Loose skin after weight loss...

Okay, I know this is probably a stupid question, but I really want some people's opinions and/or experience with this. I see my boyfriend, who has lost almost 100 pounds in a little over a year, and he has a lot of extra loose skin. It looks fine under clothes and everything, but when exposed, you can really tell. My biggest worry about losing weight (I may worry about it, but I'm still losing the weight regardless) is the extra skin. When I get to my goal weight, I want to be able to wear tank tops and maybe even a bikini, but if I have extra skin, that isn't going to be the case. My questions are:

1. Does everyone who loses a lot of weight always have the extra skin? My ultimate goal is to lose around 80-90 pounds which would put me at a healthy weight for my height (120-130 pounds).

2. Is there anything you can do during the weight loss journey that causes less loose skin?

Again, it may be a stupid question, but I was just wondering what people's accounts were. Thank you a ton! :) 

Bump

 I'd like to hear some answers too! :)

I have loss 50 pounds last year and I am very tone. Throughout my weight loss journey I did a lot of strength training. Be warned the scale will move slowly but you will lose a lot of inches but your body will be toned. Don't wait after weight loss to use weights...you want to have a tone body throughout your weight loss journey.

I have 20 more pounds to go, however,  the scale is moving slowly reason being I am doing  alot of strength training but at the end of the day I will be tone.

Unfortunately, there are ALOT of factors that are going to determine whether your skin stays or reduces in size:

1 - How long you were overweight for

2 - How much weight you plan on losing, anything over 75-80 is usually when the skin becomes hard to tighten

3 - Stretch marks or not already

4 - Age

5 - How fast you lose the weight

It IS possible to tighten your skin if you lose a very small amount weekly, and work out hardcore AND use a type of lotion that contains vitamin E and coca butter daily....but unfortunately, some people while doing ALL of this still will have saggy skin. Ive been wanting to post a few pics to demonstrate the lotion and the difference between fat after weight loss, and loose skin, really haven't had a chance yet. Maybe today...Heres a link to help you learn more.

http://bodybuilding.com/fun/louis13.htm ;

I have lost 120 pounds over the past two years.  I have some loose skin, but it is going away slowly.  There are things you can do to lessen the loose skin or not have it all.  First, looking at your profile, you are young, and that's one of the things that will make a difference.  Younger skin is much more elastic than older skin and therefore will tend to "shrink" more quickly.

Like lose40 said, weights, weights, weights!  Even though you will lose weight more slowly, you will lose inches, and it helps to replace the fat under your skin with muscle, therefore reducing the saggy skin problem.  If you don't want to or can't do traditional weights, try Pilates or "body sculpt" workouts that use resistance more than traditional weights.  Any of those things will help.

Also, lose the weight slowly.  If you lose the weight too quickly, your skin won't be able to keep up.  Lose it slowly, and because of your young age, your skin will just shrink right along with you.

And finally, water, water, water!  Your skin needs water to stay healthy and firm.  Drink plenty of water, and also use a moisturizing lotion daily.  It has been my experience that you don't need to spend the extra money on the expensive skin firming lotions; just find a body lotion that you like and use it regularly (I've been using the el cheapo Suave and St. Ives lotions and they do fine.)  The lotion will keep your skin hydrated and smooth.

Good luck!

lose40, jim, and justlaura have done a good job of giving guidance - i just want to add that this can happen at any amount of weight loss, not just those who lose over 50 or 75 pounds. from what i've read, slow weight loss is the best way to prevent it. also, don't be discouraged if you try all methods and you still see the loose skin immediately. i read that a lot of cosmetic surgeons encourage their patients who are looking to remove loose skin to wait a full year after weight loss before they try the surgical option. this is because your skin can tighten up after you've lost the weight, it just takes time.

(i am not encouraging cosmetic surgery after rapid or considerable weight loss - just sharing some information that i read that supports the fact that the entire weight loss process and its aftermath just takes time to equalize---and we're usually too impatient to wait for it to work its course!)

Hi,

I'm new to this site but one thing I do know is this:

When we lose weight, our fat cells empty (deflate) and therefore shrink and take up less space/weigh less, but THEY DO NOT DISAPPEAR. When people lose a lot of weight, the 'loose skin' they are left with is not just stretched out skin but also empty fat cells. The more fat cells you start out with, the more empty fat cells will be left when you've lost the weight. Building up the muscle underneath the fat will 'lift' and 'tighten' the loose skin and empty fat cells to a degree, and this may be enough (depending on your age, skin elasticity and how much weight you've lost). But the only way to eliminate the empty fat cells completely is through cosmetic surgery (lipo and/or skin tightening surgery). People who lose 100+ pounds, no matter what their age, are probably going to have that 'apron' of skin/empty fat cells left over. In those cases health insurance usually covers the surgery to remove it, as the large amount of loose skin causes chafing/discomfort/can breed bacteria and fungus.

This is why there's always the danger of gaining weight back after you've lost it unless you're diligent about maintaining 'thin' habits- you are still carrying those empty fat cells and they CAN fill up again. If you gain again after the fat cells are removed surgically the weight will come back in other parts of your body (which can look very strange!).

These are facts, and the suggestions about building muscle and toning the skin with creams/lotions are solid ones.

Good luck to everyone!

The loose skin is usually caused by loosing a large amount of weight very quickly.  100# in a year = 2# per week, which is one reason CC recommends 1# per week on average. 

The answer to both questions is that you can loose weight slowly and let your skin shrink with the rest of you.