New to discussion

Hello, and welcome!

I'm 69, and was overweight to obese most of my adult life until age 59-60. I've been at a healthy weight since then. I'm also pretty active exercise-wise, but that was true even for the last dozen years of being obese. I lost around 50 pounds.

My experience was that my loose skin couldn't much even start shrinking until I lost enough body fat that the fat stopped conspiring with gravity to keep my skin stretched out . . . then progress with the skin happened slowly, over time. I'm quite certain my loose skin kept shrinking at least into my 2nd year at a healthy weight, faster at first, slower later. (That's why I'm not sure if/when skin shrinking stopped, because it gets harder to notice as it gets slower.)

I wrote a thread with pictures about my loose skin, and the thread has lots of other people's suggestions and experiences discussed in it. That's here:

If you'd like to increase exercise, that's great. It's a myth that we need to do extreme things to get benefits. There's no need to over-do. The sweet spot is something that creates a manageable challenge. "Manageable" avoids the risks of overdoing, "challenge" creates fitness progress. As we get a bit fitter, whatever we're doing starts to feel easier. That's the time to add some extra duration, frequency, or intensity, or even change the type of exercise, in order to stay in that "manageable challenge" zone.

Anything that raises heart rate is cardiovascular exercise. For a lot of people, just walking more regularly is a great start. But other things work, too - preferably things you find fun, but at least something you think is tolerable and practical. Fun activity is perfect because we tend to want to do it, so do it more often. Any exercise we do more often is 100% more beneficial than something we procrastinate or skip at the slightest excuse.

It's also good to do some kind of exercise that challenges current strength. That doesn't mean struggling to lift punitively giant weights, though lifting weight is a good strength exercise. (The same principle applies here: We lift something that's manageably challenging for us, then increase as fitness improves. It can be lifting soup cans repeatedly in the kitchen to start, even.) Bodyweight exercises are another option, and there are videos available, including some designed for seniors and even beginner seniors. In many areas, there are also fitness classes for seniors, such as Silver Sneakers and similar programs. Those have a social dimension that can be fun, too.

Fitness progress is possible at any age, including our age. Starting can feel a little intimidating, I know . . . but the benefits add up to improved quality of life, with some time and consistency. That's good stuff!

Best wishes!