Loose skin after weight loss

P

ptoner

Active Member
I'm not sure I've seen this question before and it may be a "silly" one but I'm going to ask anyway.

I'm actually asking on behalf of my daughter. I have lost (and gained) the same 20-25 lbs several times. She however lost about 70 lbs a few years ago and has now kept it off for about 3 years. She's a bit frustrated :'( with the "extra skin folds" which seem to hang around the waist area.

Has anyone else whose lost a significant amount of weight run into this and do you have any suggestions as to what types of things can be done to eliminate or reduce this excess skin.

by the way, she is in her early 20's and did loose the weight over a period of about a year.

I would really appreciate any suggestions "this educated" and experienced group could give. Thanks :)

I'm strivN2Bfit , Paulette
 
A big congrats to your daughter. When I was in my early 20's I lost 107 pounds in 13 months. My loose skin was mainly on the upper inner thighs and under the upper arms. This was back before Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons and aerobics and I'd never heard of dumbbells yet. The skin got worse as I aged but when I started strength training (at age 40) it tightened up in a few months. Strength training tightens the skin more than I ever imagined. I was 50 last year and as long as I continue with strength and cardio and stretching, the loose skin and the weight stays gone. Good luck to your daughter. She can do it!

Linda
 
I have heard that sometimes the only way to get rid of the loose skin is to have it removed surgically. But first I would try weight training and see if that helps.
 
Hi ptoner,

Sorry, I do not have a recommendation for your daughter’s skin problem, but I saw in your profile that you want to go on a adventure vacation. My husband and two sons went for an eight day dog sledding trip in the Brooks range of Alaska in March of 1998. This was the trip of our lifetime – we had a blast! On our first day we started with an orientation when we learned how to harness and care for the dogs. Then we were assigned a dog team for our “fun run” to learn how be a musher on a ten mile sleigh ride. This was just enough to get comfortable and believe that this “mushing” is not too hard of a task to accomplish. Once we left for our real trip in the Alaskan wilderness, we found out that there is so much more to learn! For seven more days we covered between 25 to 40 miles in four to eight hours every day. We went through the open tundra, down steep canyons, over frozen lakes and river (quite a thrill!) and up some very steep hills. Each one of us had their share of falling of the slay, some of the people in our group even lost their slay with the entire dog team (those dogs do not wait if you let go of the slay!). In camp at night, we were sleeping in tents and even in a cabin (all nine of us got very cozy in those small gold miner cabins!). We had incredible luck, sunny days all the time with not a cloud in the sky! We were able to observe the most awe-inspiring display shows of Northern Lights. The temperatures were mild for that time of the year in the Arctic and only dropped to 35 below range one night! We took hundreds of pictures and video taped a great deal of our trip. Great experience as a family. You might want to check this out!


Much Love, Mamabear
 
Linda,
Thank you for your comments. Sounds like you know what she's going through. I'm very proud of my daughter and love her dearly. I think anyone who can loose a large amount of weight and keep it off shows detication, determination and strength of character.

I actually have been trying to convince her to try weights. Right now she is doing Cathe's step tapes. She also is starting to run a bit. I'm going to pass on your information and give her something to think about. Thanks again.

I'm strivN2Bfit , Paulette
 
Susan,
I am going to try to get her to do some weights and ab work first as you and Linda have suggested. (she hates doing abs - probably because they're hard for her to do) It was interesting about surgery, I looked on the internet and in a nutshell, if you are planning to have children you should wait til later before you have this done.

I'm strivN2Bfit , Paulette
 
RE: adventure holiday

Wow, that's some holiday. Makes our cycling trip in Vermont look pretty tame. Although we did ride our bikes in the snow the first day. ( you know, first time in 10 years it snowed that early in Vermont - it was early October.) We enjoy cycling but that was the first time we had actually ridden from town to town for 6 days straight. It was physically challenging, beautiful scenery and wonderful people in the group. I told my husband, shopping and touring holidays are out for me, I'd rather be "doing" something while I see some country.

There are several trips I'd like to try. I've heard about cattle drives you can go on, white water rafting, and combination cycle & hike tours. I'll now have to add dog sledding in Alaska.

I see you have a guest ranch, would you email me more information about it. You sound like you are in excellent shape with all the hiking you must do. I sometimes dream about having that kind of lifestyle opposed to a sit down job. I guess I'm now rambling.

I'm strivN2Bfit , Paulette
 
RE: adventure holiday

Your cycling trip in Vermont sounds awesome too!!! 6 days strait is quite an achievement. I too love any kind of active vacation and yes, shopping, touring or just “lay on the beach” kind of vacations are not for me either. Cattle drives are not for the faint at heart and definitely not what “City Slickers” makes it to be. For serious horseback riders who do not mind roughing it, they are a blast. White water rafting is on my list too, hard to believe (living in white water paradise) I have never done it.

PS: the information on the ranch is in the mail.


Much Love, Mamabear
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top