Terrified of Sagging Skin

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Fighting4Healthy
Fighting4Healthy Posts: 336 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My ultimate goal is to lose about 72 pounds more for a total of 78 pounds. But I am terrified of having super saggy skin after losing the weight. My family says that since I am young I will shrink back and have no sagging skin, but I have seen people who have had less weight to lose and sagging skin. Is there anything that can help me with the sagging skin? Has anyone had this experience? I am trying to lose weight, partly to bring up my self esteem, but I am afraid that the self esteem issues will transfer from being too fat to having ugly looking skin. Any advice???
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Replies

  • razeak
    razeak Posts: 12
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    Stay well hydrated and lose the weight at a pace of about 1 pound per week. You will have less sagging. Also include weight training in your workouts.
  • scantrll
    scantrll Posts: 271 Member
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    I have been told to make sure to drink LOTS of water - well hydrated skin is more elastic then dehydrated skin. Also, do toning exercises with weights to help with muscle definition. Like I said, those are the two tips my doctor gave me at the start of this. I don't know that they will work for everyone, just going by what he told me!

    Good luck!
  • withchaco
    withchaco Posts: 1,026 Member
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    I'm 29 and I have a tiny bit of sagging skin on my "underbutt" (between them cheeks and the thighs). Nowhere else do I have any sagging skin, though. If you're younger than I am, you probably won't have any, although it depends on genetics too.

    razeak's post is some good advice right there :smile:
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
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    For me, losing weight will be worth it, even if I do have some extra skin.
  • pbxr
    pbxr Posts: 100 Member
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    Hi there & welcome along. :flowerforyou:

    I met with a personal trainer when I started my journey. In sharing my fear of saggy skin with him (having had two children), he said what an earlier poster said: "Take it slow." The last thing we want to do is to lose weight slowly, but it really is the best way. He said that the skin is constantly regenerating itself and if we lose weight too quickly, the regeneration process can't keep up. His advice was to get on the 1 pound a week plan & make sure that strength training was a part of my regimen. After 45 pounds, I can tell you that I'm on my way & the areas I was concerned about are shaping up nicely. :smile: I still have a way to go to reach my goal, but I'm SO pleased with how my body is responding.

    Best to you ~ you can do it!
  • Lobster1987
    Lobster1987 Posts: 492 Member
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    You will have sagging skin and there is no way to prevent it. Some may bounce back but for the most part you'll be saggy. I'm 23 and have lost a total of 121 pounds and I'm a saggy lady. I am PROUD of it. I'd much rather be saggy and healthy than be fat and miserable/unhealthhy.

    Plus, there's always plastic surgery. I'm saving for my tummy tuck already. Good luck and don't sweat the saggy skin. There are worse things in life to be terrified of. ;-)
  • SweetcheeksRN
    SweetcheeksRN Posts: 15 Member
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    Yeah exactly what she said! There's no way we can turn back the clocks and undo the damage we did to our bodies and I know I will have to adjust to the outcome but I defintely know I'm gonna be a hell of a lot happier being a smaller healthier more active and able version of me!! And we arent getting any happier or learning to love this flabby version. I know I'm not. So yeah I accept that I may be saggy and also am seriously considering plastic surgery if or I should say when I reach my goal. Maybe if only to have normal thin arms and no butterfly or bat wings. I hate being compared to a bat.
  • annacataldo
    annacataldo Posts: 872 Member
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    I am also terrified...scared me out of last diet, but now I have faced the facts...yes, seeing as how I was. 150lbs overweight, and have been overweight my entire life, I prob will have some loose skin...but im doing everything in my power to avoid it... so here's what my research has shown me...

    In the shower I use a liquid soap that contains vitamin e, c and a, or at least a couple of them. Then when im out of shower I put on a lotion that contains the same vitamins (I use jergens, age defying). I use it pretty much everywhere, but mainly on upper arms, stomach, thighs, and love handle areas...oh and my butt lol. These types of things will help ur skin with elasticity on the outside...certain vitamins help skin elasticity. U may also want to use cocoa butter if u have alot of stretch marks ur considered about, either every other day than the other lotion, or maybe one in the morning, the other at night...?

    Then you also need to help ur skin from the inside out, not just from outside in...drink tons of water...at least half ur body weight in ounces a day, more if u excercise alot or drink caffeine drinks, or have alot of sodium...ater is important..but you also need to be eating vitamin rich foods that have those skin elasticity vitamins...so vitamin a, e, c& some others, such as vitamin k..there's a couple others but I can't remember at moment...spinach has all of them so I add spinach to eggs, eat as salad, add to rice, etc. Omega 3s will also help... u can take those vitamins in pill form, but since u gotta eat everyday anyway, might as well eat foods that will help u... and last but not least...strength training will help tone, and I've been adding in some small arm weights for aerobic workouts or even going on walks flinging them about, and have started to notice already (its only been a month) my arms don't look as dropy..I've been doing alot of ab work as well, and upper leg excercises...

    Oh and if u lose weight too fast, this can cause it, cuz ur body doesn't have enough time to adjust, so take it slow and don't get upset about plateaus or low losses a week, cuz its just giving ur body more time to shrink up :-) I know two ppl that did gastric bypass, lost over 200lbs, and r left with baggy skin all over, but they lost all that weight so quickly.. slow and steady is key...
  • gailygail99
    gailygail99 Posts: 582 Member
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    its not something i am looking forward to either but i'd rather have some sagging skin then be overweight and un-healthy. that is the ultimate goal right, to be healthy. I have lost about 75lbs and i have some sagging skin, not going to lie to ya. I mean it really isnt like SAGGING/HANGING but just looser because the fat is gone. On my arms, inner thighs and lower stomach. my boobs also got a little flatter i think. but it is what it is...i am healthier and that is all that matters to me!
  • devilblkdress
    devilblkdress Posts: 42
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    I hate to tell you this but the sagging skin happens no matter what but it's worth it. Granted I am a hypocrite probably because I won't wear shorts or tank tops but it's worth being healthy! But hey but hey that is the perspective from someone who has lost a lot of weight!
  • ChantalGG
    ChantalGG Posts: 2,404 Member
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    Hey dont worry about it! if you do go through with this at the end you are still going to be a babe and look freakin awesome. You already are gorgeous to start. When i was 24 i gain 65lbs through pregnancy, bringing me up to 215lb. I lost 80lbs within the next 2 years. I look fine. I stretched out every inch of my body. i got stretch marks everywhere and guess what, I have way more confidence, i love and appreciate my body more now then i did when i was young and firm and could have taken on the world but was too afraid too.

    Dont be afraid of this. You are only going to feel better all around.
  • tialeanne
    tialeanne Posts: 186 Member
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    I lost 80 llbs when I was 22-23 and I didn't have any sagging skin. My boobs even got semi-perky (no small feat when even after I lost the weight I was still in a D). I did a lot of weight training and I drank water religiously though. I'm hoping to have the same luck this time lol but if not then so be it.
  • kleavitt1992
    kleavitt1992 Posts: 592 Member
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    i know 43lbs isnt 72 but i haven't had any saggy skin at all if that makes you feel any better?
  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
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    worst sinario(cr@p spelling lol)

    saggy skin or rolls of fat which would you rather?
  • michelle_vankat
    michelle_vankat Posts: 59
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    Think of the benefits you are getting from living a healthier life and a healthier weight. Anything else (like excess skin) can be dealt with at a later time. Nothing is permenant and can be fixed.
  • VeganGal84
    VeganGal84 Posts: 938 Member
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    If you had to choose between being fat with tight skin and being thin with loose skin, which would you choose?

    Genetics supposedly play a big part in how elastic your skin will be, as well as age.

    For me, I chose "thin with loose skin" not knowing if my skin was super-elastic or not, and it turns out that for the most part, my skin has tightened up. There are a few loose spots, but I'm not worried about them, I figure that they will tighten up over the next couple of years, or they won't. Either way, I'm happier now than I was at 220 pounds, even with some loose skin.

    You're going to be fine! :happy:
  • Fighting4Healthy
    Fighting4Healthy Posts: 336 Member
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    Thank all of you for your responses and encouragement, you are right saggy skin is better than rolls of fat. And like some of you mentioned I could always get a tummy tuck in the future. Thank you so much for the help!
  • ChantalGG
    ChantalGG Posts: 2,404 Member
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    I had a huge belly when i was nine months pregers and i dont have sagging skin on my stomach, stretch marks yes. if you already have a hanging belly you might have a hard time tightening up but i think by the looks of your pics you are going to be fine.
  • witstar
    witstar Posts: 25
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    my plan? once i'm thin and healthy and magnificent...i'm going to make a ton of money and get a boobtummybatwingthunderthighTUCK!!! :D
  • risefromruin
    risefromruin Posts: 483 Member
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    I have lost all my weight in the last year and a half and I don't have much saggy skin. I do have some concerns though. I have a little loose skin on my arms, a little on my tummy, and a little on my inner thighs. It isn't anything that I think I can't tone up though. I am fairly positive that within the next year with lots of strength training, things will start to look a lot better. I do not have saggy flaps of skin though. The only thing I have that I know will not go away are stretch marks. Don't spend your time worrying about saggy skin though, even though I really do know how hard it is...I worry about my skin's appearance nearly every day. It is sooo worth the weight loss though. You'll feel great about yourself even if things aren't quite perfect once you lose the weight :)

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