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Old 03-05-2013, 12:14 PM   #1  
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This question goes out to all the successful weight loss champions As I get ready to start my IP journey I have a nagging question in the back of my head regarding what is going to happen to my "spare tire" belly when i start losing weight. Am I going to end up with excessive lose skin from the dramatic losses I hope to achieve.. i need to lose over 100 pounds.

My neighbour has had amazing success with the IP program and has gone from plus size to size 4 clothing! I asked her and she showed me that while the belly skin was looser then it could be, there isnt excessive folds of skin... but then again i dont think she just had belly fat. She is also almost 60.. so said her skin wouldnt bounce back as quickly as a younger persons.. I am 35.

She did menion that taking extra collogen would help with tightening the skin as you lose... so I guess I am looking for everyone elses experiences.. and advice regarding collogen. (how to take it.. where to get it?)

Thanks everyone!
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Old 03-05-2013, 12:59 PM   #2  
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First, your body already contains a ton of collagen. Eating hydrolized collagen has never been shown to have any specific effect on loose skin in scientific studies. Collagen needs to be produced in a particular location. Just eating it is not going to do it, it will just serve as additional protein. Collagen supplements are just an easy way of making money IMO. Estrogen plays a big role in regulating collagen production. This is helped by vitamin C. Therefore, skin treatments that contain vitamin C may help improve skin elasticity though the effect may be mostly on the appearance of your cellulitis (if you have any).

Whether and how much your skin will tighten is dependent on the individual person and influenced by age and how you loose the weight. If you lose weight fast, your skin may take a while to catch up. If you have never exercised in the past, you will not have a supportive underlying muscle layer. If you do not eat enough protein and oils, your body may cannibalize your muscle and collagen. You can encourage skin cell renewal by exfoliating and by increasing circulation (massage, hot salt baths etc), but ultimately it is mostly genetics.

My personal experience has been (I did only loose around 40 lbs so far) that my skin has bounced back nicely. This is despite my age. I am a slow looser though and I do exercise regularly. I was concerned about the skin issue myself, but I think I'd rather take a bit of loose skin on my abdomen than the barrel of fat I left behind. I would therefore not worry. Most people will likely see their skin shrink over time. Just make sure you have enough proteins and supplements (vitamins, minerals, and omegas).
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Old 03-05-2013, 01:23 PM   #3  
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Interestingly enough, I just made a post about this on the 'Fabulous at Fifty+' thread.
I've been taking silicea for quite a few months now. It was recommended to me originally to prevent hair loss through the dieting process, but in reading about it's benefits I saw that it's great for nails and skin as well. So I kept taking it in order to 'reap the benefits' for all of these areas, and having now taken it since last August, I do feel it's been a benefit to all of them. My nails have strong, white tips and the nail beds are clear. My hair loss has been minimal, and the individual strands seem noticeably thicker. I can now see a lot of 3-4" hairs that have grown in since I started the diet. I also been taking 2000mcg/day of Biotin - but only started it 2-3 weeks ago, as an extra precaution against hair loss - so it's too early to attribute any of these benefits in my hair to the increase in Biotin. As it relates to healthy skin, Silicea is said to 'support the formation of connective tissue fibres, collagen and elastin'. While I've got some sagging skin, mostly in the underarm area, it's not as bad as I expected, especially given that I'm 62 and have noticed the effects of menopause on my skin's overall elasticity. So I can't help but wonder if the silicea has somehow helped with this as well, as it advertises.

Here's a link to an info page about silicea - http://www.nakaherbs.com/pdf/silicea_gel.pdf

Last edited by evepet; 03-05-2013 at 01:28 PM.
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Old 03-05-2013, 02:03 PM   #4  
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The skin will be loose. No sugar coating. You need to exercise during diet to avoid some if that damage.
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Old 03-05-2013, 02:32 PM   #5  
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I've been exercising and exfoliating and taking vitamins and I have a good amount of loose skin on my arms, stomach and inner thighs. I've made peace with it.
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Old 03-05-2013, 03:12 PM   #6  
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I've lost about 40 so far (I'm 33 btw) and I don't have loose skin yet. I have 28 more to go. However, hair loss is another issue but thats a topic I think we've exhausted. LOL. No skin issues here yet.
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Old 03-05-2013, 03:27 PM   #7  
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Hahaha.. Im already losing hair because I have been really bad at taking my thyroid meds lately. I hope that taking them properly and getting my act together diet wise will help! That being said.. i have a really short haircut right now.. so i dont know how noticable it will be if i do keep shedding like I have been.
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Old 03-05-2013, 04:04 PM   #8  
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Lexi that's not entirely true.

The speed of the weight loss is going to be more than exercise could keep up with for most people. Of course there will be some people whose skin just handles the losses better, but for most there will be loose skin. The good news is that the body CAN reabsorb some of it - it takes 6-8 months for the body to take care of what it can. And once in maintenance, exercise and toning will help mitigate some of it as well.

The bottom line is, loose skin is a pitfall of fast weight loss - but your body will even itself out as much as it can within the first year after you finish the diet.
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Old 03-05-2013, 05:28 PM   #9  
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To piggy-back on Scorbett's reply
Exercise is great for the underlying muscle tissue but it won't fix skin.
As has been stated, a lot can happen with patience in the skin realm. The body figures out what it doesn't need & can absorb/sluff off, given time.

I have a friend who has lost over 100 lbs and kept it off. He's over 50. Some went away, some remains.
Skin does lose elasticity with age.

I'm not going to worry about skin right now. I'm focused on getting off the unhealthy and unsightly fat. What will remain will remain.

Last edited by lisa32989; 03-05-2013 at 05:29 PM.
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Old 03-05-2013, 05:42 PM   #10  
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I've lost 142lbs in just over a year and the skin is, well, an issue. Truthfully. My arms are the worst, IMHO, because they're just that much more visible. But nothing's sacred - everything sags and pooches. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this is just my reality.

I've started going back to the gym to work on toning in an effort to bring some snap back to my skin. I've been flat out told by my doctor, my personal trainer and a plastic surgeon that my skin will NEVER go back to being taught, will never look 'normal' (whatever that means). Exercise will help, staying on track nutrition wise will help, but the only true solution to the problem is surgery. Especially where the arms and the belly are concerned. I will never naturally rid myself of the apron area.

Having said all that, my crazy skin issues are my battle scars. They remind me of the damage I inflicted on myself all those years I was overweight, and they are a cautionary tale to never return to that state. If I could afford the surgery (we're talking over $20,000 here to do belly, breast lift and arms only) I would do it in a heartbeat. But it's not in the cards after a year on IP and numerous new wardrobes so I'll do the best I can with what I have and try not to dwell on the fact that I look like a plucked chicken now.
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Old 03-05-2013, 05:42 PM   #11  
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Oh, and I'm 39.
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Old 03-05-2013, 05:46 PM   #12  
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Sigh.... the skin question... I would be annoyed at seeing it again and again, but well, I remember coming here with a similar question when I was still very obese. So... I will just sigh and respond (over and over and over)

There is nothing you can do now to help with loose skin except to eat right and be healthy (healthier people tend to just be all around better). The rest is up to your body and your genetics.

Just like some people don't get stretch marks during pregnancy and others do - there is no cream or drug that can fix it or keep it from happening.

Losing slower will just mean that you overall are bigger everywhere and you won't notice the loose skin as much because skin DOES shrink slower than fat can disappear. It doesn't mean that you have less issues of loose skin.

You can start doing X, Y and Z and after a year proclaim, "It was this cream, or this drug or this thingamajig." No. It was time. Loose skin needs time. Might be a year, might be six months. Can be up to 2-3 years before it stops shrinking up, so don't go rushing to the plastic surgeon right away. They want your money. They will tell you what you want to hear.

And no, strength training will not help with loose skin. It's great. It will make you look better overall, but it will do nothing for loose skin.

And you worry about it, but I have only heard/read of one incidence here that anyone ever had a significant other be bothered by the loose skin. My husband LOVES the new thinner me and finds me beautiful. he loves the feel of my muscles and toned body. He doesn't think anything (or even notices) the wiggly inner thighs, the wobbly under arms and the crumply, jiggly, stretch marked, saggy belly. Those are MY hang-ups (if I allow myself to be hung up about it). Not his.

So, don't worry about loose skin. The time to worry about that was before you gained the weight. Now it's time to just get healthy and enjoy the rest of your life.
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Old 03-05-2013, 05:58 PM   #13  
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This is likely of little help because I'm a guy just peeking in from the guy thread next door but I'm noticing a bit of saggy skin too. I had a friend with a much larger weight loss than I'm doing and he was really saggy but he worked hard to tone and looks good now (about a year later). That is sort of my plan. I want to dip about 5 or 10lbs below my goal and then start to really exercise. So far on P1 I have done very little working out to keep my weekly losses high.
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Old 03-05-2013, 08:19 PM   #14  
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Thanks everyone for the replies Im not overly concerned that I will have it.. as most of you have stated the end result of being healthy and thinner will be well worth it.... I was just curious.. as I used to work at a gym and some of the girls I worked with (who had lost drastic amounts of weight) would complain about it a lot.
I actually hold my weight very compactly.... many are surprised to hear what my actual weight it.. so maybe that will mean that I will kind of shrink in the same compact way. Regardless I dont really want to lose my stretch marks they are my babies marks on me and I love every one of them!
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Old 03-27-2013, 12:00 AM   #15  
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I have lost 50#, including the same 7 lbs that I regained (stress eating) and lost again. I do not have noticeable loose skin, except once in a while it shows on my neck depending on light or how I hold my head.

I read somewhere that antioxidants in the diet help. I have also taken all the vitamins faithfully that IP recommends/sells. The collagen packets are hard to get down, and I go in stages where I can't get near them!

I have 20 to go, so am curious to see how it will turn out. My current BMI is 23.9. My remaining weight is belly/breast mainly.
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