FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO’S HW/SW/CW IS OR WAS OVER 200lbs
THINGS THAT CAN MINIMISE/HELP LOOSE SKIN AFTER WEIGHT LOSS:
- avoid smoking! smoking is soooo bad for your skin, and can sometimes lead the skin to losing its elasticity/youthfulness, if you may. if you haven’t started, don’t! if you have started, consider quitting/at least decrease the amount you smoke in a day.
- strength and weight training! i know a lot of you don’t want to end up with visible muscles, but replacing the fat with muscle can give the skin something to settle against instead of just sagging.
- stay hydrated! i’m serious, water does wonders for your skin. drinking a lot of water improves the elasticity of your skin and helps it to bounce back as much as possible after extreme amounts of weight loss.
- protein and nutrients! i know some of you might not wanna hear this, but listen, okay? whole foods, greens, foods rich in protein. they’re all perfect. i won’t say anymore, just try to incorporate them into your life somehow.
- lose weight slowly! now, i know this is a bummer. my typical goal is almost 10lbs a week sometimes, but through research done, aiming for 1-2lbs a week is one of the best ways to lessen your chance of loose skin in the future. the slow weight loss gives your skin time to adapt and shrink back to meet your body. losing weight too fast will not allow your skin to take its time in bouncing back with you.
- age. okay, i know this isn’t a tip, but it is a factor. younger people generally have more skin elasticity than older people. it’s just facts. another fact: it depends on how long you have been overweight for. if you have been 200+ pounds for years, the elasticity of your skin will not be as good. these are just warnings. just be prepared.
- moisturising, oils and skin brushing! okay, so high carb hannah on youtube talked about skin brushing, and i highly suggest you check her channel out. she lost a substantial amount of weight and has little to no loose skin. she’ll give a super good explanation of skin brushing, so take a look! moisturising and oils are just good for your skin, and like water, helps to keep your skin hydrated.
- exercise! exercise is so good for your body, enough said, really. toning exercises especially help. staying active decrease your chances of loose skin. only by a very small amount, but it’s a decrease all the same.
- finally, how much weight you have to lose can contribute to it. this is why slow weight loss is recommended. remember: slow weight loss is better than no weight loss.
- here’s some more.. fact? :
feel the skin of your eyelid! the skin of your eyelid is skin without any fat underneath. pretty thin, right? almost paper-like. now, that loose skin you feel like you have under your arm? feel that too. does it feel like your eyelid? if so, then yes, it is loose skin. if NOT, the chances are, there’s still some fat under there. if the skin feels quite globby and thick, you probably still have a couple ounces of fat hiding in the looser parts of your body.
now, if you are already at your goal weight, it’s suggested that you actually put on more! not fat, though. you should try putting on LEAN BODY MASS! ways to put on lean body mass include: weight training, eating frequently, cardio and more. once you’ve put on this lean body mass, you can go back to losing the fat that’s been hiding in your loose skin. it may not eliminate it altogether, but it’ll get rid of anything that’s gone unnoticed by you, or perhaps just unrecognised. this may, in some cases, help tighten up skin/allow the skin to tighten up itself, because there will be nothing weighing it down.
all in all, and again, i know you don’t want to hear this, but fasting is not the way to go if you are of a size where loose skin is a possibility, and it’s something you are worried about. fasting causes the body to lose weight too quickly, and honestly, quick weight loss often leads to failure, where you find it hard to keep the weight off. crash diets and fasting are a one way ticket to ending up with loose skin, but taking things slow and keeping a balanced diet of nutrients and proteins (and lots of water!) can help minimise your risk of ending up with extra sag once you’ve gotten to your goal weight.
just be careful, stay safe, and know that my inbox is ALWAYS open if you need to talk. i hope you all find happiness and recovery one day.
(disclaimer: i am not a professional, a nutritionist, a doctor etc. i am not telling you that this is a guaranteed way to prevent loose skin, i’m just presenting snippets of information to you that i have gathered throughout the course of my research).