Ways to avoid saggy/loose skin as I lose
Seajolly
Posts: 1,435 Member
I've never been as big as I am currently (199 lbs) and 5'4. In my quest to drop back down to the approximately 130-140 lbs that I previously was, I'm quite paranoid about getting saggy/loose skin as I lose weight. Besides strength training and drinking plenty of water, what other tips do you have to avoid this?
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Replies
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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 (I guess you could stay overweight to keep it filled out but I'm sure you don't want to do that.) 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.5 -
I had lost 40 lbs previously (slow and steady weight loss) and didn't get any loose skin, so I don't think one is destined to have it, since it didn't happen to me previously. Maybe that has to do with age and the elasticity of my skin? I don't know. However, I'm determined to not have it happen to me this time either.0
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nothing works but time if you have the right genetics, or surgery. some times skin shrinks back, sometimes it doesn't. Its your body, if it turns out you have saggy skin, thats ok, you will still be beautiful.1
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I had lost 40 lbs previously (slow and steady weight loss) and didn't get any loose skin, so I don't think one is destined to have it, since it didn't happen to me previously. Maybe that has to do with age and the elasticity of my skin? I don't know. However, I'm determined to not have it happen to me this time either.
That's your answer then!1 -
Your skin may recover as well this time as it did last time, but keep in mind you are a few years older (the structure of collagen changes as one ages) and yoyoing down-up-down in just a few years has put extra stress on your skin.
Collagen and elastin are both proteins, so getting enough protein in your diet may help in skin recovery. Keeping active will help with circulation, this helps with efficient cell turnover and nutrient delivery, this may also help in skin recovery. But when it comes down to it, it is genetics and how much you have abused your skin which will determine the recovery.
I do think losing slower helps in skin recovery because there is a greater chance that one is getting a good nutrient dense diet with plenty of protein.
Some people take a collagen supplement, I do not know if this helps.
Cheers, h.2 -
I don't have any advice to give but I just wanted to say thank you for the proper use of the words "lose" and "loose".
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