Flabby Skin!?!

I have lost 38 pounds so far and have had 2 children.  I am noticing now that my tummy, below my belly buttom, is loose and sort-of "hanging".  Is this from the babies or the weight loss?  If I continue to loose will it be worse?  My skin looks stretched out and deflated. I was so excited to be thin again but how in the world am I going to get rid of that?!?  I feel so flabby!  Anyone have any exercises that target that area or tips?

Hi,  I'm in the same boat.  It's probably the pregnancies.  I'm pretty sure that the only fix for that is a tummy tuck.  Or a mini-tummy tuck, where they don't relocate your belly button, they just get rid of the excess underneath it.

Of course then you are trading some loose skin for a surgical scar that goes from hip to hip.

I'm still trying to decide if it's worth it.  Especially since I have stretch marks that only a complete replacement of most of my tummy skin will get rid of.  lol

I would say to try crunches, reverse crunches and other ab work.  It won't get rid of the skin, but it will firm up the muscles undernieth.

Good luck!  Let me know if you find a magic fix.

Sorry, there is no such thing as an exercise that spot burns fat, nor is there an exercise for tightening skin.  If people suggest crunches, sadly, they are ill-informed.

Weight lifting, working the entire body with compound movements (as opposed to isolation exercises like crunches, bicep curls, tricep extensions), and doing heavy (for you) weights with low reps will help you keep your muscle as you burn fat.  There's a lot of helpful advice in the fitness forum about how to put together a good routine.

I have a feeling the surgery route is going to be my only way to completely get rid of all of it. I too have stretch marks that almost completely cover my belly and I had a c-section with my 2nd child so the scare is there already.  I am a lovely sight!  LOL

Do you know what your body fat percentage is at? If you have lost weight but still have a high body fat percentage what you may be seeing is fat not skin. Looking into ways to lower your BF percentage may yield the results that you are looking for. All the best.

(A guy here, having similar problem) Fat cells supposedly lose the fat first, but do not shrink, instead they replace fat with water for a while anticipating that you will eat caloric surplus, and bam! those fat cell are ready to capture any fat and put it right back inside. Eventually after some time the fat cell will get tired and shrink expelling the placeholder water, and thats when the "watery" fat goes away.

So just need to continue to plug away lowering that body fat% until it goes away.

 

 

To give you piece of mind, if you have any piece of the body where fat went away first (like the hand on the opposite side of the arm), where you can see veins. Pinch the skin on the opposite side of your palm. Its probably like 1/16 inch right? Thats what "just skin" without fat looks like.. Or alternatively pinch the skin on your elbow with your arm straight, thats even better feel of a lot of stretched skin, but without much fat in it.. Definitely not the same as flab on the stomach.

I would agree with the majority of posters, that you must keep working to improve your body fat percentage.  I have this same area going on currently.  A couple of years ago I lost 65lbs, and as the weight decreased, the skin on my belly and the remaining fat began to hang.  After a couple of months, I noticed this area shrinking, and while I did not appear to be losing any more in the area, my skin elasticity began to kick in and stretch marks were less visible, almost invisible (my skin was tighter in the area). So keep at it and give it time.

I'm in the same boat as well only with just one child but I was large.  Surgery is the fix but I was told to get to my goal weight and maintain it for a year with exercise then get reassessed.  Your skin will shrink back some but it needs time.

I just wanted to add congratulations on your loss!!!

There are starting to be non-surgical alternatives to the tummy tuck but they are too new to buy into.  One is the Affirm and there are others by other names.  They say the lazer stimulates the colligen which tightens the skin.  It's expensive and not real proven yet but at least we have hope!

I honestly don't have any advice I'd just like to tell you I am in the same place. I have lost over 100 pounds and I have a lot of skin on my belly, arms and legs. I thought that since I was really young that it would go back to normal, but it hasn't, and probably won't. I have to admit, I hate it, and it makes me very upset. But I will take flabby skin over obesity anyday.

My best advice is - take a closer loook at women aroun you - we all have flabby skin, it's just that you are much more likely to notice your own...

Kerry--I have also had 2 children and have the stretchmarky flabby distored belly.  I've lost almost 30 pounds and am lighter than I was before I even got p.g. the first time.  I've googled tummy tucks and my stomach is the typical picture of pre-tummy tuck belly, but after reading about it.  I DO NOT want to go under the knife.  I've also thought about breast reduction surgury, but that scares me, too.  If you can find clothes that "hide" the flab wouldn't that be safer?  That's my thoughts on this lately.  Just be happier its shrunk in general.  Good luck!