Loose Skin
- Thread starter weezy1
- Start date
A lot of the 'skin issue' has to do with age, muscle tone, starting weight, probably how long you were at that weight, and how much and how quickly it was lost.
I'm 42, and started at 383lbs - and was probably at 300+ for at least 10 years 200+ for 20 years... and any real muscle Ihad in college, disappeared due to lack of use inmy early 20s..
i didn't see any issue at all at the first 100lbs... after 150lbs then my stomach got a little saggy looking but I'm still pretty sure that the sagginess is still pudge and not necessarily loose skin. where I do sort of see it -is when Im sitting in the bathtub -my thighs are a little skinny but once I'm out of the water, it's not noticable.
Losing weight at a reasonable weight (I was pretty steady at 1 percentiah of my body weight a week) should alleviate the problem for most people... as well as focus on strenthing training and exercise in addition to healthy eating...
I'm 42, and started at 383lbs - and was probably at 300+ for at least 10 years 200+ for 20 years... and any real muscle Ihad in college, disappeared due to lack of use inmy early 20s..
i didn't see any issue at all at the first 100lbs... after 150lbs then my stomach got a little saggy looking but I'm still pretty sure that the sagginess is still pudge and not necessarily loose skin. where I do sort of see it -is when Im sitting in the bathtub -my thighs are a little skinny but once I'm out of the water, it's not noticable.
Losing weight at a reasonable weight (I was pretty steady at 1 percentiah of my body weight a week) should alleviate the problem for most people... as well as focus on strenthing training and exercise in addition to healthy eating...
this looks like a solution.
http://modblog.bmezine.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/angelinpayn-tinaxo-cred-stephen-ellis.jpg
just for fun. one can also suggest making a skin poket from that excess skin, store a couble of $100 under your tummy. its gross I know, am about to lose 40 kilos and I have no idea what my skin will look like, esp because I was fat all my life. someone who gained weight and losing it is better off i guess.
Bigguy2007
New member
I too am worried about loose skin!!!
Im hoping I dont have loose skin because I have only been overweight for about 1 year and am only 16. Does anyone else notice when they wake up they look skinner? When I wake up my stretch marks arent red at all and it seems like my skin is A LOT TIGHTER!!! Then when I look at my stomack at the end of the day it seems to sag more? Does this make any sense to anybody?
Im hoping I dont have loose skin because I have only been overweight for about 1 year and am only 16. Does anyone else notice when they wake up they look skinner? When I wake up my stretch marks arent red at all and it seems like my skin is A LOT TIGHTER!!! Then when I look at my stomack at the end of the day it seems to sag more? Does this make any sense to anybody?
wishes
Coffee Addict
Hey all, this is my first post so apologies if its in the wrong place. Ive been on a diet for a while now and ive lose about 80lbl in the last 6 months and im thrilled, but I find now that i have a bit of extra skin around my stomach. My question is, will this skin tighten up over time or are there exercises i could do to help tighten it up or anything i could do ?
Ianthe
New member
hummm you should wait and see if an improvement happens, it can take a longggggggggggggggggggggggggg time... if it doesnt, i'm afraid only surgery can fix that, but if it is just a bit, maybe you're a lucky one and it will go with time. Be patient!
I dont believe there are any exercises that would help you :S
I dont believe there are any exercises that would help you :S
amylosesandwins
New member
It's not a magical cure-all, but it has helped me a little - find some kind of lotion that has collagen and elastin in it - I use the St. Ives brand. It's supposed to have things in it that help skin elasticity. Also, make sure you get vitamin E in your diet, as that can help your skin's health. I think doing strength training along with your cardio can help as well. It won't make it completely nonexistant, especially if you're losing over 100 lbs., and other factors like age and how long you've been overweight have an effect as well, but it's something that one shouldn't freak out about. Most people don't end up needing surgery. Patience and time are also key, here.
StandStepRepeat
New member
I had to tap my thymus a few times after reading this thread.
I challenge anyone here to show me a woman with 10% bodyfat that has "loose skin." The fact is that NO one should be complaining about "loose skin" until they are down to "excellent" body fat percentile.
Many think that when they've lost a great deal of weight(say 150lbs), it was all fat that came off of their body. But in reality, you may have lost a tremendous amount of lean body mass. And this is what occurs when people do not adequately monitor their composition, and employ the proper method of exercise and diet.
Yes, it could very well be that a great percentage of the weight loss was indeed muscle mass. This, I believe, is quite often the case with these "loose skin" situations.
Do you think a person with a fat to muscle ratio like Tom Venuto's would have "loose skin"? Could you show me someone in that situation? And I find it humorous that people quote their surgeons as if they are a source of objective information. They are making their luxury automobile payment with the money from your skin removal surgery! Why would they drive away all of that business? I am not suggesting that some kind of evil is at work here, I mean, a lot of people aren't willing to put the work into allieving themselves anyway. For that we do have very competent surgeons available to assist us as we wish. And gladly there are some doctors who will in fact tell you to lose more body fat before ever considering surgical removal. But most probably won't go far down that rabbit hole, unfortunately.
Ron Brown is correct when he says that people are so brainwashed by "before and after" pictures, that they ignore sense and logic. Generally speaking, most won't even challenge what he is saying, they will only attack the fact that he sells an E-book! A book that is not much about "loose skin" at all, in fact! It is a full spectrum program, it is not as if he is selling skin creams or magic pills.
He makes a fantastic point when he uses the example of a woman who appeared on a radio show. She had lost 200lbs in a year. This woman had complained about having a ton of "loose skin." It is highly likely that she needs to lose remaining excess body fat that still resides within these folds of skin. Of course, if she were to lose another 20lbs, she would look(as he said)like an "emaciated stick!" But this is only because she does not have sufficient lean body mass! She is at no fat deficit, therefore the logical plan of attack is to replenish the lean mass that she lost during her weight loss, and then tackle the fat.
Think about this for a moment:
Now, after your severe diet you have returned to your starting bodyweight of 115 pounds, but your internal body composition is altered. You have 20 fewer pounds of muscle and 20 more pounds of body fat, even though you weigh as much as you did before you put on the extra weight! Would you expect your body to look as firm under these circumstances? NO! The remaining excess body fat is now hanging in folds of skin.-Ron Brown
Can you argue with that?
It is all about transforming the body. Not just taking off "weight" in general, but creating an effective plan. One could use the zig-zag method. Part of zig-zagging can be scheduling individual days for fat loss and for muscle gain, by adjusting caloric intake/expenditure accordingly. It is possible to see a gain in muscle mass and loss of fat during the same month(for example), but nearly physiologically impossible to do both with any measure of efficiency, at the same precise moment in time. Though ultimately this approach is not optimal either way. You are chasing after two goals which are opposite to eachother. So your best bet would be to focus on replenishing lean mass first, and then proceed to remove the last bit of fat. Increase your lean mass, and then burn off the excess fat stores, and you will get optimal results.
Generally speaking, "loose" or flabby skin is an issue of body composition. Tom Venuto also strongly emphasizes the need to retain lean body mass for this very reason. Your skin begins to cling to the muscle as you become leaner. Let's talk men. What, then, do you think would happen if you lost a great deal of weight(say 200lbs!) to ultimately reach balanced composition and your ideal single digit body fat percentage? Would you have thin bags of skin hanging 6 inches off of your chest or arms? It is generally acknowledged that this exists, but no one has ever bothered to demonstrate it. How rare and obscure it must be!
For women specifically, a few celebrity examples of 10% body fat are(or were at some point - most don't retain peak condition) Christie Brinkley, Elle MacPherson, Cindy Crawford.
The point here is to give an accurate picture of what that kind of composition looks like. These are people that have roughly 12lbs of body fat, total. Which is very lean, and falls under the "excellent" category. Many people think they have hardly any body fat left to lose, though really, maybe you've lost 200lbs and think you are done, but you might still have a 20 or 30 pound surplus before reaching the leaner digits. And recognizing that possibility is vital to balancing this composition imbalance naturally. Therefore, as Tom Venuto will tell you, don't complain about "loose skin" until you hit "excellent" percentile.
However, I do not know exactly what happens to the skin when you have a person who literally weighs in the neighborhood of 800lbs, as some tragically do. But I don't know if we would ever find out for certain, because before they ever came down to a very lean state, they would have been forced to have surgery. Those people have to, because their ability to function at a basic level is being impaired. So, let it be known that I am not saying that surgery is never needed. But I believe that it is only the extreme of extreme situations in which it is actually the only possible way to alleviate the problem.
At the end of the day, it is all about monitoring composition. It is that people go about weight loss all wrong. Losing weight too fast in addition to burning off lean body mass is a bitter cocktail. Maintaining vital balance requires a degree of management.
Burn the fat, feed the muscle. And in the case that you are where you should be, and you still have loose skin, then considering surgical removal makes sense.
I challenge anyone here to show me a woman with 10% bodyfat that has "loose skin." The fact is that NO one should be complaining about "loose skin" until they are down to "excellent" body fat percentile.
Many think that when they've lost a great deal of weight(say 150lbs), it was all fat that came off of their body. But in reality, you may have lost a tremendous amount of lean body mass. And this is what occurs when people do not adequately monitor their composition, and employ the proper method of exercise and diet.
Yes, it could very well be that a great percentage of the weight loss was indeed muscle mass. This, I believe, is quite often the case with these "loose skin" situations.
Do you think a person with a fat to muscle ratio like Tom Venuto's would have "loose skin"? Could you show me someone in that situation? And I find it humorous that people quote their surgeons as if they are a source of objective information. They are making their luxury automobile payment with the money from your skin removal surgery! Why would they drive away all of that business? I am not suggesting that some kind of evil is at work here, I mean, a lot of people aren't willing to put the work into allieving themselves anyway. For that we do have very competent surgeons available to assist us as we wish. And gladly there are some doctors who will in fact tell you to lose more body fat before ever considering surgical removal. But most probably won't go far down that rabbit hole, unfortunately.
Ron Brown is correct when he says that people are so brainwashed by "before and after" pictures, that they ignore sense and logic. Generally speaking, most won't even challenge what he is saying, they will only attack the fact that he sells an E-book! A book that is not much about "loose skin" at all, in fact! It is a full spectrum program, it is not as if he is selling skin creams or magic pills.
He makes a fantastic point when he uses the example of a woman who appeared on a radio show. She had lost 200lbs in a year. This woman had complained about having a ton of "loose skin." It is highly likely that she needs to lose remaining excess body fat that still resides within these folds of skin. Of course, if she were to lose another 20lbs, she would look(as he said)like an "emaciated stick!" But this is only because she does not have sufficient lean body mass! She is at no fat deficit, therefore the logical plan of attack is to replenish the lean mass that she lost during her weight loss, and then tackle the fat.
Think about this for a moment:
Now, after your severe diet you have returned to your starting bodyweight of 115 pounds, but your internal body composition is altered. You have 20 fewer pounds of muscle and 20 more pounds of body fat, even though you weigh as much as you did before you put on the extra weight! Would you expect your body to look as firm under these circumstances? NO! The remaining excess body fat is now hanging in folds of skin.-Ron Brown
Can you argue with that?
It is all about transforming the body. Not just taking off "weight" in general, but creating an effective plan. One could use the zig-zag method. Part of zig-zagging can be scheduling individual days for fat loss and for muscle gain, by adjusting caloric intake/expenditure accordingly. It is possible to see a gain in muscle mass and loss of fat during the same month(for example), but nearly physiologically impossible to do both with any measure of efficiency, at the same precise moment in time. Though ultimately this approach is not optimal either way. You are chasing after two goals which are opposite to eachother. So your best bet would be to focus on replenishing lean mass first, and then proceed to remove the last bit of fat. Increase your lean mass, and then burn off the excess fat stores, and you will get optimal results.
Generally speaking, "loose" or flabby skin is an issue of body composition. Tom Venuto also strongly emphasizes the need to retain lean body mass for this very reason. Your skin begins to cling to the muscle as you become leaner. Let's talk men. What, then, do you think would happen if you lost a great deal of weight(say 200lbs!) to ultimately reach balanced composition and your ideal single digit body fat percentage? Would you have thin bags of skin hanging 6 inches off of your chest or arms? It is generally acknowledged that this exists, but no one has ever bothered to demonstrate it. How rare and obscure it must be!
For women specifically, a few celebrity examples of 10% body fat are(or were at some point - most don't retain peak condition) Christie Brinkley, Elle MacPherson, Cindy Crawford.
The point here is to give an accurate picture of what that kind of composition looks like. These are people that have roughly 12lbs of body fat, total. Which is very lean, and falls under the "excellent" category. Many people think they have hardly any body fat left to lose, though really, maybe you've lost 200lbs and think you are done, but you might still have a 20 or 30 pound surplus before reaching the leaner digits. And recognizing that possibility is vital to balancing this composition imbalance naturally. Therefore, as Tom Venuto will tell you, don't complain about "loose skin" until you hit "excellent" percentile.
However, I do not know exactly what happens to the skin when you have a person who literally weighs in the neighborhood of 800lbs, as some tragically do. But I don't know if we would ever find out for certain, because before they ever came down to a very lean state, they would have been forced to have surgery. Those people have to, because their ability to function at a basic level is being impaired. So, let it be known that I am not saying that surgery is never needed. But I believe that it is only the extreme of extreme situations in which it is actually the only possible way to alleviate the problem.
At the end of the day, it is all about monitoring composition. It is that people go about weight loss all wrong. Losing weight too fast in addition to burning off lean body mass is a bitter cocktail. Maintaining vital balance requires a degree of management.
Burn the fat, feed the muscle. And in the case that you are where you should be, and you still have loose skin, then considering surgical removal makes sense.
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I've read a lot of nice theories here, but here's my story. lost 180 pounds, 2 - 3 pounds per week. i had lots of loose skin. i seen 3 different plastic surgeons, all of them told me nothing i can ever do will bring that skin back. i just had a full lower body lift on December 5th. Male / 28. Depending how long you were overweight, the skin wont snap back.
before I lost the weight I was not in shape, I didnot have much muscles at all. So I dont know how that person could say I lost more muscles then fat.I lost 105 pounds. I was 218. 5'4. I've done alot of differnt kinds of exercises for months on end...I still have this 2inch of hanging LOOSE skin, Ive kept that weight off for the last 5-6 years, so I have done lots of exercises since. To lose the weight, I didnt really do exersiceing, other then walkin, not eating and making love..which is excellent was to burn caleries lol
mikitta
New member
If your body composition is such that you have very little subcutaneous fat and the underlying muscle is firm and strong, you have maintained this for a good while (at least a year), and you still have loose skin ... then by all means seek out a reconstructive surgeon 
What I have a problem with is those folks who still obviously have copious amounts of fat under the skin who go in for surgery. I dislike invasive procedures as a general rule anyway - the risk of infection, of error, of just plain failure is too great. That's not to say I've not had surgery before (had my gall bladder out 3 years ago in fact) - but when it comes to elective surgery ... I would have to have loose, fat free skin hanging down to my knees from belly to go that rout.
But that's just me
God Bless,
mik
What I have a problem with is those folks who still obviously have copious amounts of fat under the skin who go in for surgery. I dislike invasive procedures as a general rule anyway - the risk of infection, of error, of just plain failure is too great. That's not to say I've not had surgery before (had my gall bladder out 3 years ago in fact) - but when it comes to elective surgery ... I would have to have loose, fat free skin hanging down to my knees from belly to go that rout.
But that's just me
God Bless,
mik
Bigguy2007
New member
Ummm sick....
My only tips would be,
1.) work your muscles as much as possible before going in. i had strong abs going in, so they didn't have to cut or touch my muscles, this saved me loads of pain, and recovery time. (i was only ever on regular strength advil for pain).
2.) Have good nutrition going into it, and when you're done. your body will use a lot of calories to heal, i actually ended up having to eat more than i was used to after.
3.) be patient to see final results. i have so much swelling right now i find my belly sticks out further than it did before. they cut 5 pounds of skin off me and i even weigh more now than the morning i went in. can take up to 6 months for all swelling to go away ( even read online some people up to 1 year! ).
4.) go in with a good attitude and you'll be fine
1.) work your muscles as much as possible before going in. i had strong abs going in, so they didn't have to cut or touch my muscles, this saved me loads of pain, and recovery time. (i was only ever on regular strength advil for pain).
2.) Have good nutrition going into it, and when you're done. your body will use a lot of calories to heal, i actually ended up having to eat more than i was used to after.
3.) be patient to see final results. i have so much swelling right now i find my belly sticks out further than it did before. they cut 5 pounds of skin off me and i even weigh more now than the morning i went in. can take up to 6 months for all swelling to go away ( even read online some people up to 1 year! ).
4.) go in with a good attitude and you'll be fine
akanksha092
New member
what exactly is strength training,i want to do it to avoid loose skin
hi,
i mnew here and i know i m probably posting this at a wrong place. i have about 100 kgs to loose and was wondering what steps i need to take to avoid loose skin. i read somewhere strength training helps in minimising loose skin,so what exactly is loose skin?for now i m doing cradio 40 mins 6 days a week and also 15-20 mins streching,plus about 2 sets of all the machines in the gym.any help would b greatly appreciated ,i know i sound really stupid.
hi,
i mnew here and i know i m probably posting this at a wrong place. i have about 100 kgs to loose and was wondering what steps i need to take to avoid loose skin. i read somewhere strength training helps in minimising loose skin,so what exactly is loose skin?for now i m doing cradio 40 mins 6 days a week and also 15-20 mins streching,plus about 2 sets of all the machines in the gym.any help would b greatly appreciated ,i know i sound really stupid.
What will really minimize the loose skin - though in some cases it might be unavoidable depending on your age... and how long you've been obese.. is gradual weight loss...
you'll have much less of a problem if you lose weight at a slower rate...
Read the stickied threads in the exercise forum and you'll get a lot of good info on strength training
you'll have much less of a problem if you lose weight at a slower rate...
Read the stickied threads in the exercise forum and you'll get a lot of good info on strength training
low fat but still loose
hi i lost around 60 lbs over 7 months last year starting may to december and i don't know why i got this layer of flab round the stomach area that shows when i sit. but it isnt visible when im standing. is there any way of reducing that? btw my dietician said i have to raise my fat percentage cause it's now at 14%
hi i lost around 60 lbs over 7 months last year starting may to december and i don't know why i got this layer of flab round the stomach area that shows when i sit. but it isnt visible when im standing. is there any way of reducing that? btw my dietician said i have to raise my fat percentage cause it's now at 14%
Darth Pooh
New member
Hey there... I am in the same boat as you as far as the FLAB thing. Now, mine isn't all loose skin either. When you pinch and it has thickness, that is fat. Loose skin and loose skin alone is almost paper thin and can be pulled off the body easily. 14% BF is not bad for a woman and doesn't "need" to be raised. As said before in this thread too... it takes time for the skin to snap back, if it ever does.
Mine isn't snapping back yet and it might not either... I would still rather have this loose skin than the 98 lbs of fat that used to fill it.