[Chloe222]

Originally Posted by threenorns

the number one factor in how your skin will respond after you lose weight is genetics - look around at your female relatives, both on your dad's and your mother's side. if you see a fair amount of blown skin, then you probably inherited a taut, inflexible structure. if the majority do not have stretch marks or pregnancy pouches, then you probably inherited a flexible, responsive skin.

if you've got stretch marks or are prone to them, the amount of shrinkage will be less bec stretch marks are scars and scars are nonresponsive. they fade over time but they don't go away and the skin there does not shrink. think of a rubber balloon after it's been stretched too far and gets that wobbly, flubbery texture to it - same thing.

re creams, lotions, and potions: save your money and just invest in a good moisturizer to keep the surface of your skin smooth and fresh. none of them penetrate to the middle layers of the dermis where the damage happens and keeping the top layers moisturized doesn't do anything to pervent damage at the lower levels. it'd be like cleaning the attic to try and keep the livingroom free and clear of clutter.

retin-A and laser are the only therapies that have any degree of success and unfortunately, the expense and side effects and hassle are usually not worth the results. retinoic acid, in particular, is a pita - you can't go in the sun, your skin becomes uber-sensitive, and if you stop using it, the marks revert to what they were.

the best way to help your skin is a good, clean diet high in antioxidants; lots of exercise - both cardio and strength training; swimming or aquarobics; lots of water (keep very well hydrated!); and, above all, time. it can take 2yrs or more for your skin to shrink as much as it's going to.

Threenorms,
You always have great info.
thanks,
Chloe

[Survalia]

Originally Posted by DanafromAustin

Have done a ton of research on this and the only thing that will help is strength training and collagen....I started strength training about 3 months ago and I also add Great Lakes gelatin (protein collagen) to my food 2x per day. It's a much more effective collagen then what you will find in the Rasberry jelly.

Dana, would you mind sharing what convinced you to go with a collagen supplement? I have read that they are not effective. Thanks!

[DanafromAustin]

Originally Posted by Survalia

Dana, would you mind sharing what convinced you to go with a collagen supplement? I have read that they are not effective. Thanks!

Sure, I'm a big fan of Mark Sisson, who wrote The Primal Blueprint book, which is basically the Paleo Diet. He also writes a daily health blog called Mark's Daily Apple. In one of his blogs he writes about the importance strength training and collagen to help with what we would call loose skin. He says it's really just body fat still trapped under the skin. He had a bunch of links and I followed one that recommended hydrolysate collagen, and the brand that was recommended was Great Lakes. It comes in a powder form.

Does it really work? I'll let you know in a couple of years when I see what I'm really left with. I know for sure it can't hurt and in the meantime my nails are stronger than ever, and my hair stopped falling out.