Loose skin???

Hi everyone, I'm Minxie and I'm considering joining SW after messing around with Cambridge for the past year or so and getting precisely somewhere then back again iykwim

Just wanted to ask whether anyone with a substantial loss has got any loose skin? On CD several people with big losses have been talking about tummy tucks and I wondered whether this applies to all big weight losses or just those that are done very quickly?

Anyone know or have any experience?

Well it looks like it's going to happen to me this time. When I lost weight as a young adult my tummy would stay firm. Now I am 58 it's just going floppy.

I think it's to do with connective tissue that loses its elasticity. I think it will be related to age and amount rather than speed of loss.

Also one thing I hadn't thought of before investigating the subject on the internet, is that the fat cells themselves have a size, even when completely empty. That means if you have been very overweight and have lots of fat cells, you won't look as slim for the same amount of fat as someone who never got obese and grew extra fat cells in the first place. I guess the tummy tuck removes some of those empty fat cells too.

Loose skin depends on a lot of different factors such as:

• age
• genetics
• skin elasticity
• weight loss
• how fast you lost it
• whether you exercised etc

It difficult to predict!

Personally I did not have a lot of loose skin and I lost the weight quickly getting to target in 11 months

Personally i think exercise helps reduce it ALOT.

My stomach's haggered to be honest. I've had 2 babies and doing this diet has made it worse, even after losing just one stone. I've still got a long way to go and already I've been looking up mini tummy tucks. My mum and partner know I want one so after christmas i'm starting to save up and they are going to help me pay the rest, so hopefully I will have on in late 2011.
I've actually taken 2 pics of my stomach and I want to post them on a tummy tuck forum but it would knock people sick!

I think it depends on each individual and all those factors that Circles mentioned. I don't do much exercise, but I do try to mosturise every day with some cream in the stomach area and only started doing some arm exercises when someone mentioned about butterfly wings and for the moment have not noticed too much loose skin.

Thanks everyone - I guess I will just have to moisturise, exercise and pray, lol. I am 48 so guess the skin will be pretty saggy, but I'd rather have loose thin skin than filled fat skin! At least I can hide it away under clothes - though why I am worrying at the start of my journey I don't know....loose skin, what loose skin, lol!