Should I do maintenance for a while to avoid sagging of the skin?

I'm 5'6" , weighing 168, so my BMI is 27 now. I've lost bit over 85 lbs in the last 11 months and I workout 3-5 times a week doing high intensity cardio and strength training. Although I still have unwanted fat and slightly overweight, I'm quite happy with how I look and feel right now.

My question is that I'm over 40 and although I've been using firming moisturizers daily, since day 1, the skin still doesn't have the elasticity enough to avoid sagging. It's not terrible but it bothers me. I wonder if I should stop losing weight for a while and eat maintenance calories. Would that give my skin some time to recover? I will keep on doing strength training and toning up. Does anyone have experience with losing a lot of weight and having these skin issues? Does the skin ever firm with time? Anyone knows of a fantastic moisturizer that really works by increasing collagen and elastin? Or even foods/supplements that improve skin firmness? Needless to say same is happening to boobs, it's so sad. :(

I would greatly apreciate if you can share similar experiences and give some tips that can help with those issues. Thanks!

Sagging skin has also been a worry of mine.  I read a really good article on searchwarp.com about dieters avoiding sagging skin.  She talked about losing the weight gradually so that  the skin has time to adjust naturally.  Just as it stretched to accommodate the extra weight it also needs time to shrink back. 

Continuing with your strength training  is excellent for giving the skin something to surround.  If weight is lost too quickly then some muscle may have been lost along with the fat.

Other helful ideas were about keeping the body hydrated and eating nutrient rich food rather than small portions of junk food.

Trust me!  It sounded like a slow solution, but I'm not one for surgery--or the hospital bill.  As for the boobs...after talking with the girls at work, know this, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!  At least we all had a good chuckle about ourselves

Hey erinmarie, thanks for the support. When I started the weight loss  and having to lose 100 lbs, I knew I needed to go slow and help the skin with moisturizers. I'm not fond of surgery either. I've been losing on average 1.5 lbs a week, which I think is a good pace. At the beginning it was 2.5 lbs a week and lately 1 lb a week. No crazy crash diets. Still there is some sagging. Age doesn't help. I don't eat junk food but I do eat p[rocessed food like turkey, whci has a lot of sodium. Maybe I should try to avoid too much sodium?

The boobs we better laugh indeed. As I said I don't like the idea of surgery but girl, I think I'd better start saving for boob job! But it was really nice of you reminding me I'm not alone. Thanks!

I was 100 pounds overweight, according to my dietitian, and have lost 98.  I have lost it healthfully and have been exercising throughout.  My BMI is now 27 so I also am "slightly overweight" and very happy with how I look and feel, so I could relate to you, healthmd.  I'm older, 51.

And my skin is a wreck!  Stomach apron, bat wings, legs jiggle from loose skin - arg!  Even though I could lose more weight, I decided for now to stick with the weight goal the dietitian set.  Partly to allow myself to bask in my achievement (I have never met a weight loss goal before!), partly to practice maintenance (I have never maintained any kind of weight loss before) and partly to work on toning.  I am curious how much skin improvement I can achieve through the gym.  I am scheduling time with a trainer, who I hope does not have "one-size-fits-all" attitude because I am no kid, I've got arthritis in one knee, and my goal is not to wear a thong bikini this summer.

I'm also working on acceptance:  Skin loses elasticity as it ages, and I've battered mine with obesity and poor nutrition.  A big part of my journey this time has been accepting myself as I am, so if my biggest body problem is loose skin - yippee!  I remember a time when I would have been so happy with the body I have now.  Firm, taut skin is no benefit when it's stuffed in a 3x tent dress.  A prune is healthier than a sausage.

So I have no tips for you, healthmd.  But I'm keeping an eye on this post in case someone else has some wisdom to offer.  Because, frankly, the boobs can sag, the girls look great in a bra, it's this stomach that I want to clip.

Original Post by mad4moon:

 Skin loses elasticity as it ages,

 YUP! Coupled with a great amount of weight loss, there is no fix at the gym that will get rid of sagging skin - in particular- back of upper arms, and abdomen.  Continuing with a weight program to increase muscle and strength will help fill out some of those areas but overall, as we age, our skin naturally loses elasticity and coupled with weight loss, it will be left older and stretched out.  The good news is ....just FABULOUS with the amount of weight loss you ladies have lost.  Your 'new' body most definitely looks a heck of a lot better on the outside and I can promise you...you have reversed some of  the aging process on the inside. Congrats!

Original Post by fitnessgirll:

The good news is ....just FABULOUS with the amount of weight loss you ladies have lost.  Your 'new' body most definitely looks a heck of a lot better on the outside and I can promise you...you have reversed some of  the aging process on the inside. Congrats!

 Thanks fitnessgirl, you're absolutely right, sagging or not, we're so much better off already. Besides looking good, I'm fit and healthy and that's a blessing. So let's focus on the positives!

mad4moon, wow big congratulations! You've did it all the way and you showed yourself that you can do this and you're worthy! Gym will certainly improve the toning as you increase your muscle mass. Ask your trainer about increasing your protein intake (which will help), maybe drinking whey protein shake after your strength training workout. But be sure to ask your doctor too. Let me know what your trainer says. As for acceptance, it's great advice, sometimes we build an unnatainable image of what we should look like.  I could have done this when I was 10-20 years younger, it would have been better for my skin and body. But I guess I was not emotionally ready for that. I feel and look better more than ever and that's something to focus on instead of the little sag here and there. Let's celebrate ourselves and our accomplishments!

Another thing I 'd just like the input of people that went through a big weight loss and had some sagging. I read that with time the skin recovers a bit, is that true?

Also, if you have used a firming cream that helped let us know. I'm sure that albeit there is no fountain of youth, I believe that chemically it should be possible to reverse aging effects to a certain point. So it's just a matter of finding the right product at Walmart price.