Loose skin

mollyd90_
mollyd90_ Posts: 9 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi
Sorry if this has being asked before.

I have lost 50lb. The loss is averaging around 1.5lb per week. I have just noticed that I'm starting to get loose skin. if I suck in the stomach really hard and on my neck under my chin I can see it starting.

I'm looking for advice on how to avoid loose skin. I have about another stone to lose to bring me to my healthy body weight. Ideally I'd like to loose 21 lbs.

At the moment I'm eating between 1200 and 1400 calories a day. I have an office job so not very active during the day. I run 20 minutes twice a week, I also do a Jillian Michaels 30 day shred workout (20 minutes) twice a week and on Sunday's so for about an hours walk (not power walking)

50lbs is a lot of weight when you visualise the volume so I suppose I'm lucky I have only a tiny bit of loose skin so far.

From doing a bit of reading online I should replace the fat I'm loosing with muscle. What I'm thinking at the minute is that I should maybe eat a little more (100 - 150 calories a day extra) to slow the weight loss slightly giving my skin a chance to shrink. Is the amount of excerise I do enough to build muscle to replace fat?

Any advice/tips would be great
Thanks



Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Aside from getting in a time machine and going back to before you became overweight and then not gaining the weight, there is nothing you can do to prevent loose skin. At this point, the damage is done and if you're going to have loose skin, there is nothing outside of surgery that will change that.

    Finish losing weight and then wait for a few years (1+ definitely, quite possibly 2-3) to see how much your skin shrinks. How much it shrinks is dependent on how big you were, how long you were big, genetics, age, and how much yo-yoing you did weight-wise.

    Creams, wraps, lifting weights, losing slowly, etc. do not help shrink up skin. Creams will keep your skin moisturized. Wraps will help dehydrate the area and may tighten it up temporarily but not permanently. Lifting weights will make you stronger and will help your physique and give you something to obsess over and think about. Losing weight slowly will help minimize how much your skin shrinkage rate outpaces your fat loss rate. But none of these things will prevent loose skin or increase its shrinkage.

  • Losewtforlife4him
    Losewtforlife4him Posts: 423 Member
    I've been using collagen powder to at least help plump up my skin around my neck and see a difference somewhat. Just started using it about a month ago. It's worth a try is the way I see it. Never hurts, right? Also vitamin C.
  • sashayoung72
    sashayoung72 Posts: 441 Member
    it depends on age and how long you were overweight and most definitely genetics. I see all different results, sometimes it takes awhile for some of it to catch up. Certain spots on the body are also saggier or prone to have loose skin. There is no hard and fast rule to prevent it or fix it less than surgery.
  • mollyd90_
    mollyd90_ Posts: 9 Member
    Trust me I wish I had a time machine :)
  • sashayoung72
    sashayoung72 Posts: 441 Member
    mollyd90_ wrote: »
    Trust me I wish I had a time machine :)

    If you get one let us know, i'd like to go back to freshman year of highschool when I "thought" i WAS fat LOL
  • 4gotNcharlie
    4gotNcharlie Posts: 43 Member
    Does anyone know how much surgery costs to remove the hanging skin
  • sashayoung72
    sashayoung72 Posts: 441 Member
    dharma135 wrote: »
    Does anyone know how much surgery costs to remove the hanging skin

    http://www.everydayhealth.com/weight-loss-surgery/weight-loss-surgery-plastic-surgery.aspx
  • mollyd90_
    mollyd90_ Posts: 9 Member
    Well shur it was worth looking into!
    Fair enough I can't avoid it so I'll try to minimize it by losing weight slowly and try to replace some of the fat with muscle. I'm not really up for surgery. I'm 36 my skin doesn't seem to have lost too much elasticity. As I said in opening post I can only see a small bit of looseness when I suck in my stomach so hopefully will get away with losing another stone.

  • mollyd90_
    mollyd90_ Posts: 9 Member
    sashayoung72 wrote: »
    mollyd90_ wrote: »
    Trust me I wish I had a time machine :)

    If you get one let us know, i'd like to go back to freshman year of highschool when I "thought" i WAS fat LOL

    Ha ha no problem. I know the feeling. I was looking at pictures from 10 years ago and I remember feeling so fat and self conscious that day, I'm back to that weight now and delighted!
  • BekahC1980
    BekahC1980 Posts: 474 Member
    Heavy most of my life. Have Lost 81 lbs over the last 10 years. I lift weights and do cardio, and naked I literally look like I am in someone else's skin. But I'm coming to accept it because 1.) I'll never be rich enough to have the surgery to remove the skin. 2.) Even if I did have the money the scar from it is completely and utterly horrid. And the risks are far worse than I am willing to take.
  • Harleyb87
    Harleyb87 Posts: 279 Member
    Nothing you can really do about it outside of surgery. Honestly that is what I am going to do because I would gladly accept a scar as a battle wound and reminder of the struggles I have been through to get where I am now. Id be much more comfortable with a scar rather than the skin.

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