Marbles under skin

WholeFoods4Lyfe
WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
edited November 28 in Health and Weight Loss
Okay. I obviously know that I don't have marbles under my skin. That would be weird. But that is the best way that I can describe it.

I just noticed this last night. My upper arms, and to a degree my lower arms, look normal. But when I rub them and apply pressure, it feels like I have hundreds of marbles under my skin. It's the weirdest sensation. Of course, I googled, and I can't really find much. I'm assuming that this has something to do with my weight loss (72lbs gone 73lbs to go) but I'm only guessing.

Just wondering if anyone has dealt with something similar. And does anyone know what this is? And will it go away? And should I expect this to happen to other parts of my body as I continue to lose weight?

TIA!

Replies

  • kazminchu
    kazminchu Posts: 250 Member
    I *think* it's just your muscles/bits of body? I know the feeling, mine are like it too. I can't remember if they were like it when I was big, but I'm sure it's just normal. Probably kind of like cellulite? Sorry I can't help more!
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Its normal and as above has said, it is muscle/tissue.
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    kazminchu wrote: »
    I *think* it's just your muscles/bits of body? I know the feeling, mine are like it too. I can't remember if they were like it when I was big, but I'm sure it's just normal. Probably kind of like cellulite? Sorry I can't help more!
    LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »
    Its normal and as above has said, it is muscle/tissue.

    But where did they come from? I don't remember feeling them when I was bigger. Did my fat cover them? Will they go away? If it's normal, why can't I find anything on the Google besides other people saying they have felt this? I don't like weird things happening to my body that I can't find a medical explanation :)
  • missblondi2u
    missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
    I notice that my fat gets lumpy when I'm losing. I read once that fat gets like this before a "whoosh" but I have no science to back that up.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    They're probably fat deposits being held in place by connective tissue. You didn't feel them before because there was more fat all around them, holding them in place. Just as you may not lose weight consistently from your thighs versus your stomach versus your arms, even in those localized areas you won't lose all of the fat at the same time/pace. Keep doing what you're doing and they should become less noticeable. And if they don't, then see a doctor.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    I know EXACTLY what you mean. I have that too. People who lose weight, especially a lot of weight, get it sometimes. It's partially deflated fat cells plus extra connective tissue under less supportive skin so they're kind of spaced out and isolated.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    If soft and malleable then this is likely lymph tissue or lipomas.

    Nothing to be concerned with. I have a few and joke that government chipped me.

    ...or perhaps the chip is making me think I'm joking?

    If it's anything like mine, I doubt it's lipomas. It's like thousands of tiny marbles, too numerous and too small to be lipomas. It's usually felt in areas where the skin is thinner and has more tendency to be lax enough to feel the underlying tissue matrix, like the underside of arms. Extra connective tissue, uneven fat loss from cells...etc. My doctor says it's entirely normal.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    If soft and malleable then this is likely lymph tissue or lipomas.

    Nothing to be concerned with. I have a few and joke that government chipped me.

    ...or perhaps the chip is making me think I'm joking?

    If it's anything like mine, I doubt it's lipomas. It's like thousands of tiny marbles, too numerous and too small to be lipomas. It's usually felt in areas where the skin is thinner and has more tendency to be lax enough to feel the underlying tissue matrix, like the underside of arms. Extra connective tissue, uneven fat loss from cells...etc. My doctor says it's entirely normal.

    Lymph more than likely - uneven, squishy, and tend to form on the underside of arms & legs.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    Sounds like little balls of fat. My husband lost about 100lbs and can now feel them on the underside of his upper arms.
  • JesseFP
    JesseFP Posts: 1 Member
    First thing that came to mind were Lymph Nodes, although for there to be that many inflamed would be questionable. Most likely fatty cysts (lipomas) though. Do you have these lumps on your neck or around your inner thigh or groin ?

    Goto the docs, youll be told to get an ultra sound..quick and easy, im sure its just tons of fatty cysts ( Ive only ever seen people with a few in 1 area but theres always an exception !)
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    I have them on the underside of my upper arms, and to a much lesser extent my inner thighs. I don't currently feel them on my belly (105 lbs lighter), but when I was thinner (125 lbs lighter) I did. You don't see them, you just feel them when you squish the fat between your fingers. I haven't been thin enough to see if they would go away with further weight loss, but it wouldn't make a difference either way. Might as well be lymph tissue.
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    I really don't think that it is my Lymph Nodes or Lipomas. You can't see them, and there seems to be hundreds. They are very small, describing them as marbles was probably an overstatement, probably more in size like very small peas, if not smaller.
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    edited August 2018
    sijomial wrote: »
    Interesting theory from Lyle McDonald which mentions the feeling of marbles under the skin.......

    https://bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html/

    I didn't get that marbles or grainy feeling but did notice changes in appearance of my fat just before a "whoosh".

    Yup. That's about the only reputable source I could find when googling that even mentions the phenomena. Guess I'll just have to wait to see how this develops and if they go away or not. Funny enough, the scale showed a 4.9lb loss this morning (from last Wednesday, my regular weigh in day) and a 2.1lb loss from just yesterday and I just noticed these bumps for the first time last night. Unfortunately though, they are still there this morning, but less pronounced. Thanks!
  • Running_and_Coffee
    Running_and_Coffee Posts: 811 Member
    This sounds really alarming!!! I hope it's something related to a "whoosh" but if it doesn't go away, maybe you should at least call a dermatologist? I have never seen anything like that. I get a heat rash sometimes from exercising outside in the summer, but those are blisters very much on the surface layer of the skin and not marble like at all.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Squishy fat. There are many odd phases of weight loss - marbles are one for some of us. Keep going.
  • happytree923
    happytree923 Posts: 463 Member
    edited August 2018
    I think I have that, it feels like a bumpy texture on the underside of your upper arm? And you can only feel it if you press hard? I don’t remember the first time I noticed it but it’s been a very long time and I’m not dead yet. Bodies are weird!


    ETA feel the lymph nodes under your chin and see if it feels the same. I just tried this on myself and it is definitely lymph nodes.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Congrats on your loss!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    You’ve just described my lipomas. I have too many to count. They were happily growing along and then you uncovered them by losing significant weight.

    https://www.healthline.com/health/skin/lumps
  • elsie6hickman
    elsie6hickman Posts: 3,864 Member
    Is it cellulite? That can feel bumpy under the skin. Not sure you would find it on your arms, but I guess it's possible.
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