Excess skin during weightloss

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Moneywallet
Moneywallet Posts: 1 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Is it possible to lose 100lbs and still have some shape? I realize the really stretched out areas will probably never go back without surgery, but are there exercises that can be done to make thighs smaller and arms leaner as opposed to just saggy from weight loss?

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  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    Start lifting weights yesterday. It will help you retain as much muscle as possible while you lose. As an overweight beginner, you will also be able to gain strength and some muscle while losing. You'll get to your goal with a better body composition (fat vs lean ratio) than you would if you didn't do what was possible to keep your muscle.

    This^^

    And realize that your skin will take time to bounce back, up to 2 years after you've lost the weight. Your age and genetics will also play a factor.
  • tlpina82
    tlpina82 Posts: 229 Member
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    Depends on the extent of the stretch.
    I've seen people who lost more than that and had no problems.

    I've had some problems with it and gained a lot of muscle to compensate.

    But as said, it really depends on how far you've stretched.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    Start lifting weights yesterday. It will help you retain as much muscle as possible while you lose. As an overweight beginner, you will also be able to gain strength and some muscle while losing. You'll get to your goal with a better body composition (fat vs lean ratio) than you would if you didn't do what was possible to keep your muscle.

    ^ This.

    I have lost over 120 lbs. I do have some loose skin on my lower abdomen, but it can easily be hidden in my pants. That is me in my profile pic just a few months ago.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,851 Member
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    Agree with all of the above, but I also think many people have a too-pessimistic idea of what their loose skin will be after weight loss. You might want to take a look at before and after photos in the Success Stories part of the forum. You may be surprised to find that the problem is less severe than you're imagining.

    It does take more time for skin to shrink than it takes for fat loss. I definitely found that my loose skin was still shrinking into year 2 of maintenance (noting that I only lost 50-some pounds, but at age 59-60).

    Another thing to be aware of is that, for some of us, the results part way through weight loss can be misleadingly alarming. We can look worse part way through weight loss, in terms of sagginess, than we will at goal weight, let alone after a year or two at goal weight.

    What can happen is that fat is not lost neatly starting from the outside layer, then moving to inner layers. Instead, it depletes anywhere within our fat mass. The result is that the fat mass is less firm, even kind of droopy, squishy, or floppy: Yikes! Think about a water balloon partly full of water (no air), vs. one that's completely full of water. The partly full one is squishy and limp, instead of firm and round. The overall fat mass can be somewhat like that.

    This "squishy fat" conspires with gravity to keep skin stretched out. However, as weight loss continues, more fat depletes, and some areas can reach a point where there's just actual loose skin - thin wrinkles, almost like wrinkles in fabric - rather than the thicker wrinkles or rolls (1/2" plus) of skin plus subcutaneous fat keeping it stretched out. The thin-wrinkles stuff has a decent chance of shrinking in the long term, even if it may take a longer time than the fat loss.

    So, don't worry too much now, lose your weight in a sensibly moderate way, with good nutrition. Exercise, especially strength exercise as others have said, will help the overall situation. As you get close to goal weight, you'll have a little better idea what your outcome will be, but even then, things can improve for many months after.

    Best wishes!

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