Loose skin. How do I get rid of it.

[Emenius]

Over the summer I lost roughly 60 pounds and it was within a 1 month and 1/2 (I know very unhealthy). Since I've lost the weight I have a ton of loose skin on my belly. I have been doing sit ups twist basically anything I can think off to help and nothing is really doing much. You guys got any idea's on how to tighten my skin up?

[Deleted]

I think the best would be to go ask a doctor. (this is a serious answer)

[Deleted]

Usually when someone loses alot of weight really quickly, the only way to get rid of all the loose skin is through an operation. You may be able to tone up a bit but not completely. As the guy above said, the best thing to do is get advice from your doctor.

[Mongoose19]

That is really serious issue. It might take months or even in some cases few years for your body to "eat up" that skin. Ofcourse the best way would be to have it removed via operation but lets not kid ourselves. What you can do is to sign up for some special massages for that loose skin, also taking cold showers will help a lot. Don't forget about creams for such condition. But still even if you do all that it will take months for it to not be that much visible but you will never fully get rid of it.

[theredviola]

My fiance has lost around 80 lbs in the past 7 months and is having a similar issue. What she is doing (and is working a tiny bit at a time, day by day) is using firming lotions and wearing tighter, form-fitting clothes all the time. Awake, sleeping, working. She is always wearing cloths that bring the skin closer to the body. In combination with the lotions, her skin is slowly returning back to it original place. Just give it time. =D

[Execrator]

you could probably duct tape it

[Emenius]

I've heard of using lotions and creams. Is there a specific type of lotion or cream that I could use?

[ThatInternet]

Just curious, how did you lose the weight?

[Radux]

There is 0 way to spot train the area. That's a huge myth and does not work: ever.

What you need you need to do is continue to lose body fat (slightly lesser effect) and increase muscle mass (much more important). You need to continue doing cardio, assuming you do it, and increase your weight training.

I'm curious as to your current diet and exercise regiment, though?
Also, how much water do you currently take in each day?

[Maniacal]

you could probably duct tape it

idiot kids these days.... i swear

[Radux]

idiot kids these days.... i swear

Also: be nice.

I'd prefer this thread stay on topic and full of positive responses rather than potential flaming.

[Emenius]

There is 0 way to spot train the area. That's a huge myth and does not work: ever.

What you need you need to do is continue to lose body fat (slightly lesser effect) and increase muscle mass (much more important). You need to continue doing cardio, assuming you do it, and increase your weight training.

I'm curious as to your current diet and exercise regiment, though?
Also, how much water do you currently take in each day?

I drink about 68 ounces a day.
And for my diet I have two scrambled eggs almost no grease or oil, and packet of grits for breakfast. Topped with an apple.
Lunch is usually a salad with turkey/chicken or egg and alot of veggies and fruit/green tea.
Supper is w/e is made when I arrive home. and more fruit and a cookie.(messy i know but rather tired)

[Radux]

And do you do any serious exercise regiment?

I'm trying to get the whole picture before I make any big recommendations.

[Emenius]

Yes sorry my bad. I just do 1200 sit ups a day when not in classes pushups and serious stretching and that's about it.

[Digglett]

I'm in the same exact position as you are. It's been about 2 year that I've lost 60 pounds. I'm thinking going under the knife might be my best option.

[Antiseptic]

Well the approximate lifetime of an average skin cell is about 120 days so you have a whole long way before your body decides not to remake those cells. In addition to the comments above, I found that a mind is a very powerful thing, and with enough practice and training, control of the body can be achieved to an extent. If you tell your body every day, and truly mean it, that the extra skin around your stomach is unnecessary and is only eating up nutrients that could go to something more essential, you could see it disappear in a couple months.

[eucatastrophe]

You went from what weight to what weight?
I ask because in cases when an obese or severely overweight person looses that much weight, the loose skin is excessive and surgery is the best option.

[Radux]

Yes sorry my bad. I just do 1200 sit ups a day when not in classes pushups and serious stretching and that's about it.

Ok. This is a fault in 2 ways:
- Spot Training doesn't work and is a huge myth
- Sit Ups don't really work

To start with exercise, I recommend doing a full body workout ~3-4 days a week (or essentially every other day). Make sure not to hit the same muscle group every ~48 hours (you need time to recover your muscles). Increasing your muscle tone/size + loosing fat will help tighten your skin around the aforementioned area. You can find good workout regiments in places such as scoobysworkshop.com, bodybuilding.com, or even something a little different like marksdailyapple.com

Now, in terms of nutrition, if you're fulfilling the above for exercise, you can expect to see results by increasing your protein (either by getting more eggs, bacon/meats/whatever, nuts, or milk), slightly increasing your fat levels (proper fats -- olive oil, avocado, nuts, fatty fish [salmon, tilapia, etc], etc) and reducing some carbs (lowering levels of your fruit ingestion, mostly).

Please note that this is not going to be a quick process. Large weight loss isn't easy. There are bound to be problems. This is just a small road block that you can move yourself with a little bit of effort. Once you take that little bit of time and effort, you can keep on going with your journey to health and happiness.

[Emenius]

You went from what weight to what weight?
I ask because in cases when an obese or severely overweight person looses that much weight, the loose skin is excessive and surgery is the best option.

I went from 220 to 156.

[Eatfreshsub]

It really just depends where and how bad, and chances are age and sex come into play aswell. It will improve over time if you work out and tone, however there will probably always be a little sag. I lost 120 pounds over 1 1/2 years, I dont really have much sag, but I workout every single day, im also only 21.