Question? rate of weight loss and loose skin

[Booklean 4]

Hello Everyone.

I am wondering if anyone would be able to help me and answer a question regarding any correlation between the speed of weight loss and the resultant loose skin that people get after significant weight loss.

It would appear to me that if we deliberately slow down our weight loss then we might have less excess skin and more toned looking bodies.

I am also wondering if anyone has any advice to give in the early stage of weight loss that might be helpful in achieving a more natural shrinkage.

I assume that exercise should be helpful. I do not wish to have to resort to plastic surgery if at all possible.

I would be happy to deliberately slow down the weight loss if I was sure that it would make a difference.

All comments and advice welcome.

[cwalker 12]

If you don't mind me asking what is your BMI? My surgeon said in his seminar " if your BMI is in the 40's range you are not going to have as much loose skin" and so far he is right. I hit the treadmill as soon as I could and I think it has helped too.

[val628 1]

the rate of your weight loss really has nothing to do with you developing loose skin. alot of it is genetics, your age and how long you were overweight for. exercise will help...but basically once the skin is stretched...it is stretched

[Lookinupin2010 0]

Yep, I agree with the last post whole heartedly. I'm 58, lift weights 3 times a week, and walk 1 1/2 miles 5 days a week. I have lost 83 lbs in 4 months. I have beautiful muscles in my legs and arms, and can walk faster than my 2 daughters ages 21 and 26... but, YES I HAVE SKIN SAG !!!

When I was in my early 20's I lost 180 lbs in 14 months through diet and exercise. I exercised faithfully 6 days a week. Because my skin was younger, it sagged some the first year, but (I kept the weight off for 10 years) each year it looked better and better. By year 3 except for my apron on my stomach area, I looked perfectly normal.

I'm expecting that the case will not be that way this time around. My chin is no longer double, but it looks like a turkey gobble. I might get that taken care of after I've lost the rest of my weight. I don't look forward to another surgery, so I'll just wait and see how bad it is after all the weight is off. :crying:

[Booklean 4]

Hi Carla,

Thats good news your surgeon has, and also good news for you on the treadmill. I started with a BMI of 35.6 and am now down to 28.5.

I have lost the weight that I recently gained.

I seem to have been around this weight for several years so I expect that what I have left is stretched to this size.

[Booklean 4]

Hi Val, Thanks for your reply. Once the loose skin and the rate of weight loss are not linked then we don't have to be careful in the way we lose weight. Unfortunately, we can't do much about genetics, age or indeed our past BMI at this stage!

I suppose its best to just concentrate on what we can do.

[Booklean 4]

Hi Lookinup,

Thanks for your lovely long reply.

That's good news you gave in that tone continues to improve for a couple of years after the weight loss.

You are doing really well with the exercise and weight loss.

Well Done!

[pnw218 14]

I was overweight for the past 10 years, about 50-75 pounds. I have lost just over 50 lbs in the past 6 months and have little if any sagging skin. I am 49 and 5'4" tall.

I have areas that need to be toned - mainly the upper arms and the thighs. I seem to have lost inches fairly evenly tho from head to toe. Have finally lost in the bust also! yea! Down 4 inches and 1 cup size.

It seems to me that all of the above mentioned could have an affect on how the skin recovers. Kind of comparing it to pregnancy. I have a girlfriend who was always slender, gained a normal amount during pregnancy, lost her baby weight quickly - and had the most saggy, wrinkled skin I have ever seen. She called it elephant skin.

[emilygrace 5]

Rate of loss doesn't directly correlate to the amount or severity of loose skin.

As mentioned, various factors go into it and unfortunately, you have to just wait and see how you go.