How much does skin weigh?
sunnyazgirl
Posts: 271 Member
I am a 63 yo woman. I have lost 143 pounds using MFP. I am now 11 pounds overweight, according to the BMI chart and about 15 pounds from my ultimate goal weight that I set 2 years ago when I started using MFP. My family and friends insist that I should not lose any more weight. Several have told me that the extra weight I still have is excess skin. I have noticed recently that I have a lot of loose, wrinkly skin, especially on my upper arms, thighs and abdomen. It wasn't too bad until recently. Now I scare myself if I look in the mirror after a shower!
So, how much should I calculate into my weight loss goals for the excess skin? I do plan to have a body fat analysis done soon, but I am not sure if that will take excess skin into account. Should I keep on pushing on for my ultimate weight loss goal, or go into maintenance for now?
So, how much should I calculate into my weight loss goals for the excess skin? I do plan to have a body fat analysis done soon, but I am not sure if that will take excess skin into account. Should I keep on pushing on for my ultimate weight loss goal, or go into maintenance for now?
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There are some questions best left to professionals. I hope you will ask a doctor about that.3
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Measure yourself with and without it on.13
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sunnyazgirl wrote: »I am a 63 yo woman. I have lost 143 pounds using MFP. I am now 11 pounds overweight, according to the BMI chart and about 15 pounds from my ultimate goal weight that I set 2 years ago when I started using MFP. My family and friends insist that I should not lose any more weight. Several have told me that the extra weight I still have is excess skin. I have noticed recently that I have a lot of loose, wrinkly skin, especially on my upper arms, thighs and abdomen. It wasn't too bad until recently. Now I scare myself if I look in the mirror after a shower!
So, how much should I calculate into my weight loss goals for the excess skin? I do plan to have a body fat analysis done soon, but I am not sure if that will take excess skin into account. Should I keep on pushing on for my ultimate weight loss goal, or go into maintenance for now?
its possible your remaining weight is loose skin. but theres no way to tell unless you get it analyzed(it should still show up as mass though). I wouldnt worry about losing more until after the analysis is done. maybe that will shed a little light on your situation. but yeah asking a dr is also the best thing to do.0 -
Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »
Silence of the Lambs27 -
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Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »
Silence of the Lambs
Yes, but how much lotion do I need? And the only basket I have is my son's Easter basket from last year.9 -
Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »
Silence of the Lambs
Yes, but how much lotion do I need? And the only basket I have is my son's Easter basket from last year.
dont think the type of basket matters in this case
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Wow. My response was purely humorous, but it got flagged. That's just special. 2016: The year everyone was offended.9
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CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »
Silence of the Lambs
Yes, but how much lotion do I need? And the only basket I have is my son's Easter basket from last year.
dont think the type of basket matters in this case
Great, thanks!0 -
Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »
Silence of the Lambs
Yes, but how much lotion do I need? And the only basket I have is my son's Easter basket from last year.
dont think the type of basket matters in this case
Great, thanks!
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I don't think it weighs as much as we sometimes hope it does. I read something somewhere (unfortunately I have no reference link) by a woman who had a panniculectomy. Her panniculus had been fairly small (level 1) and she lost something like 3 pounds after all was said and done. I'm sure it varies and that it would have weighed more if her starting weight had been higher and resulted in skin that had to stretch and grow more.0
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I am not sure my doctor (PCP) would know the answer to this question as he seems vague in these matters. He is a big Paleo advocate and his answer to all of my questions is to "do the Paleo diet". I am a CICO person, which is working just fine for me. I believe diet choice is a personal matter and if it is working for you, then do it! At any rate, my hopes to get an answer about that from him are slim. He is bone thin himself. Not sure what kind of specialist I should see regarding this, even though I work in the medical field. Hopefully the body fat analysis will shed some light, but as mentioned above, I think it will just show up as mass. I am not interested in the skin removal surgery at this point. I just am struggling with what my goal weight should be for now. I am actually happy with my weight and am wearing the same size clothes I wore in my 20's, but my weight is much higher now than it was then.
I do appreciate the humor in this thread. It made me smile!
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omg lol. all right. Excess skin removal surgery is a thing. Please do not attempt to DIY or to find your neighborhood psychopath to do it for you. But it is very difficult to get insurance to pay for this surgery unless you can prove that it is giving you repeated infections where it folds over or something equally blatantly bad. One friend had so much that it unbalanced her and caused her to fall down the stairs several times and the insurance still would not pay! I think that your doctor should be able to help you estimate how much the loose skin weighs.2
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Wow. My response was purely humorous, but it got flagged. That's just special. 2016: The year everyone was offended.
I understand offense when you witness someone who is severally upset by a comment made to them. I get riled if I see someone bullying someone who is clearly being upset by the bullying. But if you don't know if the comment made actually upset who it was made to and you still act all offended thats a different kind of "offended" that I think is just sort of self-involved and that I do not understand. In this case the OP seemed to enjoy it so not sure what the problem is or why you need to be flagging comments.0 -
Not to derail the thread. I suppose its possible that loose skin would be poundage that would not be taken accurately into account by things like BMI. I'd agree with others than working with your physician on the matter is probably best.0
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Aaron_K123 wrote: »Not to derail the thread. I suppose its possible that lose skin would be poundage that would not be taken accurately into account by things like BMI. I'd agree with others than working with your physician on the matter is probably best.
Lose skin doesn't need to be taken into account by BMI, it is already gone, which is what most would like to happen to their loose skin.
dammit Napa1 -
omg lol. all right. Excess skin removal surgery is a thing. Please do not attempt to DIY or to find your neighborhood psychopath to do it for you. But it is very difficult to get insurance to pay for this surgery unless you can prove that it is giving you repeated infections where it folds over or something equally blatantly bad. One friend had so much that it unbalanced her and caused her to fall down the stairs several times and the insurance still would not pay! I think that your doctor should be able to help you estimate how much the loose skin weighs.
I will try the doctor route, but I think all I will get is the Paloe lecture. He is very proud of my loss so far, but keeps telling me I should switch over to Paleo for the remainder.
Fortunately, my excess skin is nowhere near as bad as your neighbor's. I feel bad for her. No, mine is purely cosmetic and would be completely covered if I always wore long or 3/4 length sleeves, so am not interested in removal. Just wondering how it is affecting my BMI. 0 -
So I tried some creative Googling. I found some articles that claimed excess skin removed after weight loss can weigh 2-6 lbs, others that said 10-15 lbs. Also found an article that said the average person's skin weighed 20 lbs. Not citing anything because they were not remotely reliable. I would think a plastic surgeon might be able to give an educated guess if you could snag one. Congrats on your weight loss :drinker:1
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Hmmmm...I think I would consult with a plastic surgeon. No need to get anything more than the consultation (or 2).
After observing/measuring the areas and amount of loose skin, an experienced surgeon would have a reasonably good idea of the weight that would be removed. I think??
Congratulation on the awesome loss!2 -
Aaron_K123 wrote: »Wow. My response was purely humorous, but it got flagged. That's just special. 2016: The year everyone was offended.
I understand offense when you witness someone who is severally upset by a comment made to them. I get riled if I see someone bullying someone who is clearly being upset by the bullying. But if you don't know if the comment made actually upset who it was made to and you still act all offended thats a different kind of "offended" that I think is just sort of self-involved and that I do not understand. In this case the OP seemed to enjoy it so not sure what the problem is or why you need to be flagging comments.
I have no idea what you're trying to say... also, I didn't flag anyone's comment... nor was I actively trying to offend anyone0 -
Hey. I got this from my Anatomy and Physiology textbook:
"The integument accounts for 7% to 8% of the body weight and covers the entire body surface with an area that varies between about 1.5 and 2.0 square meters (m2). Its thickness ranges between 1.5 millimeters (mm) and 4 mm or more, depending on body location. (For comparison, a sheet of copier paper is about 0.1 mm thick, so the thickness of the skin would range between 15 and 40 sheets of paper.)"
Anatomy & Physiology: An Integrative Approach, McKinley, 2e, p. 186
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Hey. I got this from my Anatomy and Physiology textbook:
"The integument accounts for 7% to 8% of the body weight and covers the entire body surface with an area that varies between about 1.5 and 2.0 square meters (m2). Its thickness ranges between 1.5 millimeters (mm) and 4 mm or more, depending on body location. (For comparison, a sheet of copier paper is about 0.1 mm thick, so the thickness of the skin would range between 15 and 40 sheets of paper.)"
Anatomy & Physiology: An Integrative Approach, McKinley, 2e, p. 186
Hmmmmm..at the start, I should have had about 30 pounds of skin. At my current weight, I should have about 14 pounds of skin. That means I really weigh 16 pounds less than I think!!!!! Yes, yes, I am sure that's all kinds of inaccurate and erroneous, but I am going to choose to go with it anyway.
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