Loose skin

[tnf0920 11]

So I'm curious to hear from people that have lost 100lbs or more and who did toning exercises.

Did you end up with lose skin? Very little? Or because you were toning as you were losing, no lose skin?

I don't want to end up with so much that to look half way decent I'd need plastic surgery. I'm ok with some, but not where it looks like I'm nothing but lose skin.

Women - did thigh and arm toning exercise help? What did you do for the stomach? How often, how long?

[tnf0920 11]

All the lose = loose, my swyping isn't very good today.

[AvaFern 3,516]

I worked out the entire time that I was losing weight. In terms of toning, I'm on a boxing and jiu jitsu team, which tends to do a lot of toning work on your arms. All I ended up with were really ripped arms covered by a whole lot of loose skin. I had a brachioplasty done and now my arms look fabulous. I've always had the big batwing arms (someone called me a "flying squirrel" in college ) so this is partly genetic. I have seen several women on here who ended up with fantastic arms and didn't need surgery.

My calves were really toned, but I ended up having a thigh lift and full body lift (abdominoplasty and posterior body lift with auto augment) as well as a breast lift and augment. Ultimately, no matter how much I had worked out I looked like a big bag of loose skin. My thighs are still not anything I'm crazy about and you can pull skin on parts of my back, but after plastics and before plastics I look like a totally different person.

I'm sure this was not the optimistic news you wanted, so I'm sorry. Again though, genetics play a big part. I was fat when I was a kid, and I yo-yo'd between the 130's and 200's as an adult. It was only when I topped out at 237 that I had the sleeve procedure, so I'm sure all the years of being skinny, then fat, then skinny, then fat, did nothing good for my skin.

[honeybunz 139]

I worked out the entire time that I was losing weight. In terms of toning, I'm on a boxing and jiu jitsu team, which tends to do a lot of toning work on your arms. All I ended up with were really ripped arms covered by a whole lot of loose skin. I had a brachioplasty done and now my arms look fabulous. I've always had the big batwing arms (someone called me a "flying squirrel" in college ) so this is partly genetic. I have seen several women on here who ended up with fantastic arms and didn't need surgery.

My calves were really toned, but I ended up having a thigh lift and full body lift (abdominoplasty and posterior body lift with auto augment) as well as a breast lift and augment. Ultimately, no matter how much I had worked out I looked like a big bag of loose skin. My thighs are still not anything I'm crazy about and you can pull skin on parts of my back, but after plastics and before plastics I look like a totally different person.

I'm sure this was not the optimistic news you wanted, so I'm sorry. Again though, genetics play a big part. I was fat when I was a kid, and I yo-yo'd between the 130's and 200's as an adult. It was only when I topped out at 237 that I had the sleeve procedure, so I'm sure all the years of being skinny, then fat, then skinny, then fat, did nothing good for my skin.

I'm probably going to need exactly the same thing as you had done. How many surgeries did it take to have it all done? How was the pain? I imagine it's awful. Thanks!

[jess9395 5,449]

Ditto @@AvaFern I have consistently worked out--I run 30+ miles a week, yoga 3-4 days a week. Have totally cut muscles everywhere.... Covered by loose skin. I have 18% body fat. But the loose skin is there. Well was until last week when I had arm lift, Tummy Tuck and breast lift/aug.

Age (I'm 45), genetics, ethnicity, and yea the Yo-Yo effect all play more of a role that toning sadly.

[Bufflehead 6,358]

I've lost 180+ lbs. I have done both cardio and weights throughout weight loss, including work on arms (biceps, triceps, etc.), legs, and abs. I have nice strong muscles under my loose skin. You can't tone skin, you can only tone muscle. I would say my skin situation is moderate. It doesn't bother me too much. My life is good

[KDM74 186]

I just had my WLS 3 weeks ago so I am at the beginning of the journey, but I am already planning ahead for plastics. I spoke to a plastic surgeon to get the initial information and he said the biggest misconception people have is that their skin will return to normal if they work out. Like @@Bufflehead said, you can't tone skin. Now, if you are still young enough and your skin has some elasticity, you may have less loose skin than others, but if you are like me, 41 and already saggy even with my fat, there's no hope. I'm saving my pennies for the inevitable nips and tucks.

[tnf0920 11]

I figured that that was how it was going to be in the end, was just holding out hope. For the ones that got the plastic surgery, would you mind if I asked how much it cost? I'm interested in Tummy Tuck and breast lift off the bat.

[jess9395 5,449]

My insurance wouldn't cover anything bc they said it wasn't bad enough (pannus has to hang past the groin a certain amount or untreatable rashes, etc). I had TT, arms and breast lift/augment and was 23K. This is in California so I believe that's on the high side. I got a discount for combining procedures.