New to the forums + a few questions ! Help!

S

siru

New member
Hello everybody. I'm a 21-year-old girl who's been yo-yo-ing with her weight throughout her teens and finally gotten rid of the binge eating habits, but been left with appearance concerns now.

I've lost weight very unhealthily (and probably lost muscle), and my thighs and well basically my whole body feels erm, "loose". I have less fat than I used to, but it's different than before, it's like... loose kind. I have wiggly fat now.

It's disgusting... When I wiggle my thighs, it's like there are waves going through under my skin!!! They don't even feel like legs anymore, because I can't walk without feeling that movement...

I'm worried and especially because I still need to loose weight. (About 10 kg's). How can I get my "loose" body back in shape and will I have excess skin because of the fact I lost lean tissue and am now just, cellulity and loose everywhere...?

I can add a few pics as well, I'd like to hear thoughts on if it looks as though it's skin, flab, or what and how on earth will I make this better. I can't go anywhere near beaches ever and just the thought of this summer spooks me out because I can't wear anything summery. At all. With this body.

I will keep posting and telling about my progress and reading others' stories as well here :) It's inspiring! All of you, keep up the good work!

Thank you,

-Sisu
 
Ah yes, the upper thighs are a big problem area for many people (myself included)

The key to toning this is **drumroll** lowering your bodyfat%

I dont think targeted workings are going to have any(Asthetic) benefit if you have a layer of fat still in between. If your body is anything like mine, then youre going to lose the fat in your extremities first, working your way to your core.
 
Thanks for the replies, peeps!

I guess my problem is for the most part that I lost weight too fast and lost a lot of lean tissue as well - then I gained some of it back - and tattadaa - the end result looks even worse because there's even less muscle now.

And but I think one should train with heavier weights though to gain muscle (which is what I am TRYING to do, supposedly), rather than with lighter with many repetitions?

I have a real problem with my body but I'm gonna get real committed to this right now and try work through this. I am just very scared of sagging skin. This is what the situation is like right now.

I don't know if I can do this, my motivation kinda sucks at times cause I look at myself in the mirror and see the flabbyness and sagging loose skin everywhere and go... How can this change for the better?! If I loose weight, will I still be left with meters of that flabby skin all around?

Anyways. This will be my journey with the fight against loose skin and fat. (And will probably post some photos here of me before as well - I was much chubbier then).

Today: I did a 55 min work-out with heavy weights already and feel quite good about that. Bodypump. Will go for a walk later in the eve for about 50 mins and do some abs then as well. Will have to do some streching as well.

My plan is to work out 3 times a week with weights, and do cardio daily. (With 1-2 days in between / a week).

Any suggestions & ideas & thoughts are welcome. Especially with the loose skin phenomenon... Thanks!

-S
 
You are not alone because your body is very similar to mine.
I think what it really does need are cardio and toning mixture because at the same time you tone the body as you lose fat.
 
Oh my god. The excess skin makes me so depressed I don't really even want to lose more weight. It will get worse. And just keep getting worse.

How do you know it's excess skin? (The bellybutton. It's started to look 'sad'. It's the skin that's making it that way.)

Can I seriously have excess skin everywhere? (Because it seems like that's what's happening.)

I don't know what to think. It's making me really sad, and unmotivated, and stuck. (And I don't really feel comfortable talking about this issue to anyone, so this forum is the only place I can vent these feelings out to.)

Sigh. I feel like I've ruined my body over stupid mistakes I made as a teen for good now.
 
You look good! Don't feel bad.

I feel the same way. I hate my loose skin...so I know how you feel.

But you do look great! Don't forget that!

Please keep going. You can do it!
 
Congrats on your progress so far!! Keep at it, keep working out, and you will get there! I think trying to build some muscle back will be key for you--and high reps with light weight won't do that!

And from someone who used to deal with binge eating--congrats on overcoming that! It is SOO not an easy thing to do!! You should be incredibly proud to be in a healthier place now--AND you look great!

If you are still trying to lose weight and eating in a defecit, you should aim to lift heavy weights. As heavy as you can and still get 3 to 5 reps of good form. (And do that for 4 or 5 sets). Lunges, deadlifts, reverse lunges, and squats are going to be your best bets for toning your thighs and legs.

High reps with less weight are not going to do you a whole lot of good. Good luck, and don't get discouraged!
 
Well siru, you've got a couple things going for you.

Firstly, you don't look bad at all! Your skin looks like it can definitely bounce back given time. Don't be discouraged!

Second, you have youth on your side. That's a really important factor. As I'm sure you may have already read, as we get older, it becomes harder and harder to deal with loose skin. So take advantage of the time you have now!

I think if you just stay focused, give it time, and do like the others in this thread have suggested, you'll be alright :)

I may have to bite the bullet at some point and show pictures of my own loose skin - it'll probably make you feel 110% better about your current situation ;(

Just know you have support here.

Hang tough!
 
Thanks guys for all the support, it really does mean a lot. I can't really talk about this subject anywhere else (I feel too embarrassed). It's just like I am very stressed. There is extra skin on me. I feel like I've lost the ability to hold myself, the tightness, the just normal elasticity of my body. I feel like I have an extra layer of skin.

I am posting this photo, that in my opinion clarifies the situation the best. That's extra skin, there's very little fat left. I can't "suck" it in. If it were just fat, I'd be able to do so to some extent.

I am sorry. :( I don't want to be negative. But this realization hit me hard today. I feel pretty much trapped in my own body.

I feel bad. I want to just be normal. Not a model or anything. Just normal.
 
Siru, it doesn't look that bad to me. At least you don't have all the stretch marks I do :(

I know how you feel. I want to get a tan. I reallly do. We have rabbits and dogs outside, and it's too dirty/too many flies to really take a tan out there. I'm just tired of it all. So, my mom told me to ride with my shirt off on my bicycle. Hah, yeah right. I immediately thought of how bad I would look with all the loose skin, especially sitting down. Its alot worse for me then. So I know how you feel....

If it helps any, here's a picture of me showing the loose skin 10-15 lbs heavier:
Picture22.jpg


It also really bothers me, because if I lift up the loose skin, I can see the oblique on the abdomen. I can see the muscles there, but the skin is covering it! I felt terrible. I was really hurt when someone told me it was an ugly deformity I had.
looseskinweirdmuscle2.jpg


I took this picture for you, Siru. It's hard for me to even look at it. But, believe it or not, this is all loose skin. It's frusterating, I have no pecs or abs because of it. I hate that.
Picture60.jpg
 
Uh, I'm being so obsessive about this! I hate to be this negative. I was watching this one guy's video channel in youtube and he gives me some hope. He lost 110 lbs and has been working out for 10 years, and he doesn't have noticeable loose skin (some flab, yes). Maybe in time you'll notice your skin will catch up as well, Spark, as will I! If it hangs terribly then I don't know, but I also HAVE to believe that if you work hard at it, consistently, and do the weight training and take care of your skin from the INSIDE out, SOMEthing will happen. It may never be as tight as it would be if you didn't put on the weight in the first place, but something that would not be as noticeable.

I have done A LOT of research on the internet and I have gathered that the foods also have a big influence on the skin's condition. Are you taking vitamins? Fish oil? Omega-3? Zinc? Do you get enough good fats? Do you drink enough water?

I started doing more weight training about 4 weeks ago and also changed my diet a bit. I am trying to eat salmon every week at least once, as well as good protein sources and good fats (olive oil, nuts, avocados etc). Not that I've noticed any difference on my stomach I have noticed some difference on my arms and thighs a bit, and my skin does feel different. Like more perky. Even the skin on my face used to feel sagging and dry. Now it feels different, like more plump.

I am worried that the skin sagging issue will become worse and worse as I keep loosing weight, even though I'm doing everything the "right" way now. I know it will not be perfect and I don't expect it to be, but I really hope it wouldn't sag.

Spark, it's funny because looking at your photo honestly it DOESN'T look bad to me at all. You're in awesome shape and look better than most skinny all their lives -people on the street. I hope you won't feel bad about your body!

I need to be less obsessive about my body. I will do what I can for this body and try to keep a positive attitude. That's all I can do. I got to try! (Positive attitude and being happy actually has been proven to influence your cell production positively so hey hey!:))



This made crack up a bit. XD Oh our jiggly tummies! The way he just wiggles his stomach like that, I think my situation is similar. Maybe a bit less of wiggle, but we'll see what the situation is like once I've lost those last 10 kg's! Lol.
 
Thank you Siru. You're really kind.

I have noticed the abs getting tighter and more definition showing...

Other than that, no real difference. I don't understand why the abs show more but the chest/pecs don't. You'd think the opposite would happen. Someone commented on my journal awhile back that I carried most of the weight around my stomach, so I'll look good when I lost it on my stomach. Maybe that's why. He said this a long time ago.

I don't eat omega 3 fish oil but i eat salmon, lots of tuna, lots of healthy fats, lots of cucumber (I love seedless cucumbers, plus i heard they are good for the skin), and a ton of protein . I try to avoid sodium as much as possible.

Lots of veggies/fruit/too. And nuts.

It's good to stay positive. I wish I was more positive.
 
Sparks you look really good. If I didn't know what loose skin was I wouldn't think twice about your stomach as being somehow abnormal. And your arms look really good and you're so trimmed. You should really be proud of yourself and your accomplishments.

I have jigglyness everywhere. I've come to accept the fact I have excess skin, lol. :D Oh well. What I can I will do and what I can't well I'll just have to take it. Working on positive attitude now.

I'm kind of afraid to loose the last remaining kg's though. What will my body look like, etc. And it's not really just about looks either, it's like, the feel of the body. I've lost some sensation in certain areas due to the excess skin. And when I attended Bodycombat class yesterday, I jiggled so much I felt like I was going to dissolve in tiny particles. :D It feels a bit uncomfortable. And even though my tummy doesn't sag as bad as some people (who have lost more than 200 lbs for instance), the skin kind of feels like excess weight, or like pulling me down.

All these changes in my body are kind of interesting as well as annoying. Overall I'm very pleased with my current fitness. I am taking weight training 2-3 x weeks in the form of bodypump (I really like it) plus with cardio 2x a week plus walking. Today I unfortunately will have to miss as I feel a bit ill. Yesterday at bodycombat I had to leave in the middle of the class for feeling really sick. (Not because my stamina couldn't cope.) I'm in pretty good shape, not in athletic level, but to my own level. I can lift heavy weights and attend classes. I still have some pounds to shed, but the flabbyness is annoying in certain classes. If I jump up, it's like my whole body kind of jiggled along few seconds too late. :D

Anyone have had experience with this? Does the jigglyness get any better through exercise?

I am really excited about exercising. Today I felt like having chocolate and liqourice ice cream. Probably could've done with less but it was worth it. I can pretty much tell when I'm full now and won't over-eat.

I want a practical body most of all, not the prettiest or the tightest, but something I can do shit with easily. Something I can do extreme sports with and something that is easy to manage. That would be my goal, and for the first time in my life I'm practising patience.

Wish me luck. :) This goal is set for the next 2 years time. By then, I wish to have the sort of body that has a lot of stamina and strength. Loose skin or not. Healthy is the aim.
 
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