Worried about loose skin

Sure, slower is probably better. Some people swear by moisturizing/firming creams, although I'm not convinced they do much except stimulate circulation.

The most important advice IMHO is patience: skin tightens up months after losing weight, sometimes up to a year later or more.

Strength training is also a good idea: it doesn't do much for skin, but it does prevent loss of muscle mass while losing weight. Less muscle mass tends to look more 'flabby' and investing some time and effort in muscle mass is also a good choice for long-term health (and burns a few more calories too).

I was very worried about loose skin when I started weight loss. So I went slow (0.5-1lb per week) and after losing 75lbs I do still have some loose skin (I've always had troublesome skin: acne, loads of stretch marks, so I'm not surprised) but not as bad as I imagined. But take it from me: don't let the fear of loose skin hold you back - most of it is only visible to a select few and it's peanuts compared to the awesomeness of being fitter and lighter

I lost around 3st 8 or so in total, at age 59-60.

I looked worse (in terms of loose skin or saggy flaps (!) of fat) part way to goal than I did at goal, and worse at goal than I did a few months down the road from reaching goal. My loose skin kept shrinking at least into year 2 of maintenance. The total shrinkage was quite significant, but it took time.

Now, I don't think I look a lot worse in that way than women my age (currently 68) who've always been slim. There are a few small things someone might notice, if they had similar experience, but it's subtle and unnoticed by the average person. (I've had people look/act visibly shocked to learn I was formerly obese, sometimes refuse to believe me until I show them a before photo . . . and that's happened when I've been wearing close-fitting but not particularly compressive workout clothes, not something baggy.)

Here's the thing: Skin can't even get a good start on shrinking until most of the fat is depleted from a given area. True loose skin is thin wrinkles, like wrinkles in a medium-weight fabric, maybe like denim. Folds that are half an inch (bit over a cm) or more thick probably still have some subcutaneous fat conspiring with gravity to keep skin stretched out. The thin wrinkles are more ready to shrink, IME. But it takes time for that to happen, even after the fat is mostly gone.

I know that isn't what most people truly want to hear, because most of us want fast results. But the implication is that there's hope, with patience.

I think many/most people end up with a more favorable long-term result than they fear earlier in the process. If you go look at threads in the Success Stories part of the MFP Community, you can see threads with photos of people who've lost lots of weight. Most of them look pretty good, IMO. Some of them even have photos in bathing suits, and look good after losing quite a lot. Many people actually look much younger. Again, the implication is that there's hope of good results.

As far as how to minimize loose skin, here's what I think: Genetics matter, and likely age does, too. That's the hand we're dealt, and it's unpredictable and pretty much unchangeable.

Beyond that, skin is an organ. The things that keep other organs healthy will also tend to keep skin healthy, which means elastic and more willing to adjust. These include:

* avoiding fast loss (because it's a physical stress to lose fast),
* getting good well-rounded nutrition (macros and micros, especially but not exclusively protein),
* getting regular exercise (both cardiovascular and strength),
* managing all-source life stress,
* getting enough good-quality sleep if at all possible,
* hydrating adequately (not crazy much, but enough),
* avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol,
* specific to skin, also avoiding tanning.

People will say all kinds of things about creams, dry-brushing, supplements, etc., but personally I'm inclined to thing those are mainly ways to pass the time while skin does pretty much what it was going to do anyway. Help a little? Maybe. Big help? I doubt it. But it can feel good to feel like we're doing *something*.

Bottom line, TL;DR: Skin mostly shrinks after the fat is largely gone, and it takes time. Patience will usually be rewarded. Try not to worry, because things can look worse during loss, but turn out fine in the long run.

Best wishes!

Hey! Please feel free to add me as a friend if you would like! I am on my second round of losing 100lbs.

I can say that the first time I lost 100lbs, my skin bounced back amazingly. I had literally no loose skin! Stretch marks yes, but the skin tightened up. I used Nivea Q10 Skin Firming Body Cream, and that was it.

This time, I am thinking I will definitely be dealing with loose skin! I did have a twin pregnancy, so I guess I need to be realistic as well.

Anyway - Dont let it stop you! You never know how the outcome will be, but there is a very very very good chance, you will love it!