This may sound strange, but for all of you that are/were over 200 lbs and have lost 50 or so pounds, are you having problems with extremely loose skin after weight loss? I peaked at 250 during pregnancy and, although my weight is down, I hate the "Skin sweater" I wear each day. Strange as it may seem, my disdain for this is actually holding me back me from really trying to loose more. I figure that the skin will just get worse, and I can't afford plastic surgery. Can I really tone this up? Any insights? Thank you for your understanding.

Well I was waaaay over 200 lbs, 287 to be exact and I have to date lost 114 lbs. I am happy to say I really don't have much loose skin. In clothes you absolutely positively can not notice a thing. I will gladly take the loose skin any day, any time or any - anything over being morbidly obese. Looks wise, health wise or any other way that one can possibly imagine.

I do understand your not wanting loose skin, 100% in fact, but to actually let it hold you back from being a healthier, fitter person. I'm not so sure. Make sure to exercise as it will help. I also have heard that it can take up to 2 years for your skin to "bounce back" after a large weightloss. A lot of it also has to do with genetics. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and it won't be as bad as you think. But think about it - is it really worth giving up on your weightloss efforts because there is a "possibility" that you will have lots of excess skin?

Hi Arrow Girl!

I have VERY LOOSE skin on my upper arms and some loose skin in little folds on my neck which looks WEIRD! My legs and butt have toned up nicely, though, and my rear is almost completely gone! I can't figure out why some parts are loose and others aren't!

Exercise helps tone the body. I walk and lift and do cardio and dance. I also do yoga and Pilates. I'm doing arm exercises in hopes of working on my upper arms.

If you have any additional ideas please send them my way! Good Luck to you!

Cheryl

I don't know how much truth this holds, so don't blame me if it's not, but, I was told by a friend of mine that just had gastric bypass, that she was told that there are burn units around the country (not sure where) that look for people to donate excess skin to burn victims.... It would make alot of sense if they did. They could use the skin for skin graphs on burn victims. I don't know any of this is true, as I was not given any names or numbers of the doctors or centers involved. And, I don't know how affordable it would be if it were true. But, if it were true, and affordable, it sounds like it could be an alternative to costly plastic surgery. That certainly would be a blessing in disguise. I guess it would be worth checking out....

Lose skin is a commonly discussed issue around here. Take a look at this great thread in the maintainers' forum!
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36040

URBAN MYTH. Check the Skin FAQ out in Maintainers for the REAL story on anything you ever wanted to know.

The Skin FAQ provides amazing information. Also check with your insurance company I have heard rumors from in similar thread that some people believe that theirs will cover it if you develope problems like rashes and such.

I have lost 102 pounds to date and yes I have extra skin. You can see the wrinkles on my stomach. Also it is very loose from my body. In some ways I have become comfortable with it. It is a sign that I am loosing weight. I realize that there is nothing I can do about it now, I will probable save up and get plastic surgery, but for now I'm 23 and want to have kids one day so I have to weight until after that.

I've lost over 100 pounds and I do have "some" loose skin, but it's not extreme and not really noticeable unless I do something out of the ordinary...like bend forward and look at my tummy in a mirror as it sags beneath. Like the guy who went to the doc and said it hurts when I do this and the doc said well don't do that. But ::sigh::...I just hadda look.

As I got closer to my goal and focused on ab work (situps and crunches mostly), I noticed the abs began to tighten up a bit more. I'll always have loose skin, but I don't have as much as I did. I also massage the area with lotions frequently. I've heard the massage helps. Though I DO use firming lotions, even though I've heard they don't work, I figure they can't hurt. Since I'm gonna use a lotion anyway, why not get one that says it can firm, eh?

If my rich uncle ever gets out the poorhouse, I'll go for a tummy tuck, and likely have something done to my thighs. They're not that bad, better than the tummy, but there's a little jiggle there. Then again, had a friend visiting for a week and as she watched me on my stair stepper she commented that my leg muscles were amazing. I guess she wasn't seeing what I was seeing. Sometimes we're our own worst critics.

I fear that I am going to have that Apron Belly. I've had my 3 kids already, and put on 96 pounds since I was in high school. Of course, I've lost some since my highest weight of 196. But when I look at my stomach in the mirror when I'm naked, i see my belly hanging down. some peoples belly sticks straight out but mine hangs down. I fear that when I finally lose all the weight I really want to lose, that my stomach is still going to be saggy. I definately hope by the time I lose the weight, maybe I can start saving up for a tummy tuck. I really think I am going to need one. of course I hope not, but I am mentally preparing that I will need one.

I have some loose skin, yep. But it's better than being obese.

The thing I hate the most is my face got really thin. But I'm not going to put weight back on just to fill it out. Therefore you shouldn't let the loose skin thing discourage you from losing more weight. When I was heavy, I know for a fact that I was a walking timebomb. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, chest pains, tired all the time and just plain disgusted with myself. Which led to depression. That's not healthy either.

Since eating healthier and losing all of this weight, I feel SOOOO much better, have more energy (sometimes TOO much, I get up at 7am and can easily stay up until 1:00 in the morning) and it just plain feels GOOD to slip into my favorite pair of jeans without having to lie down to zip them up.

I have some loose skin. Mostly on my stomach.. I dont really have an overhang so there isnt much hope that I will be able to convince my dr that the rash I have developed on my c-section scar is from the skin, because believe me I have thought about it. There is about an inch there, and I havent had any problems with it until recently. Im definitely getting a tummy tuck though.. and it will be at least within the next year or two. Yay.. Plastic Surgery

Swimming is a key! At leas one houre a week and it will help a lot! Trust me, I have try it! Its amazing! Try to swim at leas one hour a week!

Hmmm... what a good idea, funnygirl33! I think I'll do that!

Jay

I'm definitely going to get plastic surgery too but I will need to get to my goal weight or somewhere near it and I'll need to maintain my weight loss for a year or so to see where my real problem areas lie. I think I'll need a lower body lift but I don't think I'll need an upper body lift just maybe the arm surgery. I am most concerned about inner thighs, tummy and arms though.

It does make me a little nervous though because I've never had surgery. How will I react to anesthesia? What if something "bad" happens? We'll see.

I am pretty sure that had I lost weight a few years ago, my skin could have completely toned up. But, in the past 3 years- I have had one C-Section and open gallbladder surgery. So, even if I worked out 2x a day/6x a week, I really do not think that area of my abdomen could be toned.. the muscles have been cut through twice, and I don't even have sensation there.. so I am pretty certain that I'll need to go the cosmetic route at some point.