Anonymid
04-17-2003, 12:46 PM
Ok, so if muscle is heavier than fat (per volume)....i.e. muscle takes up less room for the same weight.....when I lose my approx 65 pounds, then I will have empty skin everywhere....and to get rid of it without surgery (I dont want the scars) I'd have to fill it up with muscle. But, if I'm filling up the same volume of skin with muscle instead of fat...and muscle weighs more...then I'm going to look just as large and also be a fair bit heavier (although healthier too I realise). I don't want to be big...I want to be slim, without excess skin everywhere. Help? Does being young (almost 20) mean the skin might shrink back a bit? and perhaps the fact I've only been massive for 2 years?
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DonutsNCoffee
04-17-2003, 01:12 PM
If you lose the fat too quickly, then you'll have loose skin. But as long as you lose the fat at a reasonable pace, like 1-2 pounds per week, the skin will adapt and tighten up.
Anonymid
04-17-2003, 01:41 PM
Really? that's great news...i think i'll try that. i am slightly worried cos i'm just in the obese category (as opposed to overweight) and 13 of my aunts and uncles, as well as my dad...have diabetes type 2....If i lose the weight quickly before i develop that, that would be great...then again i could take my chances and do it more slowly. i think doing it more slowly if it gives me less chance of loose skin would be better....because as weak as it may seem, i think that would have a detrimental psychological effect on me all my life (the loose skin). maybe it'll work, maybe not, but worth a try. thanks so much for ur advice.
DonutsNCoffee
04-17-2003, 01:57 PM
Yes, having skin problems will definitely make you feel bad. I know cause I gained a lot of weight very quickly in college and my skin paid the price. Now I'm stuck with that even though I lost the weight.
Another reason not to lose weight too rapidly is that your body will be shocked by it. That could bring all sorts of other problems. It's better to let your body get used to gradual change.
Another reason not to lose weight too rapidly is that your body will be shocked by it. That could bring all sorts of other problems. It's better to let your body get used to gradual change.
Anonymid
04-17-2003, 02:33 PM
Howcome you still have the skin problems despite losing the weight? Did you do it too rapidly then? That's a shame to still have them...but on the bright side, I bet you're tonnes healthier and will live longer and most likely happier too! So congrats for that.
DonutsNCoffee
04-17-2003, 02:58 PM
My skin problems were the result of GAINING weight, not losing it. If you gain weight too rapidly, you get stretchmarks. I learned that the hard way. I lost the weight slowly so my skin tightened up but the damage to the underlying layers was permanent.
Anonymid
04-17-2003, 03:11 PM
Ah...since I put on 20kg in 1 yr (due to antidepressants...my doc got bollockd at by my psychiatrist who said i should never have been put on them esp not with a 3 min appointment, and i should have been offered councilling or something rather than sent to the hosp psych...altho he also said he'd be happy to see me if i felt i needed him) I got the stretch marks....annoys me that it only happend last yr...if only i'd not got depressed and fatter. Anyhow, the stretch marks i don't actually mind since they fade with time, even if they're not that nice looking still...and not so smooth to touch, etc.... out of interest how much weight did u lose?
DonutsNCoffee
04-17-2003, 05:14 PM
I got mine cause I was an idiot college student who thought he could eat junk food, drink a lot, not exercise, and nothing would happen. I've had them for about 7 years now. They haven't faded at all. Tried all sorts of creams. Nothing worked.
When I got to college, I weighed 145 and had a 30 inch waist. Junior year, I had a 36 inch waist and weighed close to 190. When I graduated, I was at 155 and 34 inches. It's kind of gone and up down since then. Right now I'm at 146 and 32 inches. For my frame, the ideal waist is 29. I'll be happy if I reach 30. Be happy you're still young. After 25, the metabolism comes to a dead stop.
When I got to college, I weighed 145 and had a 30 inch waist. Junior year, I had a 36 inch waist and weighed close to 190. When I graduated, I was at 155 and 34 inches. It's kind of gone and up down since then. Right now I'm at 146 and 32 inches. For my frame, the ideal waist is 29. I'll be happy if I reach 30. Be happy you're still young. After 25, the metabolism comes to a dead stop.
Anonymid
04-17-2003, 05:25 PM
I'm wondering if as a female I'll have more loose skin anyhow, as men tend to be more muscly naturally (hormone-influenced). I hope not though. You've given me some hope :-) I put on the weight through feeling depressed and being on antidepressants...and I'll lose it through exercise (which relieves stress too but has the opposite effect on my weight than those darn anti d's). That's great you lost all that weight..about 44lbs! so far. I've only lost 10 so far....it's the fact that it was 70 i had to lose that made me worry about the skin....but then if 44 didn't leave you with looseness...I don't see why losing weight gradually afterwards wouldn't work :-) I don't know why it is...but I always thought men weren't so bothered about their weight...but i suppose they want to look as good as women want to look, and be as healthy too :)
DonutsNCoffee
04-17-2003, 05:49 PM
I lost the 44 pounds in the span of a year. That's an average of 44/52=.85 pounds per week. If I knew then what I know now, I could've lost it in 22 weeks. Oh well. It's gone now.
Yes, men are bothered by their weight too. There might not be as much pressure on us as there is on women, but it's there.
Yes, men are bothered by their weight too. There might not be as much pressure on us as there is on women, but it's there.
italianmofo
04-17-2003, 05:57 PM
So is everyone here saying there is no way to get rid of stretch marks? I have lost 52 lbs since the beginning of the year and have horrible stretch marks around my gut. When I get finished losing the rest of this fat, I sure would love to find a way to get rid of these stretch marks so I can take my shirt off at the beach.
Tony
Tony
DonutsNCoffee
04-17-2003, 06:06 PM
As far as I know, the only way to get rid of them is having them lasered off by a plastic surgeon. But the procedure is very expensive and in some cases, it can actually make the marks look worse. I've read that copper-peptide based creams and emu oil have been shown to improve the appearance of stretchmarks. They didn't work for me though.
Anonymid
04-17-2003, 07:00 PM
Do stretch marks on white skin look worse than on brown? I'm of Indian origin, so have brown skin. The marks on me have been there about 6-8 months now I think...and they're a red colour...and red doesn't show up too well on brown anyhow. My main prob is that they feel odd...bumpy. If they were worse I would probably go for the laser surgery, altho not if it does nothing for texture. Plus is it worth risking them looking worse. In my case now anyhow.
rainbowlight
04-17-2003, 09:15 PM
I have read the best thing to do (as others have said) is to lose the weight very slowly. Your young age should help, young skin is much more resilient than older skin. Also, rub cocoa butter or vitamin E on the skin in the areas you are concerned about. They will help keep your skin moist. They are what pregnant women rub into their skin to try to keep the stretch marks away.