I want to lose at least 100 lbs. but my concern is the loose skin afterwards - surgery would NOT be an option. Does anyone have any tricks or ideas to help prevent this? I sometimes think that I'd rather be fat than to have the loose, sagging skin.

Trust me, loose, saggy skin is way better than fat... for both health and estetics ...

In my case, refirming lotions and exercise (weight training) helped... also, give it a year to your body to adjust once youīve lost the weight, once I lost the weight I had a lot more saggy skin, a year later with more or less the same weight (doing weight training), the skin had improved considerably... I still have saggy skin in some areas, arms and legs specially bother me, but itīs way way WAY better then when it was fat !!

Chubbs - Thanks for posting the question. I was wondering the same thing.

Carol2208 - Thanks for posting the answer! May I ask how old you are? I've heard skin doesn't go back as easily the older you get. I'm in my mid 40s.

Really? You'd rather be fat that have loose skin...... Wow.

Well, I've been fat with no loose skin and now I have loose skin, but I'm not fat.. And I can tell you, that my life is waaaaaay better now that I'm not fat, but have loose skin. I'm healthy. I'm fit. Productive. Energetic. Full of stamina. Full of self-confidence, self-esteem, self-worth(all things I was lacking). I wear extra smalls, size 4's and with this crazy vanity sizing, I wear loads of size 2's and even an occasional size 0. I no longer "fear" restaurant booths, folding chairs, beach chairs, barber chairs etc..... I no longer dread socializing and getting invitations to weddings and the such. I'm a clothes horse and every day walking around in this slim, fit body is a joy and a blessing to me.

The only "tip" I would give you is to stop fearing loose skin. There is nothing whatsoever to fear. My loose skin stays nice and hidden under clothing. That would be my size 2 and 4 clothing . Like Meg once said, if you're that unhappy with the loose skin, you can always gain the weight back.

Oh - and exercise. Cardio and strength training.

Weight training is definitely supposed to help the skin- I also agree to moisturize to keep your skin hydrated which should help with firmness.

Also losing weight at a good pace will give your skin time to shrink as well. Your skin is a breathing organ and will definitely adjust as you adjust.

So far out of the 95/100 lbs I'm trying to lose I've lost 23 and I haven't had a loose skin issue- but then again I've lost it very slowly- not that I want to though lol.

No way would I ever want to stay 330 pounds so I wouldn't have to deal with the extra skin

Here's a link to a FAQ here on this subject http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/body...skin-faqs.html

a girl who worked at my school had wls, lost VERY quickly, and said she doesn't have loose skin because (and her doc told her this) that she's young enough that it would stretch back into shape. (She's in her mid 30's) which is good to hear since I"m 29, hoping not to have too much of an issue there! But I'd rather be thinner!

Hey Diyana,

Iīm 29... but I have tons of streach marks and my skin still improved after a year... donīt get me wrong, I still have saggy skin, but it is better than it was before...

When I was considering surgery and consulted with a couple plastic surgeons, two of them also actually told me that ideally itīs best if you wait a year after loosing the weight, not only to make it less plausible that youīll gain it back, but because your skin needs time to adjust to your new size...

I definitely think age is a factor. Also how heavy you are and how long you've been that heavy for. And genetics plays a role as well.

I know for me, I let this be an excuse to not lose extra weight for years. It pales in comparison to a heart attack, cancer, stroke, and diabetes.

It is a case by case basis. I've been obese for so many years that my skin in the lower abdominal area has lost it's elasticity. There is NO WAY it will ever go back to normal.

Well for me personally, I have been obese for about 6 years(and I'm only 19!), but I have been told that due to my age my skin is still pretty elastic. I am still worried about it though because I have that stupid lower belly roll and I'm afraid that will never look good!

Im so very worried about my chin skin. I had a super huge double chin when at my largest weight, and now that Im losing, its getting smaller, and I hope to God it doesnt leave me with an old woman looking floppy gobbler. Im only 33 and I dont want a saggy neck/chin. Sigh...................

I'm still in the infancy stages of weight loss, however, after a lot of introspection the past few weeks I've realized that one of the biggest hindrances for healthy weight loss for me in the past has been fear. Fear of commitment. Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown. The unknown being one of the biggest fears.

I don't know what a 150 lbs LeeAnn will look like because I've never known her. I do know that her body won't look like her 150 lbs friend who has been a runner her entire life and not had children, or her 150 lbs friend who recently had a 20 lbs weight loss, or her 150 lbs mother-in-law who lost 250 lbs through gastric by-pass.

And I'm finally okay with that. The body I have and will have will tell the story of the life I have given it. It is the body that belonged to me as an overweight little girl, obese teenager, bulimic college student, twice pregnant mother, and again obese adult. I've used it and abused it, and now I am taking care of it. What I'm left with is yet to be seen, but regardless it is mine.

Best of luck to you!

Has anyone ever tried that neck slimmer thing they advertise on TV?? Exercise thing with springs in it of varying strengths. I was curious about it, but so much of what they advertise on TV is bunk!

I'm 45 and have lost over 100 pounds and I do have saggy skin. I agree totally with what Robin said, I can cover it with my much smaller clothes and look great. I didn't feel great or look great at 265 pounds, even in clothes. I think it has so much to do with heredity and how the weight is distributed and age. Each person is going to be a little different. The worst areas on me are my lower stomach and my thighs. I think the stomach is getting better. My thighs are still shrinking, so it's too soon to tell in that area. I love wearing bermuda shorts, they cover the saggy thighs, but I look good in them and they are the slimmer cut ones
Mug- don't worry about your chin. As young as you are the skin will most likely shrink nicely. I'm a lot older than you and was concerned about it since that is one area that is harder to cover. At first it looked bad, but it has improved greatly in the last couple of months. I'm only two months into maintenance and actually still losing slowly.
My Mom always used saggy skin as an excuse to not lose weight. She died of heart failure after a long fight with diabetes. Her quality of life could have been so much better the last 20 years of her life if she had taken better care of herself. I'll take the saggy skin gladly if I can avoid going through what she did.