 help. :)
  • aflane
    aflane Posts: 625 Member
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    No excess skin here, yet. I drink a LOT of water, and as others have recommended, weight training along with the cardio.
  • cem2168
    cem2168 Posts: 205 Member
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    A good friend of mine went through a great weightloss...lost 120lbs! Afterwards, she was surprised that she did not have any sagging skin or any bunching or any skin "issues" and everyone was asking her how she did it!

    Turns out, its just because of how much water she drank! She said shes always been an avid "water drinker" and had no trouble fitting in her 8 glasses.

    It makes sense because drinking water helps to increase the skin's elasticity, which will help it "bounce back" when you start losing a lot.

    I suggest chug that water and take some multi vitamins with folic acid, vitamin e etc... (vitamins great for the skin)

    I hope that helps!
  • zoey4316
    zoey4316 Posts: 17 Member
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    Thank you guys! I will begining more strength training tonight and will buy some cocoa butter lol. I just wanted to work on preventing it before it possibly became a problem. Also I have in no way considered surgery I just wanted to know if there was a way to do it naturally...and apparently there is.

    Thanks again!
  • fsugirl26
    fsugirl26 Posts: 207
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    You're really young still, so your skin is more elastic than it would be if you were 20+ years older. Keep your skin moisturized, drink plenty of water, and you should be fine!!
  • ItsLessOfMe
    ItsLessOfMe Posts: 374 Member
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    I do tons of strength training and I have loose skin. It really is genetics. I also have 2 kids. But my sister n law had 3 back to back and she doesnt have all the loose skin.
  • mallorybriann
    mallorybriann Posts: 1,380 Member
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    I watched that last night.
    1. She was over 350 lbs when she started
    2. She lost is VERY quickly!! She was working out 4 to 5 HOURS a day!!
    I started at 255 and have lost about half what I want (60 lbs) and I haven't had any issues with skin and I dont think I will after I lose another 60...

    Just lose it slow and weight/strength train and you should be just fine :)
    A lot of the people that have issues have lost it quickly, not giving their skin/body time to bounce back!
  • SueN113
    SueN113 Posts: 46
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    Although I am young, have done weight training and have lost 103 lbs over 3 years, I do have stretched out skin on my stomach that will not go away without surgery. Every persons body reacts differently.
  • fatKisses
    fatKisses Posts: 11
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    I'm so glad I came in here today... I watched the show last night too and was concerned about all the excess skin. I don't want any kind of surgery and by all the comments I guess I'm on the right track. WHEW! Thanks :)
  • callipygianchronicle
    callipygianchronicle Posts: 811 Member
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    I watched the episode online this morning, and I was actually disappointed that they incorporated surgery as part of her "weight loss." She was not at goal weight and had just demonstrated that when left to manage her own eating and workout for three months, she completely fell apart at making good choices. Her final weight was 20 pounds above her weight loss goal. And she had the surgery when she was almost 50 pounds away from goal.

    Do not be fooled by television. The picture they are painting is very deceptive (probably in an effort to promote the Marina Del Rey plastic surgery center that they went out of their way to show you the name of--twice).

    Yes, loose skin is a concern, especially when you lose more than 100 pounds. But losing slowly helps. so does filling in that skin with muscle now that the fat is gone. Eating a diet rich in healthy fats and staying hydrated helps your skin to heal. But, with the exception of people who have lost so much weight that the excess skin actually inhibits movement (and that is generally people who have loss in excess of 200 pounds), it is not something that is usually done until you are at goal weight and have maintained for a while.
  • Septembergirl23
    Septembergirl23 Posts: 106 Member
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    I have mixed emotions about the show. She did lose quite a bit of weight but I am not sure it was truly done correctly. I have a cousin who was a semi-finalist for the show but wasn't chosen. I think I am glad she wasn't.

    In my opinion, if she had been better monitored she might not have had all of the loose skin. The weight loss seemed too dramatic to be completed without better monitoring. If you look at Hannah & Olivia from BL, they had very little extra skin. Irene on the other hand, had quite a bit under her arms so maybe it is more genetics. At any rate, I wouldn't even think about surgery unless you reach a point where tightening up just doesn't seem possible. You are young and resilient so I think you will do well without surgery.
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
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    hey, I just thought, none of the contestants on the Biggest Loser ever had skin removal surgery, did they?

    On the last BL, that one guy from Hawaii or some Island and his dad were big.......matter of fact, the guy was originally 605, but started BL at 515 or so, and he finally got down to the mid 300s, but lots of them have hanging skin , esp under their arms......

    hmm, sounds like a show that will only get good endorsements and promote advertising

    speaking of weight loss shows , ABC cancelled All My Children and One Life to LIve, only to be replaced by a weight loss reality program, ie, Biggest Loser , and the other soap oprea is going to be replaced by some financial show...........

    Weight loss programs are hot right now.........................Lloyd
  • birdlover97111
    birdlover97111 Posts: 346 Member
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    I agree. Losing slowly and steadily, incorporating cardio and weights and LOTS of WATER!!! I personally drink a gallon or more a day of filtered water. So important to flushing out toxins and keeping you hydrated. Good luck in your journey!!
  • betterlife2011
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    that is what im afraid of i am 276 and need to loose around 115 i was 297 my last docters apt before i started on here and im aftraid if i start to loose that weight i will have flabby skin i dont want surgery and my insurance will not cover it i started strength trainin last night with my fiancee it was fun cause he did it with me but anyway that show wasnt as good as bl because i felt like when she only lost three pds and said her reason was convince and really addiction to food they could have gone into that more instead of brushin it off like he did i feel like that is one of the main reason for most people being overwieght includin myself.