Hello..

I've just started a vigorous diet (which I'm still modifying from advice I get here) and exercise plan. I've never been as serious about losing weight as I am now. I do weights and cardio. I'm 30.. and hoping its not too late to tighten up my skin as I lose.

I already have flappy arms - the rest is pretty much tight to my body. The arms, I'm working on.

Any advice or exercises to prevent hanging skin? Massage therapy? Specific exercises?

Thanks!

I've heard that moisturizing daily as well as taking fish or flax oil will help keep the skin hydrated so it will be more elastic and will rebound quickly. I've also heard that getting loads of protein and doing weight training will help.
That's what I'm trying to do and so far, so good. I've lost over 30 inches all told and my arms (which were like massive, 100 year old bat wings) are slimming down without extra skin Soooooo happy about that!

I researched this and compiled a list... as follows-
1. Hyaluronic Acid and Magnesium vits
2. Aloe Vera Extract
3. Hot bath with pure sea salt
4. Exfoliate, body scrub, loofah
5. massage with mustard oil
6. collagen cream
7. take omega 3 vit
8. skin tighttening creams with hyalauronic acid, yeast extract, soy protein, vit c, vit E, vit A, aloe vera, cocoa butter, cucumbers
9. coconut oil
10. supplements with soy protein, yeast extrast and spirulina

I have settled on in the morning I use a nuetrogena sugar scrub. At night I use a moisturizer on arms and legs and a nivea skin tightener on my stomach and hips.

Unfortunately with obesity, comes side effects that result from years of abuse to our body. The physical wounds can be quite unattractive.

Meth addicts often suffer from tooth and gum disease, alcoholics might suffer from liver dysfunction, cutters...scars. Just about every self inflicted abuse has some sort of battle wound. But you wouldn't tell a junkie to keep getting high because their teeth can never be normal again would you?

Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones, and there is always surgery...

I wish we would have thouht of the concenquences of hanging skin back when we were over feeding our bodies. Time at a normal weight helps. Lots of time at a normal BMI.

i think its definitely good to exercise, but i do think it really varies from person to person. my boyfriend's mother had weight loss surgery a few years ago, and has been maintaining at a healthy weight for a few years now. she's lost over 100lbs. she's over 60. she said that she had loose skin in the beginning, but now, her skin has slowly tightened up. she has *some* loose areas, but its not hanging- like she has to pull on it to really show me. she's been maintaining for 5 years.

What will be will be. Moisturize, make sure you're eating healthy foods, and time will tell the story.

Worrying about loose skin at the beginning of the journey is like worrying about getting divorced before you've been on a first date.

Stacy your post is very helpful, thank you. I'd never heard about any of those except aloe vera.

AZ I wanna do it right, that's all.

I know ya do. No one is here to be Debbie Downer.

Sometimes "what if" becomes a person's downfall when s/he first starts--the negativity gets into their heads sometimes. The picture is so much bigger than how we look in the end...and at the end, a little extra skin won't matter. You're going to be so proud of yourself and your accomplishments. Don't let anything hold you back.

Lori, nice job at rephrasing the loose skin "fear".