Toneing exercise
try walking it is suppose to help that but you also have to realize it is excess so there can still be some skin loose

This has concerned me as well, since I already have so much loose skin from losing the 80 or so pounds in a little over 7 months. I am hoping with continued excersize and weight lifting it'll tone up. My doctor said that is shouldn't need an operation to fix since I am young (20) and the natural elasticity still is "at full power". He said to worry more into your early-mid 40's.

Good to know!

Ahem...

Great...I'm 40! And DOOMED then! LOL!

I have started to notice loose skin on my thighs just above my knees. All I can hope is that toning exercises will eventually help!

Either way, I'd rather have thinner, but looser skin, then have tight stretched over fat skin

Good luck and congratulations on your weight loss!

I've been reading about this too. I have really been trying to drink lots of water and take vitamin E to help my skin. I also have problems with stretch marks that I'd like to help with. I know they wont totally go away but I'd like to make them look better at least. So I don't know, I've been looking at different moisturizers and things like that but I don't know if any of the more expensive ones are better than the cheaper ones.. I guess as long as its moisturizer it doesnt matter much. I think it can take up to a year after you lose weight for your skin to catch up as much as its going to. But I have no real knowledge of that, I've read it on plastic surgeon's sites.

I'm happy to say I don't have the loose skin problem- yet. Eh. It might happen, but I have about 25 lbs to go until I'm at my goal, so it probably won't. In the reading that I've done, though, I've learned this stuff: yes, if you're very young, it will tend to shrink back for the most part. Moisturizing helps. Try cocoa butter, pure vitamin E oil, and sweet almond oil. Those, from what I've heard, are the purest, most beneficial skin moisurizers out there. Good nutrition also helps. The best nutrients for your skin, hair, and nails are glucosamine, chondroitin, and hyaluronic acid. From what I've heard, anyway. Other than that, tons of water, fresh fruits and veggies, VERY whole grains. Fatty fish provides oils beneficial to tissue growth. But other than surgery, there really is no "sure cure". The skin is not going to tone up the way muscle will. It will surely help to have nice, toned muscles underneath all that skin. As a woman, though, it is very difficult to actually BUILD muscle to fill that skin back up. As a weight lifter, I know how hard it is to put any bulk onto a female muscle. However, you can add some, and to do this, you must weight train religiously (three to four times per week), and very strenuously. Don't be intimidated by freeweights. They're not just for big boys. Learn how to lift, eat plenty of protein, and you will soon be seeing some wonderful results in the toning department. Hope this helps.

Hiya Merulotte
i cant wait to have loose skin, to me it says you could be nearing the end of your weight loss journey,well done to you

recently, ive become worried about after i loose weight hat my skin will look like...ive heard tons of things, but has anyone up here lost a good amount of weight and managed to keep the skin pretty tight to the body? if so how?

I'm no expert in this, but I suspect that 'loose skin' is sometimes actually excess body fat! If you cut hard, and don't exercise, then the point will come when you are losing muscle mass as quick as body fat. The problem lays on our 'faith' in using scales. Scales only read a 'weight' - not how much of that weight is excess body fat, how much is water, and how much of it is healthy muscle. Thats why taking measurements is perhaps a better way of judging our progress.

If your muscle mass declines as a result of rapid cutting, with no strength maintainence, then ironically, your body goes into starvation mode, and your metabolism slows down - less muscle, less calories actually required by your body, even when you are resting. People who yo - yo diet actually damage their metabolism over the years, and end up gaining more and more body fat - their metabolism slows down.

As I said, I'm not an expert or a professional, and I hope that others here can correct what I am suggesting. However, if I am correct, then maybe to an extent it can be avoided by:

• cutting calories sensibly - after the first few weeks, aim to lose one to three pound per week - no more! Also eat healthily and nutritiously. Drink plenty of water.
• Exercise can not only help you to lose weight, it can help you maintain your muscle mass, and increase your metabolism. Choose what exercise suits your new lifestyle, but a programme of cardio mixed with regular strength training would do the trick.

At least thats my unworthy opinion for what its worth - good luck!

I think probably losing weight at a slow steady pace will help prevent skin from becoming loose. B/c I guess it will give it time to shrink right along with you. Ya know?
I'm not sure if that's fact though.

But if you watch the Biggest Loser... those folks lose ALOT of weight in a pretty short amount of time, and alot of them, even though they gain muscle and lost so much fat... still have that loose flabby skin b/c they lost so quickly.

Just seems like that'd be a logical reason for loose skin It probably can't be helped all the time though *shrugs*

I don't know about alot of weight but so far with the weight I have lost it's keeping up and steadily shrinking so I'm not expected alot of extra skin. I know people that have lost a bunch due to surgery the they have a skin problem so I think if your losing the few pounds a week there wont be a huge problem. Then again it could be that age and how long it has been stretched out could have a lot to it.

My arms had extra skin and I couldn't stand it. So I started doing strenght training with my cardio routine and it has definetly made a hugh improvement. I thought about stopping when my arms became tone but didn't so my arms are now a little on the musculer side, which suits me fine. Now if only that will happen on my stomach and butt I'll be happy. I've lost 35 lbs. which is halfway to my goal.

So I was googling about loose skin after a lot of weight loss, I'm still worried about it. LOL. I've only lost 10lbs and I'm thinking ahead. Anyhoo. What this guy says makes sense to me, I don't think that surgery is the only option, that's a relief.

The Myth of Loose Skin

Let me know whatcha think.

It's an interesting site... I am finding it hard to concentrate on what he's putting though as it's a little long winded.

I'd say anything is worth a try if you have lose skin (or are worried that you will!) before you resort to surgery.

He's basically just saying that loose skin is not JUST skin, but little sags of fat. He says that skin doesn't stay stretched out, that it snaps back to its normalty, just as it can expand. He says basically all we need to do is to just gain lean muscle to replace that fat, by exercising.

Definitely a last resort. Thanks for the reply.