Loose Skin

[pearlieq]

OK <gulp> broaching the topic that keeps me awake at nights...

I've seen several people here who have made large (75+ pound) losses. If you wouldn't mind, would you be willing to post or PM me to tell me about your experiences with loose skin?

I've read some places that it's inevitable, then I've read in others that it can be avoided if you lose weight slowly and exercise.

Has anyone here experienced it?
Or did you lose a large amount of weight and not have it?
What is it like?
Have you found any effective ways to deal with it?
Have you considered having it removed?
If you have, how did that go?

Any information that anyone can share would be very helpful. Thanks!

 

[grammiegail]

In 2001, I was 46 years old, 5' 6", and 208 pounds. Then, I joined Weight Watchers. Between October 2001 and March 2002, I followed the WW plan and exercised 5-6 days a week (aerobics and toning with Richard Simmons tapes) and got down to my goal of 165. Between March and July of 2002, I lost another 25 pounds. OK, so total weight loss was 68 pounds (about a third of my "old body"). So here's the great news, good news, and bad news.....

Great news, I lost a whole mess of weight and I feel much, much better. More energy, fewer aches and pains, and the Husband calls me eye-candy when he thinks I'm not listening.

Good news, the exercising while watching what I ate allowed me to tone up slack muscles. This helped to replace the fat so my skin wasn't just sagging all over the place.

Bad news, there is still a lot is "slack" to my skin. Let's face it, if you deflate a balloon by 1/3rd, there is going to be some puckering some where. Is it enough to keep me from wearing sleeveless tops? No. Is it enough to keep me out of shorts? No. Is it enough to keep me out of a bathing suit? No, but I definitely am not wearing a bikini or a thong! AND, it is definitely not enough to make me want to put the weight back on!

For me, the "problem areas" are the tricep jiggle (but, I would have gotten that even if I stayed big), the skin on my torso under my arms (fairly easy to conceal), my behind (but, remember no thongs), and a little overlapping around the waist band of my pants (but, can't pinch an inch).

Would I have it removed? No. That is MAJOR surgery and to me, it just isn't that annoying.

If you want more "detailed" stuff, PM me.

Oh, you can tell by my signature trackers, that I have gained weight. Surgery was a great excuse to not exercise and eat too much. I'm now back on program and will be close to my "fighting" weight by cruise time. YEEHAW!!

 

[WeirdEyes]

I have a lot of sagging, loose skin in my mid-section. I attribute it to carrying an 11 lbs baby. Anyway, I've had 3 major abdominal surgeries and my doctor told me that I could do 200 sit ups a day and it wouldn't help my abs because my muscles had been stretched and cut too much. Anyway, I've lost 50 lbs and my abs just "hang." It really is disgusting and very uncomfortable. I'm seeing a surgeon as soon as I lose the last 15 lbs about having it removed. I know it is major surgery, but I'm desperate.

 

[lmhall2000]

Okay, just to spit it out...I had a family crisis in 9th grade and put on 75 pounds in one year...I stayed that way through senior grade...but my first year in college I lost 95 pounds and stayed at 135 for 7 years (until my first pregnancy)...I did have saggy ****ies...and was a little self conscious but with good bras I actually had good form ...my legs were squishy but after about 2 years of maintaining my body really started to firm up a bit.

This time around I don't think I'll be so lucky...I got up to 258 with my 3rd baby and now I'm at 181.5....my calves, forearms, shoulders and calves are about the only thing that doesn't have loose skin. Well, I am lucky my face isn't too saggy either...but my upper arms/hips/abdomen and thighs are not so nice...but here's my take on it...I'm 37 years old..I have a wonderful husband who finds me very appealing no matter what weight..I have three wonderful children who are so adoring...and with clothes on you just don't notice the fleshy stuff....so when I'm at Disney and I wear a bathing suit that doesn't cover up my fleshy upper thighs...I won't worry about it...I'm 77 pounds lighter than I was 5 years ago and I'm going to make goal...I'll be happy that I'm in the pool playing with my dear children and whooping it up...the kind of folk who may be turned off by my body...are not the kind of people whose opinion I care about...the extra skin are battle scars and I'm winning the war! Now, if I had lost over 200 pounds I think medically it would be necessary to prevent infection in the folds...but I don't have folds just loose skin...unless you count my breasts as two big folds...but bras help out there! I'll be showing a 60 pound picture in the next week and I'll try and wear shorts and a short sleeve shirt so you can see my skin...if it's your first time losing that much I don't think yours will be as bad as mine...I've just done it twice so the skin is not so elastic. Hope I wasn't too detailed for you...

Tara

 

[grammiegail]

I second every thing you say! My extra skin is a reminder of how big I used to be and how uncomfortable I was. But, it's me and I accept it. As for the ****ies. Mine were already sagging. I was in college during the "bra-less" years and gravity finally won. I remember looking down while leaning over picking undies out of the drawer about 10 years ago. My husband couldn't figure out what I was laughing/sobbing. All I could say was "They're long! They are not supposed to be long!" Oh, well.....In a few years I may be able to live the old camp song...."Do your ****s hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie them in a knot? Can you tie them in a bow? Can you throw them o'r your shoulder like a Continental soldier? Do your ****s hang low?"

 

[WeirdEyes]

I second every thing you say! My extra skin is a reminder of how big I used to be and how uncomfortable I was. But, it's me and I accept it. As for the ****ies. Mine were already sagging. I was in college during the "bra-less" years and gravity finally won. I remember looking down while leaning over picking undies out of the drawer about 10 years ago. My husband couldn't figure out what I was laughing/sobbing. All I could say was "They're long! They are not supposed to be long!" Oh, well.....In a few years I may be able to live the old camp song...."Do your ****s hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie them in a knot? Can you tie them in a bow? Can you throw them o'r your shoulder like a Continental soldier? Do your ****s hang low?"

 

[Mom of Sleepy Bashful and BabyDoc]

I can't breathe, I can't (breath) breathe!!!

 

[lmhall2000]

OH!! Grammiegail!!!

I have this visual of all us long ****ies ladies standing in a row of solidarity with all our ****ies tied together in bows. Oh mY!!!!!

Tara

 

[grammiegail]

OH!! Grammiegail!!!

I have this visual of all us long ****ies ladies standing in a row of solidarity with all our ****ies tied together in bows. Oh mY!!!!!

Tara

OMG! Gee, should we suggest that to Cristo? Sure beats the "gates" in New York City!

 

[DznyDreams]

I'm loving it!!!

I can't believe this topic came up today! This has been on my mind so much over the past 2 or 3 days. At 37 years of age, with 150+ pounds to lose, I'm expecting some pretty saggy skin. I may even have to consider surgery , but I will gladly cross that bridge when I get there.

 

[pearlieq]

Thanks for the info--and the laughs!!!

I guess we'll cross this bridge when we get to it! Even with saggy skin, I'd rather be at goal!

 

[kaf7878]

Loose skin is inevitable with large losses I think. I've lost 75 lbs and trained for a half marathon during that time along with extensive weight training and yoga. I still have a good amount of loose skin, primarily in the stomach region. I've also had two kids prior so that may contribute as well. Don't worry about it though. Clothes can disguise it--even bathing suits! You can always get a tummy tuck if you really don't like it but its not necessary.

 

[chrismiss56]

Love the attitude on this thread!! Be Proud!! You are all working so hard at losing the fat - that is what matters!!

Have a magical Disney Day!!

Linda

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

Love the attitude on this thread!! Be Proud!! You are all working so hard at losing the fat - that is what matters!!

Have a magical Disney Day!!

Linda

Ditto!

 

[grammiegail]

OK, if you are looking at this, you are probably larger than you want to be. But, you have a choice. Stay the way you are (likely), get bigger (very likely), or get smaller (only if you want to and are determined to work). So, let's face it. Any of us with 50+ pounds to lose are not destined to pose in Playboy. Is it the end of the world? No! Will there be "extra" skin? Likely? Is it the end of the world? Depends on how you look at it.

So, the basic questions are...."Are you unhappy where are are"? "Do you believe you will feel better (e.g., more energy, better self-image, less pain) if you lose weight?" "Does feeling better (e.g. above) mean more to you than some loose skin?" "If you have lots are loose skin, is it the end of world or are you willing to donate it to a skin bank (most likely at your cost)?" If you can answer "YES!" to the first 3, then who cares what the answer is to the last question.

I'll admit I'm lucky. I married when I was already "heavy" and got bigger with a man who loved me for me. I lost weight and he still loved me AND is very proud of the change I made. Does the loose skin bother him? Nope. He loves me. Big, small, or loose. If I was single, would I be more concerned? Probably. But remember, if you want to lose weight, you do if for you and NO ONE ELSE! If you want change in your weight, you need to change your lifestyle. If you are changing it for a man/woman (or a reunion or a wedding or a vacation....like I have), it probably won't last. It didn't for me.

I hate to be a bummer......especially, after I have been so humorous before. But, let's face it. Losing weight and keeping it off is rough, tough, and just plain hard. So, do it for you when you are ready. If it means loose skin, decide afterwards if you can live with it. Don't let that hold you back. If you can't live with it, you can either grow back into your skin, have surgery, or decide to live with it. At least, you will have a choice. If you don't do anything.....

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

No personal experience on loose skin.

But I read that Marilu Henner's book (Taxi).....she lost 54 pounds. Granted she's got the money to do whatever she wants--but she was a firm believer in "body brushing". You get a special natural bristle brush and brush the skin on your body. It helps reduce the appearance of cellulite and helps tighten the skin, so as you are loosing weight--this can help mitigate some of the resulting loose skin.

I know that she didn't lose as much as you guys need to lose--but thought I'd throw that tip in there.

Congrats to all who lost and good luck to those still working towards your big goal!!!!

 

[plutosmyfav]

I'm going to have that song stuck in my head all day

There are several factors that effect how much your skin bounces back:

age
ethnic background
genetics
rate of weightloss
exercise, healthy living
hydration

We can't control the first three, but we can fight them with the last three. The skin is most ellastic when its well hydrated so drink your water! Skin "clings" to muscle so build those musles! Smoking, excessive alcohol, and chemical additives all affect your skin, so live healthy! And of course, if you lose weight really fast your skin is not going to keep up. So be sensible about weightloss.

Having said all of that, my own exerpience is this:
I lost 50 lbs in 5 months (too fast) my skin got really giggly and the fat underneath looked lumpy. But I was exercising consistently throughout, and my skin has 'caught" up everywhere except for my lower abdomen, butt, and top of the back of my thighs. I can look good in anything but a bathing suit at this point! I had lose skin on my arms and bat wings but they are gone. But I reduce my arms to jello twice a week with very intense weight training, and I do at least 200 push ups per week. I really think that made the difference. I still have 20 lbs to lose and then many months of toning to see where the last areas end up. I'll keep you posted BTW, I am 41 and have had two children and lost a total of 73 lbs.

Also, you should give you skin a full year after weightloss to catch up. So, be patient, it might not be as bad as you think!!!!

Sunny

 

[Tera]

Tara - I love what you said about the "extra skin are battle scars and I'm winning the war!" That is soooo true.

I'm currently at a 48.6 pound lose with about 20-25 more to go. My loose skin is starting in my lower abs, "chest area" and my upper butt, which will only get worse. I'm also the owner of several stretch marks on my abs thanks to my 2 lovely daughters I'm not sure how much will bounce back with time and exercise, but my DH has told me that if I wanted to get it "fixed" he would support me. I just feel that with all my hard work of losing this weight and if I can't get the skin to bounce, I might consider having it taken care of.

 

[KimRaye]

Wow, thanks everyone. I didn't start this thread, but I sure needed this thread right now.

I got a glimpse of myself exercising, in shorts, last week, and it wasn't pretty! I was really discouraged that I have lost almost 80 lbs, at a reasonable WW rate, while exercising all along, but this SKIN was flapping all over during exercise. UGH! You have all made me realize what's important - I'm healthier, feeling better, met my goal in Dec!, wearing a size 10 BATHING SUIT (that I didn't even OWN 1-1/2 years ago), and I'm just a more active, involved Mom! I know I have muscle under that skin, and I can see that too, when I'm exercising. It's a good feeling.

I have thought about the surgeries, but then, what about THOSE scars? I don't think I'll be going that route. I just won't exercise in public!

As for the "breast" song, I think I've been singing THAT song for a long while!!!

My stats: 5'1", 42yo with a 17yo DS & 7yo DD, lost 72 lbs in 11 months, another 6.5 on maintenance, and have been maintaining about 1-1/2 months now, and still exercising, but at a maintenance level. At my age, I wouldn't be wearing short-shorts, tube tops or a bikini anyway, so I need to focus on all the positives you all have mentioned! My tankini is just fine, thank you! And the water slides last week were awesome, with BOTH my kids!!!

Yes, THANK YOU for this thread!