Featherweights - If your a featherweight do you need to worry about...

having loose skin after losing 20 ,30 or 40 lbs? is that enough that the elasticity wont just like pop into place...im not sure and im kinda scared by the idea of having loose skin if I lose all the weight I want to...whats the best way to combat that happening? Is it really something I need to be this concerned about?

my understanding is that the "slow and steady" weight loss and your age are the real factors to minimizing the issues with the skin - we naturally lose elasticity in our skin as we age - making it more difficult to 'bounce back' from whatever - but please don't take this for fact - just how i understand it. (i will keep follwing this post too, i'm curious if anyone else has anything to offer that might be more scientific)

I do have a little loose skin in my abdominal area after losing 40 pounds, but I don't know whether it is due to being overweight, or having 2 babies, or both! It's not bad, and does seem to tighten a little over time, but I'm probably never going to wear a bikini. I don't notice anything loose anywhere else.

How well and quickly the skin bounces back after weight loss is a very individual thing. I certainly will take a little saggy skin over a potbelly!! Under my cute little jeans, or a higher cut bathing suit, you can't see a thing. I certainly wouldn't be concerned about it.

Thanks =)

I have some loose skin and in my late 30's. I would never, ever let this deter me however. Loose skin is way easier to hide under clothing than obesity is! Plus, you still reap all the health benefits of being fit regardless of the loose skin.

Thats a good point! :)

I have a pouch of loose skin filled with fat that hangs down below my belly button - it grosses me out and I would kill for a tummy tuck.

I know that if that same amount of fat was encased in non-stretchedmarked skin you would hardly notice it, but because the skin has been stretched through being overweight and two pregnancies, it just ain't going back any time soon.

It is the only part of my body I am not happy with and I wish I could just cut it off with a big pair of scissors.

I don't think it should be a huge problem for you. I didn't start noticing any loose skin until I had lost about 70-80 pounds.

I have a pouch of loose skin filled with fat that hangs down below my belly button - it grosses me out and I would kill for a tummy tuck.

I know that if that same amount of fat was encased in non-stretchedmarked skin you would hardly notice it, but because the skin has been stretched through being overweight and two pregnancies, it just ain't going back any time soon.

It is the only part of my body I am not happy with and I wish I could just cut it off with a big pair of scissors.

me too :p

I think it has waaay more to do with my pregnancies than my weight loss.

and i am still looking pretty fab inspite of it :carrot:

I have a very minor amount of loose skin on my abdomen, but not much, mostly just leftover fat there. I'm never going to have a perfectly flat tummy. I'm about to be 37 and have had no children.

Well I guess if it comes down to it all a person can do is work out big time to try and build lean body mass and burn the remaining fat off....or have surgury!

I don't have much loose skin, but I lost more on the slow & steady side. I advocate some light toning and crunches though! I think that has helped keep me "firmer" overall.

Thanks all! :)

I lost 20 pounds in 2 months a couple years ago (side effect of medication) and I don't have loose skin, but I do have stretch marks. The white kind, if you run your finger over them, it feels like my skin is ridges with stretch mark valleys... I haven't tried cocoa butter or anything, just hoping they may fade away like my puberty stretch marks...

I had three children in my 20s. By the time I was 40, I weighed over 180 pounds at just under 5'4" tall. I followed Susan Powter's "Stop the Insanity" plan 12 years ago and lost over 50 pounds. I had a little bit of loose skin, but nothing to get upset about. I'm fighting with some extra poundage now, but nothing like the 180 I was before...at age 53, my stomach is still not too bad; just a few stretch marks left over from pregnancy and a little loose skin.

It depends on many things, age, weight gain and weight loss, pregnancy.I do have a lot of loose skin, not fat, just plain old loose skin. I would love to have a tummy tuck but will not because of other health issues. Meanwhile it is not noticeable under clothing. I hate it, though.

I have lost 25.5 pounds and have 10 to go, and I have had no problem with loose skin.. My body looks better than it did in high school.. I have lost the weight over a 3-4 month period.. I only have my self as a reference, but I think if you lose the weight in a healthy way over a healthy period of time your skin will be fine :o)

Hi!

I'm 32 and have lost over 50 lbs. in 5 months and do have a problem with with loose skin on my tummy and oddly enough on my upper inner thighs?? It looks terrible. I think I will never wear a bathing suit again! I also have some loose skin under my upper arms. Stretch marks too... I'll try cocoa butter. I'm a mess! And I've never even had any children! Hate to be a downer :(

MrsLovett

I do have a little loose skin in my abdominal area after losing 40 pounds, but I don't know whether it is due to being overweight, or having 2 babies, or both! It's not bad, and does seem to tighten a little over time, but I'm probably never going to wear a bikini. I don't notice anything loose anywhere else.
This is exactly my experience. FYI -- I'm 35yo, had two children via c-section (so I have the weird loose skin on the top and then the incision and tight skin), and a weight loss of 31 lbs.

I have no loose skin anywhere except the abdominal area.

Genes probably play a pretty big factor too.

You guys are starting to scare me. I'm 25, never had kids, and am hoping to lose about 75 lbs the slow and steady route. Obviously it's better to have loose skin than be obese, which is my case now, but I don't wanna have that problem when I'm still so young.

So, do you guys have any tips on minimizing that problem while you're losing weight?

There's a great thread in the Maintainer's forum under the Body Issues After Weight Loss thread - a loose skin FAQ. Seems to me there's just no way to know - but there does seem to be a majority who say there is big improvement after about a year of maintenance. The favorite saying is that if you don't like the loose skin, you can always gain the weight back. Yeah, right!!!

I lost 42 pounds (plus) in about 8-9 months. & I ended up with a teeny bit of loose skin on my tummy, and upper arms. However I know with the proper diet & working out & Lifting it will eventually tighten up! :) Because it has already!! :D