Has anyone ever lost a significant amout of weight (150-170+ lbs.) and had little to no excess skin

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evineula
evineula Posts: 3 Member
edited July 2017 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 23 years old, 6'2 male and currently looking to lose 160-170 lbs. my stress is kicking up a bit because of the thought of me having to deal with loose skin post-weight loss life.

My current diet pretty much looks like this:

7:00am - 210 Calorie Protein Shake
1:00pm - Boiled Chicken Breast w/mixed veggies
4:00pm - Boiled Chicken Breast w/ a slice of 100% natures own whole wheat bread
7:00pm - 1 TBSP of no fat peanut butter spread on 2 slices of natures own 100% whole wheat bread
9:00pm - 210 Calorie protein shake

My calories usually come out to like 1,100 - 1,300 calories a day and i drink nothing but Water. at least a gallon a day.

and on top of that, i do 60-90 minute intense weightlifting workout session 4 days a week with my body dripping in success with every workout. i also take Collagen & Fish oil supplements. i weigh approx. 368 right now and looking to get down between 195-200.

I've also been obese for a good part of my 23 years on this earth, and currently looking to change that.



so my question to you guys is Am I doing enough to prevent excess skin? is there anything else i CAN do? and am i looking at a substantial amount of loose skin when i get to my weight goal?



Thanks in advance :)
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Replies

  • eximiusrectus
    eximiusrectus Posts: 3 Member
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    I would like to read what others have to say about this as well. I've only just started moving around (due to illness) and am now hitting my step goal of 5,000. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but when I was only getting a few hundred a day, this is huge!

    But excess skin has been a worry for me too. Especially since I'm not at a point I can exercise yet. Thank you for asking this. And congrats on all the work you're putting in! I'm sure it'll pay off. Keep it up!
  • tg16nullity
    tg16nullity Posts: 56 Member
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    At your age, you should have no problem. In my early 20's I dropped from 260 to 165 in a year or so (down to 6% body fat). The resiliency of young skin is impressive!

    Just keep it off once you get it off. You don't want to have skin worries when you're pushing 40. :/
  • cbeutler
    cbeutler Posts: 667 Member
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    I lost 200 pounds with no loose skin. Of course I gained a hundred back so we will see how this time goes. Being young will probably help you, your skin will be more resilient.
  • evineula
    evineula Posts: 3 Member
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    cbeutler wrote: »
    I lost 200 pounds with no loose skin. Of course I gained a hundred back so we will see how this time goes. Being young will probably help you, your skin will be more resilient.

    How much do you currently weigh if you dont mind me asking?
  • evineula
    evineula Posts: 3 Member
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    middlehaitch wrote: »
    You may or you may not get loose skin. It is mainly genetic.

    However, eating at such a low calorie goal is not helping your genes perform to the best of their ability. Both collagen and elastine are proteins, if you are undereating and not getting a good amount of protein, .8-1g per lbs of ideal body weight, your skins ability to recover may be compromised.

    The same deal with your muscles. You may be working out but underfuelling will mean there is not enough protein, and other nutrients, to adequately fuel your work out- especially if you are not eating back any exercise calories. Your strength gains will suffer and ultimately your muscle mass too.

    Take a step back, look at what you want your body to be like 2, 10, 20, years from now and start working towards that by having a reasonable deficit that will support you in a healthy manner moving forward.

    Cheers, h.

    Thanks for the reply. it's really helpful. so what i gathered from most of everybody here was the problem of my calorie intake. I will most definitely make changes to it starting now. but i would like to add that even at such low calorie levels, i still take in about over 140g of protein a day and all my vitamins are well above 70% with the exception of a few. and I'll up the calorie intake to 1500-1700. would that be a good estimate for my size and frame?
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
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    evineula wrote: »
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    You may or you may not get loose skin. It is mainly genetic.

    However, eating at such a low calorie goal is not helping your genes perform to the best of their ability. Both collagen and elastine are proteins, if you are undereating and not getting a good amount of protein, .8-1g per lbs of ideal body weight, your skins ability to recover may be compromised.

    The same deal with your muscles. You may be working out but underfuelling will mean there is not enough protein, and other nutrients, to adequately fuel your work out- especially if you are not eating back any exercise calories. Your strength gains will suffer and ultimately your muscle mass too.

    Take a step back, look at what you want your body to be like 2, 10, 20, years from now and start working towards that by having a reasonable deficit that will support you in a healthy manner moving forward.

    Cheers, h.

    Thanks for the reply. it's really helpful. so what i gathered from most of everybody here was the problem of my calorie intake. I will most definitely make changes to it starting now. but i would like to add that even at such low calorie levels, i still take in about over 140g of protein a day and all my vitamins are well above 70% with the exception of a few. and I'll up the calorie intake to 1500-1700. would that be a good estimate for my size and frame?

    What does the app give you for moderate weight loss for your height and weight? That is an excellent place to start.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,485 Member
    edited July 2017
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    For your height, weight, and exercise routine you would probably maintain your weight at around 4200 cals a day.
    (3300 if you were sedentary.)

    When you think it takes a 500 cal daily deficit to lose 1lbs a week, you could and should eat a lot more and still lose at a good and healthy rate.

    MFP has a 2 lbs a week limit on the deficit they will give as this is the safe upper limit for most people.

    Given your weight it would be safe to look at a 1%, of your body weight, deficit. This would give you a 3.5 lbs loss per week at about 2500 cals a day.

    If you go with this number re-evaluate it after a couple of weeks to check you are losing at a reasonable rate, and once you hit 300 lbs recalculate your goal to 3 lbs a week so you are keeping with the 1% scale.

    * if you are starting to feel worn out or hungry don't be afraid to up your calories by 250-500 you will still lose.

    I know you think you are doing fine, but in all honesty you should take advantage of your youth and work on getting the best, fittest, healthiest body possible.
    It is a lot to lose and you will be happier long term if you do it in a sustainable healthy way.

    As an FYI with a goal of 190 lbs ( the top of your healthy BMI) your protein should be between .8-1g per lbs of that weight. So you are a little low especially as you are lifting to preserve your lean mass.

    Here is the calculator that I used.

    https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=imperial&g=male&age=23&lbs=368&in=74&act=1.55&f=2

    Cheers, h.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,485 Member
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    @evineula take a look at this thread in the success sub-forum.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10573629/130-lbs-lost-with-photos#latest

    Cheers, h.
  • eximiusrectus
    eximiusrectus Posts: 3 Member
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    tg16nullity wrote: »
    Just keep it off once you get it off. You don't want to have skin worries when you're pushing 40. :/

    Rut row. I'm in trouble!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    eximiusrectus wrote: »
    tg16nullity wrote: »
    Just keep it off once you get it off. You don't want to have skin worries when you're pushing 40. :/

    Rut row. I'm in trouble!

    Yep, us geriatrics in our 40's may as well give up now :noway: :wink:
  • crypsyx
    crypsyx Posts: 858 Member
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    i've lost 175 pounds so far. i still have another 80 to go. excess skin is going to be a problem and i'll need plastic surgery to remove it. i've lost it slowly over the course of five years. maybe it's my age because i'm quite a bit older than you, but i'm going to need plastic surgery to get rid of the excess skin when i get to my goal weight.
  • yung_baller_86
    yung_baller_86 Posts: 25 Member
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    I think you'll avoid the loose skin if you lose weight slowly. Your calories are very low, so if you keep it up youll probably lose weight quite fast which would put you at risk of loose skin... You need to give your skin time to adjust, so slow and steady wins the race!

    Just a thought; how about taking a collagen supplement with your smoothies? This will help improve the elasticity in your skin. Ive been taking it for 3 months in hopes that it will improve my cellulite. Cellulite has improved, but its hard to say if thats the collagen or the weight loss in general. Worth a shot, extra protein never hurts!

    Grab a powdered collagen supplement from your health store and add it to your smoothies - I pay around $20 and it lasts me over a month.
  • eximiusrectus
    eximiusrectus Posts: 3 Member
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    tru_paw wrote: »
    Grab a powdered collagen supplement from your health store and add it to your smoothies - I pay around $20 and it lasts me over a month.

    I never thought of collagen supplements. I'm a weirdo that does NOT like smoothies. Do you know if they come in pill form? Could you suggest a 'good' one that won't cost an arm, leg, and first born? Lol. Thanks!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    eximiusrectus wrote: »
    tru_paw wrote: »
    Grab a powdered collagen supplement from your health store and add it to your smoothies - I pay around $20 and it lasts me over a month.

    I never thought of collagen supplements. I'm a weirdo that does NOT like smoothies. Do you know if they come in pill form? Could you suggest a 'good' one that won't cost an arm, leg, and first born? Lol. Thanks!

    I add mine to my cup of coffee. It's tasteless, i don't even notice it's in there.

    I'm not in the U.S, the only brand i know from there is Great Lakes, but I'm sure there are many other brands.

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,659 Member
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    Excess skin is NOT unusual if one has 80+ lbs to lose. It really doesn't matter much if they lost it slow or fast in many cases. Skin mass isn't affected with weight loss as much as fat cells are. Genetics, age and how long one was obese will usually dictate the degree of how much loose skin there will be.
    If I'm being honest with the OP based from experience working with obese people, I doubt you'll avoid having loose skin. It can always be addressed, but getting to a healthy weight should be your number one priority.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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