Weight loss and loose skin...

[jnoelj]

This may sound completely ridiculous, but to those of you who have lost a significant amount of weight, do you have a lot of loose skin? I would think eating only raw foods would benefit the biggest organ of our bodies the most! I have read so many great blogs regarding the health of people's skin who have had acne, eczema, etc... I was just wondering. (I've been watching too many "Discovery" shows) :D

[Ariannah]

I've had 4 babies, and after each pregnancy, where my belly stretched to look like a beachball had been stuffed inside, my skin has come back like it should.

Likewise when I lost over 60 pounds when I was first raw.
With any weight loss unaccompanied by exercise (our bodies are built to move), I can imagine such bouncing back could take a bit longer.

[darkchild]

Not ridiculous at all. That was actually a very big concern of mine too. I have over 80 lbs. to lose right now, and am still somewhat worried about that. I have had 2 babies (not babies anymore, they are 16 and 18 now), they both weighed right around 10 pounds, so I looked like a beached whale while pregnant. The experience I had last year when losing 32 pounds on raw food was that my skin was healthier in general and it seemed like it was returning to where it should be as I lost weight. I didn't make it to my goal and then went off the diet and gained it all back + more, so now I am starting over, but I think when you give your body the nutrition it needs, you have a better chance of the skin returning to it's pre-stretched shape (or close, at least) than you would if you just starved yourself or some other unhealthy weight loss plan.

Namaste,

Dawn

[BecauseICan]

I have had 8 living babies, all 8# and higher and I've had 5 miscarriages. Since March of 2005, I have lost oodles of weight, over 103# and I do not have hanging loose skin. I do still have weight to lose, because I put on weight when I had my hysterectomy last year, but I have about 40# or so until I hit my goal, but I think with exercise and eating correctly it will continue to come off and the skin will continue to tighten as I exercise. Our skin is incredible BUT I have also watched those Discovery programs ~ seems to me that the majority of those people have had operations and have lost weight SUPER fast (like gastric bypass) ~ I think it does depend on the person but I think our bodies are incredibly and wondorously made and if we care for them properly they will be as they are intended to be. I wouldn't let the loose skin thing bother ya too much. I know there is a real good web site about this very thing.....let me find it......http://www.bodyfatguide.com/LooseSkin.htm .... this site has lots of real good info. Check it out. :D

Barb

[aenea]

as with anybody who needs to lose a significant amount of weight with whatever program you choose if you are not exercising while on the diet the loose skin is going to be even worse because you aren't toning your muscle as you go along. We've spent a lot of years abusing our bodies and getting them in the bad shape they are in, it's going to take a LOT OF WORK to get that loose skin to go away. I will be in that position soon too, but I also go to the gym 4 times a week.

[Nimmanu]

Depending upon the speed with which you lose the weight, they may not correspond.

For example, us mothers lost our "weight" in one day... our bellies didn't tighten back up in a day, though!

The point being, there may be a time period where you might have to deal with a bit of loose skin. But our bodies are resilient when healthy... don't get impatient with it, and it will most likely bounce back and look better than ever before.

[SiennaInLondon]

Ah but pregnant women should be exercising whilst pregnant.

[Nimmanu]

Ah but pregnant women should be exercising whilst pregnant.
I don't really understand what that has to do with it? If you exercise while pregnant, your belly will bounce back within a day? :confused:

Didn't work for me...

[SiennaInLondon]

Well I wouldn't know and I hope I never do but I hear from interviews with celebrity trainers etc that the recovery of the body is a lot quicker if it is kept in top shape throughout the pregnancy. And I can't imagine a body can be healthy without excercise so it makes sense.

[luckitri]

some of it is genetic-hereditary. . . . some is age . . . . but I have read many places about raw and on other sites have read that it will firm up but it may take as much as 2 years.

Thats ok by me. I would rather do it naturally than have that tell-tale seam on the inside of my arm . . . yech!

[jnoelj]

I appreciate the input! I actually have had four children myself - none of those pregnancies were raw, and I gained 40 lbs. with each one. I "bounced back" within nine months with each one, and luckily didn't get stretch marks or loose skin. One of my best friends has been tremendously overweight for years. I'm trying to get her to join me in my raw food journey, and thought that if I could get input from others that had lost a lot of weight and didn't have a lot of loose skin, that may intise her to take this route, rather than another "fad" diet!

For me, I have not lost any weight to speak of (three pounds I think). My workouts are much better, and I have endless endurance. My fat (though I don't have much, it is mainly on my thighs and backside), is being replaced by muscle, and hopefully "good fat" when I get rid of all the toxins.

[muse]

I think it's nearly impossible to have loose skin if one is faithful with skin brushing. I've had three children in four years time and while natural birthing and extended breastfeeding are huge factors in health of mama and child, I find daily skin brushing incredible for skin tone and elasticity. Plus, it helps those toxins to leave the body quickly and really stimulates the lymphatic system.

It's so easy, too! :) Who doesn't have 5 or 10 minutes to skin brush everyday?

[Nimmanu]

Well I wouldn't know and I hope I never do but I hear from interviews with celebrity trainers etc that the recovery of the body is a lot quicker if it is kept in top shape throughout the pregnancy. And I can't imagine a body can be healthy without excercise so it makes sense.
Yeah. A lot quicker is the next day?

Of course a person won't be as healthy without exercise. No amount of exercise will make your belly bounce back the day after you give birth, though. :rolleyes:

[Nimmanu]

I appreciate the input! I actually have had four children myself - none of those pregnancies were raw, and I gained 40 lbs. with each one. I "bounced back" within nine months with each one, and luckily didn't get stretch marks or loose skin. One of my best friends has been tremendously overweight for years. I'm trying to get her to join me in my raw food journey, and thought that if I could get input from others that had lost a lot of weight and didn't have a lot of loose skin, that may intise her to take this route, rather than another "fad" diet!

For me, I have not lost any weight to speak of (three pounds I think). My workouts are much better, and I have endless endurance. My fat (though I don't have much, it is mainly on my thighs and backside), is being replaced by muscle, and hopefully "good fat" when I get rid of all the toxins.
This most likely means that you are gaining muscle (which weighs more than fat, but takes up less space, yay!), while losing fat.

A great test for this, is to get a pair of skin calipers, and watch the averages go down (calipers are not 100% accurate, you need to take an average). Over time, you'll realize that the composition of your body changes, even if the weight doesn't change much or at all.

We in the weight lifing world call it "newbie body." It's that blissful time when newbies can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. ahhh, how I miss that. :p