I was told that I might have a better chance of getting this question answered here.

Hello,

I have a question about skin contraction. When I started losing weight I was 324, now I am 257. I would classify my obesity as the soft fat type and not the tight stomach that some big guys have. I am also under 30.

My goal is to get to 190lbs.

I am wondering if there are any others out there who went through a dramatic weight loss and have some of the same variables that I am dealing with.

If so what did your skin do? What was the effect on your stretch marks, etc?

Thanks
Tom

Congratulations on your wieght loss so far, Tom!

After 115 pounds lost, my skin is till in good shape. My stretch marks (hate those) have faded to white, so I am less concerned about those. BTW, tanning beds help ease the appearance of stretch marks for many people too..

But I think you're probably referring to elasticity and the ability of your skin to shrink up. That's a tough question, because we're all so different.

There will be people who'll tell you to moisturize. That may help. And certainly, by losing slowly you're less likely to look like someone has let the air out of you. My doctor told me that his brother lost 220 lbs (so far) after gastric bypass. But he did it in less than a year and now needs a tummy tuck.

I'll get out of the way and let others jump in here with their advice. You might also check out the journals of szar (he's lost more than I) and dvellio (he's a superstar).

Donald

I would like to hear some other first person stories about the condition of the skin after a dramatic weight loss.

Also how do you look at someone's journal.

Thanks
Tom

There are various ways to find people's journals. If you are reading someone's post and want to look at their journal, go to the bottom of the post where you should see a bunch of symbols. At the far right is the journal symbol; click on it and you will get to their journal.

Alternatively, journals are grouped by the first letter of people's screen name down toward the bottom of the homepage. If you want to see the journal of someone whose screen name starts with A, click on JournalsA-B and then start scrolling through.

Another method is to go to the top of the homepage and click on members. You'll pull up a whole list of members and there are various options for how to arrange the list (alphabetically, by number of posts, etc.). When you find the listing for the person you are looking for, click on the screen name and you get more information about them including a journal icon that will link you to their journal.

Another option is to click on members and then click on advanced search. With advanced search, you can enter a member's screen name. Then follow the steps described above.

All journals on the forum are public, and as you will see, people correspond with each other in the journals. You might want to start a journal of your own. If so, go to the proper subdirectory for your screen name and read the sticky at the top about how to start a journal.

Good luck!

Here's one for ya: http://www.dvelliott.com/index1.html

and I believe he has a journal in the Journal section.

Real Inspiring guy. He's got me off my butt and exercising daily now.

From what I understand, skin is really very thin. When you lose a lot you will still have a substantial amount of fat still under your skin causing it to sag and look awful. The trick is to not stop in the middle and settle for a tummy tuck. The trick is to keep on with the diet until all that fat under the skin is gone. Then your skin should look a lot more normal. Also, lifting weights tend to fill you out and give you a better shape to hold up any lose skin. You're young so you shouldn't have much trouble. Anyway, I've been concerned about the same thing.

Julie Huck
310/278/160

Thanks for the info on the journal.

I would still like to hear from some folks that have first hand experience with losing a lot of weight and the condition of the skin.

Thanks
Tom

Well you have to understand that most of us here are trying to get that first hand knowledge of what it's like to lose a substantial amount. That doesn't mean there aren't people on this site who fit your description but maybe they don't hang out here in the triple digits area. Course I am relatively new and don't know for sure but I gave you that link because that guy hangs out at this web site because he posted in the success area and also has a journal here. So... in other words maybe you could send him a message or write in his journal and he could write you back.

Hope that helps

Julie Huck
310/278/160

Maybe it would help if you tell us the minimum amount you consider "a lot" for your question. Is 25 lbs enough? 50? More?

I have only lost 36 so far. Because of how slow I am losing it, my skin is shrinking just fine. I doubt, however, that 36 lbs is enough for your poll.

Good comment. I guess about 100 lbs but the key is how close is the person to target weight. That is when the issues that I am worried about become a major issue.

I am going to take your suggestions and hit up the journal sections.

Thanks

I don't know if either of these threads (there are many more if you try a search function) will answer your concerns, but I came across them and thought I'd leave the links for you.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...ght=Excess+skin

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...ght=Excess+skin

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

Donald

Just for the record. I really appreciate your efforts. I'm going to stop worrying about this now and just focus on the battle at hand.

Thanks
Tom

Tom,

I think you're wise to focus on the battle at hand, because ultimately, loose skin has nothing to do with your health, and loose skin can be hidden under clothes while obesity can't.

I'm 33 and have lost about 70lbs in the last year. I've been very surprised with the loose skin I'm starting to get now that I'm about 45-50 from goal. I have a very good friend who has lost 98lb in the last year and she has a pile of skin that looks like a crumpled paper bag around her belly button. Yes, it's grody, but no-one will ever see it unless you're on the beach. Because of your age you may be surprised at how well you skin pulls up, especially if you exercise.

I'm trying to look at my loose skin as a medal I earned fighting this battle. I know I'd much rather be where I am now, loose skin and all than where I was a year ago, unable to fit in an airplane seat, but with a perfectly smooth face.

Good luck, I think it's a great sign that you're worrying about loose skin. It means you really believe you will make it to goal!

Dig

Digwig,

A crumpled up paper bag around the navel I could live with. My nightmare has been that my deflated belly would be hanging down around my ankles somewhere, tripping me at every step!! Not a nice picture. Thanks for the replacement.

--Ruth

Ruth,

I've decided that if I end up with an big flap of empty tummy hanging down to my knees, that I'll just stick an empty paper towel tube down my pants and roll it up!

Dig

There has to be something. I am sagging so badly. But I have 50 more pounds to go so I will not worrie till then but I would love to start doing something about it now. Happy lowcarbing smuffy