weird flab-stomach

Okay..

I'm a 14 year old male. I use to weigh 140 around Christmas, but now I weight about 115. After loosing all that weight I have a weird handful of "something" on my belly. It's kinda flabby, and makes me really self conscious.

Some people have said it's just skin, but I don't know.

Can you guys tell me what it is, and how I can get rid of it???

Thanks :)

I don't really know what it is but after losing 40lbs myself I can say being a 17 year old male that I have a very similar issue but it doesn't really effect me that much. Sorry I didn't really have an answer in this response but all the same.

Regards,

Bay_wolf.

Well, considering you also posted about how you eat 400–600 calories a day, and that it's all junk food to boot....

Is that how much you ate while losing? If so, I'm sorry to say you basically starved yourself down to 115, losing muscle along the way. You are now probably what is known as "skinny fat": you are thin but out of shape. What you are feeling is likely some body fat and also loose skin from the weight loss.

You are an adolescent and a boy to boot: you aren't eating anywhere near what you are supposed to in a day. Work on getting your calories back up into the appropriate range, eat the right foods and exercise to regain muscle and you should see real improvement in your physique soon. I'm sorry you're feeling self-conscious, but you should be able to make some very positive changes if you start to take better care of your body. And you are young enough that the loose skin may be able to rebound once it is given a little time.

It will go away, but not quickly, and maybe not at all if you keep doing what you're doing. 

To get rid of the flab, you need to exercise and make muscle, and to exercise and make muscle you need to nourish your body.  Eat a lot of veggies and salads and eggs and steaks and beans.  Then maybe take up running, or better yet, swimming or weight lifting.  Does your school let you pick whcih PE/gym class you take?

Seriously, you need to stop hurting your body.  I lost about 80 pounds when I was 13 (from 185 down to about 105...and I'm 5'7" and a girl), but I did it by eating almost nothing and what I did eat was all processed and empty calories.  I did lose the weight (and I'm grateful for it), but I didn't learn how to be healthy.  I continued to struggle to stay thin and always felt flabby, because I wasn't being healthy.  It's taken me another 10 YEARS to get into healthy habits of eating right and exercising.

What I'm saying is that you have time to do it right from the start.  Yay to you for losing weight, but unless you want to see either an eating disorder or yo-yo weight in your future, you need to change your habits.  You have the advantage of youth that your "flabby" belly will snap back, but it'll never stay flat and hot if you don't exercise and nourish your body.

So, please, go have a steak with a nice potato (with skin) and broccoli.  Or a Turkey sandwich with a salad.  Then relax and let your body absorb all those delicious nutrients.  After an hour or so, go ride your bike or play ball with your friends or just do some jumping jacks and crunches.

Good luck.

I'm saying its flabby fat.....Its what happens when you lose weight too fast and also unhealthily.  You've probably lost a lot of lean muscle mass with your fat loss.....because of this your fat is loose and jiggly.....but don't worry...this isn't permanent by any means...after all its just fat.....so work out with weights, get your metabolism kicked back up by eating nutrition filled calories somewhere in the 1500-1700's...and you'll start dropping that saggy fat and your skin will rebound with it.

But I've been so afraid that if I go back up to a higher calorie intake, I will gain weight. That is totally not what I want after all this time.

Thanks anyways for the comments.

Original Post by skinnyjeans42:

But I've been so afraid that if I go back up to a higher calorie intake, I will gain weight. That is totally not what I want after all this time.

Thanks anyways for the comments.

You probably will gain at first because you have no doubt slowed your metabolism by starving your body. But you need to eat more regardless. Take it slowly and get your body used to eating more over time. Eat the right foods, too: your other posts suggests you aren't doing that.

Exercise will go a long way toward helping you boost your metabolism.

While increasing your calories to get your metabolism back on track, you will be going into an anabolic state... this is because your body has adjusted to its caloric intake and your resting burn rate is probably in the low 1000's or even lower.  When you enter an anabolic state, you gain weight....the good news is that there is a small choice in the type of weight you gain....I would take full advantage of this period to up your proteins,eat healthy carbs and bust butt in the weight room!!!.....you're liable to come out of this with very little fat gain, extra lean muscle (which will fill out and stretch your skin back into shape), and a boosted metabolism on par with normal 14 year olds.  You can't keep your body in a malnourished state, especially through puberty my man....you could stunt your growth, mess with your hormones (which could lead to man boobage), and even may set you up for early hair loss......can you imagine entering your first day of college looking like paul giamatti? that would suck

The last poster makes a good point: you need fuel to build muscle. So take advantage of the fact that you must begin eating more, must fuel your body with more food than it is accustomed to eating right now. Eat the right foods and exercise to gain weight as lean muscle.

I think it would be helpful for him if some of you in the know could post a sample suggested daily diet that would help him get on the right eating track and moderately increase his calories over time so that 1) He starts eating more healthfully and doesn't end up with a series weight problem or ED in 2 years 2) Doesn't have a huge immediate weight gain that will freak him out and further enmesh him in the previously posted poor eating habits. 

Skinnyjeans... I'm not trying to talk about you like you're not in the room.    You take pride in your appearance and that is cool - I respect it.  But what you're doing to your body is showing up with this flabby skin and fat. Keep doing this and you'll start to see your skin looking bad, your hair getting thin and brittle, and in general, you just get less attractive. 

This is only a big deal if you don't change your habits now.   I've done what you're doing and all it leads to is a serious weight problem in your 20s and that sucks.  Take some baby steps to healthy ways so that your weight gain will be very very minor. 

Here's what I just ate for breakfast... you can make this in 7 minutes and it's tasty.   If you have the veggies diced in advance, you can make it in 3 minutes.

Use 1/2 cup egg beaters, 1/2 cup finely diced broccoli, 2 tablespoons finely diced onion a pinch of turmeric (a spice that is anti inflammatory and along with something like a little cayenne, helps promote good health and metabolic rate), and 1/4 cup of fat free cheddar cheese.  Scramble these up in 2 minutes and when finished, put some tobasco or whatever hot sauce you like on it, throw it into a flatout wrap http://www.flatoutbread.com/movie.html  or tortilla and you're out the door. 

This is only 197 calories and honestly, is NOT enough calories for someone your age and particuarly not enough fat, but if you're freaked about gaining weight immediately, take some baby steps like making this for breakfast and doing some other healthy stuff for each meal, to include a couple healthy snacks, too (along with the exercise and lifting).  Give yourself two or three weeks gradually adding calories, then add some more so that you're doing what the CC plan has outlined for you. 

Taking small steps will minimize your weight gain, but ultimately let you get to the weight you want with a very healthy and attractive physique.

Good luck!