Just watched Skin Tight... Completely freaking out now!

Cynsonya wrote: »

It's just heartbreaking what some of us have done to our bodies.

Just so you know the people on these shows lose weight very rapidly and not always healthfully ( we don't know all the behind the scenes stuff)

So as I have researched this topic I have found a few things. Lose weight at a normal pace not accelerated. Keep hydrated to keep the skin elasticity. Moisturizer daily. Massage daily. Do toning exercise like weight lifting/ interval train or hiit. After you lose it all it can take two years for skin to tighten or up to 6. It majorly has to do with genetics some people have it others do not!

I would not stress over it. There are other things to worry over.

kshama2001 wrote: »

It's partially genetics and age, but these measures should help:
1. Not losing weight too fast ( at your current weight, I think you could safely lose 3 pounds per week for a while.)
2. Strength training or bodyweight routines while you lose weight
3. Eating adequate protein

Other posters have said they'd been at their goal weight for a year or two before their skin finished tightening up.

http://vitals.lifehacker.com/how-to-minimize-loose-skin-during-weight-loss-1696145766

Who wrote this article? This statement:

Maintaining or increasing muscle tissue is the key to minimizing loose skin. Remember, the phenomenon occurs when the underlying layers of tissue shrink under a much large surface area. If muscle mass is lost in addition to fat, it creates an even larger void under your skin's surface. On the other hand, increasing lean tissue fills the area underneath the skin, keeping it taut.

seems a bit ridiculous. While I totally agree that strength training while losing weight is a great idea to minimize muscle loss, the odds that it will greatly affect loose skin seems pretty slim, especially on a woman. There is just no possible way you are going to preserve or gain enough muscle to fill out the skin left by losing a significant amount of fat. Skin shrinkage is what is needed, not muscle gain to keep the skin taut. Given that lb for lb muscle takes up much less space than fat, you'd have to actually gain quite a bit of weight for that to happen.

Reality shows are meant to shock and make things appear worse than they actually are. I haven't watched it because I find these types of shows boring, but your question prompted me to look around for some clips. Just like I expected. You see them pulling their skin away from their body, for example, to show you how bad it is. Even the most minimal loose skin that is barely even visible and has no hang will pull away from the body and appear worse than it is. They deliberately look for the worst angles and movements while filming this. These camera tricks can give anyone, even thin people, an unflattering look. I have also noticed the woman I happened to watch had her skin pulled out of her jeans to make her look worse in clothes. Loose skin is actually generally light and can easily be tucked in and compressed under the right clothes to make it look like you have no loose skin at all.

The talk about infection, though real, is also overplayed. A skin fold is a skin fold, full or deflated. The moisture and bacteria don't care how much fat is covering that fold, so infections are a possibility both for the obese and the obese who have lost weight. I refuse to believe that these people did not have skin folds and hangs when they were super obese. If anything, at the weights many of the people in the show used to be personal hygiene would have been harder to tend to.

I haven't seen other people from the show, but I believe they may have some extreme cases with extreme losses that aren't applicable in your case. Yes, you will probably have some loose skin, but it won't be or feel as bad as the show is trying to make you believe. If a certain part REALLY bothers you enough to justify surgery, you can get the skin there removed. You don't have to do your whole body like they do on the show. Who knows, you might actually find it not to be a big deal.

Cynsonya wrote: »

I love you guys and this site. While still horrified yinz have talked me down appropriately.

I'm sure the cases on the show are the most extreme of the extreme cases they could find. One lady had two feet of hanging stomach skin that caused skin breakage between the folds and constantly set up infection. I know the skin I'll be left with won't be pretty. I just didn't want two feet of hanging, infected stomach skin.

If you have that then in the US insurance will generally cover the surgery.

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

It's partially genetics and age, but these measures should help:
1. Not losing weight too fast ( at your current weight, I think you could safely lose 3 pounds per week for a while.)
2. Strength training or bodyweight routines while you lose weight
3. Eating adequate protein

Other posters have said they'd been at their goal weight for a year or two before their skin finished tightening up.

http://vitals.lifehacker.com/how-to-minimize-loose-skin-during-weight-loss-1696145766

Who wrote this article? This statement:

Maintaining or increasing muscle tissue is the key to minimizing loose skin. Remember, the phenomenon occurs when the underlying layers of tissue shrink under a much large surface area. If muscle mass is lost in addition to fat, it creates an even larger void under your skin's surface. On the other hand, increasing lean tissue fills the area underneath the skin, keeping it taut.

seems a bit ridiculous. While I totally agree that strength training while losing weight is a great idea to minimize muscle loss, the odds that it will greatly affect loose skin seems pretty slim, especially on a woman. There is just no possible way you are going to preserve or gain enough muscle to fill out the skin left by losing a significant amount of fat. Skin shrinkage is what is needed, not muscle gain to keep the skin taut. Given that lb for lb muscle takes up much less space than fat, you'd have to actually gain quite a bit of weight for that to happen.

Never take Lifehacker too seriously. Adding muscle under the skin just adds volume and retaining muscle should at least make the lose skin less noticble but it isn't magic.

I haven't seen the show but have seen a few threads on here about it now which is starting to make me think it's somewhat detrimental to people with a lot of weight to lose. I don't mean you, OP- you seem very reasonable and not dissuaded from wanting to lose, but at least 2 other people have posted basically saying they'd rather just be overweight than have that much loose skin, which is disheartening to hear.

Some amount of loose skin is inevitable, and I think there's very little you can do/control to reduce it. But I think it is still 100 times better than the alternative, not just from a health perspective but also from a straight vanity perspective. And like others said, depending on your insurance if the extra skin is so bad that it is causing infections or other health problems, it may be covered.

In any event, it's definitely something where I'd suggest everyone cross that bridge when they get to it. Focus on losing the weight and worry about the skin later! I think most people find that while they'd rather not have it, it's not as bad as expected.