Too thin and no loose skin? Is that possible?

[sugarfree 6]

Hello all! I was wondering if there’s anyone in here that lost so much weight post WLS that all loose skin has been eaten » up by the body « ? Every now and then I read anecdotal stories of people that lost weight through extreme restriction and that had all loose skin gone too because Protein got broken down by the body as a mechanism of ensuring protein to support muscles. Thanks!

[summerseeker 1,852]

I do not think that this is a thing.

[ms.sss 14,684]

the uppermost layer of skin is not fat, so i don't think that gets "eaten". the actual fat layer of skin that the body uses as energy when you at are at a calorie deficit is under the the top layer and is called subcutaneous fat. when this layer is "eaten" during weight loss, it results in loose (upper) skin that alot if us experience.

i ended up with very little fat after weight loss phase. so little that i did not have enough for a fat transfer for fuller boobs nor butt when i had plastics (tummy tuck, arm lift and breast lift to get rid of the skin).

As an aside, my surgeon told me to gain 15 or so lbs to be eligible for a BBL (i was all no thanks, i'll keep my saggy butt, ha!)

[mcipanda 121]

There was a case of a woman on 600lb life who went the opposite direction (anorexia) and got so thin the doctor wouldn’t do skin surgery. This really upset her because of all the extra skin. Once she gained back 15lbs and saw a therapist, he did the surgery. There was zero fat under her extra skin… the doctor was shocked at how bad her anorexia was. So I don’t think the loose skin goes anywhere and definitely wasn’t “eaten up by the body.”

[catwoman7 10,867]

the others are right When you lose a lot of weight, you deflate like a balloon. The skin is stretched out from being filled with fat, and it's not going to go back. If you're just losing a small amount of weight, like 10 or 20 lbs, then it's not likely to be noticeable (in fact, YOU might not even notice it), but when you're talking 80 - 100 - 150 - 200 lbs, then yes - you're very likely to have stretched out skin.

[catwoman7 10,867]

btw - I don't think skin has much Protein. It's the muscle and fat that gets broken down to keep your body from starving. That's why they really emphasize protein those first few months when we're losing most of our weight - it provides your body with energy so you won't lose as much muscle (you'll lose some muscle, though...along with fat...)

[BabySpoons 531]

Autophagy is what you are referring to. I don't know of anyone who has combined this with bariatric surgery, but it interests me as well. Needing plastic surgery is a last resort for me if not at all.

[Arabesque 6,486]

There’s a lot of conflicting research & information on autophagy. Some claim autophagy can reduce loose skin through fasting but fasting is not beneficial to sustained weight loss & maintenance. Plus your body would have to eat a hell of a lot of cells to get rid of the amount of lose skin we usually have after weight loss. What it does have is the potential to slow your metabolism. The fasting autophagy promotes is days of fasting not the intermittent style of fasting for a few hours each day. Surgery gives us a gift of boosting our lagging metabolisms. Why do something that may slow it down again?

Some say it causes the body to ‘eat’ necessary ‘living’ cells like cardiac cells as well as old or ‘dead’ cells. Some say Keto style diets will cause autophagy to occur. It seems there’s not enough definitive research on it yet. But if you’re interested it might be best to talk to your doctor first.

Edited June 6, 2023 by Arabesque

[Jeanniebug 472]

It is possible to lose too much weight after surgery. But, I think loose skin is more of a genetic issue, not a weight loss issue.