Anyone lost a lot of weight?

[RawGoddess]

One of the things I'm wondering about when I go 100% raw and lose a ton of weight is that I will get saggy skin and need surgery. I've seen them on talk shows where their skin can stretch out a full arm's length. That's how much is left over when one loses a lot of weight. Perhaps it's because they were over 300 pounds, and lost almost 200. I need to lose about 80. :o Is there anyone out there that can share their experience, please? Does anyone know whether I need to worry about this, and what can I do? :rolleyes:

[sweetgoddess]

wow, RawGoddess, I almost changed my name to that a couple of months ago!

Here is a related thread on the forum that may help you with your question.
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=633&highlight=sagging+skin

Blessed Be~

[Rawkinlocs]

wow, RawGoddess, I almost changed my name to that a couple of months ago!

Here is a related thread on the forum that may help you with your question.
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=633&highlight=sagging+skin

Blessed Be~

You could be "SweetRawGoddess"! ;)

[sweetgoddess]

haha cute Rawkinlocs. Maybe I can stick a few more names in there!
hmmm actually I like that. Mulling now. :confused:

[ajay5150]

I've seen them on talk shows where their skin can stretch out a full arm's length. That's how much is left over when one loses a lot of weight.

were "them on talk shows" raw foodists? becuase I don't think it happens like that for raw foodists. From what I understand obesity is caused by the build up of malformed and/or undernourished cells. By supplying your body with raw foods you will be creating healthier cells that will slowly but surely replace the malnourished cells. This is differnet than the way I suspect "them on talk shows" had lost weight. Maybe they were losing weight in an unhealthy manner? I've heard of some people gaining weight on the raw food diet. Many others neither gain nor lose anything.

[nobletroll]

I have a lot of weight to lose as well. Currently I am having trouble staying raw but when I was I lose 50lbs I have a good 100lbs more to go. I wouldn't worry about the saggy skin thing. Skin is made of the type of cells that constantly replace themselves if the underlying fat is reduced the skin should reshape itself. A lot of the people your talking about sound like they lost a lot of weight fast. They probably where not willing to wait for there skin to catch up.

My plan is to lose the weight get healthy and living on 100% raw foods. That's enough for me to think about. When I reach that goal and two years have passed and I still have saggy skin I can think about what I might do from there. I read these post and people worry about saggy skin and b12 and other stuff that aren't going to be a factor until they have been raw for years. I try to stay focus on being raw today.

[asil]

Obviously there are a lot of factors -- genetics, nutrition, how long one has been overweight, how quickly one loses, other things we can't even imagine.

But I did lose close to fifty pounds over a period of 2 years and have no stretch marks or sagging skin at all. I'm 42 years old, do yoga, have only been raw for about 6 months, although eating organic, whole foods for a bit over 3 years. I'd been overweight for a long time. My skin was a bit saggy on my stomach and thighs at first but it's tightened up over time. I feel sure raw has helped, along with yoga, breathing, skin brushing, good oils. My genetic heritage here stinks, unfortunately -- all the women in my family tend to get saggy skin. :( So for me, good behavior has to compensate. ;)

[Ireland]

Then of course, there's those of us who have had a number of babies AND been very overweight at the same time.
I suppose we'll just have to wait and see...

[Carlene]

I'm just not a sitback and wait kind of person. Since May I have lost over 50 pounds and have been very worried about my skin. I started oilling myself down with jojoba oil every day, especially my upper arms, belly, and double chin.

After getting a recipe to help massage away stretch marks, I have found that the final piece to it, St. Ives Collagen & Elastin mixed with equal parts Aloe Vera Gel (100% - make sure it is the gel) have been working magic on my skin. I apply this to my whole body after every shower.

I still have a lot of weight to lose, but so far my skin is keeping up with the weight loss. I can't pull skin away from fat. Before I started all these skin treatments, my inner thighs were starting to sag. The skin is much firmer now.

Also since I started with the St. Ives massage, the remains of my double chin, which is now more like a sack of hanging skin and fat from the center of my chin is firming up. It's like I notice everyday it is smaller and less wrinkled.

So far my face skin has stayed very smooth, but again I lather it up with day creame, night cream, exfoliate etc. Keeping my skin in sync with my weight loss has been very important to me. I am as dedicated to that routine as I am to exercise.

I'm 48 and my skin looks much heathier than it did three months ago. I attribute this to three things. Raw, Exercise, and constant care. My goal is to look 30 at my mother's 75th birthday party next May. I'm not leaving anything to chance.

[deedub]

I did not read the links in this thread and am willing to add my 2 cents. I have been 100% raw for a little over 3 months and I have lost 50 lbs. My skin is fine.( even if I do say so myself). When I started I weighed 245 and am now at 195, I think I will lose more weight. I want to weigh around 160 and will happily watch my body "do what it do, baby" So far the lose has been slow and steady with unexplained big jumps of lost. What I mean by that is I'll lose about 2 to 3 lbs per week and then all of a sudden one week I'll lose 5 to 6 lbs. I have not matched these jumps up with anything, wish I could cuz obviously I would do that "thing" more. My skin looks younger and I use less oil on it than I use to. So that's my experience.

[VeggieMel]

Since going raw 2 years ago, I have lost 60 pounds. I'm at my ideal weight now. I wouldn't want to lose any more. I have very little loose skin. Most people say they can't believe I was ever overweight. I've been doing yoga for the last 4 months, and I've been dry skin brushing for 2 years. I think that helps a lot.

[chilove]

I agree that it depends on a lot of factors, including genetics, your age, whether or not you have gained and lost weight repeatedly in the past, how fast you lose the weight.

I have slowly and steadily lost about 50 lbs since I started raw, and had lost 50 lbs previous to going raw and I have quite a bit of sagging skin on my arms, breasts, stomach, and thighs. I am 36 years old BUT I have lost and gained weight many times since I was a teen and I know that the yo-yo effect contributed greatly to the sagging. I am working out with weights in hopes of fighting the sag factor a little.

Actually I feel so good that it doesnt bother me too much. I know that I am so much healthier and that is all that matters.

[rawgrrl]

I started at 280 and the last time I weighed myself I was about 215-220. I lost that in 2-3 months. No sagging skin. What the guy wrote in bodyfatguide.com seems to hold true for me. My skin isn't taught, but it does seem to be keeping pace with the weight loss.

It was a little surprising to me, because I was only doing the gym thing about once a week (for about an hour, and now I'm not even doing that). It seemed like the fat was simply melting into thin air.

[LISAinTN]

After getting a recipe to help massage away stretch marks, I have found that the final piece to it, St. Ives Collagen & Elastin mixed with equal parts Aloe Vera Gel (100% - make sure it is the gel) have been working magic on my skin. I apply this to my whole body after every shower.

Carlene, can the two be mixed in a jar or something and just left on a shelf or in the fridge or do you mix them both together as you need it and use immediately? Does this mix work only on new stretch marks or old ones, too? Thank you.

Blessings,
~Lisa~

[coolchalk]

I started 100% raw with a juice fast (28 day fast). At my heaviest in 2002, I weighed 224 pounds and eventually got down to 185 at the beginning of the fast. I already had sagging skin below the belly, to the point that I was embarrassed to be naked around my husband. For the longest time, I didn't want to lose any more weight because of this problem. I eventually realized that my health was more important than my looks. I was a size 18 when I started the fast and I ended up in size 12 pants after one month. I was extremely pleased and happy to find that I not only lost weight, but the sagging skin started to look less saggy as the weight came off. I still have sagging skin, just less as I've lost more weight.

I believe the nutrients in live foods are what humans need to thrive, which is why my skin tone and elasticity improved as the weight came off. I also believe that the reason you see people with major sagging skin after a major weight loss attempt is because they are losing their weight on a cooked food diet rather than on live food. Their bodies simply can't rebuild on dead food.

Hope this helps,

Coolchalk :)

[mandabear]

Wow! I am so happy for all of you guys! Not only did you get a lot healthier, but you've lost so much weight. That's so inspiring:-) I have only been eating more raw food as of recently, but I already feel so much better. This just gives me more motivation:-)

[ShannonColleen]

What a wonderful thread! Thank you all for inspiring me even more!!

[theresaann]

I have only 20 pounds to lose, but let me tell you, on a VERY petite frame with nearly "bird bones", that's a lot of extra. I have a fair amount of sagging skin and stretch marks from my second pregnancy, when I gained 65 pounds. But as I lose weight on a VEGAN, about 75% raw diet, but all vegan, my stomach is tightening up as the weight comes off. I agree, it's the nutrients in the food that regenerates the skin.

[RawGoddess]

Thanks so much for all your feedback. This forum is great.

All of the posts have been helpful. To me there is a difference between loose skin and sagging skin. Although the info on sagging skin helped, I am thinking because my waist line is so huge (I look like I'm pregnant, LOL), I may have tons of loose skin. However, it's refreshing to know that a nutrient dense diet will definately help.

Sweet Goddess, if you want my name you can have it. LOL. I'm not attached to it. Just let me know. Heehee.

[rawpriestess]

I've lost over 40 pounds and still have plenty to lose, and yet no saggy skin.

I think eating raw vegan natural fresh ripe organic food is the only way to have your body heal itself.

[GlimR]

I am over 100 lbs. less than I was 5 years ago, I weighed 340 at my highest weight. I do have some saggy skin on my lower stomach but there is still a large layer of fat under the skin so not sure it is really "loose skin" or just more fat that still needs to go, and will~ *s* I still have a way to go. As for the rest of my body, arms, thighs, hips, etc...there is no sagging....the skin has just tightened up as I've gone along. Will be interesting to see what another 50 lbs gone will do.

In any case...having the weight off will be amazing and wonderful and very freeing......wishing you the best~

[plucked]

I have lost a significant amount of weight a couple times in my life, and so I think my stomach, atleast, has had a rough go at firming up. There is still quite a bit of fat there, but as I lose weight this time, compared to last, it hasn't got as "droopy" (gawd, what a beautiful image of myself to put out there!). Actually now that I think of it, it is ALOT firmer than when I lost weight the last time, and Im 10 pounds lighter now than I was then. Maybe more fat is there than last time?

I was obese as a baby, and then just a little chubby as a toddler. Around first grade I started growing this darn belly, getting heavier and heavier, till I was about 200 lbs when I was 15. Im only 5'3 - on a warm day. I recently went down to 125, a sight I haven't seen on a scale since age 12.

Most of my skin has stretch marks :(, but most of it is very light, not as obvious as the stuff on my stomach and hips. Ive been rubbing cocnut oil into my skin almost every day, and dry skin brushing. I know I probably won't get rid of it all, but If i could reduce some of this cellulite, I feel like I may be confident enough again to use a swimming pool (something I loved when I was a kid, and haven't done since).

[livenraw]

Before going raw, I lost 64 lbs following Atkins, but it took me 3 years just to get that 64 lbs off (a cheat here, a cheat there, off plan one week, on two, off one...I think you get the point) But because I lost that soooooo slow, I don't have a lot of sagging skin nor loose skin - just a little left on my belly that is slowly melting away.

When I went raw, I lost another 13 lbs (and am still dropping slowly but steadily) and am finding that my arms (which had the most sagging skin) have really tightened up (that was one area of which I thought I would never rid myself!)

I read somewhere that, after you get to a healthy weight for your body, it takes your body about a year to actually tighten the way it's supposed to. Don't know if that's true or not, but that's what I heard. So now I'm waiting for a year to roll by to see if it holds true (as I'm already at goal weight but know I will probably lose more before I start rebuilding healthy tissue and gain back to a normal weight for me) I'll let you know in a year! But I'm not standing on the sidelines, either...still weight training 3x a week and doing cardio intervals 3x a week just to aid...

And to melt cellulite, nothing works greater than freshly squeezed lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne in a glass of purified water. Drink 3x a day. You should start noticing a difference. I did...my hips starting to disappear as well!