hey guys,
just wondering... ive heard people talk about the "fat folds" someone can get after they've lost a lot of weight... im not sure what they're actually called... (fat folds doesn't seem right).. but I guess the saggy skin? that almost seems like fat folds?...
Is that true? If so, are there specific conditions under which it will occur, like rapid and intense weight loss? Does exercise allow the body to lose fat and build muscle in a health way such that the saggy skin thing doesn't occur...? It seems that if this occurs, it would only occur with people who have lost A LOT of weight?.. I don't know what constitutes a lot... but I heard about it again tonight, and I just really wanted to ask someone.
i hope everyone who was celebrating thanksgiving this weekend had an awesome one! (or has...? i dont know when it runs exactly lol)
There are a lot of things that will determine how much excess skin you are left with after your weight loss. Meg put together a very helpful post in the Maintainers Forum that you might take a look at : http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36040
Hope that helps
I was just working on getting you the link to that one too. I had really saggy skin on my belly area for awhile, but it has since tightened up and looks totally normal now, minus a lot of stretch marks.
truth be told, i havent heard about this before really, and i have to say that i am slightly upset - i kinda figured that when i'd lose weight, it would be gone... everything of it, u know? and now to hear that some people undergo plastic surgery bc they have all this loose skin... I don't know. Still makes losing weight worth it, definitely, but it detracts from what I want.. and that makes me a little bit sad.
Thanks for posting the links though, I really appreciate that
Jenicra, did ur skin naturally tighten up with muscle tone? how did it happen?... I know everyone's different, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I guess I thought that all the weight gain could be 100% reversible by just losing it, and I could look like I've never been overweight (I'm not just doing this for asthetic reasons, my primary reasons are health and wellbeing, but I'd like to look nice too). I hope you don't mind me asking, but I noticed that your starting weights, and weight goals are very similar to mine, as is our age, and there's a slight height difference, so I thought I'd ask, how did you go about losing all the weight? in terms of exercise intensity, and I guess how much you ate? I'm trying to figure out if I eat too much, and it's a little confusing. One of my roommates doesn't eat large quantities but she eats things that are high in fat and low in nutritional content, so I guess she may eat small things but gets a lot of calories and fat out of them. So I've stopped trying to assess how much i eat compared to how much she eats, bc our eating styles are entirely different. I'm a bit confused with everything, I guess I should just hit the gym and eat healthily so that I'm satisfied, and hopefully overtime the weight will come off.
It really depends on how much weight you have to lose and your skin elasticity. For me, I lost about 40 pounds (still have more I would like to lose, but not working on it now), and I had excess skin in my breasts. Nothing I can do about it without surgery. Its not really bad, but it bugs me.
I also have stretch marks on my hips, but the skin has otherwise been tight.
I don't think there is anything you can do about this.. it really depends on your body. Just eat right, and exercise. Your body will do what it can.
Dorcia - when I was losing weight quickly, my skin was very saggy for a few months, then it started catching up with me. As I understand, lifting weights and building muscle can help skin tighten up. The loose skin in my breasts is still pretty apparent, with one more so than the other, unfortunately. Also, being young is helpful - your skin bounces back more easily. And don't worry, no one here will judge you for wanting to lose weight and look great - I don't think anyone can deny that it has something to do with their motivation.
As for my plan, I count calories and try to stay within 1200-1600. I drink 2-3 liters of water per day. I make an effort to exercise almost every day, for anywhere between 30mins-2 hrs. I run, walk, play tennis, bike, use the elliptical, play softball, swim, lift weights - I try to have at least a portion of each of my day's exercise be high intensity cardio. I have bad days, just like everybody else.
I think that the primary key to losing weight in terms of how much food you eat isn't what you're eating but how many calories you're taking in - that's been my experience anyways. Of course, the quality and nutritional content of our food is important, but I just think that calories are king here.
And your instincts are correct - work out and eat healthily and the weight will come off - maybe not as quickly as you'd like, but it will come off.
I'm so glad to see this, as it's the one thing I'm REALLY worried about! Although I suppose if I dress right, the only person who will ever really know it's there is my hubby!
uhhhh... important question.. saggy skin?
