Hi guys!

I have just began my weight loss journey, and I already am worried about something.

I am 24 years old and have been about 100 lbs overweight for the last five years. I WILL lose it this time around, but I am scared of how much loose skin I will have when it is over.

So ladies that have lost a lot of weight, did you have a lot of loose skin?

If not, what do you suggest I do to prevent it?

I plan on losing slowly (1-2 lbs per week) and tone with weights.... Everyone keeps saying that at my age my skin should have good elasticity, but I am still worried.. Please help before my worries sabatage my weight loss plan!

Thanks in advance!

Have you read this thread?

It's in the Maintenance Forum and discusses all your questions.
You are young! Stay positive and treat your body well

Mel

I didn't start losing until I was 37. And of course, after being overweight most of my adult life, I have loose skin. But not that much that it's bothersome. It certainly looks better than the stretched skin I had at 250+ pounds. But yes, the younger you are, the more elastic your skin is liable to be, and the more you exercise, the better toned and firmed it will be.

Thanks guys!

Thanks Mel for directing me in the right place. I looked around, and couldn't find anything, I am still getting used to this site, but I will be around for a while.

By the time I lose my 100 pounds, I will know the boards in my sleep..

I'm kind of sad to find out there are no lotions that will help loose skin tighten up. I'm 22 and have been obese for... I'm not sure how long, but at least since i was 12. I have stretch marks all over my tummy so I guess that means my skin isn't very stretchy. I am halfway through my weight loss and the skin under my arms is completely flabby. My arm and stomach skin is going to be hanging at my knees eventually.. (at least that is my fear). I'm almost scared to go any further because I'd rather be chunky than thin with tons of sagging skin. I do crunches and lift small weights every day... I thought maybe that would make a difference. People say not to worry about the skin until you've reached your weightloss goal? Pfft. That's very hard to not worry about.

I have stretch marks too...

I hope there isn't a correlation of # of stretch marks to chance of having a lot of loose skin....

My fiance' just reminded me I am doing this to be healthier not for my looks, and he is right, but I have a secret wish to be HOT for once in my life too...

Here's a secret...very VERY few women are perfect. We have curves, bumps, lumps, dimples, sags, and bags -- so maybe they don't all show when we have clothes on, but clothes off...we're not perfect. That doesn't mean we're not hot. Confidence is a huge hotness factor, and something that you can build regardless of weight loss and skin.

I remember a survey done once with a series of pictures of the same woman, not airbrushed, very normal (i.e. average attractiveness, I think she was a size 14 or so?)...they had the woman pose as if she were very confident, strong, smiling...others had her pose as if she were not confident, timid, weak and unsure. People were asked which woman was more attractive.

Hands down, the confident pictures were described as sexy, exciting, attractive, "want to be around her".

They were pictures of the same woman. And it didn't matter if she bumped and sagged, it was all about the self-attitude that she projected.

I'm very worried about loose skin. I'm only 21, but I've already had 3 children (the biggest culprit, even for many toned women). I'm just going to lose the weight, and if it's terrible, have a tummy tuck. I doubt it will be that bad, though. Who's going to see me in my undies, anyway? My OBGYN and my family. None of them will care.

I have loose skin. It's not a lot, but I'm conscious about it when I'm in a bikini. When I first hit goal, I could really notice it around my arms and breasts. Fast foward almost 2 years and it has finally caught up with my weight loss. In fact, I like them more every day. My stomach doesn't leave as much to be desired, but I still feel comfortable at least standing up in a two piece. I wouldn't mind having a tummy tuck after I have children, but I'm not going to sweat it now. I think people have this definite picture of what loose skin really is, but it can be anything from batwings to deflated breasts to something as miniscule as feeling it when you pinch your forearm. I don't know if any of the other maintainers can vouch for this, but it took some time for my skin to catch up with the rest of my body. It gave me time to learn that no matter what I weighed, I will have imperfections and most of the time, I'm the only one scrutinizing. And I'm not going to let some extra skin get in the way of how good I feel. It's just as well, for a minute there, I was getting too hot

And don't forget- we are our own worst enemies.

As for prevention, I've heard a myriad of things- from losing really slowly to creams and water therapies... I don't know if they work, but I have weird skin anyway. I do like to think that even though I've been overweight/obese my whole life, my age (24) helped me bounce back a bit.

In my experience, lifting BIG weights is what makes the difference. Without drugs or abnormal hormones, you can't build HUGE muscle. Believe me, I've tried. But some muscle will help fill up that skin. The healthier your nutrition, the better your skin is going to look, as well.

Time really does help. I've been at a fairly stable goal weight for over 4 years now. I still have some loose skin in my armpits, but it's a lot better than it was 3 years ago. And I'm 51. There aren't many women my age without some loose skin.

Mel

Not everyone gets loose skin - it's mainly genetics. I'm 56 and have lost almost 40 lbs. in the last 2-1/2 years. I don't have much loose skin (upper arms a bit flabby). I do have some stretch marks on my thighs and butt (which I've had since I was a teenager). It may have helped that I have worked out 3x a week at Curves gym while I've been losing the weight. I'm definitely feeling more toned now. Maybe losing the weight very slowly has helped reduce the loose skin.

Besides, when you get to my age, the excess weight really takes a toll on your health (I have severe arthritis and was diagnosed with breast cancer almost 5 years ago). When I was younger I felt pretty fit, even though I was overweight, but it caught up with me eventually. I'm feeling so much better now I've lost the weight (much better mobility in my joints) and the fact that I look better too is just icing on the cake! I'd much rather be healthy with a bit of loose skin than 'chunky' with no loose skin and have serious health problems.

Think about it this way -- at our heaviest, we already had all the skin we were ever going to have. Losing weight isn't going to create more skin for us because it's already there -- all we're doing is emptying out the fat. Losing weight doesn't create excess skin -- gaining weight is what forced our bodies to grow extra skin, to cover all the stored fat. The bottom line is that we're going to have the same amount of skin regardless of whether or not we lose weight.

So what's more attractive and healthier -- skin full to bursting with toxic fat or the same skin covering lean muscle, without the excess fat? To me that's a no-brainer!

For future reference, stretch marks occur because you gain weight faster than your skin can... react.
Some people who gain weight very slowly over the years have minimal stretch marks because it was a slow gain and they weren't forcing the skin to stretch rapidly....
I have had stretch marks most of my life. I don't worry about having excess skin from losing 100lbs, but I do worry about what happens when I get down to a weight that isn't considered fat?? When I get down to a size that I have NEVER BEEN... what will happen to the skin that has been stretched for almost my entire life?
I worry about my arms.... I have genetically flabby arms (runs on my mom's side of the family)... The more I lose, the worse they look - of course, I don't know how my body will settle into being a lower weight once I stop losing, so maybe I don't have anything to worry about. But if I ever do get plastic surgery, it would be for my upper arms, maybe my stomach, and I think I could use some perky boobs, so perhaps a boob job too... LOL

Frankly, its not about having excess skin. Its about being normal, being healthy, being happy... are you willing to trade those things to just not have excess skin...
You have to prioritize, what is more important?

Well, I'm 41, been over 250 pounds most of my adult life, been through two pregnancies (one recent), have some lose skin, can't afford a tummy tuck, but still got whistled at a couple days ago. I've been whistled at a few times. And a gal at Curves yesterday thought I was under 30 yo. Just because we've stretched our bodies, have stretch marks and/or loose skin, doesn't mean we can't be "HOT". It's generally only what's up in our heads that keeps us from being so.

I have loose skin now that I have lost 91 lbs. I am 46 yr.'s old and should have expected this. I know that with clothes on, nobody can tell. It really doesn't bother me on most days. Sometimes I long for the thin, firm body that I had as a teenager. My DH thinks I look great. Sometimes I am just too hard on myself. The health benefits of weight loss were my original goal and the beauty benefits were second. I have to remind myself of this. But, I am thankful everyday that I lost the weight and didn't let the worry of loose skin keep me down. My body looks 100% better than it did. I constantly get whistles and stares from men and I always think they wouldn't do that if they saw what was beneath these clothes. But, luckily only me, DH and my doctor ever see me without clothes.