Loose Skin & Exercise?

emilyr629 · April 16, 2008

Hi all I'm new here and not banded yet but I literally CAN'T WAIT! My question to all of you though is about loose skin. I really don't want to have to have skin removal, I'm 215 pounds now and only 5'3 so I have about 85 pounds I'd like to lose. I'm starting to think about what kind of excerise will be best and how often I can exercise and I was wondering I have a friend who had the full gastric bypass she has A LOT of loose skin granted she did great and went from 354 down to 160 but she had never exercised and I'm wondering for all of you who do exercise how is your skin do you have the loose skin problems she has?

Thanks

Emily

Lin12/20/07 · April 16, 2008

i'm not at goal yet. I was lapbanded 12/20/07 & have lost 75 pounds. I do the treadmill 5 days a week, mall walk 1 day/week, and do weight machines 3x/week. Just this past week I noticed a little more "wrinkly" skin. Prior to that, it didn't look much different than usual- since having a baby I always carried the skin weight around the lower middle. I also went into this thinking I don't want to do plastic surgery- it would be fine, it wouldn't look much different than I've always looked. But, now I'm starting to reconsider. Even with the weight lifting I haven't noticed much shaping. I read an article yesterday that said you need to focus on an area 60-90 minutes at a time to "shape it". I know me- I'm not lifting weights 60-90 minutes to tone the arms.

To sum up, there looks like there is some bounce back but not all- I'm 39.

emilyr629 · April 16, 2008

Wow! That's great you lost so much, I hope I can do just as well. And I know what you mean about reconsidering I'm curious to see if there's a lot of difference in people who work out and those that don't. I'm 29 and have 2 kids and even though I may still be fairly young I am starting to notice a wrinkle here and there and it really made me think about the actual sagging after such a dramatic weight loss. Hopefully I won't have to have other procedures in the end I guess it's going to come down to can I live with it or not :crying: Thanks for your post!

Emily

salsa1877 · April 17, 2008

I have lost 91.5 pounds in 8 months, exercised the entire time, and still have excess skin. However my plastic surgeon said that the amount of excess skin depends more on genetics, length of being fat, number of pregnancies, and your anatomy. I had been fat for 20 years and carried 90% of my weight on my stomach. So...I am having the skin removed. However, exercise won't hurt. It helps give you energy, make you healthy, AND lose weight faster. Kinda of a WIN, WIN situation! GOod luck!

rharriet62 · April 17, 2008

I am not at my goal yet, but have a ton of loose skin. I will definitely need surgery and am working hard to get to goal so I can get it off! I have worked out steadily for 4 years now...cardio and lifting. Of course, with as much weight as I have to lose, it is not surprising that I have loose skin.

VegasGrace · April 18, 2008

I don't have a problem with loose skin except my arms. They are a little...flabby isn't the word...just the loose skin under/behind them.

My doc said arm exercises would cause the muscle to enlarge and thereby pulling the skin tighter. Toning, not bulk was advised.

emilyr629 · April 18, 2008

I don't have a problem with loose skin except my arms. They are a little...flabby isn't the word...just the loose skin under/behind them.
My doc said arm exercises would cause the muscle to enlarge and thereby pulling the skin tighter. Toning, not bulk was advised.

Wow and u've lost 117 pounds... how is ur stomach? what kind of exercises do u do?

VegasGrace · April 18, 2008

I just got lucky....plain and simple. I was told it was in the genes...but my twin who had bypass had to have surgery on her thighs/stomach/arms.

Perhaps it was the yo-yoing, too. I would be 250 something, go on a diet and go down to 200 then back up, then another diet...down and up. Then Atkins down to 136, then back up to over 200..... because I wasn't at a constant 256 for years...this may be why I don't have loose skin.

Don't get me wrong, mine is a tad loose but not even noticable...except my arms. I had a Tummy Tuck back 10 years ago during one of my yo-yos (swore it was the last time I was going to be heavy...but...)

Everyone should exercise as the benefit is tremendous. But I don't. I don't even think I will for my arms...I know I should though. But me and exercise are like oil and Water....we just don't mix.

She Smiles · April 18, 2008

I don't have loose skin as such, but more a layer of fat with skin of it that jiggles more than I would like it to on my back, hips and stomach. My arms and thighs aren't taut, but I can totally live with them. I've seen a plastic surgeon and he recommended a lower body lift.

I have pretty much consistently exercised since 2 months after my surgery and am now (pending the outcome of a series of physio visits for an injury) training for a half marathon next month. I'm running 4 days a week, doing strength/weight training 3 days and doing yoga one day. I made a deal with myself when I had the surgery that the band was going to help me lose weight but that I needed to change my lifestyle too. Exercise has played a bit part in my losing weight, but still being able to eat like a normal (banded) person.