Question for those who have lost a lot of weight

vconverse206 · January 2016

Currently working with my sister and niece to become healthier and of course lose so weight in the way. I'm shooting for 100lb total but of course I know it takes time. My question is do a lot of you have problems with loose skin after losing a large amount of weight? It's something that is bothering me and just curious to know how it worked for you! Thanks!

gramarye · January 2016

This is an entirely common concern, and you'll have a lot of people tell you that it's going to be personal. It depends on your body, your genetics, how long you were at your highest, weight, and a million other factors.

Personally, I was in the 250s to 300s for most of my twenties. I've lost 100 pounds, and I have lots of looseness in my skin: in my stomach around what my friends will drunkenly (and lovingly) call my second bellybutton, in my thighs and around the knees, and at the infamous "bingo wings."

When I was just starting out I thought it would bother me a lot -- and honestly, some days it is frustrating. But most of the time I'm pretty cool about it it. I will never be slender and flawless, but I look great in clothes, and I'm happy with my life and how I look. If someone offered me a magic fix to it, sure, I'd take it. But as it is, I'm just gonna roll with it.

PhoenyxHellfyre · January 2016

Hmm...I do have loose skin, but right now, the only problems it really causes is on the vanity front, and the number on the scale. (How much is me? How much is skin?) The latter is taken care of by going by how strong I feel, and body fat percentage, and only using the scale number as a rough generalization. I'm working on the former by taking advantage of the fact that I have some youth on my side, as well as the fact that I'm focusing on lifting and maintaining/maybe gaining a little muscle mass. I figure the worst case scenario is that I'll save up for some type of skin removal surgery, if it really bothers me that much. *shrugs*

Best advice I can give is to make sure your weight loss is slow and steady, and do some type of muscle mass preservation, be it weightlifting or bodyweight movements, or whatever. Eat your proteins, drink good fluids, and - easier said than done - don't let the idea of loose skin bug you so much. Maybe think of it as a souvenir - something tried to kick your butt, you kicked it's butt instead, and this is proof.

I hope that maybe helps a little.

lyttlewon · January 2016

I have loose stomach and arm skin, but some of it was already there. My son was gigantic during pregnancy, so he really wrecked my stomach. Losing 60 lbs on top of the 25 I dropped when he was born made it worse. I lost at a really slow rate, so I don't know how much bounce back I'm going to get. He's 8, but it took me like 3 years to lose the weight. I don't know what I'll look like in maybe a year after maintaining.

That being said I saw a major difference in my stomach and waist shaping when I worked on my core.

vixtris · January 2016

Someone said this before, I don't remember where, probably here on the forums. Anyways, they came to a realization to not worry about the loose skin. Your skin is already loose. Its just filled with fat at the moment. So, the damage is done, whether or not you lose the weight. Yes, you will have loose skin with 100+ lbs lost. But, it doesn't really matter. You will look and feel so much better that the loose skin will be the least of your worries.

I've lost about 130 lbs from my highest weight. I have loose skin. Honestly, its not really that bad though. Throughout the past year of losing weight, I took care of my skin by keeping myself hydrated, taking vitamins, dry brushing before showering, and moisturizing after showering. I can't say for certain if any one thing helps with loose skin, but I like to think that a little bit of each has helped. I believe that over time it will tighten up more, as there is already a noticeable difference, and I'm still not done! But it takes time. Your skin is a living organ that stretches and shrinks. Depending on how much your skin is stretched now, it may not fully bounce back. But first you have to lose the weight, and then you have to give it time. And if it doesn't fully recover and it bothers you that much, there's always surgery.

Priss08 · January 2016

I've lost 115 lb and have about 45 lbs to go. The only places I'm noticing the skin being loose is my arms( not that bad really, just a bit) and my upper thighs. It doesn't bother me though.

20months · January 2016

After a 192# loss I have some loose skin. But hell, I'll take that over the unhealthy fat any day!

MKEgal · January 2016

80 lb here, with at least 30 to go.
Got the bingo wings, got the droopy breasts*,
have a little soft/loose around the waist, but that's not so bad.
My neck/jowls have actually improved a whole heck of a lot just by losing weight.
I'm hoping that things will continue to shrink & firm over the next couple years.
And eventually if I could get plastic surgery for the first 2, that would be nice.

* (Kept the same cup size, just went down in band size, which means that while
they've shrunk along with the rest of me, they're still disproportionately large.)

As others have mentioned, there are things you can't control (genetics),
and there are things you can control (drink lots of water, eat enough protein,
have a balanced diet, keep up with weightlifting to preserve the muscle you do
have, lose weight slowly - as in don't crash diet, don't do a VLCD).

ChrisRendon1128 · January 2016

I have lost 60 lbs so far. My stomach does have loose skin as well the bottom of my arms. (I still have 60 lbs. to go). But honestly? I wouldn't go back to my old self. I am strength training at the moment to tighten up whatever I can. When I reach my goal, I have given myself permission to get skin removal surgery on my tummy.

I think the results will vary widely. Genetics play a big part.

Question for those who have lost a lot of weight

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