want to tighten up the loose skin under my arms/tummy

F

fablousfifties

New Member
hi all i am new here
and i want to say that i am proud of my acomplishments i have lost a total of 34 pounds, i will be 50 in may i am 5ft1 inch and i now weigh 135 pounds but the ugly skin that hangs under my arms is my problem i have done everything i know to do weights/overhead pulls lost weight and nothing works ia am so disgusted with it i have thought about lipo suction.tummy tuck what would some of you suggest please help i hate it.
paula
 
Hi Paula,

I'll tell you like it was told to me right here on this board.
The "under the arm" jiggly stuff and abdominal jiggly stuff may or may not completely tighten up. I was advised to give it at least 2 years of consistently working those areas before jumping in to lipo or any type of cosmetic surgery.

Now, since that advice, I've dedicated myself to working my shoulders/arms 3x/week every week, and although the process is INCREDIBLY slow, the "under the arm" area is very slowly responding and improving. As women, many of us store fat there, and for me it's a hot bed of stored fat, so I just have to be patient and continue to "fry it off" through cardio, and tone it through resistence training. My ab section is a slow process as well, but it doesn't disturb me as much as my upper under arm area for some reason, and I can actually live with a little "pooch" when all is said and done, but I'm hoping since I still have at least 30lbs to go, I'll drain my under arm dry and wont have to consider lipo.

Also, I don't know what your heaviest weight has been, but I've also read that for some (and I may be one of them) once you have been extremely obese (100+lbs overweight/overfat) the skin may have been stretched just too far for too long a period of time to gain back its original elasticity. I was 200lbs overweight for 10 years, so I may not get that "spring action" tightness, but I'll say that I am amazed at the level of tightness and tone that weight training can bring to your body. So give it a chance and see what you can achieve through a combination of healthful eating/diet, cardio + weight training for 1-2 years, and if you're not satisfied, then you can always resort to the lipo, that alternative is always there. :)

Donna
 
I agree with Donna!Clean eating and sticking to a well rounded program on a consistent basis will get you results!Be patient and let your body do the work,when you come to that point where you feel like you tried everything and no results are happening anymore--totally change up your routine and do something you have "not" been doing--stay on that for awhile--your body should respond differently and begin to make small changes! I don't know what kind of workouts that you do but I do know that you're unhappy with where your at! There are soo many great training techniques out there! Have you done aquatics with the weights in the water? Do you do kickboxing? If so you can use hand irons(1lb wts)and do punches,jabs,hooks and uppercuts to help tighten up the loose skin! Using light weights will surprise you when doing upperbody! Especially when your combining upperbody work and leg work at the same time!A few videos that I'd recommend with light weights for the arms and are an intermediate level but effective are Karen Voights Great weighted Workout,Jennifer Kries abs hips thighs arm Toning Video and also the Firm Vol 2(fast paced you need light to keep up--lotta arm movement going on here!) Also yoga can help you lengthen and strengthen your muscles!Just a few ideas for you, Don't give up! The people on this forum are soo incredible, I'm sure you'll get great advice and also shared success stories!Hang in there! I, also see nothing wrong with getting a nip or tuck here and there to make yourself look and feel better if you can't do it on your own! Take care and welcome to the forum! Your friend in fitness~~Francine
 
thanks getinfit
well i have never been relly over weight, the most i have ever weighed is 164 pounds this is the most weight i have ever lost in my life time but if you add all the times i have lost 20 pounds i guess you could say that i have lost around a hundred pounds lol.an beleive it or not a ihave a lot of eslacticty in my skin i havent got any stretch marks at all its just that i have these ugly jiggly wiggleys everyone tells me that they couldnt even tell if i hadnt have mentioned it, but you know we see our self a lot different than other people see us right,
i am a pretty muscular person my inner thighs are just fine i have had a comlpete hystorectomy in 1984 they removed my womb and then 4 months later tey took out my ovaries/tubes/appendicts
and as i gained weight a few times and lost it my tummy got flabby and thats whee i carry my weight my tummy and my arms.
thanks for all the advice i will keep you posted on how i am doing ok
paula
 
Hey, Paula, could you let us know what kind of weight training you've been doing for your arms and abs? It helps if you could be more specific as to what your program is.
 
hi honeybunch
thanks for replying, i have worked to tammy lee webb abdominal tape for 10 years or more and i have done 10/15 pound weights for my arms for a long time but that sagging skin is so so hard to tighten uponce you loose it you know, but my arms are really really muscular all over but that one part.
if you have anymore suggestions please feel free to reply.
paula
 
What kind of equipment do you have? Do you have one of those big stability balls? How often do you work with weights, and what do you do specifically for your triceps?

A great exercise for your abs is power walking IF you use your arms properly. Also, kickboxing is great IF you concentrate on contracting your abs. Actually, any exercise you do standing up can be used to work your abs.

For example, I just started to use an elliptical cardio machine at the Y, and found that I could engage my abs while using the arm poles. On bikes its more difficult. I have an Airdyne bike with arm poles, but it's hard to work the abs since you are sitting.

If you've been using that same ab tape for so long, it's time for a change. You may want to get Cathe's new ab workout video or DVD.
 
Hi Paula

I am new also to the forum and isn't it great ?
I am just writing to recommend trying a professional body care range such as Decleor, which is a French skin care brand and can be bought worldwide. If you reside in America, Sephora stock the range, or check out their website
www.decleor.com
This gives product information. I am a qualified Beauty Therapist and would recommend you give some kind of firming range a go, which will help to tighten the skin and improve the tone of the skin. Decleor sell a wonderful body oil called Tonalastil which helps to firm, and a complimentary cream called Tonalastil Cream. Don't forget to exfoliate the areas regularly so that you get better product absorption. Unfortunately, when one loses alot of weight, the skin does become quite baggy, and it is around the age of 50 when the structure of a female's skin starts to degenerate due to the ageing of the skin, so I think they are worth a try.
I use a lot of the decleor range and I can vouch that it is a fantastic range, aromatherapy and plant extract based, and they don't test on animals.
Just a hint to maturer ladies embarking on a weight loss plan, it is important to keep firming the skin with a firming skin care range as you lose your weight.
Also, skin always looks better with a tan, so invest in a good self tan cream too !

Hope this was of some help

Anna
 
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