Scared of loose skin...

AugustHorizons · January 2016

Hey there!

So at the moment I'm 18, 5'2" and I weigh a massive 220ish pounds. I've always been overweight. I honestly can't remember a time when I wasn't fat. That's not really an excuse for not trying harder to lose already though.

I'm planning on losing at least 100lbs, but I'm absolutely terrified of loose skin. I know that it's probably inevitable because of how much weight I have to lose, but the thought of it really scares me.

I guess I'm asking if anyone knows any ways to reduce the amount I could get? I'm planning on losing about 2lbs a week and going to the gym at least 4/7 days. Apart from that though is there anything else I can be doing?

Thank you for reading (I hope it made sense!). Any responses are so so welcome

Thanks in advance!

tiptoethruthetulips · January 2016

Loose skin after weight comes down to a lot of factors: amount of weight to lose, genetics, age, history of fad dieting resulting in a lot of weight loss/weight gain, environment etc

You have age on your side hopefully if you have genetics you will have minimal lose skin. Make sure you consume some healthy fats.

As you lose weight you will need to reduce your weekly weight loss goal. Also make sure you maintain lean body mass by eating sufficient protein and sufficient calories. While weight loss is a mixture of fat, lean body mass and water, you want to lose fat not lean body mass.

Skin can take some time to 'shrink' so don't panic at the sight of the first lot of loose skin, give it time.

At the end of the day, if you end up with some loose skin its not the end of the world, better some loose skin than being obese with health issues. There may be options down the track for surgery if its bad enough.

gfjay · January 2016

Why not aim for .5 to 1 pound loss per week? That will help prevent some loose skin. In addition you should absolutely make sure a significant portion of your gym time is weight training. That will help too.

nutmegoreo · January 2016

Also 5'2" and on my way down from 222lb. I suspect that I will have loose skin, I'm older than you and my belly is already hanging a bit. The amount of loose skin (from my understanding) is related to several factors including: age, genetics, how much you lose, and how fast you lose it. The skin itself can take longer to catch up with the weight loss as well. I have heard that it can take up to 2 years for it to shrink. So really, time, patience, and luck are what is needed. In the end, I would rather have the loose skin and be able to lift heavy stuff, run, swim, and enjoy my life as much as possible.

gramarye · January 2016

I'm 5'2" and peaked up in the 300's, with a long history of being overweight since I hit puberty. I dealt with this fear a LOT when I was starting to lose weight. You might do everything right and have loose skin. You might lose weight at a super rapid pace and be one of the lucky ones who doesn't seem to have any. There's literally no way to know until you get there.

The great news is that there are much, much worse things in life than loose skin. I'm not going to pretend I don't notice it, that I don't wish it were different. But if the most traumatic thing going on in one's life is a bit of loose skin, then you're having an absolutely blessed life.

rileysowner · January 2016

Realize also, that it can take two years and maybe more, for your skin to tighten up.

afatpersonwholikesfood · January 2016

I lost 80+ pounds at 18 and everything shrank back like it should have except for a bit of a belly pooch.

Shull_rachael · January 2016

I'm right tHere with you it scares me also. I hve like 120 to lose

Christine_72 · January 2016

Along with what everyone above mentioned, also look into a collagen supplement, not a cream but the type you eat, which is Gelatin. Look up great lakes brand. There's probably many others, but this is the only American brand I know of.

It's not a miracle cure, but might give you a helping hand.

RaeBeeBaby · January 2016

Totally agree with the posters who've mentioned you have age on your side. Lose the weight now while your skin still has a high level of elasticity and collagen. If you are obese into middle age, then the loose skin issue will be much more pronounced.

By all means, don't decide to NOT lose weight because you might have loose skin! You are young and you have your whole HEALTHY life ahead of you!

airangel59 · January 2016

OP, you are young and that is in your favor. Lose the weight slow, drink plenty of water, work out and give yourself at least 2 years for whatever will snap back to do so. Lots of factors involved & everyone's body works differently.

I carried my weight for at least 30 years. I am in maintenance now, over a year....I consider myself very lucky as I have very little loose/saggy skin. When I started my journey, the skin issue was the last thing I even thought about, if I even thought about it. I was just happy to drop the weight, get rid of my diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol issues and the meds that I took for them.

brdnw · January 2016

i went from 285 to 195 and have no signs. i have a couple light stretch marks but i've been at pools or on the beach and told someone i used to weigh 285 and they every time are baffled and bc i really have no indication from it. i also lost my weight quickly as i went from 265 to 200 in just 6-7 months.

brookej8688 · January 2016

I am right there with you, i also posted this topic earlier today. I am terrified of loose skin. I started weight loss at 240lbs, now under 230lbs. My stomach isn't "that" big, I am not cliff hanging or anything. I have huge legs, butt, and pooch on stomach. I have one daughter, and I did get quite large with her, and I have a LOT of stretch marks from that. All in all I am hoping that my skin will shrink to a normal size, and I plan on spreading out my weight loss without loosing a massive amount of weight quickly.

victoria_1024 · January 2016

I was similar in size to you (212 and 5'2.5") and I've lost close to 80 pounds. The only loose skin I have is my boobs and stomach, but I have given birth to four babies and breastfed them all so the loose skin is probably related to that combined with the weight loss. Otherwise most of my skin looks normal and tight.

AugustHorizons · January 2016

Thank you so much to everyone who's replied ☺️
As loads of you have mentioned, it's definitely better to have loose skin than remain this weight forever. I guess it's one of my problems I've just got to push past and accept.
I've loved reading your stories... They've definitely given me a lot more hope haha. Thanks again!

tomteboda · January 2016

I've lost 70 lbs. I've just started to notice somewhat loose skin on my breasts, thighs, and belly. It makes me a little sad. Then again, I'm 37... so probably par for the course at my age. And who knows, maybe it'll firm up over time. I've got another 25 to go, I'm not too worried. I'm not addicted to micro mini skirts, belly-baring midriffs, or bikinis anyway.

shadow2soul · January 2016

Take a deep breathe. Loose skin isn't the end of the world. At 18, age is on your side. I have loose skin, but it's not as bad what I feared it was going to be. I'm a bit older than you and have had 2 csections. Mine is mostly isolated to my lower abdomen (low enough to be hidden by most clothing). I'm only just entering maintenance after losing just over 130 lbs. I'm curious to see what happens after maintaining for awhile, but I also have a special savings account set up for surgery just in case I'm not thrilled with it a couple years from now.

Scared of loose skin...

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