is this loose skin? can I do something about it without surgery ? :'((

SiiaMarl
SiiaMarl Posts: 19 Member
edited September 2021 in Health and Weight Loss
Good Day everyone

Im 28 years old female , my height is 163-164cm, current weight: 65.1-65.5 KG.

like many I have been yo-yo dieting but in late 2018 I had to take medication for depression which spiked my weight till it reached the heaviest weight I ever been (98 kg).

-I started a healthy weight loss journey on Oct 2019, weight: 96kg
- on January 2020 weight was: 90 kg .
- on September 2021 weight is: 65 KG.

the problem is that I thought if I would reach 60 I would look healthy and thin however, there are places that still hold a lot of fat (arm, belly and thighs).

My arms looks AWFFUL/ horrible I thought when I lose the weight they will shrink but no they barely changed (to be exact they shrunk 2 cm only). I specify a particular workout for my arms + using weights (2kg -4kg dumbbells) but there is no affect on them.

I don't know what should I do, is this what is called loose skin? will I need a surgery?
my current goal is 50kg but when I talked about it with some of my peers they suggested that maybe I need to reach in the (40s kg) but im afraid that everything will shrink but my arms :'(



g4zaehk4d1d3.jpeg

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Replies

  • SiiaMarl
    SiiaMarl Posts: 19 Member
    Lietchi wrote: »
    What you see there isn't just skin and fat, part of it is your triceps, which will hang when it isn't being flexed.
    If you flex your triceps, you can feel the difference between the muscle and the fat/skin when you pinch it.

    As for most skin, you're young, it can still tighten up with time, no despair 🙂 loose skin can still firm up to a year or more after weight loss.
    Lietchi wrote: »
    PS: why aim for such a low weight? You need to do strength training, NOT lose weight till your underweight to firm up and improve your body composition.



    even if I flex the dangly part is there, yes you are right I have heard that skin can be tighten up in certain years but what frustrate me is that my work for a year and a half did not affect( or build a little of muscle) my arms and im getting older. so it is loose skin!!


    what do u mean by low weight, 50 or 40? if 50 I can answer you that im still overweight and have fats (I know a body should have fat) but I have excess fat in belly and thigh and as you can see my arms. Despite my effort I only shrunk my size but the shape of fat in each part of my body is still the same only smaller. unfortunately Gym is not an option for me know that's why I do home workouts
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,532 Member
    Despite my effort I only shrunk my size but the shape of fat in each part of my body is still the same only smaller. unfortunately Gym is not an option for me know that's why I do home workouts [/quote]

    My understanding is that "shape" is genetic, as it is highly dependant on where exactly your muscles are attached, which varies based on genetcs. You can get bigger or smaller, but the only way to change shape is through surgery. Honestly, my advice is love your body, regardless of its shape. It may not be perfect, but it's yours.
  • SiiaMarl
    SiiaMarl Posts: 19 Member
    SiiaMarl wrote: »
    Lietchi wrote: »
    What you see there isn't just skin and fat, part of it is your triceps, which will hang when it isn't being flexed.
    If you flex your triceps, you can feel the difference between the muscle and the fat/skin when you pinch it.

    As for most skin, you're young, it can still tighten up with time, no despair 🙂 loose skin can still firm up to a year or more after weight loss.
    Lietchi wrote: »
    PS: why aim for such a low weight? You need to do strength training, NOT lose weight till your underweight to firm up and improve your body composition.



    even if I flex the dangly part is there, yes you are right I have heard that skin can be tighten up in certain years but what frustrate me is that my work for a year and a half did not affect( or build a little of muscle) my arms and im getting older. so it is loose skin!!


    what do u mean by low weight, 50 or 40? if 50 I can answer you that im still overweight and have fats (I know a body should have fat) but I have excess fat in belly and thigh and as you can see my arms. Despite my effort I only shrunk my size but the shape of fat in each part of my body is still the same only smaller. unfortunately Gym is not an option for me know that's why I do home workouts

    You need to do recomp, then. Just losing more weight is not going to help when you're already a healthy weight (you are not overweight).


    recomp? do I need special equipments?
  • SiiaMarl
    SiiaMarl Posts: 19 Member
    sollyn23l2 wrote: »
    Despite my effort I only shrunk my size but the shape of fat in each part of my body is still the same only smaller. unfortunately Gym is not an option for me know that's why I do home workouts

    My understanding is that "shape" is genetic, as it is highly dependant on where exactly your muscles are attached, which varies based on genetcs. You can get bigger or smaller, but the only way to change shape is through surgery. Honestly, my advice is love your body, regardless of its shape. It may not be perfect, but it's yours.[/quote]


    oh I think you misunderstood me when I say shape, I did not mean switching from pear shape to hour glass and such. what I meant is when I was heavier fat accumulated on different part of my body has a shape for example the area above my navel has a lot of fat if u see me from the side you would see a round shape . that's what I meant by only shrunk in size but the shape is there like its not even considered flat
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,950 Member
    SiiaMarl wrote: »
    SiiaMarl wrote: »
    Lietchi wrote: »
    What you see there isn't just skin and fat, part of it is your triceps, which will hang when it isn't being flexed.
    If you flex your triceps, you can feel the difference between the muscle and the fat/skin when you pinch it.

    As for most skin, you're young, it can still tighten up with time, no despair 🙂 loose skin can still firm up to a year or more after weight loss.
    Lietchi wrote: »
    PS: why aim for such a low weight? You need to do strength training, NOT lose weight till your underweight to firm up and improve your body composition.



    even if I flex the dangly part is there, yes you are right I have heard that skin can be tighten up in certain years but what frustrate me is that my work for a year and a half did not affect( or build a little of muscle) my arms and im getting older. so it is loose skin!!


    what do u mean by low weight, 50 or 40? if 50 I can answer you that im still overweight and have fats (I know a body should have fat) but I have excess fat in belly and thigh and as you can see my arms. Despite my effort I only shrunk my size but the shape of fat in each part of my body is still the same only smaller. unfortunately Gym is not an option for me know that's why I do home workouts

    You need to do recomp, then. Just losing more weight is not going to help when you're already a healthy weight (you are not overweight).


    recomp? do I need special equipments?

    Not necessarily. Sorry, I thought it had been discussed upthread, or I wouldn't have just thrown it out with no explanation.

    It's eating at maintenance, or in small deficits for a few weeks followed by small surpluses, known as cut and bulk cycles, while you engage in a progressive resistance training (usually weight lifting) program. If you don't have access to weights (either at home or at a gym), you can try a bodyweight program (where your own body provides the weight for resistance).
  • kenziestabes
    kenziestabes Posts: 338 Member
    Have you tried slowly upping the weight you are using for your upper body? Maybe transition to 5-7kg? You may have to do fewer reps per set until you get used to the new weight. Also make sure you're getting the right nutrients for healthy skin, such as vitamin C and omega-3 (like in fish oil or... fish). That said, just like with weight loss, it'll be slow progress.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,847 Member
    SiiaMarl wrote: »
    Good Day everyone

    Im 28 years old female , my height is 163-164cm, current weight: 65.1-65.5 KG.

    like many I have been yo-yo dieting but in late 2018 I had to take medication for depression which spiked my weight till it reached the heaviest weight I ever been (98 kg).

    -I started a healthy weight loss journey on Oct 2019, weight: 96kg
    - on January 2020 weight was: 90 kg .
    - on September 2021 weight is: 65 KG.

    the problem is that I thought if I would reach 60 I would look healthy and thin however, there are places that still hold a lot of fat (arm, belly and thighs).

    My arms looks AWFFUL/ horrible I thought when I lose the weight they will shrink but no they barely changed (to be exact they shrunk 2 cm only). I specify a particular workout for my arms + using weights (2kg -4kg dumbbells) but there is no affect on them.

    I don't know what should I do, is this what is called loose skin? will I need a surgery?
    my current goal is 50kg but when I talked about it with some of my peers they suggested that maybe I need to reach in the (40s kg) but im afraid that everything will shrink but my arms :'(

    For those of us who use the Imperial system:

    Height: 5'4"

    CW 65 kg: 143 pounds

    50 kg: 110 pounds

    40 kg: 88 pounds

    And BMI 19–24: 110 - 140 pounds
  • MargaretYakoda
    MargaretYakoda Posts: 2,123 Member
    I don’t know if it will make any difference but I like to use the nylon sleeves meant for covering tattoos. It holds up the chicken wings, and my theory is that might help with the excess skin in the long run. At the very least it keeps me from feeling it flap around when I move.

    Not to take away any of the excellent comments you have gotten here. I just wanted to agree that it can be annoying. And share my current solution.
  • SiiaMarl
    SiiaMarl Posts: 19 Member
    I appreciate every comment and help I can get :)

    but there is something I still cannot understand, where I went wrong while losing the weight, I mean that I have not neglect my arms workout [ im aware that I cannot target a specific part] but I thought I would get better results since I did various workout for various places and did not stick with one like running for example.



    I don’t know if it will make any difference but I like to use the nylon sleeves meant for covering tattoos. It holds up the chicken wings, and my theory is that might help with the excess skin in the long run. At the very least it keeps me from feeling it flap around when I move.

    Not to take away any of the excellent comments you have gotten here. I just wanted to agree that it can be annoying. And share my current solution.


    it is annoying and frustrating, I have seen similar thing which is like an arm slimmer fabric but im not sure if it will work.

    SiiaMarl wrote: »
    SiiaMarl wrote: »
    Lietchi wrote: »
    What you see there isn't just skin and fat, part of it is your triceps, which will hang when it isn't being flexed.
    If you flex your triceps, you can feel the difference between the muscle and the fat/skin when you pinch it.

    As for most skin, you're young, it can still tighten up with time, no despair 🙂 loose skin can still firm up to a year or more after weight loss.
    Lietchi wrote: »
    PS: why aim for such a low weight? You need to do strength training, NOT lose weight till your underweight to firm up and improve your body composition.



    even if I flex the dangly part is there, yes you are right I have heard that skin can be tighten up in certain years but what frustrate me is that my work for a year and a half did not affect( or build a little of muscle) my arms and im getting older. so it is loose skin!!


    what do u mean by low weight, 50 or 40? if 50 I can answer you that im still overweight and have fats (I know a body should have fat) but I have excess fat in belly and thigh and as you can see my arms. Despite my effort I only shrunk my size but the shape of fat in each part of my body is still the same only smaller. unfortunately Gym is not an option for me know that's why I do home workouts

    You need to do recomp, then. Just losing more weight is not going to help when you're already a healthy weight (you are not overweight).


    recomp? do I need special equipments?

    Not necessarily. Sorry, I thought it had been discussed upthread, or I wouldn't have just thrown it out with no explanation.

    It's eating at maintenance, or in small deficits for a few weeks followed by small surpluses, known as cut and bulk cycles, while you engage in a progressive resistance training (usually weight lifting) program. If you don't have access to weights (either at home or at a gym), you can try a bodyweight program (where your own body provides the weight for resistance).


    I see, not I did not try this since I still need to lose some weight so Im still in a calorie deficit
  • SiiaMarl
    SiiaMarl Posts: 19 Member
    You're not going to like this but you don't get to determine your shape or where that necessary fat is. Some people have a thin layer all over and an hourglass shape. Othwrs store it mostly around the middle. I weigh 130 lbs (now) and am 5'5". My fat distribution and general shape is exactly what it was at nearly 200. Thinner from shoulders up and hips down, flat butt, straight from ribs to hips (ie no pronounced waist) and with relative large breasts, stomach, and saddle bags. I do have a small frame but this was also my shape at 14 and 112 lbs. It ain't changing. More loss would just result in a smaller version of the same thing.

    vew1sfrgdxyp.png

    ^ not the best example ever (will do a pic tonight if necessary). Because life jacket and swim trunks but you can clearly see I have twiggy arms and legs and weight in the middle. My 'solution' is to look more balanced by building muscle in my arms and legs. That's as good as it's getting without multiple plastic surgeries and screw that, I'm busy.



    thank you for sharing this although the vest is in the way XD . yeah my problem is that despite my effort I cannot build muscle
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,036 Member
    The important bit is progressive overload. If you've been using the same weights for a year and a half, there was no progressive overload. You need to use increasingly heavier weights or resistance to keep on stimulating your muscles.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited September 2021
    SiiaMarl wrote: »
    SiiaMarl wrote: »
    Lietchi wrote: »
    What you see there isn't just skin and fat, part of it is your triceps, which will hang when it isn't being flexed.
    If you flex your triceps, you can feel the difference between the muscle and the fat/skin when you pinch it.

    As for most skin, you're young, it can still tighten up with time, no despair 🙂 loose skin can still firm up to a year or more after weight loss.
    Lietchi wrote: »
    PS: why aim for such a low weight? You need to do strength training, NOT lose weight till your underweight to firm up and improve your body composition.



    even if I flex the dangly part is there, yes you are right I have heard that skin can be tighten up in certain years but what frustrate me is that my work for a year and a half did not affect( or build a little of muscle) my arms and im getting older. so it is loose skin!!


    what do u mean by low weight, 50 or 40? if 50 I can answer you that im still overweight and have fats (I know a body should have fat) but I have excess fat in belly and thigh and as you can see my arms. Despite my effort I only shrunk my size but the shape of fat in each part of my body is still the same only smaller. unfortunately Gym is not an option for me know that's why I do home workouts

    You need to do recomp, then. Just losing more weight is not going to help when you're already a healthy weight (you are not overweight).


    recomp? do I need special equipments?

    Not necessarily. Sorry, I thought it had been discussed upthread, or I wouldn't have just thrown it out with no explanation.

    It's eating at maintenance, or in small deficits for a few weeks followed by small surpluses, known as cut and bulk cycles, while you engage in a progressive resistance training (usually weight lifting) program. If you don't have access to weights (either at home or at a gym), you can try a bodyweight program (where your own body provides the weight for resistance).

    @lynn_glenmont

    That's actually over-complicating recomp.
    Mini bulk / cut cycles of calorie surplus and deficiti is entriely optional and most people simply maintain weight (or eat very close to weight maintenance) all of the time.
    Recomp is a training goal and not an eating plan.
    As the OP still wants to lose some weight then a small to very small calorie deficit would be appropriate for her.

    It's simply a posh name for what has been known for generations as "getting in shape". Train effectively and your body changes.
  • 39flavours
    39flavours Posts: 1,494 Member
    It's my understanding that building muscle while eating at a deficit is difficult if not impossible. I think you're doing the right thing by continuing to lift weights while losing fat as you will hopefully maintain the muscle that you currently have. Once you hit your target weight you can increase your calories and work on building muscle which should tighten up the skin, it'll be OK
  • 39flavours
    39flavours Posts: 1,494 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    39flavours wrote: »
    It's my understanding that building muscle while eating at a deficit is difficult if not impossible. I think you're doing the right thing by continuing to lift weights while losing fat as you will hopefully maintain the muscle that you currently have. Once you hit your target weight you can increase your calories and work on building muscle which should tighten up the skin, it'll be OK

    If someone has been training for many years then yes, it gets harder to gain muscle without making supporting conditions for growth closer to optimal. Which is why highly trained body builders and strength athlete may have to consider bulk/cut cycles. But that need doesn't translate to the general population. It's like comparing what an international athlete has to do to shave a second off their 5k time compared to a beginer starting out on C25K who will be taking minutes off their time - they don't have to eat and train the same way to progress.

    The vast majority of the populations are not anywhere close to their genetic potential and the stimulus required for growth is relatively low. A large deficit is clearly a big disadvantage but someone not lean and not highly trained should be able to gain some muscle if they keep their deficit low and crucially train well.
    The predominant reason people fail to gain muscle is because their training is poor or inconsistent- not that they aren't eating enough.

    Ah OK, so I guess if OP wants to be firming up her arms then ensuring her deficit isn't too big and making sure she is training correctly is key, thanks.