Loose Skin, how to prevent?
Poorgirls_Diet
Posts: 528 Member
I have allot of weight to lose but the one thing that absolutely petrifies the life out of me is loose skin hanging afterwards. I would hate to loose all that weight and then left with another problem. I know surgery is an option if you are rich and can afford it but not me. Can anyone offer me exercise tips to help me along the way? To those that have lost allot of weight, have you noticed any loose skin or did anything different. By the way I have 196lbs left to lose. Any advice would be most appreciated, thanks in advance.
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Does nobody know anything about this?0
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I'm afraid with the excess weight I have lost so far I have began to wrinkle like an elphant lol My son who is 26 lost just over 10 stone, went to the gym all in the time toniing, weights etc etc but he still ended up paying for his skin excess to be removed. I cannot afford this. I have no idea how to manage that part.0
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Thanks for the reply hun. I guess getting healthy is better than worrying about excess skin.0
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A friend of mine lost nearly 150 pounds and ran into the trouble of loose skin on her belly, but nowhere else. She lost the weight gradually through diet/exercise, and slowly lowered her calories rather than beginning by eating at the weight she wanted to be.
In our untrained/unprofessional opinions, the extra skin (or lack-of) was correlated to this slower approach and whether or not she had stretch marks. If her skin scarred as it stretched, all the exercise in the world wasn't gonna bring it back. Like an elastic band that's broken along the way... there's only so much give until it won't spring back. If there's no elasticity left, then surgical intervention seems to be the only option.0 -
I gained 75lbs when pregnant with my son. When I delivered him I was 225lbs. After loosing the normal 20 lbs one gains when pregnant. I was just over 200 lbs. It took me a long time to loose the weight but I can tell you that by loosing it slowly your body has a chance to adjust as you go. It took me at least three to four years to get the weight off. It was not easy at times but my best advice is make small changes that you feel good about. For example the first thing I did for myself was go from regular pop/soda to diet. Now looking back it was not a huge change but it was what I was able to do at the time. Then I would pick something else to change for ex...eating vegetables with my lunch. Just keep making small changes and you will one day end up where you want to be. I can tell you that the more weight I lost the better I felt. I never understood what it meant to be heavy until I was. My knees would hurt walking up stairs when I had the extra weight on. Any time you talk about a "diet" with someone they will tell you what is so much better than what you are talking about but just ignore what others say and do what works for you!!0
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http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/weight-loss/how-to-avoid-having-loose-skin-after-losing-weight.html
especially the part about eating a balanced diet, and COLLAGEN. i have read this many, many times. and if you think about it, collagen is what is prescribed for reducing/preventing facial wrinkles, so it only makes sense it would work for the whole body.
hope this helps, and good luck!!0 -
Not much you can do from what I understand. Drink lots of water, use lots of skin firming lotion and hope for the best. I've also heard that dry-brushing the skin can help a little too.0
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A friend of mine went from 350 to 165 and she doesn't have hanging skn. She does toning exercises, light lifting, and the resistance bands. Try researching information or consulting a personal trainer. Good luck0
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Have you watched "The Biggest Loser"? Those people lose 100-150 pounds and have very little saggy skin. So, I think that exercise must help a lot. I can't do nearly as much exercise as they do, but I am working out with 10 pound hand weights and hoping for the best.0
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:drinker: I agree with the other Posters -- Staying Hydrated, Losing the weight slowly, and Consistent Strength Training are your best bets. Plus, time will let your skin continue to adjust even after you have stopped losing, so I am told. It might take 2 - 3 years, but your skin may firm up some.0
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Thanks for all of the replies they have helped out a great deal.0
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I believe that the trend in medicine, at least in the U.S., is to consider such surgery after massive weight loss to be a "medical necessity" and not just cosmetic. The loose skin can cause rashes, infections and interfere with weight maintenance exercise. You will need a doctor in your corner to document that the surgery is medically necessary. So don't just automatically assume you won't be able to have it.0
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Please help me....I have lost over 50 pounds slowly, worked out and all but i have loose skin under my chin and belly. I am trying to find the best OTC lotion to help firm it. I am almost to my goal but when i see my belly i want to lose more to get rid of it....Does anyone else have this problem and/or suggestions?0
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i have lose skin on my belly already from the kids.. and gaining weight.. it's one of the things that i used as an excuse not to lose. but in the end i had to decide whether to stay fat or have some lose skin. both of which are quite burdensome. not sure how i will look in the end but i want to be able to move easily and breathe easily and I pray that the damage on the skin won't be too much. though the way it looks now i doubt it.
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It's usually about genetics and how long the skin has been stretched.
Some things that can be done to help is lots of water and slow weight loss with strength training.
Unfortunately it's not something that can be prevented 0 -
I was under the impression that if you lose the weight slowly..rather than quickly....incorporate strength training..and drink lots of water....this will help dramatically improve the appearance. It wont prevent it altogether..but you'll likely have a lot less of it to deal with. The rest will eventually come off..or atleast redistribute.
Or not:-/0 -
I was under the impression that if you lose the weight slowly..rather than quickly....incorporate strength training..and drink lots of water....this will help dramatically improve the appearance. It wont prevent it altogether..but you'll likely have a lot less of it to deal with. The rest will eventually come off..or atleast redistribute.
Or not:-/
Gotta Love it...and I second the above....(but I'm partial)...and although I have lots of knowlege about many things..this isn't one of them...However...I will ask some friends of mine that have educated knowlege about this and get back to you.
I am not sure about the elasticity of skin per se, but I believe that as listed above...if you take it off slowly and work on all the muscles around it (it's tough work..but still ...abs, obliques, etc...you can tighten it up...). I took this approach and it seemed to work. You also have to give it time...
If you deform a spongy for a short time...it pops back up. Deform it with a heavy weight for a long time and it might not pop back up as quickly or at all. So give your body a chance to catch up and work your abs into the ground....it's not going to be easy as far as I know...but it will work to a degree....just keep at it.
Surgery would be a last resort, but the easy answer....the harder you work for this ..the better it will be for you mentally and physicially in the future.
10 min a day/ 90 day abs - from my Professional Ballroom Coach who is 3 Time American 9 Dance Champion/ Yoga instructor / Former boyfriend a world class internationally known body builder - This was for "People without Abs - starter program: All can be done at home on a mat with added back support or a bench.
6 exercises each done for 30 seconds (3 minutes) repeated three times
1. Knees / feet in air. Ankles Crossed. On your back. Hands at side of head. Elbows to knee sit ups. 30 sec
2. Leg lifts - 8 inches off floor. Hold 1 second. Hands under butt supporting (30 seconds)
3. Bicycle - On back. Hands behind head. Legs bent off floor. Right elbow to left knee and then left elbow to right knee. (30 sec)
4. Punch through - Feet on floor, knees bent, sit up and punch fists between legs (30 sec)
5. Obliques - hands and side of head, Left leg bent. Foot on floor. Right ankle over left knee. Bring Left elbow to right knee (30s)
6. Obliques - repeat exercise #5 with Right leg bent, foot on floor, left ankle over right knee. Bring right elbow to left knee (30s)
Repeat this sequence 3 times (ie 3 sets)
That's 9 minutes.
Where's the 10th?
Last exercise after you are all done.
7. Roll-up - back supported by hands inching up your back. Bring your feet to point at the ceiling as you roll vertically up. Hold. Do once.
Good Luck. Doesn't look that bad on paper...but if you have never done abs work before..it's not east to start and will burn in the abs region the second time through. It does work....and for me in 60 days I went from nothing to nearly a six pack. Still working on it with phase two...but just doing this helps. Check out the photo of my abs I took after just 60 days of doing this....(photos prior are there too).
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools0 -
Gotta Love it...and I second the above....(but I'm partial)...and although I have lots of knowlege about many things..this isn't one of them...However...I will ask some friends of mine that have educated knowlege about this and get back to you.
I am not sure about the elasticity of skin per se, but I believe that as listed above...if you take it off slowly and work on all the muscles around it (it's tough work..but still ...abs, obliques, etc...you can tighten it up...). I took this approach and it seemed to work. You also have to give it time...
If you deform a spongy for a short time...it pops back up. Deform it with a heavy weight for a long time and it might not pop back up as quickly or at all. So give your body a chance to catch up and work your abs into the ground....it's not going to be easy as far as I know...but it will work to a degree....just keep at it.
Surgery would be a last resort, but the easy answer....the harder you work for this ..the better it will be for you mentally and physicially in the future.
10 min a day/ 90 day abs - from my Professional Ballroom Coach who is 3 Time American 9 Dance Champion/ Yoga instructor / Former boyfriend a world class internationally known body builder - This was for "People without Abs - starter program: All can be done at home on a mat with added back support or a bench.
6 exercises each done for 30 seconds (3 minutes) repeated three times
1. Knees / feet in air. Ankles Crossed. On your back. Hands at side of head. Elbows to knee sit ups. 30 sec
2. Leg lifts - 8 inches off floor. Hold 1 second. Hands under butt supporting (30 seconds)
3. Bicycle - On back. Hands behind head. Legs bent off floor. Right elbow to left knee and then left elbow to right knee. (30 sec)
4. Punch through - Feet on floor, knees bent, sit up and punch fists between legs (30 sec)
5. Obliques - hands and side of head, Left leg bent. Foot on floor. Right ankle over left knee. Bring Left elbow to right knee (30s)
6. Obliques - repeat exercise #5 with Right leg bent, foot on floor, left ankle over right knee. Bring right elbow to left knee (30s)
Repeat this sequence 3 times (ie 3 sets)
That's 9 minutes.
Where's the 10th?
Last exercise after you are all done.
7. Roll-up - back supported by hands inching up your back. Bring your feet to point at the ceiling as you roll vertically up. Hold. Do once.
Good Luck. Doesn't look that bad on paper...but if you have never done abs work before..it's not east to start and will burn in the abs region the second time through. It does work....and for me in 60 days I went from nothing to nearly a six pack. Still working on it with phase two...but just doing this helps. Check out the photo of my abs I took after just 60 days of doing this....(photos prior are there too).
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools
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Wow thanks for all the info and the exercise tips you are a star!! I will proper try those exercises out from now on, anything to just minimize the loose skin a bit. I know some people mentioned taking water a day but how much is enough? I drink about 2-3 litres a day but is this really enough?0 -
At that amount it's inevitable. You will have loose skin, that is a lot of weight to lose. The best way to help is to strength train & lose the weight over a long period of time. Good luck to you on your journey.0
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I think losing weight very rapidly can cause this, as the skin doesn't have time to adjust. But I've known people and seen weight loss shows on TV in which people did lose gradually but still had to have skin removal surgery.
As a teenager, I knew a woman who owned a health food store who had lost a lot of weight. She had sheets of skin hanging her arms. She said she had to have surgery.
If people understood all the difficulties associated with obesity I wonder if it would make a difference.0 -
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I too am worried about this, but here is what I've learned so far.
-Drink LOTS of water.
-Exercise. Cardio is great, but at least half of your exercising should be strength training (or, at least, that's what my doctor told me last week)
-DON'T BE IN A HURRY! If you lose more than 2 pounds a week on average, your skin won't have the time to keep up with your quickly changing shape. MFP's diet plan is great. When you set-up your goals (example: lose 2 pounds a week), and you eat all those calories, and eat back your exercise calories, and you're honest with yourself, you'll lose right around 2 pounds. Any week I happen to lose more than 2 pounds, I temporarily change my calorie goals to reflect 1 pound a week. Loose skin is a big concern of mine, so I follow these guidelines.0 -
Some amount of it is inevidable.
It does go away over time, but you can definitely help speed up the process.
It helps a little to understand the physiology of why it happens. Often the skin and its elasticity are not the problem. Underneath the upper layers of skin is a later of fat. On most people losing a lot of weight this fat was deposited when you were fat. What ends up happening is that you diet away the fat under this fat, leaving you with what appears to be a lot of excess skin. In reality there is just more fat to get rid of that is part of the skin, until you get rid of it the skin has no way of using its electicity to tighten, despite appearing like it is really loose.
This will correct itself over time. Almost all cells in the body go through a process of recycling. As this occurs it will slowly shift your fat deposits to be in-line with your new size. This process will take years, and as it occurs slowly but surely it will allow the skin to tighten up.
Pinch the back of your hand. This is what skin with very little fat under it feels like. If you loose areas feel nothing like this when pinched, fat, not skin, is much of the problem.
You can greatly aid the skin tightening process by not giving up on your weight loss when you are happy with your figure in clothes. Get down to a low BF%, get as much of the fat off the skin as possible. This should greatly compress the amount of time it takes for the skin to tighten up, since you aren't waiting around for a lot of underskin fat to recycle itself.
Most people that have loose skin problems still have a fair amount of fat to lose. Get to the edge of figure competitor levels of body fat (7-8% in men, 15-16% in women) before you even consider surgery.0
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