My weight loss program and sagging skin?

L

Lexaroozle

New member
It's not really a "diet" as far as food's concerned. It's a lifestyle change. I'm eating extremely healthy, and it's all things that I can maintain in my life. I make sure to eat at least 1,200 calories a day, lots of fruit of all colors, and lean meats and proteins.

I currently weigh 256lbs, and with the workouts I'm doing daily, I wind up losing about 4000 calories a day on average. Mostly cardio (lots of running, treadmills are my best friend lately. Wind up doing about 2-3 hours on one a day), with weight training and resistance training. If the 3,500 calories = a pound thing is right, then that's at least a pound a day lost.

The thing I'm worried about however, is my skin. In this past month since I started, I lost 24 pounds. No real signs of loose skin YET (except that I find the skin on my arms stretchy / I can pull it away, but it's not sagging away from the rest of my arms).

IN A NUTSHELL I'm asking, with this work out, will it give me saggy skin? And is there anything I can do to prevent it? Should I be using lotion or something, home remedies? Anything?
 
I think you need to eat more, at your current weight 1200 calories is VERY little.
Right now it is making you drop weight fast but at some point your body will go in to starvation mode and then you're likely to hit a plateau.
I recommend calculating your bmr, etc to see how many calories a day you need.
There are several forum posts here that are very helpful, and I recommend that you read them (if you haven't already).
These are worth reading for sure :
http://weight-loss.fitness.com/topic/39078-importance-lack-pin-pointing-exact-caloric-intake.html
http://weight-loss.fitness.com/topic/9468-starvation-calories-adaptations.html
http://weight-loss.fitness.com/topic/1392-understanding-rmr.html
http://weight-loss.fitness.com/topic/19607-energy-expenditure-weight-loss.html
Most of the stickied posts are a good read ;)
Your choice of foods are very good :)
Do you also drink enough water?
Also, when you lose weight at a very fast rate your skin doesn't really get the time to bounce back and it can make the risk of sagging skin greater.
I recommend using a skin cream, doesn't matter what brand or kind, as long as it moisturises, as that helps keeping the skin supple and pliable.
I'm not saying it'll work miracles but it's supposed to reduce the chance of sagging.

And well done losing 24 pounds :D
Good luck!
 
Oh... my gosh. The second article. :/ I really didn't know it was that big of a deal to cut your calories so drastically.
(Although, I probably should have known when I started getting tired at random times of the day) I'm not exactly sure what to even eat to fill in the gaps between 1,200 and what I SHOULD be having. But... I'm not even sure where to find out how many calories i should be eating at my height and weight. D:
254 at 5'4" 1/2? No idea, but I think it'd be fine to kick it up to 1,500 calories

On another note, as far as water is concerned I drink about 4-5 16oz bottles a day.
 
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To find out how many calories you need, you need to calculate your bmr.
One of the links I posted explained how but there's also an easier way.
This link is really helpful, it does all the work for you, just fill out the details ;)


Filling in the gaps and getting over 1200 cals is hard for me too, I tend to naturally eat very little but I force myself to eat 5x a day, 3 meals and 2 snacks (usually fruit).
I also take protein shakes to up my cals, plus it's really great to take those when you work-out.
The shake makes you full and crave sweet things less as well (for me that is).

You drink enough water :)
It's really important when you want to lose weight.
 
hey you
i understand your problem! :)
i m 5'8 and i was 275 lbs
now i m at 213 lbs. i have no lose skin. at all.
my issues are coming from yo-yo dieting - i got those "amazing" strech marks - and they are not looking happy as i m losing weight.
but there s nothing i can do bout - other than working out.
and actually they are kinda invisible now on my arms - and the condiotion of my skin improved too - same on my tummy. thanks to weight training and creams.

in general i think u should either work out less or eat more.
Healthy eating is good for skin!! i do the same! :)
i dont do calorie count - but i eat about 1200 a day - i guess: and try to vary my diet so i get all the nutrients my body needs.
 
Lexaroozle said:
It's not really a "diet" as far as food's concerned. It's a lifestyle change. I'm eating extremely healthy, and it's all things that I can maintain in my life. I make sure to eat at least 1,200 calories a day, lots of fruit of all colors, and lean meats and proteins.

I currently weigh 256lbs, and with the workouts I'm doing daily, I wind up losing about 4000 calories a day on average. Mostly cardio (lots of running, treadmills are my best friend lately. Wind up doing about 2-3 hours on one a day), with weight training and resistance training. If the 3,500 calories = a pound thing is right, then that's at least a pound a day lost.

The thing I'm worried about however, is my skin. In this past month since I started, I lost 24 pounds. No real signs of loose skin YET (except that I find the skin on my arms stretchy / I can pull it away, but it's not sagging away from the rest of my arms).

IN A NUTSHELL I'm asking, with this work out, will it give me saggy skin? And is there anything I can do to prevent it? Should I be using lotion or something, home remedies? Anything?
Click to expand...

Hi there,

I was 230lbs after my 2nd kid. 2 years later I was 130lbs and have now maintained that for one year. It was one hell of a journey and still is.

I have loose skin. But only on my stomach, around my navel, it is so disgusting, but the only thing that can really sort it out is surgery and I cannot be bothered. I tried all manner of cremes, didnt do anything. But all my other problem areas are ok now.

After I initially lost the weight after two years, and reached my target, I did have really wierd flappy stretchy skin in the wierdest place...my underarms, near the back area. So freaky. But, after much training and exercise (particularly weight training), it sorted itself out. I noticed the weird stretchiness disappeared after about another year to be honest. I'm 35 by the way. If you are in your 20's, I reckon your skin may recover more quickly than mine and better. In your 30's, the rate of recovery slows significantly.

Dont' worry about the weird skin issues, just get healthy. The worst affected area will probably be your abdomen and unless you wanna hang out in a beach all day in a bikini, it should not interfere with your life too much. :)

Good luck.
 
I worry about loose skin too, but I think people get loose skin from losing weight too rapidly. Your skin can recover over time I've heard, and it helps to keep your skin hydrated, as in putting lotion on after getting out of the shower.

Also, age plays a role. All of my friend's skin does really well when they lose weight because everyone I know is 18-24 and I think thats when skin will still be pretty resilient, but if you're a bit older it takes longer.

In my mind I try not to worry because even if I can't run around naked when I'm my goal weight I know I will feel a hell of a lot better in my everyday clothes. And I've let people see me nude at 240 lbs, so what's the difference between being uncomfortable with your skin and being uncomfortable with your weight? In my opinion the skin problem can be fixed if it really is honestly bothersome. You can't save some money for a surgery to remove 100 lbs, but you can save some money for a tummy tuck.

Just think of it that way, love. You'll do great.

Btw, I tried cutting back to 1,200 cals. I can do it without too much hassle, but it's not healthy. I eat between 1600 and 1800 right now, but I've only been doing this the healthy way for about a week. I can tell you there is no downside to being able to still lose weight and eat a little bit more.

It's gotta happen at a 1-2 lb per week loss, I tell ya. I couldn't accept that at first, but if you look at it this way, you'll probably lose a bit more than that at first, chalking weight loss up to about 12ish lbs a month. It sounds like a snail pace, even to me, but at the end of this month I would definately rather be 12 lbs lighter. And in two months that's 24 lbs, and in a year that could be 100 lbs.
 
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