Belly fat versus loose skin?

jgggmg1992
jgggmg1992 Posts: 7
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey, I'm an 18 year old guy, 19 in an hour and 45 :P and in the last threeish months ive lost around 45-50 pounds. As I approached and passed what was my original goal weight i noticed what appeared to me to be belly fat was still there. My current weight is 152 and I'm 5'8". Waist is 32".

My question is: how likey/possible is it that what I thought was remaining belly fat is actually just loose skin from losing weight at a pretty fast pace? How can I find out which it is, and what works to remedy either issue? If it is actually just loose skin I don't want to attempt to lose more weight and end up in an unhealthy state. Thank you for your answers :)

Replies

  • NancyAnne1960
    NancyAnne1960 Posts: 500 Member
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

    Sounds like it might be a toning issue. Sit-ups, abs work, etc. Good luck, and Congratulations!!!!
  • Scorpioangel
    Scorpioangel Posts: 951 Member
    Hey! I saw your post and wanted to reply. In my opinion it is very likely that it is loose skin. Since you are young, hopefully it shrinks up! It is probably from the weight that you have taken off (great job by the way!!!). When you see it does it look like loose skin? I had the same thing happen to me which is why your post caught my attention :) Congrats on the weight loss and happy birthday!
  • MarieNevada
    MarieNevada Posts: 395 Member
    First off, congratulations and happy birthday!!! Secondly, at your age any loose skin will eventually shrink but yeah you know what you got to do. Start lifting weights. that'll firm up those muslces and get rid of the loose skin. and loose skin is in no way unhealthy, just cumbersome. but don't worry about it. lift weights and everything will work out just great.
  • ehedges31
    ehedges31 Posts: 72
    stand up straight with fingers pressed into your stomach. inhale deeply and while exhaling, tighten your abs and press your fingers in, anything you can grab is pure fat. (obviously if it feels thin its more than likely skin- which can be remedied with toning exercises and time).
  • Scorpioangel
    Scorpioangel Posts: 951 Member
    I wanted to add that there is a procedure called laser skin tightening that you can do that will help with the loose skin and stretch marks if you have any.
  • justsummie
    justsummie Posts: 320 Member
    You are young enough I believe your skin will eventually "bounce back" but this is no guarntee as everybody's body is differnt and there is no real way to know for sure.
  • justsummie
    justsummie Posts: 320 Member
    I wanted to add that there is a procedure called laser skin tightening that you can do that will help with the loose skin and stretch marks if you have any.

    Caught my eye...you have experience with this? I'm interested.
  • coreysloan1
    coreysloan1 Posts: 9
    I've lost about 75lbs since new years...and it looks like I just gave birth. It sucks cause I'm 43 and I just hope it doesnt stay that way. You're young so you're should go away pretty quick. If yer loosing and you still have more to go, I wouldnt stop cause of the skin. I've stopped twice and I've found that once i'm goin, its not too hard to keep goin. But its too easy to talk yerself into big monster from little ceasars when u didnt loose anything yesterday or the day before, so what the hell. WTG on loosing and keep it up!
  • coreysloan1
    coreysloan1 Posts: 9
    ...also interested.
  • jgggmg1992
    jgggmg1992 Posts: 7
    Well that is kind of the problem, I'm not really sure if i should keep losing or not, or how much I should be losing, because I'm not sure if what I'm seeing is still fat or just skin, which definitely gives me pause when thinking about trying to lose more weight. Can anyone tell me if using one of those body fat percentage testing machine things works? I think that could possibly help me figure out exactly whats going on here.
  • jbucci1186
    jbucci1186 Posts: 440 Member
    bump
  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
    Well that is kind of the problem, I'm not really sure if i should keep losing or not, or how much I should be losing, because I'm not sure if what I'm seeing is still fat or just skin, which definitely gives me pause when thinking about trying to lose more weight. Can anyone tell me if using one of those body fat percentage testing machine things works? I think that could possibly help me figure out exactly whats going on here.

    Instead of trying to lose more weight, you might want to switch to maintaining and get into a strength & conditioning style workout. Go for reducing % body fat instead of weight. You may still lose inches but your weight could stay the same or even go up.
  • webdiva1
    webdiva1 Posts: 326 Member
    I was intrigued by the idea of laser skin tightening, too, and found this news report on YouTube:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GXMhTxGLKg

    Looks interesting.
  • binkybaby1
    binkybaby1 Posts: 188 Member
    Happy Birthday! Great job losing the weight. My son in law who is 24 lost 70 lbs in 6 months. He had what he called baby fat from my daughters pregnancy. Because your young simple toning and working your abs will definitely help you with your belly. The more committed you are to the exercising the quicker you will see results. It will not happen over night but I would spend the next 3 months working on increasing this. Be careful not to loss muscle. Remember to increase your calories to make up for the exercise and eat your calories back. Good luck.
  • dittiepe
    dittiepe Posts: 557 Member
    Happy birthday!
    Being young, your skin will bounce back eventually. Toning and strength exercises will help that also. I agree with the person that said that you should probably switch to a maintaining phase in your new life and work on strength training more than cardio, and see how that changes that up. It's a win-win for you at your age -- You'll gain muscle and if that is just belly fat, it'll go away with strength training, or if it's loose skin, the toning will help firm that back up again. Remember also to drink plenty of water. That will also help the skin.
    Congrats too on the awesome job you have done getting your weight and health under YOUR control :)
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