Hi...Im after some advice :)

L

leftoverflab

0
Hi all :)

Introduction bit: Well, hello everyone, Im adam, I'm 19 and Im from Worthing. Im looking forward to meeting you all :D

Main reason why im here:
I went on a drastic diet and over about 8 months lost in total 5 stone, I now weight 9st 6lbs, and Im 5ft 8inces. This was just on a diet without exercise. Unhealthy, I know, but nevertheless there is not a lot that can be done about that now. The problem I face now is that, as you can guess, no exercise and diet alone coupled with drastic weight loss means ive got a fair bit of loose skin around my body.
Ive got a few pictures to show you the extent of this:

From the side, its not too noticable, and it doesnt bother me too much.
When I put my hands on my hips and really push towards my tummy, this is what happens...




Now im comparison to others ive seen, i think ive got out of it fairly well!! it could be a lot worse. but, its still annoying for me and id rather not have it :( Ive bought a slendertone belt and Im using it hoping that building up my abs will fill out the skin a bit, but in total honesty, id rather look skinny than muscley, having big abs doesnt really interest me. so is there anything, besides surgery, that can be done to assist this problem?

Im aware of the fact that there isn't a lot that can be done to retighten loose skin, but Im young and hopefully have a better chance of thinsg going back to normal. so, how long roughly should I be thinking this is likely to take, and what can i do to assist my body along the way? :)

thanks
:)
 
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Hey Adam,

I'm new here too and have a similar situation. I've lost 30 lbs in a short amount of time and so have that loose skin thing going on. Something that I've been using to get that tightened up is a product called Cell-U-Loss from Herbalife. I've had really good results with it so far and if I stay on course I think I should have that fixed up pretty soon. It's supposed to help removed the excess water buildup that was stored in the fat cells. They also have this skin firming lotion that is supposed to help with loose skin too. I haven't used it, but a friend of mine's mother uses it and she says it's fantastic. Just an idea.
 
If you're only 19, I would give yourself more time before you go out and waste your money on products that most likely won't work. Your skin will still have more elasticity compared to people older than you. If you've just recently lost the weight, there likely hasn't been enough time for the skin to tighten up again. It may not get there completely, but I would wait longer to see how much it improves before wasting your money. Just my opinion :)
 
leftoverflab said:
Hi all :)

Introduction bit: Well, hello everyone, Im adam, I'm 19 and Im from Worthing. Im looking forward to meeting you all :D

Main reason why im here:
I went on a drastic diet and over about 8 months lost in total 5 stone, I now weight 9st 6lbs, and Im 5ft 8inces. This was just on a diet without exercise. Unhealthy, I know, but nevertheless there is not a lot that can be done about that now. The problem I face now is that, as you can guess, no exercise and diet alone coupled with drastic weight loss means ive got a fair bit of loose skin around my body.
Ive got a few pictures to show you the extent of this:

As you can see from the side, its not too noticable, and it doesnt bother me too much looking like this... (and yes i know ive got a women's figure lol)



When I put my hands on my hips and really push towards my tummy, this is what happens...




Now im comparison to others ive seen, i think ive got out of it fairly well!! it could be a lot worse. but, its still annoying for me and id rather not have it :( Ive bought a slendertone belt and Im using it hoping that building up my abs will fill out the skin a bit, but in total honesty, id rather look skinny than muscley, having big abs doesnt really interest me. so is there anything, besides surgery, that can be done to assist this problem?

Im aware of the fact that there isn't a lot that can be done to retighten loose skin, but Im young and hopefully have a better chance of thinsg going back to normal. so, how long roughly should I be thinking this is likely to take, and what can i do to assist my body along the way? :)

thanks
:)
Click to expand...

To me your side view was inappropriate!
 
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Hey!

To me it looks like the skin is still quite full. Also looks like you still have excess fat on the rest of the body. I think you have lost too much muscle mass during your weight loss. I really think you you should start exercising and build some muscle mass and lose some of the body fat you still have.
 
Lol..sorry AnnaGail.. :leaving:

Thanks TikTak... Im doing crunches daily, about 120 a day, but Im guessing that will just work the core, so Ill need to find something to build muscle on the chest and everywhere else. Perhaps if I did some cardio like dance or jump rope? Do you think that would help?

Thankyou :lurk5:
 
leftoverflab said:
Thanks PLB :) how long do you think I should wait before considering other options?
Click to expand...

This is hard to say... I would probably tell you to never consider 'other options' because they are probably all a waste of time & money. However, if you do a search in the forum for 'loose skin' you should find some of the discussions that are going on about it. I would say to get into a regular whole body workout routine, plus cardiovascular exercise. Or join a sports team or some other activity that you enjoy that you can do on a regular basis. Consistent, long term exercise along with a healthy diet will eventually help you to get the body that you are comfortable with, or at least most of the way there. It will just take patience!

TikTak said:
Hey!

To me it looks like the skin is still quite full. Also looks like you still have excess fat on the rest of the body. I think you have lost too much muscle mass during your weight loss. I really think you you should start exercising and build some muscle mass and lose some of the body fat you still have.
Click to expand...

I have to admit, I didn't actually look at the pictures initially. But I agree with TikTak; exercise to build up some muscle mass and reduce overall body fat will probably be your best bet. Unless you specifically train to build bulk, you won't look bulky.

leftoverflab said:
Lol..sorry AnnaGail.. :leaving:

Thanks TikTak... Im doing crunches daily, about 120 a day, but Im guessing that will just work the core, so Ill need to find something to build muscle on the chest and everywhere else. Perhaps if I did some cardio like dance or jump rope? Do you think that would help?

Thankyou :lurk5:
Click to expand...

Anything that gets you moving will help, you just need to do it on a regular basis :) Instead of just doing crunches, I would suggest finding 8-12 exercises that cover the major muscle groups and do this 3 times per week. There are lots of exercises that require little to no equipment or space, and you should be able to put together a workout that takes 30 mins or less.

Here's a link for some ideas:

Free Exercises, Exercise Instructions, Custom Workout, Personalized Workout, Ab Exercises, Abdominal Exercises, Training Programs

exrx.net is also good, just a bit more on the technical side, so don't get overwhelmed by that part

ExRx (Exercise Prescription) on the Net

I hope that helps! Good luck and let us know how it goes or if you have other questions :)
 
Thanks ever so much for all that PLB, certainly food for thought.
Ill admit im a little impatient as I have a holiday coming up in June that Id like to look acceptable for, but i know results arent instant, and that this will, alas take hard work.

Ill have to start planning an exercise plan, and stick to it. As I mentioned, Ive got a slendertone and have been using that for a few days whenever Im too busy to think about 'proper' exercise. I can certainly feel a lot abdominal contraction with it, and Im hoping that it will assist my muscles along the way and at least get me started on workouts. I do think I have lost too much muscle mass on the diet, and I need to get building it up again.
 
Hey leftoverflab,

I looked into the slendertone and it's the same as any other product out there. In the end, it may or may not help you to 'tone' your abs, but either way you will have to workout regularly and eat a healthy diet. The only way that your abs will show (if that's your goal) is to reduce your overall body fat %, which, again, takes time and patience :)
 
Im just not sure how to plan my routines... Im worried that if I concentrate most on the reduction of body fat, and slim down, it will just make that saggy skin problem worse. I read somewhere you can't build muscle and lose fat at the same time, as usually its the muscles you build up that get lost.
 
leftoverflab said:
Lol..sorry AnnaGail.. :leaving:

Thanks TikTak... Im doing crunches daily, about 120 a day, but Im guessing that will just work the core, so Ill need to find something to build muscle on the chest and everywhere else. Perhaps if I did some cardio like dance or jump rope? Do you think that would help?

Thankyou :lurk5:
Click to expand...

LOL, Good luck to you, I hope you find a solution to your problem.:waving:
 
AnnaGail said:
To me your side view was inappropriate!
Click to expand...

Can I ask why? I've seen many, many similar photos around here :/ Why is it inappropriate?

Hey dude, welcome to the forum. I reckon you should leave it for a while as well--You're still young. Don't try that herbalife bullshit--It's a waste of money :dupe: Focus of building muscle and you'll be fine :) x
 
leftoverflab said:
Im just not sure how to plan my routines... Im worried that if I concentrate most on the reduction of body fat, and slim down, it will just make that saggy skin problem worse. I read somewhere you can't build muscle and lose fat at the same time, as usually its the muscles you build up that get lost.
Click to expand...

As long as you have a balance of both cardio and strength training, you should be fine. Novice exercisers should be able to experience both fat loss and lean mass increases at the same time, as long as your calories are not restricted too much and you're getting enough protein each day. The problem usually occurs more at the higher end of training goals... for example, if a bodybuilder who already is at their limit of muscle mass tries to lose fat by doing cardio, sometimes these types of training can conflict and they may start to lose muscle mass or at least not be able to gain more.

For the average person trying to change their body composition, you should be fine (and see results) doing both types of training :)
 
leftoverflab said:
Im just not sure how to plan my routines... Im worried that if I concentrate most on the reduction of body fat, and slim down, it will just make that saggy skin problem worse. I read somewhere you can't build muscle and lose fat at the same time, as usually its the muscles you build up that get lost.
Click to expand...


Okay let me touch this on a few sides. A lot of people don't know that protein is very beneficial for maintaining muscle as well as building more. Building muscle and trimming fat is basically what would happen if you did cardio and strength regularly.

The people that say that probably don't enough protein, do strength exercises, or even exercise.

Just make sure you eat enough protein and do a lot of strength exercises. In my honest opinion crunches aren't the best, especially if they're alone. Are you able to do hanging bar crunches? If you can do those it would help. You could also do the exercise where you twist to the side while crunching. (I think that's for obliques) There are many more and it might help if you combine all of them!
 
Finding the motivation is probably the most important to any weight loss program you follow. Find your "why" and always keep that in the for-front of your mind while you're doing any of this - you will be successful.

Sunflower, after reading your highly researched and scientific reasoning behind not using a particular product I have to say I'm still suspect of your "bullshit" findings. See, I would have thought that a company who has a medical research facility on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, AND the fact that there's a nobel laureate working on the science behind these products, might make them a little better than that. Not to mention the huge success that so many people have had on them. But that's just my take.

I understand people have differing opinions and some things work better for one person than another but I really don't see how your auto-response of calling something you've never tried "bullshit" is either helpful or constructive. Everyone here is trying to better themselves and trying to find a solution that works - so don't knock a possible solution until you've tried it, used it properly, and only after not seeing the desired results make a comment about it. Thanks.
 
Thankyou PLBfitness, that must have been what I read, that once you get to the further end of the spectrum (like bodybuilders) its conflicting to build muscle and burn fat. I shall concentrate on both :)

@Withyouforyou thanks for the advice there. Im too feeble to do hanging bar crunches :') Situps is about the only exercise I can really do easily. I wasnt aware protein helped so much, so Ill certainly look at my diet to improve the amounts i eat.

@creid.. Im getting there slowly with the motivation haha.
 
leftoverflab said:
Thankyou PLBfitness, that must have been what I read, that once you get to the further end of the spectrum (like bodybuilders) its conflicting to build muscle and burn fat. I shall concentrate on both :)

@Withyouforyou thanks for the advice there. Im too feeble to do hanging bar crunches :') Situps is about the only exercise I can really do easily. I wasnt aware protein helped so much, so Ill certainly look at my diet to improve the amounts i eat.

@creid.. Im getting there slowly with the motivation haha.
Click to expand...


I want to also remind you that if you eat more protein you might gain a little weight at first. This would just be due to your muscles having more nutrients coming into them. So don't be alarmed if you go up a couple of pounds. (Muscle is after-all, very very dense!)
 
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