Now that my body is working with me and shedding inches, I am realizing that my stomach(middle and lower) will begin to "deflate". Has nayone had any success with particular exercises as you lose to keep thing tighter? I am running for 25 min 5 days a week and I strength train for 20 minutes on four of those days. I also go to an Ab Attack(ouch) class once per week.
I don't know if daily crunches are enough? Has anyone tried pilates while they lost? I wonder if a reformer is a worthwhile investment now.
I started out about 100 pounds more than you and am now close to your goal...and the extra skin isn't really all that bad. Maybe you'll be suprised. I am sorry to say that there really isn't anything you can do to change the outcome from the years of the abuse to your skin...but with time, things will improve...and there is always surgery.
Extra skin is one of my biggest fears with weight loss! Like most guys I carry all my weight in my chest and stomach some in my face and very little in my arms. Like zero in my lower body which I find very weird. I have lost 60 so far and it really looks to me like my skin is going to be saggy and gross after I lose all my weight. I can't afford to have it removed so I am hoping since I am only 24 that it really does tighten with me. I do both cardio and strength training so I am hoping that helps.
You don't need a reformer for Pilates, most everything you can do on the reformer can be done on the mat. Although I do want the reformer...
I've been doing Pilates for over 6 months (just dvds and mat workouts) I don't know if it improved my stomach or not. Standing up, my stomach looks fine. Most people wouldn't realize that I have a belly under clothes...but I do have a belly. I don't think it is deflated but it will..."hang" a little if I am doing a plank or downward dog. I am not sure if that is due to skin or just because it is fat that still needs to be lost.
I hope someone has better advice!
Don't be scared. Everyone's experiences are different. There's lots of different factors going on. Age, genetics, how long one's been overweight for, just for starters.
Keep on doing what you're doing.
I was more scared to REMAIN morbidly obese. And talk about scary - my stomach before I lost the weight - now that WAS scary. I'd rather have some loose saggy skin, easily covered up in clothing, then a taught big huge overhanging, can't fit into clothing, get in the way of everything - stomach.
And like Meg always says, "if you hate the results, you can always put the weight back on". But seriously, I can assure you, it won't come down to that.
Thanks to everyone for your support. I guess I am being a little hard on myself. I will continue to workout and take it as it comes. I too would not trade how I feel for some "full skin".
My mother is very worried about this too. I don't know how to keep her from getting discouraged with her weightloss journey. She needs to lose about 100lbs or more to be healthy again, and her insurance will cover the lapband surgery, but not for the cosmetic afterwards. She's concerned about dealing with all the excess skin. I'll still love her regardless of what shape she is, but we always want our loved ones to feel good about themselves.
Excess skin after a large amount of weight loss can actually be considered a medical problem, and as such its removal may be deemed coverable by insurance. Your mom would want to check this out beforehand, of course, but I think the time to worry is after the weight has been lost.
Everyone is different...I lost 80 pounds over 1 1/2 years, while working out and lifting weights, and I've got an inch or two of skin that hangs over the tops of my jeans, plus bad extra skin under my arms. Others I know have lost more than me and have no problems at all...
That being said, don't let it stop you. I hate mine, but wouldn't regain weight for anything. I don't want to feel THAT bad again...
I am close to my half way mark and I am seeing some stretchmarks and loose skin. It is heartbreaking. Really heartbreak.
But I just keep telling myself that my skin hasn't changed at all. Its the same skin, I just didn't notice the condition it was in because it was stuffed with blubber and because I was in la la land about the condition of my body overall.
How funny it seems that I can be completly oblivious about my body to gain over 80 pounds, but now I'm all hyperfocused on every existing flaw (plus those flaws that are just waiting for me-like more loose skin)
I used to think that losing weight equaled perfect body.
It does not.
I will still be short, I will still have small boobs . I am going to be less tone in some areas then others and I will have loose skin.
....But, other things will be better, other things are better and I feel the improvements every single day.
Don't focus on perfection, focus on all the wonderful incremental improvements.
Any sort of excerise, in my opinion, is going to be better then none at all. However I do believe it depends on the person, no ones excess skin issue is going to be the same. Some might have it real bad, some not as much. I was very convinced that I was going to somehow be that person who did not have to deal with the whole excess skin thing. I think it was both my denial that I would actually lose weight, and the fact that if I did, it wouldnt be as much as I did. However 100lb down, and theres the excess skin! haha. It's not THAT bad, but it giggles and is extremly unattractive! haha. I have no idea what I am going to do about it in the future as my weightloss continues, but I will say, I do not regret losing the weight one bit. Being down to a size 12, from a 24, losing 100lb, and finally feeling good about myself, and being healthy, are way more positives, then the negative of lose excess skin.
Fear of Loose Skin-What Can I Do Now!
