I only lost around 70 lbs. It's been two years, but I still have a saggy stomach and loose skin on my inner thighs and in the armpit area. The poor boobs are also pretty saggy.
I don't mean to discourage you from weight loss, even with the loose skin I love my healthier, more slender body. Everyone is different, its hard to predict what an individual's skin will do.
I still have 150 pounds to lose, but I know that the more elasticity your skin has, supposedly the less it will sag. Zelma would be the PERFECT person to give advice on this one!
This topic comes up a lot, and there's a lot of good info on the thread below, from the maintainers' forum.
It's a bit of a depressing topic, but everyone is different. I am now glad I had an inkling ahead of time what the issues were. And I would rather be 175 with saggy skin, than 295 with firm skin!!
I'm young and pretty sure I have pretty elastic skin, and after losing what I did, I have tremendously sagging skin --- everywhere (stomach, back, arms, inner thighs, a little on my knees). The bad news is that no amount of exercise will get rid of it, but the good news is that I can look pretty normal with clothes on (and a shaper). The only thing that still really depresses me is about the 4 inches of hanging arm skin I have that I'm so uncomfortable with that I don't wear sleeveless shirts. Everything else is tolerable. Another bit of good news is that I think most formerly obese individuals (myself included) would rather have the extra skin to deal with than the extra weight. It's definitely worth it to lose the weight.
I'm young and pretty sure I have pretty elastic skin, and after losing what I did, I have tremendously sagging skin --- everywhere (stomach, back, arms, inner thighs, a little on my knees). The bad news is that no amount of exercise will get rid of it, but the good news is that I can look pretty normal with clothes on (and a shaper). The only thing that still really depresses me is about the 4 inches of hanging arm skin I have that I'm so uncomfortable with that I don't wear sleeveless shirts. Everything else is tolerable. Another bit of good news is that I think most formerly obese individuals (myself included) would rather have the extra skin to deal with than the extra weight. It's definitely worth it to lose the weight.
I totally agree! I'm 43 and pretty sure my skin is NOT elastic, and I have a bit to go - but I'd also much rather be saggy and slim than fat and firm. I look better naked, even saggy, than I did before. I look WAY better clothed than I did before. And needless to say, I FEEL so much better! The arm skin is my major frustration too really. I've already told my husband I may be biting the bullet and getting that fixed. I'd like to go sleeveless for once in my life. But I'd NEVER go back to avoid the skin.
Exercise. Try to tone as much as you can. Use really good lotions with Vit. E and DON'T expect to look like a bikini model. Focus on how much healthier and yes, better looking, you will be.
I have 40 year old skin and had been obese for the last 15 years, so you can imagine that my skin hasn't exactly bounced back. However, like the others have shared, I am so much happier now with my body than before. I am exploring the issue of a tummy tuck when I reach 180. That is the area I think will not bounce back. I am fairly happy with my arms, back, rear, and the legs are still a work in progress. I would definitely rather have the saggy skin than one firm with fat.
I've lost 106 lbs and my tummy and thighs have an horrendous amount of flabby skin on them. My arms are flabby too, but not too bad at the moment. Like most of the others here I would much rather be smaller and healthier with flabby skin than be as fat and unhealthy as I was before.
I lost 150 lbs. when I was 28, and had no saggy skin problems. I've lost over 200 this time, and have lost on top more than on bottom. The only problem I have above the waist is the back of my arms. I am starting to feel pretty saggy on bottom though. I do what I can to minimize. I take fish oil, I keep my body hydrated, and I keep my skin moisturized. I have had someone tell me that if you get your overall body fat percentage low enough, that they skin will cinch up. He said look at the pictures of POW's and Holocaust survivors, and there is no saggy skin on any of them. The all lost their weight pretty quickly, and some had to have been older and had been overweight. I'm just hoping for the best, and if it happens, I'll wear a body suit if necessary. I really don't want to have surgery, but if it get bad enough, and after losing 400+ pounds, that might be inevitable for me.
I agree with everyone else. I have saggy skin but I rather have it than be 100 lbs heavier. I'm starting to worry about my bottom more than I have in the past but that is ok. I will also look into plastic surgery when I lose 60 or so more lbs.
I have been on this weight loss journey once before and had lost 80 pounds. My lowest weight was 150. I didn't experience any loose/flabby skin. It differs between people and depends on how much you have lost and the elasticity of your skin. I also tend to attribute some of my good luck to the fact that I lost the weight very slowly, an average of 1 pound per week.
Question for people who have lost a lot of weight
