LOOSE SKIN !!!

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Anyone out there have advice on losing weight............should i lose it quickly or slowly as i really DON'T WANT ANY LOOSE SKIN.............I started at 14 stone = 196 lbs and have lost 5 lbs in my first week.........i would imagine this is just water!? I intend to lose between 2-3 lbs per week until i reach my goal which will be 10 stone = 140 lbs. If i lose 4 lbs per week am i likely to get loose skin? Do i use oil or cream on my skin while exercising to limit the loose skin while i shrink? Do i use some kind of fitted garment around my upper arms and thighs to stop those horrible bingo wings etc......if so, what do i use? Really confused :( HELP! SOS!

Replies

  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
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    Sorry, but either you will have loose skin or you won't. Depends on how long you have been heavy, how your weight is distributed, and just plain genetics.

    There aren't any lotions to prevent it. You can try keeping up your protein intake and perhaps gelatin if you like.

    Also losing 4 pounds a week is unlikely after the initial water weight loss.
  • SlimSharonSlim
    SlimSharonSlim Posts: 85 Member
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    Ilex70............thank you for the reply............plus i guess my age is against me also :( erm i have been heavy for the past.......lets see........... 2008 i was 10 stone...........2010 i was 11 stone.......2013 i was 12 stone and in the past 3 yrs i have gone from 12 stone to 14 stone....i was 14.7 at one point........so i guess it was a gradual process due to going out with a crappy boyfriend........i ate rubbish :( so maybe 4 months is too short!? should i be looking at 8 months and just lose 7 lbs per month!? any help would be great :)
  • aprilricks86
    aprilricks86 Posts: 67 Member
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    A big part of it is genetics...like the other poster said, how long youve carried the weight, etc. wearing compression clothes won't "stop" the bingo wings any more than just willing them to be gone / not appear. Also--creams are a waste of money in my experience. Just do what you need to be at a healthier weight, moisturize regularly if you like and see what happens. I can say things like stretch marks / loose skin gets better with time. Lifting weights will also help to give your underlying tissues shape. I'm not you, but in my experience, lifting weights and losing weight at a reasonable pace (.5-1 lb / week) has been the way to go. You'll have to see what works best for you though. Try to focus on the weight loss / being healthier, fitter, fitting into smaller clothes rather than potential negatives, i.e. Loose skin, etc...good luck!
  • SlimSharonSlim
    SlimSharonSlim Posts: 85 Member
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    aprilricks86............thank you for the advice........yes i was thinking that just diet/exercise wasn't enough so i will bring weights into it and try and tone while i am losing the weight. I will also still try for 2 lbs per week......hey if some weeks i drop 3 or maybe 4 lbs......then so be it! Just hope i stick to it :)
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,866 Member
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    aprilricks86............thank you for the advice........yes i was thinking that just diet/exercise wasn't enough so i will bring weights into it and try and tone while i am losing the weight. I will also still try for 2 lbs per week......hey if some weeks i drop 3 or maybe 4 lbs......then so be it! Just hope i stick to it :)

    Here's a thought: Perhaps if you lose weight more slowly, you will be more likely to stick to doing it since it will be easier? Plus it will be a more healthy method, less risk of losing lean body mass, better nutrition, that sort of thing?

    It took you several years to gain the weight . . .
  • angerelle
    angerelle Posts: 175 Member
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    I don't know how tall you are, but you've got the same starting weight-ish as me, I'm 5'6" and started at 14st 4.5lbs. I think you do need to be more realistic about how much you can sustainably lose. I tried to stay at 1200 calories, but was just too hungry - I took my rate down to about 1.5lbs a week and that has been much easier to keep to and I have steadily lost. I started at the end of August and by Christmas I'd lost just over two stone (and a dress size). The closer you get to your goal weight, the harder it will be, because you will need even fewer calories to maintain - I've just gone back into a deficit again after maintaining to train for a marathon and I'm aiming at half a pound a week - I know I'll get there because I know this works *if* you can stick with it.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    aprilricks86............thank you for the advice........yes i was thinking that just diet/exercise wasn't enough so i will bring weights into it and try and tone while i am losing the weight. I will also still try for 2 lbs per week......hey if some weeks i drop 3 or maybe 4 lbs......then so be it! Just hope i stick to it :)

    Losing 2lbs each and every week is a big ask imo, 3 or 4 would be near impossible. Once you get down near your goal weight you should reset your calories to lose .5-1lb a week. I'm on my last 5lbs, and I'm losing around 1lb a MONTH! Very, very slow going at this stage.

    Patience is your friend :smile:
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    aprilricks86............thank you for the advice........yes i was thinking that just diet/exercise wasn't enough so i will bring weights into it and try and tone while i am losing the weight. I will also still try for 2 lbs per week......hey if some weeks i drop 3 or maybe 4 lbs......then so be it! Just hope i stick to it :)

    Keep in mind your body can only burn so much fat in a day (if memory serves correctly it's around 30 cals per pound of body fat), if your deficit exceeds what your body can burn from fat it will start using your lean body mass for fuel as well (muscle, organs, ect). This is why it's not recommended to lose more than 1% of your body weight per week. In your case that's about 1.9 lbs currently and it will decrease as you lose weight.

    Time is going to pass anyway, so what's the hurry. It might make it easier to stick to it if you slow down and focus on fat loss instead of just weight loss.
  • rosterbecisco
    rosterbecisco Posts: 1 Member
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    You need to look at this realistically, 2 lbs a week for a 6 months is 52 lbs (3.7 st) and that is a lot of weight to lose and keep off in that short amount of time. In the first month while you are dieting and exercising, you will lose about 3 - 5 lbs per week but after that it will slow down "a lot" (I lost 14 lbs in the first four weeks). I started at 262 lbs (18.7 st) in February 2015 and now I'm down to 195 lbs (13.9 st) after 14 months. If you do the math, that is less than 1 lb per week after the first 4 weeks.

    The issue you will run into is as you diet and exercise is that you will be converting fat to muscle. Muscle is much more compact than fat, so you will see a reduction in clothing sizes, while you weight reduces slowly or plateaus at different points over the long weight loss period.

    The winning part here is that you are making a life style change which will help you keep the weight off.

    Another little tip, don't weight yourself everyday, in fact, weigh yourself about once a month at most. This will reduce the stress about weight lose. The object here is to create a healthy life style with healthy eating habits that will provide lasting results.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    You need to look at this realistically, 2 lbs a week for a 6 months is 52 lbs (3.7 st) and that is a lot of weight to lose and keep off in that short amount of time. In the first month while you are dieting and exercising, you will lose about 3 - 5 lbs per week but after that it will slow down "a lot" (I lost 14 lbs in the first four weeks). I started at 262 lbs (18.7 st) in February 2015 and now I'm down to 195 lbs (13.9 st) after 14 months. If you do the math, that is less than 1 lb per week after the first 4 weeks.

    The issue you will run into is as you diet and exercise is that you will be converting fat to muscle. Muscle is much more compact than fat, so you will see a reduction in clothing sizes, while you weight reduces slowly or plateaus at different points over the long weight loss period.

    The winning part here is that you are making a life style change which will help you keep the weight off.

    Another little tip, don't weight yourself everyday, in fact, weigh yourself about once a month at most. This will reduce the stress about weight lose. The object here is to create a healthy life style with healthy eating habits that will provide lasting results.

    ok first of all not everyone starting off will lose 3-5 lbs a week, secondly you cant convert fat to muscle it doesnt work that way.you have fat and you have muscle, you cant turn one into the other.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    You need to look at this realistically, 2 lbs a week for a 6 months is 52 lbs (3.7 st) and that is a lot of weight to lose and keep off in that short amount of time. In the first month while you are dieting and exercising, you will lose about 3 - 5 lbs per week but after that it will slow down "a lot" (I lost 14 lbs in the first four weeks). I started at 262 lbs (18.7 st) in February 2015 and now I'm down to 195 lbs (13.9 st) after 14 months. If you do the math, that is less than 1 lb per week after the first 4 weeks.

    The issue you will run into is as you diet and exercise is that you will be converting fat to muscle. Muscle is much more compact than fat, so you will see a reduction in clothing sizes, while you weight reduces slowly or plateaus at different points over the long weight loss period.

    The winning part here is that you are making a life style change which will help you keep the weight off.

    Another little tip, don't weight yourself everyday, in fact, weigh yourself about once a month at most. This will reduce the stress about weight lose. The object here is to create a healthy life style with healthy eating habits that will provide lasting results.

    I'm not sure how one converts fat into muscle :huh: I also weigh myself everyday, and track it on Trendweight. Once a month is too long IMO, I like to have as much data as possible.
  • AliceAxe
    AliceAxe Posts: 172 Member
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    I am concerned about lose skin too. I dont have much weight to lose, but with age I am getting the loose wrinkly skin that is getting more noticable as I lose weight. mabee there is nothing I cna do about it but id rather not look like a shrivaled up old prune.
  • 85Cardinals
    85Cardinals Posts: 733 Member
    edited May 2016
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    I view a little loose skin as a small price to pay for not being a big fat tub of lard anymore. Sign me up.
  • SlimSharonSlim
    SlimSharonSlim Posts: 85 Member
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    Thank you all so so much :) especially the last comment it gave me such a laugh lol hahaha I will take on board all that everyone has posted and see what happens...........i guess if i hadn't ate all those Kababs and drank all that wine i wouldn't be FAT! It's going to be a long long road and maybe just maybe i will get through with not much loose skin.........i do have weight's in the house and a small trampoline plus a stepper.......as not at a gym and i am 5' 6" for the person who asked. I will weigh myself everyday.........it was just nice to see that last tuesday i was 14 stone and on wednesday i was 14 stone 12 lbs and on thursday i was 14 stone 10 lbs and on saturday i was 14 stone 9 lbs.............which i am at the moment. Roll on next week...............THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND SUPPORT I REALLY APPRECIATE IT !!!!!!!!!!!! xx p.s. just thought "it is next week already" it's bank holiday monday :)