water fasting and loose skin...

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ncd30
ncd30 Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
I gained about 100 lbs very rapidly over the year and now I have really bad stretch marks on my stomach, arms, back, chest, and thighs... Does this mean I will definitely have loose skin with weight loss?? I've never had a body I was comfortable in and I'm worried that now I never will.. I'm 19 almost 20 and i have about 150 lbs to lose. I was also wondering if water fasting will give me loose skin. I've read some reviews about it and no one mentioned loose skin but they all did lose weight very fast.

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  • PBJunkie
    PBJunkie Posts: 652
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    Best is to lose weight very slowly aiming at 1-2lbs a week, you should also supplement with Fish Oils (Omega 3) and also do not fast water as it is vital in weight loss to have your cells hydrated at all times.

    The major cause of loose skin is losing the weight too fast, you are still pretty young so do it slowly and your skin will tighten as you go along.
  • slay0r
    slay0r Posts: 669 Member
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    I put on about 100 pounds too and then lost it very quickly. I wouldn't recommend it even if you are around 20. I've got stretch marks because they obviously don't go away, but I've also got a little bit of loose skin. It is going gradually but it can take 1-2 years to gain back its elasticity.

    Don't do any fasts or anything ridiculous, it's not sustainable and you'll put the weight back on after, that's a diet rather than a lifestyle change, you want the lifestyle change so you don't go back and do it again, trust me it's harder to lose it twice!

    If you lose it more gradually you'll feel better for it and your skin will adjust more accordingly. These diets where you lose really quickly don't give the skin time to adjust, hence the loose skin! If you lose a couple of pounds a week (104 across the year) then you'll probably have a hell of a lot less skin than you would any other way, otherwise you'll be sat there doing cardio 24/7 like I've had to!
  • ncd30
    ncd30 Posts: 5
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    PBjunkie-
    Thanks for the tips! and I meant water fasting as in consuming nothing but water for a couple days. And I'm still worried that if I lose weight slowly I'll still have loose skin where because I have stretch marks because the skin in those spots lost it's elasticity..
  • waster196
    waster196 Posts: 138 Member
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    Some amount of loose skin is inevitable when you have a large amount of weight to lose, but you have age on your side and if you lose the weight at a slow and steady pace and incorporate strength training and toning you're doing all you can to reduce the effects.

    Personally, I have taken things slowly and I am young, but I still have loose skin and will have to some extend no matter what I do about it (barring surgery of course). I wouldn't recommend water fasting or any kind of rapid weight loss.
  • ncd30
    ncd30 Posts: 5
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    slay0r and waster196-

    Thanks for the advice.. I just want to lose the weigt as quickly as possible but I guess it's a lose-lose situation.. :(
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    PBjunkie-
    Thanks for the tips! and I meant water fasting as in consuming nothing but water for a couple days. And I'm still worried that if I lose weight slowly I'll still have loose skin where because I have stretch marks because the skin in those spots lost it's elasticity..

    Why would you do this to your body???
    Eat your calories and exercise and you will lose weight. It's really quite easy and there is no need to punish yourself by denying yourself food.
  • PegasusDeb
    PegasusDeb Posts: 665 Member
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    Totally agree with these guys! Lose it sloooooowly! You have youth on your side. Your skin will bounce back, given time & a proper diet.
    Good luck on your journey!
  • xkells1x
    xkells1x Posts: 1
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    I reached under 1200 calories yesterday and the my fitness pal told me to add more calories. Only healthy way to lose weight is through healthy diet and exercise. I should know i lost 20kg in 2009 over eight months - took no supplements all i did was healthy eat and exercise, dont go on a diet of just water you will just starve yourself and effectively wont lose weight as your body will store the fat u have. I dont know if you will have stretch marks but with consistent healthy weight loss you will tone up and that could get rid of loose pockets of fat.
  • jesshall281
    jesshall281 Posts: 219
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    slay0r and waster196-

    Thanks for the advice.. I just want to lose the weigt as quickly as possible but I guess it's a lose-lose situation.. :(

    Stop concentrating on losing the weight 'as quickly as possible'. If weight loss was quick and easy there would be slim people everywhere, unfortunately, you have to work for it, and by doing it right. Eat well and exercise, tone up the skin by using weights. But starving yourself is ridiculous and i can almost guarantee you that you will put all the weight back on. Do it right, and you can maintain that for the rest of your life, do it wrong, and you'll end up far worse than you already are.
  • TiffanyA2008
    TiffanyA2008 Posts: 197
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    I gained about 100 lbs very rapidly over the year and now I have really bad stretch marks on my stomach, arms, back, chest, and thighs... Does this mean I will definitely have loose skin with weight loss?? I've never had a body I was comfortable in and I'm worried that now I never will.. I'm 19 almost 20 and i have about 150 lbs to lose. I was also wondering if water fasting will give me loose skin. I've read some reviews about it and no one mentioned loose skin but they all did lose weight very fast.

    DO NOT STARVE YOUR BODY! I promise you that if you do this you may lose the weight, but IT WILL COME BACK. Why would you want to do that anyway?? It is extremely unhealthy. Also, losing weight at a slower rate can help the effects of loose skin. Search Google for some articles on weight loss and loose skin.

    Remember this ALWAYS when it comes to weight loss, "SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE!"
  • slay0r
    slay0r Posts: 669 Member
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    I know you want to lose it quickly everyone does. The thing is you'll start to look better after a few weeks and you'll really enjoy it from then on. You'll get people from all angles giving you compliments and it will spur you on from there. It's better to spend a year doing it properly than 5 years after saving to have surgery to sort out the mess that's left believe me I've seen a couple of people and even after the surgery it isn't great.

    For the stretch marks buy some good quality cocoa butter and put it over the stretch marks and if you can afford it buy some bio oil, that pales the stretch marks so you can't notice them and helps put the skin back in place. The cocoa butter tightens and moisturises the skin and encourages it to regain it's elasticity.

    Just do it the right way please, I've tried the harder ways and it isn't worth all the effort and pain for what will be no benefit! Feel free to add me and I'll make my diary public if you want.

    OH and to mention.. the girl behind me is doing diet fad after diet fad..she's actually gained 6 pounds rather than losing over all these silly diets and she's been off work ill repeatedly..
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
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    I'm 32 (wayy older than you) & have been overweight since I was 15 & now is in my normal weight range w/o any stretch marks. Stop thinking on those negative things & just focus on your goals if you really want to improve your health. Slow & steady wins the race.

    PS: You're still wayy too young to even think of those sagging skin & stretch marks. Take advantage of getting fit & healthy while you're still young. All of us here say the same thing. What you're thinking is actually very unhealthy & in the long run, you might regret it.
  • stripeyrache
    stripeyrache Posts: 6 Member
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    and I meant water fasting as in consuming nothing but water for a couple days.

    This is the most stupid thing I have ever read! Don't do this. You'll do yourself much more harm than good.

    I know you want to lose quickly, but if you're worried about loose skin, then it's going to have to be a slow and steady weight loss.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    PBjunkie-
    Thanks for the tips! and I meant water fasting as in consuming nothing but water for a couple days. And I'm still worried that if I lose weight slowly I'll still have loose skin where because I have stretch marks because the skin in those spots lost it's elasticity..

    the water fast is a bad idea...

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