OK, so after I lose 100 pounds, I know there will be excess skin hanging around. Other than getting a tummy tuck, how have you dealt with it? Are there things you can do to prevent it? I know they say it takes at least a YEAR after weightloss for your skin to catch up. Is that true? Does it ever REALLY catch up? Anyone got there yet?

Thanks,

Donna:phanvan:phanvan

I read an interesting article yesterday.... I don't know if I believe it but the gist of it was that as you lose you're body composition changes, and you lose a portion of your lean body mass. So when you are at goal and still have saggy soft skin, it's actually fat that could be lessened by decreasing your fat body mass and increasing your lean body mass. The idea was that skin will form around the body and if it's sagging it's because it is forming around the fat. I don't know what I think about this. I guess I hope it's right, cuz then I can do something about it without plastic surgery... but I have my doubts.

Meghan

I love your experiment and the picture. I'm going to try it!

I read an interesting article yesterday.... I don't know if I believe it but the gist of it was that as you lose you're body composition changes, and you lose a portion of your lean body mass. So when you are at goal and still have saggy soft skin, it's actually fat that could be lessened by decreasing your fat body mass and increasing your lean body mass. The idea was that skin will form around the body and if it's sagging it's because it is forming around the fat. I don't know what I think about this. I guess I hope it's right, cuz then I can do something about it without plastic surgery... but I have my doubts.

Meghan

Meghan, I think I've read the article you're referring to (by a guy who's selling his weight loss/body building system).

I do think there's some validity to his message. Unless you do strength training as you lose weight, you *will* lose some of your muscle mass. That's why it gets harder and harder to lose weight as you near goal. I think strength training is *essential* to reaching goal and maintaining lost weight.

But, his theory would be more applicable (to the loose skin issue) if we lost weight evenly from the various parts of our bodies. But, we don't. My body from the waist up appears to be someone with an extremely low bodyfat percentage (low teens, max). My upper body is more "cut" than the female trainers at my gym. Unfortunately, my lower body is another story. The muscle is *there*, it just lies under a layer of fat and extra skin. Could I continue to lose weight and get rid of that extra fat on my legs and improve the condition of the skin? Maybe. But, it would be at the expense of my face and breasts, which have already lost too much fat for my liking.

Tami