ereks mom Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Did your skin "shrink" along with the rest of your body, or did you have saggy areas? I know that skin is quite elastic, but I'm just wondering if I've overstretched it. I have about 50-60 pounds to lose, and once I reach my goal, I don't want to look like my skin doesn't fit any more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 After I had full-term twins I lost 35 lbs (babies, etc.) and needed a tummy tuck for all the saggy skin. BUT - losing that much all over the body might not leave such an obvious bunch of loose skin ;). I suspect age has a lot to do with it - If I dropped the 30 - 40 lbs I should now, at age 51, I think I WOULD have saggy upper arms (yuck!) and would see if I could afford to have it removed/tightened. Sigh. I am going to follow this thread too, now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I ended up with jowls when I lost due to my hyperthyroid. I've put a bit back on but they won't go away. Most annoying. I'm seriously considering a lifestyle lift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I lost 85+ pounds, and while my skin isn't as tight as I'd like, I don't look like the saggy, baggy elephant, either. Part of it could be that I'd just like the skin I had in my late teens/early 20s :glare:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4kiddies Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 i have always heard that if you lose a large amount of weight over a period of time then the skin does shrink as well. It's when you lose a large amount of weight quickly that it becomes saggy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lolly Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Young skin can take it. Older skin cannot. It will really just depend on how much elasticity your skin has at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I have lost 65 pounds in the past 5 months. My skin isn't "loose" but the weight is going away in such a way that I stil have all the same sags, rolls, etc. They are just smaller. The problem really isn't about true "loose skin" but rather about muscle mass, distribution of fat, and body fat percentage. Many times when you lose weight, you aren't losing just fat. So, you can lose a significant amount and still have a body fat percentage that is too high for your weight. Skin is actually very thin - stretch the skin up on the back of your hand to see. When you have a roll that doesn't go away, it is because the fat is "attached" to the skin, not to the muscle. Strength training will make a HUGE difference in this. I believe LG Gone Wild has found this to be true as well. I remember her posting about how the "loose skin" went away as she built muscle mass and her body fat percentage decreased. In addition, the abdominal area can be particularly difficult to tone up due to pregnancy. I have some *serious* stretch marks after having 7 children (some of whom were fairly large.) It is also an area where I accumulated a LOT of fat. I imagine that the fat will be hard to get rid of there. I also think that sometimes the muscles even get out of place - a tummy tuck is done to fix that (and to remove excess fat that is still accumulated there.) I will say this - I would rather look kind of funny with the "loose skin" than to have that 65 pounds back.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Young skin can take it. Older skin cannot. It will really just depend on how much elasticity your skin has at this point. This is true, too. Think about much older women who have the "sagging skin" that is almost paper thin. My grandmother has it in various places. In that case, it is very thin because it isn't due to fat accumulation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 i have always heard that if you lose a large amount of weight over a period of time then the skin does shrink as well. It's when you lose a large amount of weight quickly that it becomes saggy. Because generally when you lose weight very fast, you are losing muscle mass as well as fat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightly Salted Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I lost 55 lbs over a year, and the only significant loose skin area is in my abdomen, where I also have tons of stretch marks. It's not outrageous, though, just not meant for a bikini ;) and I'd rather have it than the 55 lbs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classical Country Mama Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Because generally when you lose weight very fast, you are losing muscle mass as well as fat. I'm wondering about this too, myself. I've lost 25 pounds since Dec 27 (about 8 weeks), which is super fast, right? But I've lost it by eating incredibly healthy and exercising A LOT. So hopefully I'm not losing muscle mass, and it's just fat that couldn't wait to leap off me?? As for the loose skin, I'm waiting a bit anxiously to see what happens there too. I still have another 40 pounds to go, so I'm sure what I have now isn't what I'll end up with. At least it had BETTER not be, or I will have to give my body a severe talking-to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I worry about this too. I need to lose between 50-60 pounds and I have two friends who have lost it quickly and honestly, I don't think they look good. They look almost gray and have loose skin on their face and body.....and they seem to have aged. Then I have other friends who have lost that much weight and look fantastic! I don't know exactly what is the difference unless it is just genetics or maybe the specific diet? I worry about it, although I would still look better than I do now! Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertDweller Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I lost 55 lbs over a year, and the only significant loose skin area is in my abdomen, where I also have tons of stretch marks. It's not outrageous, though, just not meant for a bikini ;) and I'd rather have it than the 55 lbs! Same thing here. Lost 55 lbs very slowly over a year. The only area I have saggy skin is my abdomen. My thighs are a bit, but not enough that I'm bothered by it. I would like to think if I start working out on the weight machines at the gym that I can tone up a bit and maybe help with the saggy skin. I'm sure it won't eliminate it. Since I don't wear bikinis or show my midriff, it won't be seen by anyone but dh anyway. I also agree that I'll take the saggy skin over the 55lbs any day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I lost 60 lbs over a year and yes I have saggy skin. I am 32 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLG Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Young skin can take it. Older skin cannot. It will really just depend on how much elasticity your skin has at this point. :iagree: Yep, this! Being over 50 the only attack on the saggy skin has been continuous resistance training. Those Spri bands do help but age is still a hindrance, sadly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Yes, I lost 130 lbs in my late 30s and had some saggy skin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 In addition, the abdominal area can be particularly difficult to tone up due to pregnancy. I have some *serious* stretch marks after having 7 children (some of whom were fairly large.) It is also an area where I accumulated a LOT of fat. I imagine that the fat will be hard to get rid of there. I also think that sometimes the muscles even get out of place - a tummy tuck is done to fix that (and to remove excess fat that is still accumulated there.) I will say this - I would rather look kind of funny with the "loose skin" than to have that 65 pounds back.;) yup. I was going strong until the twins hit. My stretch marks have stretch marks and the Dr said the only thing that will make it go away is a tummy tuck--which I want very badly. Even the spanx doesn't make it look any better. Just smooshes it all down. :glare: It also depends on the KIND of skin. Despite being Brazilian, I have Irish skin (thanks Nana) which is has no snap back. Very low collagen and once stretched, doesn't firm back up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I had twins at one point in life. And -- at another time frame -- lost 48 lbs. I wouldn't say no to a pain-free, finance-free tummy tuck, but I don't think dh or anyone else would ever think I need one. I'm a size 8 now and would never wear a two piece bathing suit to the beach, but I'm not shy at all being au naturel around dh. Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 It's genetic. Some people can loose a lot of weight and look great. Others will have noticablly saggy skin. Skin elasticity is a genetic trait. The best way for you to judge yourself is to look at how others in your family have faired. If there are none, then you'll just have to wait and see. However, after you've lost the weight, you won't wish you were heavy again, just because your skin is looser. You probably won't even care if it is because you will look and FEEL so much better regarless. Good luck and God Bless! Edited to add: I agree with others who say age matters. Even if you have genetically elastic skin, it will be less so for you, as you get older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5kidsforME Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 It's genetic. Some people can loose a lot of weight and look great. Others will have noticablly saggy skin. Skin elasticity is a genetic trait. The best way for you to judge yourself is to look at how others in your family have faired. If there are none, then you'll just have to wait and see. However, after you've lost the weight, you won't wish you were heavy again, just because your skin is looser. You probably won't even care if it is because you will look and FEEL so much better regarless. Good luck and God Bless! Edited to add: I agree with others who say age matters. Even if you have genetically elastic skin, it will be less so for you, as you get older. :iagree: If I lost 50-60 lbs. I would not care too much about my skin. Would I be bummed if my skin was saggy? Sure. But the health benefits that I would gain from losing the weight far outweighs ( :lol: ) what I look like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I wonder if keeping the skin (all of it) moisturized while you are losing the weight will make a difference. When I had my twins and lost all that 35lbs at once (on the delivery table), it was/is not pretty, but I didn't keep the skin hydrated. I wonder if between the act of massaging the the lotion in and the moisture itself doesn't somehow get the skin to become more...active?...in it's conforming. Try it while you are losing the pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RahRah Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 @ 34 Decided to lose the weight I needed to and lost 80-pounds - skin was fine, nothing saggy and I didn't have stretch marks. @ 38 Pregnancy gain of 60-pounds, followed by loss of 50-pounds (stayed 10-pounds above pre-pregnancy weight---sigh) - again, skin was fine, nothing saggy really, but c-section insicion/scar did leave that area a bit tighter than above, so a minor poochy I can live with @ 44 Pregnancy gain of 50-pounds, still in weeks following second c-section and weight loss, incision/scar area is again a bit tighter than above, but nothing moreso than before....so far down 40-pounds and skin is mostly going back to normal. I won't know for sure for a few more months....but so far so good. I think a lot of how skin goes back or doesn't has to do with genetics...I haven't done anything to try to "protect" my skin in my initial weight loss or in the two pregnancies and have gained a lot of weight with each one - so far, things seem to be fine again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizam Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 I have lost 65 pounds in the past 5 months. My skin isn't "loose" but the weight is going away in such a way that I stil have all the same sags, rolls, etc. They are just smaller. The problem really isn't about true "loose skin" but rather about muscle mass, distribution of fat, and body fat percentage. Many times when you lose weight, you aren't losing just fat. So, you can lose a significant amount and still have a body fat percentage that is too high for your weight. Skin is actually very thin - stretch the skin up on the back of your hand to see. When you have a roll that doesn't go away, it is because the fat is "attached" to the skin, not to the muscle. Strength training will make a HUGE difference in this. I believe LG Gone Wild has found this to be true as well. I remember her posting about how the "loose skin" went away as she built muscle mass and her body fat percentage decreased. In addition, the abdominal area can be particularly difficult to tone up due to pregnancy. I have some *serious* stretch marks after having 7 children (some of whom were fairly large.) It is also an area where I accumulated a LOT of fat. I imagine that the fat will be hard to get rid of there. I also think that sometimes the muscles even get out of place - a tummy tuck is done to fix that (and to remove excess fat that is still accumulated there.) I will say this - I would rather look kind of funny with the "loose skin" than to have that 65 pounds back.;) Funny, I was just pondering the loose skin question myself...I have lost maybe 10 lbs in the past couple months, 20 the past year. Renee, you are my hero! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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