Excess skin lose after losing 200lbs
dragonghost
Posts: 68 Member
Since may 01 2017 i have lost over 200lbs though because i had to lose it quickly due to health concerns i am left with a lot of excess skin.
Has any one ran into this problem an if so how long did it take to build muscle to fill in an tighten the lose skin?
Any guidance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated currently i am doing weight lifting an cardo.
When lifting weights i am focusing more on more reps an less weight hoping this will speed up the process.
Has any one ran into this problem an if so how long did it take to build muscle to fill in an tighten the lose skin?
Any guidance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated currently i am doing weight lifting an cardo.
When lifting weights i am focusing more on more reps an less weight hoping this will speed up the process.
0
Replies
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Fat loss tends to be much faster than skin shrinkage, even when the fat loss was not nearly as fast as yours was. I lost only about 50 pounds in about a year, but my loose skin kept shrinking well into year 2 of maintenance, at least.
True excess skin (thin wrinkles, like in fabric) can continue to shrink for quite a while. Skin that still has a subcutaneous fat layer conspiring with gravity to keep it stretched out (1/2" or thicker wrinkles, folds, or rolls) may shrink much more slowly, or not at all.
If you have a lot of loose skin, it seems unlikely you'll gain enough muscle to fill it out, since muscle is denser (more compact) than fat pound for pound, and building muscle is a very slow process with genetic and practical limits. Getting healthy amounts of exercise, alongside solid nutrition, does maximize your chance of healthy skin, and that will create your most favorable circumstances for skin shrinkage, though.
Without (unsafe/illegal) performance enhancing drugs, a very successful muscle mass increase rate might be two pounds a month for men, and a pound for women. That would require optimal conditions, which include relative youth; an aggressive, well-designed progressive weight training program; and a calorie surplus (i.e. weight gain).
I know this isn't what you ideally wanted to hear, but the main take home is that a lot of skin shrinkage can potentially happen over time, just with patience and healthy habits. Weight training can be a help, both from the health angle, and the mass-gain angle.
Best wishes!10 -
First off, congrats on losing 200lbs. That's quite an accomplishment.
I've lost 32lbs since January, and 80lbs in 2.5yrs. As such, I have some loose skin problems. Turkey neck and back of the arms mostly. Everything else seems to be shrinking in a bit so far, but if I keep it up, I think I'll have other significant areas also.
As @AnnPT77 has said above, it might take a while. I've heard from others the 2+ yrs number, and in some cases, never, or that not all looseness will contract or resolve. It apparently depends on a bunch of factors, such as age, skin health/elasticity, how much, diet (composition), etc., including your luck in the genetics lottery.
I'm hoping some weight training and other conditions will help snug up some areas, but again, as said above, muscle doesn't take the same volume as fat. Dietary moderation through MFP and other data carried me through to this year. Since January, I've also been bike riding and doing other related exercises. I've added muscle while losing fat. It's a life journey. I'm over 60yo, and don't expect miracles of loose skin disappearance, but I'd like to have some success.
Youtube suggested a video to me the other day about a 300lb weight loss situation with lots of loose skin:
https://youtu.be/5f2j3aQnngw
This is one person's experience. Now that I've watched one of these, I've learned there's a whole subgenre of loose skin vids on Youtube (just as there is a subgenre on almost any topic).
Here's another, of someone who has a more positive outlook on the loose skin he has:
https://youtu.be/a7oyTazgBmk
Good luck, don't lose heart. It's still better to have lost the weight and reached a maintenance state. Consequences you can deal with later one way or another.3 -
dragonghost wrote: »When lifting weights i am focusing more on more reps an less weight hoping this will speed up the process.
Probably not. Your goal is to build muscle, which happens best with heavy weight and below around 12-15 reps. I suggest following a proven strength program, so you're doing the right exercises, in the right order, etc. See the pinned post for a list of programs.
Your profile says you had kidney cancer, so get approval from your doctor before strength training, since it puts the kidneys under more stress.
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@AnnPT77 thank you for your guidance much appreciated i do not expect things to happen over night or things to be easy i have already gone from being parallelized to walking after my stage 4 surgery so i realize an understand nothing comes easy.
@mjbnj0001 thank you for taking the time its much appreciated
@Cherimoose Yes i have stage 4 kidney cancer which is the reason i had to lose the weight to begin with i was type 2 diabetic with hypertension on about 10 different meds at moment with diet changes an exercise i have been able to be med free an i feel better now then i have ever felt.
My kidney function is currently in the normal range for some one who has two kidney's even though i only have one.
I figure things could always be much worse i am just glad there is another option other then surgery even if it takes a few years to correct.
I am not a big fan of cosmetic surgery let alone having another surgery after what i have been through.
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I lost 185lbs (so far).
Loose skin happens. Time can help a lot. I lost 170lbs then took a year off and basically did a massive recomp. The loose skin that was on my face and neck is now gone. About 90%of the excess skin on my arms is also gone. I have some, but nothing I can't live with on my thighs. My stomach, that was bad. I had surgery to remove the excess. The skin flap got so bad that I would have to wear compression gear in order to run, if I didn't the skin would rub against itself so bad that I would chaff, develope sores (that would end up bleeding a lot), and had to go to my doctor for at least one infection. So that I had removed just to be able to not worry about causing another infection because I went for a hike without having my gut strapped down in very uncomfortable gear.4 -
One thing I forgot to mention . . . with apologies, OP, I should mainly for completeness, but I don't know whether it might apply to you, or not.
I did say this:True excess skin (thin wrinkles, like in fabric) can continue to shrink for quite a while. Skin that still has a subcutaneous fat layer conspiring with gravity to keep it stretched out (1/2" or thicker wrinkles, folds, or rolls) may shrink much more slowly, or not at all.
I should add: Some of us find that we look worst part way through weight loss, when the fat mass is partially depleted.
The fat can deplete anywhere in our fat mass, not just start depleting from the outside and moving inward like a melting ice cube. Instead, the fat mass gets squishier and floppier, maybe hang-y-er . . . kind of like the difference between a very full water balloon (round, firm) vs. one with a little water but no air (floppy). That stage sometimes make people think their final results will be even worse, but that's not necessarily true.
As the fat mass in any given area continues depleting, some of those areas will get to the "thin wrinkles" stage of loose skin, and the skin can then start shrinking. So, the "part way through" point can look worse (scary, even), and things may materially improve by goal weight, then potentially continue improving for quite a while in maintenance.
So, if anyone reading is at that scary in-between stage, take heart: Things can certainly improve, and loose skin may be much less severe at goal weight than you might think, let alone after some post-goal shrink time.8 -
@UA21 Yes i currently wear compression socks to prevent a DVT so i know how much of a pain they can be.
@AnnPT77 i know what you mean because some of my skin is in the wrinkle stage where there is no underline fat its just the skin has turned more into slime.
My BMI went to under weight prior to joining MFP my weight has gone more into the normal range an i have lost over 10+ pant sizes3 -
@dragonghost
Medical grade compression gear does suck! I'm in mine a good 22 hours a day - basically I get to remove it to bathe plus one hour to fully dry off. (4-6 more weeks in it for me).
Ask your doctor if you can rotate between the socks and compression tights which are much more comfortable, especially to work out in. I know Adidas and UnderArmor makes great ones for women (that my doc approved of) so they should make them in men's as well.
As with previous posters: you are going to look worse before you look better. Before I took the year to do a recomp and let me skin catch up, I definitely had the "melted candle" look everywhere. Don't worry about it, a lot of that will go away with time.
The best advice I got was simply to be patient, continue working out, and stay hydrated.4 -
@VUA21 thank you for the advice i will ask about compression tights.
As for staying hydrated i drink only water now i gave up coffee an soda to protect my kidneys an the only thing i drink other then water is coconut water after doing any type of excess exercise to help with potassium an electrolytes.
I am just glad that its possible with commitment an time that it can be healed even if it takes a while.
Things could be much worse i am just glad that i am alive an no longer need a wheel chair or walker to move around.4 -
dragonghost wrote: »@VUA21 thank you for the advice i will ask about compression tights.
As for staying hydrated i drink only water now i gave up coffee an soda to protect my kidneys an the only thing i drink other then water is coconut water after doing any type of excess exercise to help with potassium an electrolytes.
I am just glad that its possible with commitment an time that it can be healed even if it takes a while.
Things could be much worse i am just glad that i am alive an no longer need a wheel chair or walker to move around.
@dragonghost
Here's the saggy skin left on my arm and neck. There really isn't any on my face and next other than normal 42 year old woman skin. My arm, not enough to bother me and when I flex it disappears (figured I could work on biceps and triceps to make the skin look like it isn't as saggy in lieu of just waiting to see if time fixes it).
My stomach, well that was a whole other ball game. Adding that I gained a lot of weight when I was pregnant stretch marks were pretty bad, and stretch marks are fairly permanent.
My pre-surgery belly (it's bad, but I'd rather have that than be morbidly obese where I was slowly killing myself)
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Check out the Youtube channel called Obease to Beast, he has lost over a 100 lbs and has loose skin. He is very open and honest about it and has several videos dedicated to this topic! Good luck!1
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@JorrunFulhelm thank you i was close to 400 an got down to 160 though with help with MFP i have been able to gain some weight at moment my weight stays around 170-175.
The toughest part i have is making sure to eat enough for the cardo i am doing.1 -
I totally get it! I am having a very and I mean VERY little bit of loose skin after losing around 60 ish lbs. it is mostly in small spots (those very small close together little lines of skin) on my inner thighs. But seriously, congrats to you! Check out his channel he is great and also gives other people platforms to talk about their loose skin and weight loss!1
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dragonghost wrote: »@VUA21 thank you for the advice i will ask about compression tights.
As for staying hydrated i drink only water now i gave up coffee an soda to protect my kidneys an the only thing i drink other then water is coconut water after doing any type of excess exercise to help with potassium an electrolytes.
I am just glad that its possible with commitment an time that it can be healed even if it takes a while.
Things could be much worse i am just glad that i am alive an no longer need a wheel chair or walker to move around.
@dragonghost
Here's the saggy skin left on my arm and neck. There really isn't any on my face and next other than normal 42 year old woman skin. My arm, not enough to bother me and when I flex it disappears (figured I could work on biceps and triceps to make the skin look like it isn't as saggy in lieu of just waiting to see if time fixes it).
<rest of post, with much good stuff, snipped>
Relaxed triceps are somewhat slack and mobile, even in very fit, strong women. If it goes away when you flex, it isn't fat, it's relaxed triceps. It drives me crazy when I see women mis-identify nice triceps muscles as "ugly" "fat" "loose skin" "bat wings" "chicken wings" "arm flaps" and more, and hate on them.
Sure, we can have a little subcutaneous fat and loose skin on our upper arms that distributes itself in a more all-round way when we flex, but is pulled down by gravity when we relax. But in every real life case where I've asked a friend to test it, she was misidentifying relaxed triceps muscle as a big part of some kind of bad and ugly thing.
When you're standing in a relaxed position (as in @VUA21's photo), take the opposite hand and grab a handful of that "fat" and "loose skin". Get as close to the bone and what you perceive as muscle as you can with your fingertips, so all of the supposed evil stuff is in your grip. Now flex. If some of what you're gripping tightens up, you're misidentifying muscle as fat or loose skin.
(Note that this same principal can apply to other smaller muscles in the underarm area - or other body parts affected by gravity - as well. Many muscles, when relaxed, are somewhat slack and mobile. They're still muscles, not fat or skin. We shouldn't be hating on useful muscles, so this kind of identification process is important.
)
There are probably a thousand different things that we women have learned to hate about our bodies, from a lot of blog and instagram nonsense, aggravated by photoshop's ubiquity, that is not only perfectly normal but in some cases beneficial.
Muscles are beneficial. Some relaxed muscles are slack/soft. Know what you have, and don't diss your muscles!4 -
@AnnPT77 In my honest opinion i wish my arms looked like VUA21 though it looks more like melted skin with stretch marks.
After surgery i lost all my strength in my my arms an legs i am unsure how or why this happen though i am guessing that the removal of many different organs caused my body to shut down in a way.
A long time after the surgery i could not even lift 5lbs with my legs or arms where prior i did not have this problem.
It has been a very long process though i have gained more strength in my legs an arms over time.1 -
dragonghost wrote: »@AnnPT77 In my honest opinion i wish my arms looked like VUA21 though it looks more like melted skin with stretch marks.
After surgery i lost all my strength in my my arms an legs i am unsure how or why this happen though i am guessing that the removal of many different organs caused my body to shut down in a way.
A long time after the surgery i could not even lift 5lbs with my legs or arms where prior i did not have this problem.
It has been a very long process though i have gained more strength in my legs an arms over time.
We all have things we want to work on to improve ourselves . . . at least all mentally healthy people do, I think. Some are body things, some are other intellectual or physical skills, some are about emotional responses, and more. That's all to the good. Still, there are many possible fronts for action, and we're each inevitably imperfectable. And that's OK, too.
I greatly admire you for what you're doing, working hard over a long time period to bring yourself back from serious health problems . . . I hope you see and value that strength and determination in yourself.
I apologize for hijacking your thread to rant about a somewhat-unrelated point. Hand-wring-y old granny type that I am, it just pushes my buttons to see people be self-critical over illusions . . . or to be down on themselves about anything, really. Recognizing a need or desire to change, and working on it, is one thing - a wonderful thing. Disliking and criticizing ourselves over things that "aren't quite there yet" (or things we literally can't change, or are still choosing not to work on) is a whole other thing, and not really a good or healthy plan IMO.
Wishing you the best possible outcomes, and all the fruits of your excellent, persistent efforts!
:flowerforyou: 2 -
dragonghost wrote: »@VUA21 thank you for the advice i will ask about compression tights.
As for staying hydrated i drink only water now i gave up coffee an soda to protect my kidneys an the only thing i drink other then water is coconut water after doing any type of excess exercise to help with potassium an electrolytes.
I am just glad that its possible with commitment an time that it can be healed even if it takes a while.
Things could be much worse i am just glad that i am alive an no longer need a wheel chair or walker to move around.
@dragonghost
Here's the saggy skin left on my arm and neck. There really isn't any on my face and next other than normal 42 year old woman skin. My arm, not enough to bother me and when I flex it disappears (figured I could work on biceps and triceps to make the skin look like it isn't as saggy in lieu of just waiting to see if time fixes it).
<rest of post, with much good stuff, snipped>
Relaxed triceps are somewhat slack and mobile, even in very fit, strong women. If it goes away when you flex, it isn't fat, it's relaxed triceps. It drives me crazy when I see women mis-identify nice triceps muscles as "ugly" "fat" "loose skin" "bat wings" "chicken wings" "arm flaps" and more, and hate on them.
Sure, we can have a little subcutaneous fat and loose skin on our upper arms that distributes itself in a more all-round way when we flex, but is pulled down by gravity when we relax. But in every real life case where I've asked a friend to test it, she was misidentifying relaxed triceps muscle as a big part of some kind of bad and ugly thing.
When you're standing in a relaxed position (as in @VUA21's photo), take the opposite hand and grab a handful of that "fat" and "loose skin". Get as close to the bone and what you perceive as muscle as you can with your fingertips, so all of the supposed evil stuff is in your grip. Now flex. If some of what you're gripping tightens up, you're misidentifying muscle as fat or loose skin.
(Note that this same principal can apply to other smaller muscles in the underarm area - or other body parts affected by gravity - as well. Many muscles, when relaxed, are somewhat slack and mobile. They're still muscles, not fat or skin. We shouldn't be hating on useful muscles, so this kind of identification process is important. )
There are probably a thousand different things that we women have learned to hate about our bodies, from a lot of blog and instagram nonsense, aggravated by photoshop's ubiquity, that is not only perfectly normal but in some cases beneficial.
Muscles are beneficial. Some relaxed muscles are slack/soft. Know what you have, and don't diss your muscles!
@AnnPT77
Oh, I know my arms have very little excess fat on them. When flexed I can definitely feel where the muscle is, and where the small amount of normal fat is, and where it's saggy skin. My clothing size is anywhere from a 4 to an 8 (US), depending on cut, style, brand, whim of the gods and position of the moons of Saturn - I really wish there was some consistency).
My point was that I lost 180lbs, but my arms and face don't look like I lost 180lbs as I also gave my skin time to tighten up a bit. I was showing how a lot of my saggy skin tightened up with time and is a pretty much non-issue.
I agree, so much is out there with regards to what the "ideal" body is, and it's 99% garbage. Between Photoshop, lighting, makeup, and flexed vs unflexed, it's just ridiculous and sad that so many people compare themselves to a magazine image that isn't real to begin with. Also, it's not just women. I'm going back to school for my psych degree and a lot of men are having the same body dysmorphic issues that a generally associated with women.3 -
Nice work, dragonghost! That's an amazing achievement.
I am going to second ObesetoBeast on YouTube. Both for information and for inspiration/positivity. I am 60 lbs into a hopeful 150lbs journey myself, and John's positivity has been helpful for me in letting go of my fears, but also in noticing that: loose skin aside, dude looks amazing with his clothes on, and that's how most people see us anyway.1
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