Losing weight/toning up without the tummy sag! Heeeeeelp

zestyzesty
zestyzesty Posts: 57 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello and happy 2017!
I was feeling initially happy last October (2016) after having lost about 95 lbs over 2.5 years and probably got a bit carried away with diet shakes (terrible and full of sugar, I know) and just sometimes not eating to speed up the weight loss. I was working nights for a long time and didn't have much appetite and so in a way it was easy not to eat properly or at all sometimes. Then I came off nights late last year and suddenly got my appetite back in a big way. I also noticed that from the weight loss, my tummy had gone all saggy at the bottom which really upset me to the point I couldn't bear to see myself without clothes on. A combination of feeling like this and having more appetite kind of led me to not really think about food from a calories perspective for a while. I put back on maybe 12 lbs, and actually my tummy looks a lot better now. My appetite seems to be adjusting again now, and I think I am chipping away at the sleep debt from working nights. I want to be healthy and I do want to lose weight but I really want to lose is gradually so my body can adjust. Some people have said surgery is the only answer when you lose that much weight, but really my body seemed to adjust until I started losing very quickly and not eating properly. I am thinking maybe if I focus on exercise for the time being that will help to build metabolism and muscle. Is this a good plan? What is good for the skin and energy levels? Any advice much appreciated.

Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,046 Member
    Don't panic. Loose skin shrinks back, in my experience, fairly slowly, no matter whether you're losing fast or slowly.

    However, when you lose fast, the loose skin will show up more at first, because the slow rate of skin shrinkage is not keeping up with the fast rate of fat loss. When you lose more slowly, it just makes the loose skin seem less obvious, because the skin shrinkage is closer to in sync with the fat loss.

    There's still a decent chance that the skin will continue shrinking over time. I've read things here saying it could continue shrinking for as long as 2 years after the weight loss - I don't know, because I've only been in weight maintenance for about a year.

    What I do know is this: Even at my current age of 61, the small amount of loose skin I had after losing weight has continued to shrink slowly, up to the present time. No sign it has stopped. This was after losing about 1/3 of my body weight in 10-11 months, at age 59/60.

    I don't have any proof, but I suspect exercise is helpful in general terms, because it does tend to maintain good circulation, keep the skin healthy, etc. Weight training or other strength-building exercise may be helpful in firming up other tissues and helping you like your appearance more, too.
  • zestyzesty
    zestyzesty Posts: 57 Member
    Hello AnnPT77 thank you so much for your reply- really motivated me.

    It definitely makes sense what you say. I had a chest infection over Christmas so have not been in the pool but been walking and to the gym for shorter sessions to build up my lungs and strength again.

    Wow, 2 years really? Gosh. That sounds a long time but I guess it takes a long time to change shape.

    Started doing weights again today, fingers crossed for a stronger, happier 2017.

    Thanks again and well done on all your great efforts x
  • gradchica27
    gradchica27 Posts: 777 Member
    Well, I sure hope my loose skin shrinks over time...mine is the little bit low on the tummy left after having 4 big babies and gaining 55+ esch time. I'm smaller, lighter, and more muscular than ever...and it's still there 18 months after my last baby. My dermatologist said surgery would be the only way to get rid of it. Sigh. But here's hoping!

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