Loose skin?

eminenz2

eminenz2

Cathlete
At the peak of my cancer treatment, I weighed 187 lbs (I am 5'3"). After the worst of treatment was over, I Weight Watcher-ed and exercised my way down to 150 over a period of almost eight months.

I am curious about whether or not the loose skin on my legs will eventually shrink. My thighs look bigger than what they are. It's not gross, and I can certainly live with it, but I'm just curious.

Apart from a thigh lift, which I would never do, is there anything I can do to help improve the look of my upper legs??

Thanks!

Susan L.G.

P.S. I am 39 1/2 years old.
 
Loose skin sucks. I too, suffer from a mild form of it on my own "voluptuous" yet shapely thighs!:)
I never purchase a body lotion that does not claim to "tighten and firm" all my loose bodyparts-whats the point right?

I suggest lifting lots and lots of weights for the lower body-go heavy sometimes as well. My theory is, the more muscle you have, the more firm the legs will look. I wish you luck, and congrads on the weight loss. It sounds as if you have been through alot.
 
Thanks for the advice!

I, too, am completely skeptical of so-called thigh-firming lotions. It's probably just because I'm getting older and gained too much weight and then lost it. I'm sure my skin does not recuperate as well as it did when I was 20 or 30 years old.
 
I searched on the internet about this after reading your post because I have some loose skin on my upper thighs that I am not all together too crazy about. Although I have not read this gentleman's books he does have some interesting opinions that might be worth looking into.

www.bodyfatguide.com/LooseSkin.htm

http://www.bodyfatguide.com/LooseSkin.htm

In support of his ideas, within a year my weight increased by roughly 5-7 pounds. My exercise training during this time switched from 1/2 weights 1/2 cardio to 1/8 weights and 7/8 cardio (specifically running)

My diet remained unchanged and I slowly put on this excess fat! My legs are toned but I have loose skin on the front. (which I never had before as my legs were by far my best feature)

I am going to commit to cleaning up my diet and increasing my lean muscle mass to see if that helps. It is certainly worth a try:)

Good luck!
 
Thank you for your post, Susan--I'm curious, too. I so admire what you've done given what you've been through.

I'll be 40 in a month. I was overweight my entire childhood into my mid 20's when I got into fitness and clean eating. I have three children: One pregnancy at age 28, one at 30, and one at 33. Despite my very best efforts, I gained a lot with each pregnancy/nursing period and had to get the weight off each time. I have loose skin in my upper abdominal area and upper arms. I was realizing the other day that I have a 4-pack in my abdominals--I can't see the upper 2 of the 6-pack because of what's on top. Of course I need to lose more fat there, too. But I've wondered for years if I'll ever be able to have a "tight" abdomen--especially when sitting. I've noticed that my skin elasticity is changing and I'm about ready to resign myself to how my body is. I don't mean throwing in the towel--I'm committed to fitness and healthy eating--but I'm just getting tired of unrealistic expectations.

There is something else I've always wondered: If you've been overweight and then lost fat and improved muscle, do you still weigh more than someone your same size and build who was never heavy to begin with? I'm 5'2" and build muscle easily. My body wants to be 140lbs.(even with exercising and eating clean). I'm happiest at 130 or lower but it's a real struggle to stay there. I did go under 125, but I was starving, my skin is gaunt and hanging, my face looked like an old lady, and I started to have stomach problems--that was my wakeup call. I'm not a slave to the scale, but I've really wondered about the weight issue.

Just thought I'd throw that one out.

Good luck Susan, and I hope you are and stay cancer-free. You are an inspiration!

Carol F
 
Gosh I just looked at the bodyfat percentages of the "stars". It was a link on the article page, and I do not know whether to be depressed and dismayed or just outright pissed off!x(

Seriously, none of these women actually have a "normal" bodyfat percentage, in fact most of them should not even be menstruating for goodness sake. Geez I am so fed up with this obsession with celebrity body stuff.

Now I am gonna go lift some weights with my 18 percent bodyfat self dammit!!:7 :7
 
Tneah,
I would question those body fat figures from that article and what method was used to obtain them. Most women athletes don't even get to 7% and most actresses do not have athlete bodies. Many actresses do get too thin, but there is difference between thin and fit.
 
Thanks so much for the positive thought and replies!

I figure that even though at 150 I am still "overweight", my body seems to be happiest there, and I can stay there with a minimum of struggle. If I could get to 135, where the evil(!)charts(!) say I'm at the upper end of 'acceptable', I know I would be making myself miserable trying to stay at that weight.

I am learning to be more accepting of my body than before. I will just say, "Thank you," to my healthy body and go from there, no? I will have teach myself to be less concerned with sizes and charts and BMIs and such.

And after thinking about it for a few days, if it means my thighs are a bit looser than before, then so be it.

:)

Susan L.G.

P.S. I had breast cancer.
 
Here Here! Well put Susan!:) You are right, I just got so irritated by this silly bodyfat chart, of course women do not walk around with 7 percent bodyfat--unless they are competiting, and even then, its more like 10 percent.I thought that chart was totally unrealistic and ridiculous.
Anyway, I totally agree with you and your body acceptance, its hard sometimes, but then you realize how amazing your body really is and find a new respect for it. Congrads on beating cancer,I am not sure if that is what you say, but congrads!:D
 
>Gosh I just looked at the bodyfat percentages of the "stars".
>It was a link on the article page, and I do not know whether
>to be depressed and dismayed or just outright pissed off!x(

I really doubt the accuracy of this list. I can't imagine that Mariah Carey has only 5.39% body fat. I just don't see how a calculation based on height and waist measurement can come up with an accurate body fat percentage.
 
Also, the article failed to mention the role ***cigarette smoking*** plays in many celebs' weight regiment!
 
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