I am on a diet to lose 125 lbs. If I lose the weight slowly will that help to minimize sagging skin?

Question

Middle aged ffemale. Vegetarian. Plan to keep the weight loss between 1-2 lbs. per week. Any suggestions welcome!!

Answer 1

If you eat properly, and exercise, you should do alright. My sister just lost 150 pounds (gastric bypass) and she lost it QUICK. She has a bit of sagging skin, but swimming helped her a LOT. And remember....eat a lot of strawberries! They help increase the elasticity of your skin, so while you're losing, it is extra important!

Here's a website I use. It's phenomenal. And it is FREE. You can track your weight, your food, and there are discussion forums for information as well as your own personal journal. Seriously. It is set up by a couple of guys that just have a HUGE WISH to have the biggest online FREE website to promote health and weight loss. You will not find a better, more supportive place to be. I've lost 25 pounds so far. :o)

http://www.calorie-count.com

Wow....good luck!!!!!

OH!!! And they even have a Vegetarian Forum!! Check it out!!

Answer 2

I've lost 98 pounds very slowly (over a 3 1/2 year period), and did exercise the whole time, did Curves for 1 year of that. I still have saggy skin. (I have about 30 more to lose). It's not horrible though. But, it's still there. I would rather have saggy skin though then the fat I used to have. At least I can stuff my skin into a size 12 and look a heck of a lot better, instead of my fat into a size 30 like I used to!

As was stated every ones genes are different though, some people have more then others, others have less. So you will just have to wait it out and see. Either way, concentrate on how much healthier and better you will feel regaurdless of the skin. I can tell you carrying the skin around is a lot easier then the fat!

Answer 3

I'm doing the same thing. I've already lost 75 pounds. When the skin on my arms started to sag, I bought some weights. Losing weight slowly coupled with exercise and weight training will minimize the lose skin problem but just losing weight slowly alone won't help much. I lost my 75 pounds over a 13 month period. That's pretty slow, but the skin sags anyway. When I started lifting the weights I saw a difference. You have to exercise to have a well toned body. There's just no way around that. Good luck to you! It can be done!

Answer 4

Loosing weight slowly is a good idea,you also want to make sure you get plenty of protein.Protein is what maintains the skins health.If you are a vegetarian it is even more difficult and more important that you get the required amount of protein.And you need more protein then most vegetarian health books may tell you.You also need to make sure you are lifting weights to build muscle beneath the skin,this will help strengthen the epidermous layer.Getting enough vitamins and minerals is also essential.In the long run your skin thickness and elasticity is partly genetic,so if you have fair,lighter skin you may sag more readily then someone with darker or ethnic colored skin.So following a careful program is a must especially if u have fairer skin.

Important keys

plenty of protein: look up ur requirements online and
make sure u meet the gram requirements
sources of vegetarian protein are:

whey,soy,egg,pea based protein shakes
egg whites,tofu,peanut butter,nuts,beans
cheese,soy cheese,cottage cheese,and
lentils.

make sure ur carb intake is controlled

do weight baring exercises,loose slowly
no more then 2 pounds per week.

Answer 5

Basically skin will sag if you loose weight quickly its natural. Its also natural to lose more weight when there is allot so it will literally melt if you keep at it. Skin is a ver letexy substance is designed to stretch and retract so if you lose it regular but gradually the skin will still sag for a short while but after the fact it wont matter so who cares. BTW being a vegitarian is actually bad, if you want to lose weight and maintain a healthy complexion you need to get meat proteins for muscle strength and the calories and carbs in meat provide more energy than other foods.

Answer 6

Drink lots of water to keep the skin hydrated (and not saggy)--skin can snap back but only if you treat it and yourself right!!!
I'm with the toning exercises--lift some weights and try yoga or pilates.
Since you're going to lose it slowwwwwly, I really don't think you'll have a problem. A girl in our building lost 150 pounds over a year and a half and she loooks FANTASTIC! She says she did it portion control and "getting up off my ***" !...
No saggy skin.

Good luck! I wish you well! Make sure you include some protein in your vegetarian diet plan, protein will keep the skin looking good and allow your muscles to fill in the gaps!

Answer 7

You will have to still do some toning exercises as you loose to firm of the sagging skin that will come. Don't wait til you lose a lot of weight to start. Do it now so you skin can be tightening up as you go. Now understand that as you build muscle your weight might fluctuate but don't look at the scale so much but how your clothes fit on you to be the true judge. Scales are nice but they can misleading and break your confidence. But when the clothes are hanging off you now that's a confidence booster. Good luck.

Answer 8

I also am trying to lose over 100 lbs. Just had bypass surgery. I think if you lose slowly like you are planning and exercise, that will help minimize the sagging, but as a middle aged person, the skin isn't as flexable as it used to be. Good luck to you :-)

Answer 9

I lost about 76 pounds in 6 months, before the baby. Walk, or exercise you see fit, but losing the weight too fast WILL make you sag and bag. Once you have lost some weight really concentrate on crunches and weights to tone, that should help. Too bad there's not an easier option, but unless you want surgery, which is NOT an option as far as I am concerned, please take care and do it correctly. Eat properly-NO fast food or junk of any kind.........GOOD LUCK!!

Answer 10

Yes it will. If you lose the weight slowly and make sure to keep toning yourself with exercise as you go, your skin will shrink along with you. Also it will be healthier for your whole body to lose the weight slowly. As you say, 1-2 pounds a week is what most doctors recommend. Good luck!