I have a lot of hanging stomach flab. Does anyone know if I will lose any of it while I'm on this diet. Or will it get worse.?

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@lori1963

Will this diet get rid of your stomach area? Yes and no

You will lose weight and pant sizes. If you hold your weight in your stomach area you may have loose skin to deal with after weight loss. insurance may help cover plastics if you have documented rashes or mobility issues.

A lot of it depends on starting/ending(maintenance) size, age, overall muscle tone, etc. there is no way to predict. I was 260lbs in my 40’s. I’m 54 and 124lbs now. I have loose skin everywhere but have noticed that some of my belly and arm flab has shrunken a bit as I’ve maintained a 5 pound range over the last month or so. That said, I am fortunate (or unfortunate) not to have nearly enough belly skirt left to qualify for surgery. It would be nice to have a flat belly, tight thighs, booty and arms, however, at my age, what is left is far better than expected. Let us NOT address the boob sitch. That’s a horror show. I’m going to self pay that nightmare!?

I think it just depends on your individual skin make up.

While doing my research for this surgery, one of the things that I read was when you lose weight rapidly it takes awhile for your skin to catch up. How long is individual and dependent upon starting weight, age, health, etc. The guide that was offered was to wait 2 years and see how everything landed before deciding on any plastics.

With my age I'm completely expecting to have some loose skin and am not anticipating having to go the plastics route, except for maybe a breast lift/augmentation. And that I'll decide on a few years down the road.

The biggest thing is that you're getting healthy, and I'm sure once you get to the maintenance phase you'll find that having some loose skin isn't a bad thing, but a badge of honor. You have to get there first, though.

I hesitate to post photos because I am not feeling great about all the hanging skin and the after in this photo is me wearing boy shorts in my messy closet, however...it will give you an idea of the way my 54 year old body is dealing with extra skin. Keep in mind that just 8 years ago, I was 260.

I'm 5ft, 5.5 inches. Large bone structure. The photo on the left is me on December 26th at somewhere in the 140's, I think. The photo in the boy shorts is me on Feb 8th at 124, same weight I am now. My arms, belly and inner thighs are very loose. My back and chest are very loose. I can pull this skin away from my body like it's a cat suit. That said, it's easily covered in clothing, even tight clothing. And mild control underwear flatten my belly skin skirt. These boy shorts gave no control panel and do NOT do the job! But here it is...

@lori1963

@Screwballski Thanks for sharing your photos. My skin is very similar. Someday, I might get brave and share some like yours. These are my recent photo's. This is what mine looks like with clothing. Amazing what I can hide.

On ‎2‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 2:14 PM, Screwballski said:

A lot of it depends on starting/ending(maintenance) size, age, overall muscle tone, etc. there is no way to predict. I was 260lbs in my 40’s. I’m 54 and 124lbs now. I have loose skin everywhere but have noticed that some of my belly and arm flab has shrunken a bit as I’ve maintained a 5 pound range over the last month or so. That said, I am fortunate (or unfortunate) not to have nearly enough belly skirt left to qualify for surgery. It would be nice to have a flat belly, tight thighs, booty and arms, however, at my age, what is left is far better than expected. Let us NOT address the boob sitch. That’s a horror show. I’m going to self pay that nightmare!?

I think it just depends on your individual skin make up.

LOL @ boobs! I too will be having those addressed, as I was a 44DDD prior to surgery.

I found that I had quite a lot of loose skin on my arms/thighs and stomach after losing around 70lbs. A few months down the line, it has definitely improved, especially my arms, fingers crossed for you!

I believe it truly depends on the person. Genetics play a big part in it - some people have more elastic skin than others. I believe incorporating toning exercises can help prevent loose skin, but it is of course not a guarantee. I would speak to your doctor if it becomes a big enough concern, I know some will do the skin surgery for you as well.

Best of luck. (:

It really depends on your skins elasticity. Some people have have really tight and hydrated skin that snaps back. I am 28 and 2.5 years post op and I am close to my goal. I was referred to a plastic surgeon to see if I qualify for skin removal and I do not qualify. There are 4 check boxes 2 of which are do you get rashes from hanging skin, and the only box I didnt check was does your skin hang past your genitals. Part of me is glad my skin isn't that bad and another part is like darn I could get insurance to cover this. My body type needs a 360 lift which is being cut around the entire waste and skin removed. I have a spare tire type of body lol. I notice the more weight I loose the saddle gets saggy but my belly button holds up the middle so it will never hang to the level of my genitals. Needless to say everyone's body is very different and your losing the fat under the skin so it looks like loose skin since it isn't stuffed anymore.

I'd say that it will depend on the size you were when you began. The larger you were, the more excess skin you'll have. No amount of exercise or creams or anything will stop us from having excess skin. Our skin was extended to store the fat, and it doesn't just all bounce right back. I'm still a ways from goal, and I can already see that the 200+ pounds that I've lost is now forming excess skin. It's not terrible, but I'm sure it will get worse. I'd rather have loose skin than it be filled with fat though.