How much weight does one have to lose before loose skin becomes a problem?
Takfam asked:
I am currently dieting. I watched a special last night about a (formerly) morbidly obese gentleman who underwent the gastric bypass surgery and lost nearly 500lbs, but his loose skin still made him appear quite overweight. I’m planning on losing 100lbs over the next year (I really let myself go after I quit my first job awhile back). Will loose skin be a problem when I’m done? I’d almost rather be fat than look like a deflated balloon.
I am currently dieting. I watched a special last night about a (formerly) morbidly obese gentleman who underwent the gastric bypass surgery and lost nearly 500lbs, but his loose skin still made him appear quite overweight. I’m planning on losing 100lbs over the next year (I really let myself go after I quit my first job awhile back). Will loose skin be a problem when I’m done? I’d almost rather be fat than look like a deflated balloon.
That depends on heredity, your age, how long you’ve been overweight, and how much you are overweight and planning to lose. Probably other factors as well.
Good luck though.
I lost a little over 50lbs and I have saggy skin everywhere - it’s awful!
There will be certain areas of your body that you would be able to tone and not have loose skin. However, areas such as the breast and stomach will have loose skin. A deflated baloon is a perfect example of what happens. Skin in those areas of the body do not adapt well to being inflated and then deflated. Extra skin does not just disappear. I have lost 75 pounds over a year and in order for my stomach to look decent I am going to have to have a tummy tuck. I worked out at least 3 days a week and still couldn’t tone that area. I do feel better not carrying all of that extra weight though. Good Luck.
if you lose the weight slowly and exercise and eat right you should not have problems with lose skin. the people who use gastric bypass lose their weight so quickly that their skin can’t keep up. If you are younger your skin will be able to handle the stress better than if you are old. just remember to lose the weight slowly (no more that three lbs per week after the first month)
This all depends on your physical makeup now. If you are tall and weight 500lbs, losing 100lbs may not leave behind much sagging skin. But if you are not very tall and weigh 300lbs, 100lbs will have a more significant effect on leaving behind sagging skin. Also, your age, weather you smoke, general health, etc will contribute to how your skin can “snap back” from being stretched by all that extra weight. Regardless with that significant a weight loss you will experience at least a little loose skin and/or stretch marks. But you will be much healthier than if you stayed at your current weight. And I recommend not going on a “diet”. Most of them trick your body into thinking you are starving it. I recommend starting to eat a “healthy diet”, eating the right foods at the right times and in the right quantities to bring on a slow weight loss. And it’s much better to perform resistance exercises at the same time to maintain your current muscle mass and hopefully increase your muscle mass. Afterall, muscle is the only thing that burns calories ALL DAY LONG. And the more muscle you have the more calories you can burn therefore the faster your weight loss and the more likely you will keep it off. Eat your carbs early in the day and add more protein later in the day. Your body needs carbs for energy early in the day and proteing to rebuild/repair your muscles later in the day and while you are sleeping. And very important and very often overlooked is the need to be PATIENT and consistent. You will notice some pretty quick weight loss early, but after that it will slow down and you will just lose weight a little at a time. Look at it this way. If you are consistent and can lose a pound of fat per week, in one year you will have lost 52lbs of fat. You just have to be consistent and stick to it. Change your routine when you get bored and supplement with other activities that you enjoy. Good luck.