Flabby skin after weight loss

[GoingtoRAW]

I was wondering how people who has lost a lot of weight on raw seem to have really tight skin and flat abs:confused: At least it appears that way from the pictures I've seen. I know someone who has lost a lot of weight, over 150 lbs. from gastric bypass surgery, and has a lot of loose skin and will probably go under the knife again to have the extra skin removed once she has lost all of the weight. How is it possible to attain tight skin after losing so much weight?:confused: I really want to know because I have a lot of weight to lose and I am hoping that as I lose weight my skin will contract like that:p HELP!

[GoingtoRAW]

I guess I should have said "all of the extra loose skin after weight loss" because the skin is already flabby!:o

[tali]

This is a question that I had as well ... most people who lose weight really fast have the loose skin because they lost faster than their skin could catch up.

I also think that most people who lose fast are doing so in a more unhealthy manner and their skin CAN'T catch up because it's starving. I know many people who've had gastric bypass and are literally starving to death because they are incapable of absorbing nutrients in their system.

They looked like death warmed over because they are starving and malnourished, even those who have gained weight back are still that way.

I think that those who are eating healthy and in this case raw, are giving their bodies the foundational blocks necessary to rebuild the skin and body from the inside out and when they lose weight they are doing so with the full blessing of their body.

However new-agey that sounds, that's my hypothesis .. anybody care to elaborate?

Tracey

[Veganforlife]

Two words: Green smoothies.

Also, water - water is a wonderful thing.

Plus - dry skin brushing. Our skin is our biggest organ, so all three of these should help tremendously. It's not a "quick fix", but something your friend will want to continue for months, even years. I plan on drinking GS's the rest of my life, water, and dry skin brushing.

Shoot! It's worth trying instead of giving in to "the knife". That scares the bee-jee-bees out of me!

[Blazin'Jane]

I've had soem concerns along these lines. I lost 30 lb.s in 3 mox. and then another 7 over the next 4 mos. I'm at a pretty good weidght now, but have been a little distressed about the flabby, wrinkly arms. I decided to put up with them, however, thinking that they're 66 years old after all, and I'd rather be thin with wrinkly arms that overweight. The good news is that as I keep working out and staying fit, the wrinkilng seems to be taking care of itself somewhat. It's gradual, and I still have some wrinkles, but I see improvement. I hope it's not just that I've gotten used to them. also, when I look at other women 10 or 15 years older or yonger than I am, my arms don't look so bad. They were just a surprise, I guess, because I did lose that tfirst 30 lb. rather quickly. Good question.

[sagebabies]

exercise and lifting weights will help. trying to build back lean muscle mass and losing the fat under the skin.

[DavidZaneMason]

-I agree with the above great posts. A gradual changing of the diet with fresh, raw plant foods/simple eating......along with toning and exercise....should cover the ground! LOL. In my opinion....the larger some one is (the heavier)...the SLOWER they should be losing weight and changing their lifestyle.

-I changed slowly.....and lost 1 lb a week for about 60 weeks...and toned up rather nicely. :) It's all good.

-David Z. Mason

[PammieTaj]

I've lost about 70 pounds over the last five years and I have about 110 to go. I am getting back into raw after having done it for a month and a half and then totally losing it (at least I know how good I felt raw and why I'm getting back into it).

I've seen pictures of people who've lost a lot of weight and had skin issues. I've seen sites of trainers who say the issue is to lose enough body fat because skin is mostly fat.

The people who'd lost weight and weren't pursuing tight skin weren't pursuing tight anything. They were happy to get the cardiovascular benefits of walking, but didn't do much beyond that to build muscle mass. Thier issue seemed to be that they had lost the *weight*. Not nearly the same as losing the *fat*.

If it's a vanity issue, how good do you want to look? How hard are you willing to work at it? How much consistent effort is ok and how much is too much?

And even beyond that are issues of responsibility for yourself and your own health. One thing I have had to become really aware of in my life is taking responsibility for my own choices and how I became as fat as I did. I made distinct choices.

I think for awhile I wanted raw to be a magic bullet, you know. And it takes effort. A lot. And it isn't always particularly easy, even though in lots of ways it is easy. I think being aware of the idea that the body you or I end up with is what we choose. I think raw will leave me healthier and happier, but not necessarilly the tight toned twenty year old I wish I could go back in time and be (at 45 yrs old now).

Take good care of yourself. Eat well, drink water, move your tushie, it'll all work out.

blessings and peace, Pam

[samariah]

certain things will help too. don't sit on your butt while losing weight. exercise daily and you'll build/retain muscle mass and shape and you will burn fat instead of muscle. consume things that really rebuild/heal the skin like green smoothies, cucumbers, coconut, avocado, zinc rich foods, silica rich foods, etc.

[Liserpiece]

I struggle with this, although my situation is a bit different. I was thin to start, but lost more (quickly) going raw. My skin kinda hangs... :( BUT! I started taking 1 TBs of coconut oil with every meal, and I can see a diiference in my skin. It seems to be "filling out" a bit. I know it sounds counter-intuitive for the weight loss goal, but from what I've read it helps with that as well, if you need it. Best wishes!

[VeggieMel]

After about a forty pound weight loss, I'm having some issues with loose skin, too. I'm envious of those of you who have had great benefits from coconut oil. I try to eat it, but it makes the back of my throat itch terribly. Apparently, my body doesn't want it.

[trinity082482]

In almost 3 years I have lost over 85 lbs and I had a lot of unwanted skin. In a perfect world. arm and leg lifts would be free and tummy tucks would be really inexpensive. Cause I would love to do all of that. My skin will never been tight like before. :(

[PammieTaj]

trinity, congratulations on the weight loss, I think it's great. In my thinking about the skin issue, I just figure I'd rather be at a healthy weight with saggy skin than have a fat squishy body. Our bodies do regenerate themselves, we are literally completely different people over a number of years on a celular level. So don't give up, I know I won't.

[vgloveforlife]

I was wondering how people who has lost a lot of weight on raw seem to have really tight skin and flat abs At least it appears that way from the pictures I've seen.

Clothes can be decieving. At 110 lbs you would never guess that under my clothes I hide a flabby stomach. Mine is from pregnancy-my stomach was stretched out a lot from a big baby and from carrying mostly in the front. I've worked it out here and there throughout 6 yrs after pregnancy but I still have it and finally I'm determined to get rid of it once and for awhile. I've been doing belly dancing, weight lifting and sit ups daily and I really notice a lot of changes just in the last 3 months. It takes A LOT of work but it is possible!!

[samariah]

I'm similar in a way although i haven't lost a large amount of weight. I'm about 126 lbs but my stomach is definitely flabby with some rolls when i sit or lie on my side. This has more to do with my lack of exercise than anything probably thats why im going to start doing it daily. I find that when I lose weight through exercising, there is less flabbiness than if i just sit around and let the weight loss come via merely eating raw. I have an example that kinda proves this for me. During the school year i had the flue/diarreah and something else and i was stuck in bed and didn't eat at all for several days. when i got over it, i was several pounds lighter but i knew i ddin't really burn any fat, only water weight and i looked "looser" and flabbier. i think running is the best tightener for me.

[Strawberry Smoothie]

I'm really worried about this, as I have a lot to lose. Maybe my skin will magically snap back, but I doubt it. :(

[GoingtoRAW]

Thank you all for your great responses! I will definitely start an exercise regime but I will also try not to obsess over it. I would rather stick with raw and have a smaller, healthier body with some flab than to be SAD and have an unhealthy, fat, flabby body! I can only work with what God gave me!:p Right?? I refuse to be cut!!! Scared of that! Plus this year I will be turning 50 - I'm told my face looks like I'm in my 30's but maybe some of that flabby skin elsewhere just comes with the territory. :cool:

[StarFire]

Rawbies... check out Morn's b4's and afters, VeganforLife's, check out Sunshine's b4 and afters... even mine...

this is so embarressing - but I will confess this here and now so you will all know your skin CAN shrink - and get healthy along with the rest of you.

I had this roll of fat - I mean it was HUGE.... it was more like a flap - it hung down over my (girl area- ;) ) I literally had to 'pick up' this flap of flabb... this roll - when I took a shower.... to clean 'everything... I was such a tubb - I would get charlie horses in my stomach from trying to lean over an see to shave my bikini line... (now why??? when there's no WAY I would be caught dead let alone alive in a bikini...lol...)

but anyway - you get the picture... I literally couldn't see from this roll of flab... this FLAP of FLABB...
as I've lost weight - my skin ALL OVER my body -- is changing. I still have a tummy - but it's wayy smaller... I don't have to pick it up to wash anything...
and that's wonderful...

It only makes sense - if you are feeding your body healthy - nutrtrious LIVE VIBRANT FOODS -- ALL OF YOU ~ ALL OF YOUR BODY will see the benefits. the texture of my skin used to look like the surface of an orange... pocked and uneven... and now - my complexion is smoother - my skin no longer looks like an aramadillo...

the skin is tightening up -- and I'm so glad...

people will say - you skin will stretch and never go back to what it was - BUNK I SAY... If people want to accept that --- allow that into their consciousness - then ... well - they can have that -

personally - I refuse to allow that into my thinking. I believe my skin will shrink - I put that energy out there - and frankly - I will continue to believe it and never give up on that...

so -- check out the b4/progress/ and after photos... living proof that skin will shrink AND get healthy eating RAW AND VIBRANT FOODS!!

never give up hope rawbies... it is a journey and I dunno about you -- but I'm in it to win it!!
blessings....

RAWK ON!!

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/sun.gif

[Riiiya]

as far as i know, more calcium in your diet helps with "tightening" the skin.. some say calsium does not get absorbed from greens all That great (? well i read about it some time ago.. i don't know) so you just have to really eat a Lot lot of them to get the needed amount

[catdeveer]

[QUOTE=Veganforlife;315152]Plus - dry skin brushing. Our skin is our biggest organ, so all three of these should help tremendously. It's not a "quick fix", but something your friend will want to continue for months, even years. I plan on drinking GS's the rest of my life, water, and dry skin brushing.QUOTE]

veganforlife - dry skin brushing? what's that? thanks

cat

[StarFire]

dry brushing - using a soft bristle brush on all your skin b4 you shower... it increases circulation, removes dead skin -- it's awesome. there is a 'proper way' to do it though... a certain direction you need to brush --- do a google search 'dry skin brushing' you'll find all kinds of info on it! :D

[GoingtoRAW]

Starfire, I was told that you have to do the skin brushing in an upward motion (toward your heart). I loved your post about the flabby skin and I agree. I too have the belly flap that has to be lifted. It's only covers a teeny part of my "girl area" (TMI, I know!!!:D). Anyway, I am not going to give up hope on saving my skin. I will just have to put in the work. I am amazed at some of the pics I've seen on this site so I know there is hope for me!!:p :D

[britaniefaith]

I lost 78 lbs and ended up getting a tummy tuck because the skin on my tummy was horrible and im only 22... now i have a kind of major scar but to me its worth it... atleast i can cover it up with underwear and a bikini and i dont care what anyone says - a scar is way better than flabby skin!
I know some people can get rid of their excess skin through working out but it depends on the severity, for me, there would have been no amount of exercise that would have gotten rid of my flab so although the surgery was expensive and extremely painful id do it again in a heart beat.

[Danika]

I also have some loose skin issues. I am not a big person but did have some weight fluctuations which left me with some loose skin especially on my abdomen and I have kind of a muffin top thing going on and so my sides need attention to.

I have a friend who swears by "rebounding" that's where you jump on a mini-trampoline. She also does pilates. So, I am 3 days into my rebounding for 1hr pr day and 30mins of pilates. Let's see what happens but apparently rebounding really revs up your system and wakes up all your cells and helps with lymphatic cleansing. Maybe consider this?

[vgloveforlife]

YES Danika! Thanks for reminding me about rebouding..i am going to start doing that!

[Strawberry Smoothie]

Ditto on the rebounding. I'm going to look into getting a rebounder. Good suggestion!

[Coonlie]

All of the suggestions given are good and helpful but I believe the most important one is drink lots of water. I learned a long time ago from a weight loss clinic that the reason people get flabby skin when they lose large amounts of weight is because they don't drink enough water. So, drink water! :D

[freelive]

It would be interesting to find out why some people have more elastic skin than others. I had a over 9 pounds baby, but my stomach skin did not get any strech marks at all, and plenty of women I know got them even from smaller babies. On the other hand, I am not so lucky in the chest area - I have strech marks there.
I believe there is a reason for everything, we just might not know it!

[luckitri]

um. . . on another site I read that for raw foodies the loose skin will tighten up in 2 years without surgery.

[Green Life]

Wow. I didn't realize there were so many of us who have that fat, flabby tummy. Its so good to know that eating raw is the best and only way to get rid of the bigness of it all.

I was very concerned about when after I loose the fat, if I will have hanging, loose skin with no fat underneath, YUCK> but, I decided that there IS not other way to go. I got myself this way, so now I have to just loose it and then deal with any excess hanging skin then and just not to worry so much about what the what "if's"!! That would be my excuse to not loose it, but I won't use that as an excuse anymore.

I was told crunchhies help the tummy hanging apron fat they call it.

[GoingtoRAW]

um. . . on another site I read that for raw foodies the loose skin will tighten up in 2 years without surgery.
OOOoohhhhh...I can live with that. I have a lot of weight to lose and I am a patient person (well sometimes anyway). Two years is not bad. I think that trying to do the right things, drinking lots of water, exercising and eating the right foods and maybe my skin will somehow snap back. I am just really afraid of surgery. I'm not opposed to it - I just hear so many stories about how painful that kind of surgery can be. I have a very high threshold for pain really but for some reason having my stomach cut so extensively really scares me. :(