hey all, just signed up and have a question:

At age 14 i was 240, at 6''1. im now 16, just about 17 and im at 173 and 6"3.

the weight loss is great but i have loose skin on my adominal area, no where else sadly. I do ab ripperx, which is a great ab workout and play hockey so a lot of cardio. Will this loose skin tighten up? i have no knowledge at all on this topic so bare with me

Hi there! Beyond this 17 page thread... if you scroll down the main forum page to a box on the right that says 'popular searches'. you will find a link for loose skin.

I'm dealing with a bit of that too. With exercise and losing body fat it is tightening up.

Luckily, you are young, your skin is still very elastic, and you're probably still growing. I wouldn't be too worried about it.

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Phoenyx's Journey

I agree with Zoila. It is about being healthy, and even tho ur young and in your 30's and 'healthy' doesn't really do it for you, people are most often attracted to healthy people! Try to remember that there is no perfect out there; everyone is just so very different in size & shape & appearance & personality --there is no perfect. Being a nice person and loving your self and being healthy makes for the most attractive person.

Thanks jane, thats exactly what I needed to hear! You know it really but just good to hear someone confirm it.

You have one of the best chances out of most people that are concerned about this. But it is on an individual basis, youth is a big contributer. Its going to take time and complete nutritious diet in which you make sure you're getting all of your vitamin and macro nutrient requirements and luck!

good luck!

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RJ's Transformation Blog

i have a similar problem with loose skin.i lost 112 pounds and now most of my stomach area is excess skin.the time it takes to tighten is dependent on how long it was stretched out,how much it was stretched,how fast weight was lost,and how old you are.i have been researching this lately so i cant say all of this is accurate.

OK, I've read through this entire thread.
And the concensus??
EVERYONE (who posted specifics in this thread) that lost over 50 lbs (sometimes even less) , both young and old - has some excess skin. [Except those that got tummy tucks that is!!]

A lot of people speak of "hoping" to tighten things up in the future, but there is no one that has reported that this is indeed feasable. One person reported that after 11 years of maintained weight loss the saggy skin was still an issue.

There is also a lot of speculation and second hand accounts of what people have read or heard elsewhere that will 'probably' help prevent loose skin (losing slowly, excersizing, nutrition etc etc), but again, -ZERO- personal experiences.


Sad

I guess one can't focus on this, it is really fitness and health that is the key

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There are so many factors that play a role in whether or not sagginess will occur - from genetics, to age, to how fast a person's lost weight, to how long they were overweight, to a million different things...

Is a person's butt going ot be hitting the backs of their knees? no probably not... will everything be tight and toned? it depends on the above factors. Very few people run around nekkid... fully clothed you won't see any issues... nekkid? well nekkid is always good so it's not like you're going to see skin flopping around...

Should it stop a person from losing weight? No...

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Another thing to consider is that people who lost a lot of weight but didn't have a loose skin issues aren't very likely to read this thread or post. I wouldn't take this thread as evidence that it is inevitable.

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There have been before and after photos, one linked from these forums, that I saw where the person lost 100+ lbs and did eventually get a flat stomach (sometimes there are slight wrinkles in the skin, but its not flabby)

The best example, and I tried to find it to link but couldnt, was a guy who was about 300-350 and got down to having a flat stomach without surgery. I don't know his stats as far as how long he was big and how quickly he lost but he did eventually get a flat stomach. From the pictures, he got down to what you would consider great shape all over except a little flab in stomach and then slowly, i guess with more body fat % loss, he did get flat. No surgical scars and no surgery was mentioned. The only info I got on him was what was listed in his photo album though. It was linked from here so others might remember.

I expect Ill have some excess skin but I figure ill keep working at it and if it stays it stays. Id rather have it then be how I am now.

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My Weight-Loss Diary

Take a look at these- I spent quite a bit of time researching products that DID help with losing that loose skin and the bottom line seems to be that it IS possible!:

Fish oil - get capsules that are rich in vitamins A & D and these will not only help nourish your skin to restore tone, but also help combat osteoporosis.

Protein enzymes - ironically, although the body desperately needs protein, it does not absorb it very well! Two great enzymes are Bromelain (from pineapple) or Papain (from pawpaw fruit) both break down proteins in the digestion and help restore those damaged tissues. Either get yours from the fresh fruit or ask at your health food store for capsules.

Cocoa butter - this does not directly help with that loose belly skin, but it is an awesome moisturiser, so it will definitely help your skin to feel much nicer and to repair itself more quickly.

Vitamin C - after pregnancy, your body is pretty depleted, so taking a good multi-vitamin is a good idea anyway, but vitamin C in particular assists in the rebuilding of collagen in the skin. Collagen is responsible for the skin's elasticity so it helps with.... Stretch marks!!

Hope that helps!

My bellybutton is pretty much the only problem now. My skin used to be reallllly loose becuase I lost weight fairly quick. I slowly noticed it getting tighter and even my boyfriend I think has mentioned that he noticed it getting tighter (beleive me, he's not one to try to go out of his way to flatter, haha.) I think if you're young like me theres a good chance that yours will get considerably better, but never "perfect". Whatever, I spent the last year hating my skin and body, but lately I've just been seeing them as my battlewounds :P =)

First of all I'm new here but hopefully I can shed some light on this. As unfortunate as it is there is almost no way to rid your body of this excessive skin after large amounts of weight has been lost. People tend to say that the skin has "stretched" and that it will "bounce" back or something along those lines. It's simply not true. What has actually happened is your skin stretched and then it filled back in with more skin over and over again. This is new skin, just as thick, if not more thick than it was vefore. It won't go away without surgery, it's feasably impossible. I really hate to have to say that because I'm dealing with it too and looking for surgeons as we speak. It's truely disheartening to try so hard for so long and to eventually run into this problem. Especially after you've honestly got your life on tracks after nothing but bad decision making. The upside is hopefully you've been exercising and eating healthy. Now you're going to live longer more than likely There are a few things you can do to make it less noticable and actually a little better. This is nothing more than having healthier skin though. Exfoliate, moisturize, hydrate, exercise! This will make your skin healthier and your loose skin will appear a bit better. Sorry if I'm the bearer of bad news.

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If you always do what you've always done... you'll always be what you've always been.

What's the difference between sagging skin and sagging fat?

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Sagging fat has a plumper appearance....sagging skin has wrinkles...

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