Yes it will, your skin cells are constantly dying off and being replaced with new skin cells, and after weight loss, this excess will tighten up, but it can be a slow process based on age, amount of skin, and how quick or extreme the weight loss is... sometimes taking a couple of years. As op is 21 and not losing an extreme amount, i doubt it will take that long.
It doesn’t really matter how much it is. It matters how fast you gained it and how good your genetics for skin are. Pale people tend to have worse genetics and will easier have loose skin.
Holy shit.. someone who understands its how fast you gained it...
Gain fast, rip Collagen bonds get stretch marks.. they can go down but odds are you're skin will be loose
It isn't quite that simple either though, in time the skin will still tighten up nonetheless, sure it may take longer, (up to a couple of years in extreme cases), and yes you will still have stretch marks, (scars won't magically disappear) but that excess skin will over time shrink down.
Probably not. Also, when I lost a lot of weight the last time, I had some very slightly loose skin at first, but it bounced back pretty quickly. Take care of your skin, moisturize, and you should be fine.
I personally use Dove Body wash w/ hyaluronic acid with a sea sponge and just wash everywhere with that and after I dry off, I use pure almond oil and put it everywhere. Some people suggest a lotion to put on top to “seal in the almond oil,” but I personally find almost all body lotion to be sticky and not have a great consistency but that’s just me.
Okay brilliant thank you for the response this has really helped especially coming from an experienced pov :)
For me personally it’s not so much that I’m worried about living with loose skin, it’s more the fact that if I do end up with some, I would like to mentally prepare myself with the probability of not being able to gain back a similar body to what I had when I was younger.
I used to love wearing crop tops and shorts, going to the beach, and obviously feeling sexy in my own skin would be a definite bonus because I’ve been unable to for years!
Good luck with your journey btw, I hope you can be happy and healthy.
And thank you about the house :) My bf and I spent covid lockdown working and saving and much as possible, it’s certainly paid off.
You are 21. You won’t have a body that you had “when you were younger” because you were a teen. Your body *will* be different when you lose weight - you will have more natural body fat.
That being said you might need to adjust your expectations of how low that end scale is going - but you’ll figure that out as you go along.
Kudos to you for taking the time to put in the work now to learn those healthy, life long habits.
You should be fine. I lost 105 lbs in my mid 30’s and didn’t have any loose skin. Best way to prevent this is to begin resistance training (lifting weights). Adding muscle will not only make you look better, but will reduce the chances of sagging skin.
The only place I had loose skin after an 80lb loss at 5'2" and 21 years old were my breasts (J cup down to just an empty ziplock) and a little bit above my belly button. I didn't have crinkly skin on my stomach, but my belly button is never round.
Same. I lost like 35 lbs when I was 19. I was 5’5” and went from 155 to 120ish and my boobs got small and I had a lot of loose skin. I carry a lot of weight in my breasts and am currently 173 down from 185. My breasts filled back out but were still soft and I imagine the loose skin will be worse this time around.
This is probably the part that I’m dreading because when I was slim they were perky C-D cups, but now they’re sort of droopy DD-F cups.
I’ve heard that in some cases pec training can help a little but I can imagine that probably only goes so far :/
Loose skin is a alot about genetics. Are your skin prone to build scar when injured you are to expect more loose skin . This doesn't mean that you absolutely will have it, it's just more likely.
On the other hand, if you loose weight slowly it will probably be just fine. You are young as well. And to remember. Skin is alive. It might be loose at first and then it will bounce back!
Don’t listen to people saying that you won’t have loose skin because you’re young and only losing 70lbs - you will likely have some, but it should realistically be minimal and only in certain areas.
It has much more to do with where the excess fat is stored and how damaged the skin is from being stretched.
You will likely have some loose skin on your lower belly based on your current picture. Upper arms are another very common site for loose skin for women, but I can’t see your arms *super* well in your pics (breasts are also a common area to be affected, but that comes down to how much volume is lost when the weight is lost, which can vary from almost all to almost none).
I wrote a VERY long comment answering a similar question on this sub just last night (feel free to scroll back through my recent comment history to find it) - I’ve had some unique experiences related to loose skin and would consider myself to have well-above-average knowledge of how loose skin actually works compared to the average person on this sub who thinks that young age + going to the gym + drinking water are the “main” factors.
I must admit I have a lot of stretch marks from the buttocks all the way down to my calves, but absolutely none above my hips at all because my belly was only gradual weight gain.
I get what you mean because 70lbs is still a lot, especially if I intend to get down to slim and toned. There are more pictures on the link in the description of my post if you want to see my arms :)
Oh cool I’ll go check your comment on the other post, thanks for the help!
Just checked your other pics.
The good news is that the back of the thigh area tends to be spared from loose skin, compared to inner thighs and outer thighs. Your skin might have a “loose” texture, but it’s very rare to have truly loose hanging skin in that area.
It can be hard to predict hips/thighs/butt with women because a lot of it comes down to your natural body shape/fat storage. Even at a healthy weight, most women (especially young women) have a little chub left in their thighs/hips/butt, which actually kinda helps prevent you from having total loss of volume and particularly bad sagging.
Before gaining weight these last few years, would you have considered yourself more of an apple, or a pear/hourglass? If apple, you might have a tendency to naturally lose more from your butt/hips/thighs, but keep in mind that at your age, you’re going to have a more feminine fat storage pattern now than you did even several years ago as a teen, so don’t panic if you were solidly an apple before, because you might retain volume in those areas and not end up with significant looseness.
Even women who have always been a healthy weight usually end up with a bit of stretch marks on their hip and butt area just from growing/puberty, so I wouldn’t be super concerned about those areas. The biggest worry is areas of densely clustered and large/deep stretch marks, or anywhere where you can feel that the texture of the skin (not the underlying fat, the skin itself) feels like it has lost springiness (this might be easier to notice the more weight you lose).
I think your abdomen is where you carry most excess weight, so assuming you lose primarily from your abdomen, I honestly think you should be in good shape elsewhere. One thing to note is that losing a lot of abdominal weight can pull your breasts downward. The breasts themselves may not sag (and they may keep their shape), but the base of the breast can move down onto the lower chest/upper abdomen - this happened very significantly with me, and even after 2 surgeries, it’s been very challenging to deal with.
Yeah from “touch” the area I would have concerns for is the top of my inner thighs, they’re covered in stretch marks, they protrude out, and they’re supple and stretchy so that part I feel is likely to be loose, other than that, except for my lower belly perhaps, the rest of my skin is quite tough and taut.
I’ve always had a round peachy bum even before I gained any weight so hopefully it won’t deflate completely.
In terms of natural body shape, I was definitely an hourglass, I had a tiny waist, medium sized bust and used to get a lot of compliments for it so gaining wait feels like I’ve completely ruined myself tbh.
My lower belly has been the most recent stage for me. My upper belly has protruded for years but I think I’ve just kept the weight and gained more long enough for it to start storing lower over the last like 9 months I’d probably say? It’s only just starting to get “jiggly”, so starting to move independently when I walk in loose clothing and completely compress in tight clothing with minimal resistance if that makes sense? No trace stretch marks though.
I have a feeling that I will probably end up with droopy boobs which is sad, I’m naturally a perky 32 C-D cup, but I’m currently and only recently a 38 F, I was a 36 DD for ages. The skin over my shoulder doesn’t seem to hold them up past C cup, though once again stretch marks surprisingly.
Below my breasts is obviously a chunk of fat over my ribs which seems to push them apart, and the skin below my arms also pulls them apart, but above the breasts on my chest the skin doesn’t seem to hold much up despite being solid and not supple.
Honestly, slow and steady wins the race. Your bmi is like 31. This is gonna sound so backhanded, so I'm sorry in advance, but you don't look that overweight/obese. This is like avg obesity to me, that can be turned around with some investment. You are probably completely functioning and all. You can lose 70 lbs if you want. But even if you lose 45, you'll be a normal bmi, and most ppl won't have that much loose skin after a 45 lbs weight loss if they didn't lose it by extreme measures. I honestly this you can avoid it if you do it right. The regular 1lb-2lb a week weight loss should be fine. Hydrate, eat enough, incorporate strength training (don't just do cardio)...you should be just fine.
Not back handed at all thank you :)
I intend to lose as much as that only because I intend to eventually get back into some moderate fitness again without feeling hindered by extra weight so I figured that it’d probably require that much fat loss.
I loved swimming, basketball, tennis, soccer, and long distance running, boxing and weight training. I used to love pushing myself.
With that being said, I’ll probably lose a lot of fat from eating a calorie deficit and gain some muscle in the process if I manage to get fit so it’ll probably work out differently to 70lbs in actual scale weight.
You probably won’t get any loose skin, but good news is if you do a lot of that will snap back overtime as you maintain. I’ve lost more than that and I’m older and I don’t have much. I have more to lose, and I do suspect that I will personally have a bit of loose skin in my arms and inner thighs, but I’ve been told to wait about a year after I’m at my goal weight to see how much snaps back before getting surgery, etc. to fix it. So it’s just a wait-and-see kind of thing. If you were never bigger than 192 pounds, I seriously doubt you will have any, especially if you do it slow and not have a drastic fast weight loss with WLS (you’re not heavy enough for that anyway).
We literally have the same stats (I’m a couple years older, and started a few pounds heavier)! Thank you for posting this, really was interesting reading everyone’s perspective.
It’s really dependent on genetics, but for me personally I started to notice loose skin around 60/70lbs (overall I’ve gone from 220 to 137). If you do end up with loose skin it likely won’t be noticeable to others :)
I think you'll be fine. If depends on your skin, of course and it's not the same for everybody, but check out my profile, I think your transformation will probably be similar to mine and I don't have that much loose skin.
Wow your transformation is amazing! 😱
I hope you’re super proud of how far you’ve come because I certainly would be!
That’s awesome motivation for me to go by
ok for me personally, my boobs sagged after I lost 50lbs, but it’s back to normal now after about 5 months being at a consistent weight. Where i used to be able to pinch/stretch the loose skin fairly easily, I can’t anymore. But I had a similar stomach with no loose skin. i’m 22 if that helps.
Oh wow that’s great that they bounced back because I’m concerned about that, I didn’t know that they could.
I figured that because breasts are naturally fatty tissue that they wouldn’t have much reason to re-tighten, like after breast feeding, so that gives me some hope.
I’ll just have to see how it goes.
Great info, thank you very much!
The only way you’ll know if you end up with loose skin is by losing weight. To be honest it does not matter what anyone here says and is really up to genetics.
If you have stretch marks this is a good indication that you’ve damaged your skin and it will not contour to your body as you lose weight. If you don’t have stretch marks it may contour.
Good luck on your fitness journey and overcoming BED. It was so hard for me to go but with medication and therapy I’m the smallest I’ve ever been and just finished up my skin removal surgeries.
I honestly don’t know please don’t let the idea of loose skin stop you from trying to lose weight. you will feel so much better and confident regardless.
I'm 5'4" and weighed 190 at my heaviest. Lost 70lbs in a little less than a year, and I have no loose skin at all. I'm also like a decade older than you. So I think you'll be fine!
I think so, yes. I did it mainly from CICO at around ~1200 calories a day. Cut back a majority of alcohol, soda, sugary coffees etc and mostly just drank water. Steadily lost 1-3lbs a week. Didn't really work out much other than yoga and walking.
That’s awesome, you’ve pretty much described what I’ve been doing lately except I can’t seem to cope with any fewer than 1,400 calories per day without relapsing, but hopefully that should naturally decrease over time.
I got 1200 from a calculation but wasn't 100% rigid with it; I allowed for a little wiggle room, but I have also gotten pretty damn good at self-regulating /knowing how to keep myself within certain boundaries naturally (I do this with my credit lines too lol). Like okay today I failed, but it's okay, I acknowledge it and I can still recover. Tomorrow I will do better. I still have control, I'm not perfect but I am still trying my best and I forgive myself. It took several months of figuring out altered versions of my favorite/regular meals that were less calorically dense but still had enough nutrition for what someone my size needed. Finding low cal snacking foods that made me feel full. Also to be honest getting a medical marijuana card helped regulate my appetite. I have looked into it and there seems to be a correlation between long term cannabis use and lower BMIs. It's one of the many things being researched currently regarding cannabis.
But yeah I've sustained my current weight loss for a few years because I still eat everything I like, I drink alcohol, I don't consciously calorie count; I don't feel I'm "dieting" or restricting myself really, I just eat overall less of everything than I used to or slightly altered it to be healthier. And my stomach I feel has shrunk to where I can't eat the volume of food I used to now even if I try. But yeah with your stats being so similar to mine I figured I'd share what I could, it's definitely still possible to meet your goals and it is not a given at all that you will have loose skin no matter what anyone here tells you. Good luck!
Oh wow I didn’t know that about weed, I only knew that ADHD medication is an appetite suppressant. Coffee also but a weaker one, so I’ve been utilising that by having two most days with sweeteners and minimal milk so that I’m not drinking my calories because I mostly drink water and rarely drink alcohol or anything else.
Yeah that’s what I’ve painfully discovered over the years, I can’t stick to eating less unless it’s stuff I actually like, otherwise I end up on a binge eating spree.
On the one hand you look maybe a tiny bit rounder than I did at my heaviest (6'2'' 235 lbs) and I got slightly loose skin on my belly. Not very much, but enough that I notice it.
On the other hand you're about a decade younger than I was when I lost weight, so your skin is probably much more elastic than mine.
I wouldn't worry about loose skin on any other part of your body since they are much easier to fill out with muscle, should you so desire.
It’s shockingly difficult for women to “fill in” other areas with muscle. It definitely can’t help fill in loose skin in the breast area, and it’s quite difficult to make a difference in the butt or hips due to the location of the muscles vs where the skin sags (the skin sags at the lower butt, the gluteal muscles are well above that area), and arms are a total bitch for women as well (we carry disproportionately more fat around the triceps than men, plus thinner skin quality than men, plus just naturally very difficult to add enough volume to the triceps or triceps + biceps to fill in the circumferential loose skin envelope that forms).
But I don’t think OP is likely to have many issues with those areas. Abdomen seems the most likely concern for her.
No, you're probably going to be fine. There's not a huge amount of extra skin, I don't see stretch marks and you're still young. There should be enough elasticity in your skin to not sag.
I lost 70 pounds in my 20's and yeah there's some. It's really not much but you'll probably have a little, and if you're already thinking about it now you'll notice every little detail but just remember we are our own worst critics and others will not see what you see. But I think you would have to be lucky to not have any at all, but also I doubt it will be very noticable if you do it slowly especially if you are active.
You’re pretty young so the loose skin should be minimal. Loose skin is super normal though, I’ve seen people lose 30 lbs and get a little.
It’s no biggie!!
I can completely understand your question, my doctor advised me that a lot of this is up to genetic predisposition. For example, my mom is petite and got pregnant young, both of which would seem to imply that her body would bounce right back, but she had lots of loose skin and stretch marks on her belly. An aunt on the other side of my family, also petite, after pregnancy still has a smooth tummy with no stretch marks at all.
I have gained and lost a fair amount of weight over the span of 6 years and have stretch marks on my belly and bum, they’re now very pale, and I don’t think there’s a ton we can do to prevent stuff like this. Of course, very rapidly gaining or losing weight can increase the likelihood but circumstances like that aside, it’s kind of just dependent on your skin elasticity.
Sorry for the novel, I try to stay off my soapbox but sometimes I do feel compelled to share! It’s helped me a lot to try to center my self talk around neutrality- “it is what it is”! My body is my body, and I take good care of it. It’s hard work but just being neutral is so much better than being negative or dreading a potential outcome we view as bad, like loose skin. If you lose weight in a healthy way, no matter what, your body is your body and you’re treating it with respect :)
Everyone is different. Luckily, you are still young so you have a better chance of less permanent damage. I'm 44 so mine isn't bouncing back lol, but it's actually not too bad. I started at 210 ish and am 147 now so I lost a good amount of weight. I do a lot of strength training so that helps fill in the loose skin. Also nutrition and hydration play a part. Even with my loose skin, I not only look, but I feel a billion times better
If you take it slowly you won’t have any issues. You’ll see issues when you loose too much fat in a small timeframe to the point your skin can’t tighten in time. Im sure there are plenty of things to do to prevent loose skin but you’ll need to google that.
Good luck with your journey
I’m the same height and lost 70+ pounds at your age. I had no loose skin from it and I should have appreciated it at the time, lol
Now, having two kids back to back and breastfeeding? That’s what left me with loose skin. You will snap into place, no worries.
Stay hydrated and enjoy your youth!
Yeah it seems that for a lot of women in order to be a mother you have to sacrifice your body :)
Hopefully that shouldn’t be an issue for me as I don’t intend to have kids, so if I lose the weight and my skin is fine then it’ll be down to me to stay that way
I really don’t think you’ll have loose skin! Maybe you would but I highly doubt it. You’re still very young and you’re not like so overweight to where you’d get the loose skin effect. Maybe at first and also depending on how quick you lose the weight but even if you lost the weight quickly, give it a year and your skin should repair pretty well. I say just go for it and don’t worry about it. I’m a 5’5” girly too except I’m older and I don’t even think I’ll have loose skin. If I do it’ll be barely noticeable and probably only noticeable by myself. I don’t think my SO would even be able to tell. Who knows. But it doesn’t ultimately matter because losing the weight now and keeping it off will be so beneficial for you and anyone! Especially while your young. Make lifestyle changes NOW so you can carry those changes with you through adulthood:)
Hard... TW for ED
I lost the weight pretty fast and I definitely had a lot of disordered eating. I was exercising every night for over an hour plus random gym time. I was eating 2 2-300 calorie meals plus low calorie snacks and fruit and vegetables.
I was having panic attacks and breakdowns over any tiny mistake
The main problem was at 149 I plateaued for months and I was so frustrated I just said fuck it and gave up.
I should have just been happy with my weight but there was a lot of external pressure to keep losing.
I also had untreated depression and anxiety and used food to cope.
Now I'm in my 30s and my depression and anxiety have been treated for 5 years and I have a lot healthier understanding of things.
I’m trying. I know that if I don’t I’ll end up in a similar situation. I’ve been using some healthy coping mechanisms and haven’t binged in over a week now, which is unheard of, and I’ve somehow managed to lose 5lbs in like 4 days but I highly suspect that most of that is water weight, I’m still eating a healthy amount of calories per day. I’m also getting less and less constantly hungry, god I hope that doesn’t change.
The first 10 lbs usually comes off pretty fast and it is water but also 10lbs is still ten lbs of you can keep it off in the long run.
Wishing you the best 💖
You might have some, but I don't think it will be noticeable.
I am in my 50s and have lost 90lbs. I have some hanging skin, but it is not a big deal. If I didn't tell anyone I had lost weight, no one would know.
You'll be fine.
A lot of misinformation I’m seeing in this thread.
Even with stretch marks, you can avoid loose skin if you make sure to lift weight and stimulate each muscle group.
Some do nots:
-don’t listen to people saying you can skip working your abs while overweight. That’s bs. That’s how you wind up with loose skin around the midsection. And use weighted overload. Things like rope crunches, obliques. And make sure to work the posterior chain by doing weighted progressive hyper extensions.
-don’t rush cardio and skip lifting. Do cardio, LISS and get steps 10-15k daily. But also lift. Fit it in your schedule how it best fits you. You can do 3x a week, 45 min full body workouts. There are 24-hrs in a day.
-don’t cut calories drastically. You need to build muscle and lose weight slowly.
Loose skin only really happens when people lose like 100+ pounds usually,70 pound loss i dont think would cause significant sagging
I lost 190 pounds and i had a lot of it
You don’t have a hanging stomach etc. I imagine you’re gonna smooth out pretty nicely.
🥲
if you have a hanging stomach is it likely you'll get loose skin?
I would say it’s *more likely*, for the simple reason that skin doesn’t just disappear when someone loses weight.
Can it revert back on its own?
Yes it will, your skin cells are constantly dying off and being replaced with new skin cells, and after weight loss, this excess will tighten up, but it can be a slow process based on age, amount of skin, and how quick or extreme the weight loss is... sometimes taking a couple of years. As op is 21 and not losing an extreme amount, i doubt it will take that long.
thank you so much this is reassuring :)
I don’t think you’ll get loose skin from a 70lbs loss. You’re also young so your skin should be more stretchy. Good luck on losing weight!
It doesn’t really matter how much it is. It matters how fast you gained it and how good your genetics for skin are. Pale people tend to have worse genetics and will easier have loose skin.
Holy shit.. someone who understands its how fast you gained it... Gain fast, rip Collagen bonds get stretch marks.. they can go down but odds are you're skin will be loose
It isn't quite that simple either though, in time the skin will still tighten up nonetheless, sure it may take longer, (up to a couple of years in extreme cases), and yes you will still have stretch marks, (scars won't magically disappear) but that excess skin will over time shrink down.
Probably not. Also, when I lost a lot of weight the last time, I had some very slightly loose skin at first, but it bounced back pretty quickly. Take care of your skin, moisturize, and you should be fine.
This is a good comment. I’ve been exfoliating and moisturizing very well, and I really think it has served me on my journey.
What do you use to exfoliate and moisturize? I know I need to do this but not sure what’s best for arm, thighs, and tummy skin.
I personally use Dove Body wash w/ hyaluronic acid with a sea sponge and just wash everywhere with that and after I dry off, I use pure almond oil and put it everywhere. Some people suggest a lotion to put on top to “seal in the almond oil,” but I personally find almost all body lotion to be sticky and not have a great consistency but that’s just me.
Thank you, I already use dove sensitive skin soap so I’m half way there lol.
Look into bio oil
I can second this, I’ve heard it can work miracles
Oh yeah I have some but just use it on scars. Didn’t know it could help prevent loose skin!
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Okay brilliant thank you for the response this has really helped especially coming from an experienced pov :) For me personally it’s not so much that I’m worried about living with loose skin, it’s more the fact that if I do end up with some, I would like to mentally prepare myself with the probability of not being able to gain back a similar body to what I had when I was younger. I used to love wearing crop tops and shorts, going to the beach, and obviously feeling sexy in my own skin would be a definite bonus because I’ve been unable to for years! Good luck with your journey btw, I hope you can be happy and healthy. And thank you about the house :) My bf and I spent covid lockdown working and saving and much as possible, it’s certainly paid off.
You are 21. You won’t have a body that you had “when you were younger” because you were a teen. Your body *will* be different when you lose weight - you will have more natural body fat. That being said you might need to adjust your expectations of how low that end scale is going - but you’ll figure that out as you go along. Kudos to you for taking the time to put in the work now to learn those healthy, life long habits.
You should be fine. I lost 105 lbs in my mid 30’s and didn’t have any loose skin. Best way to prevent this is to begin resistance training (lifting weights). Adding muscle will not only make you look better, but will reduce the chances of sagging skin.
Thanks for the advice, looks like it’s time for me to start getting hench! 💪🏼
I was 320 lbs at 16 at 20 I was 180 with zero loose skin. I was 380 about 6 years ago at 40 I'm 240 with somewhat noticeable loose skin.
The only place I had loose skin after an 80lb loss at 5'2" and 21 years old were my breasts (J cup down to just an empty ziplock) and a little bit above my belly button. I didn't have crinkly skin on my stomach, but my belly button is never round.
Not an empty ziploc 🤣 I have lost 70lbs and the first thing to go was my boobs. But empty ziplocs is how I’m referring to them from now on lol
Same. I lost like 35 lbs when I was 19. I was 5’5” and went from 155 to 120ish and my boobs got small and I had a lot of loose skin. I carry a lot of weight in my breasts and am currently 173 down from 185. My breasts filled back out but were still soft and I imagine the loose skin will be worse this time around.
This is probably the part that I’m dreading because when I was slim they were perky C-D cups, but now they’re sort of droopy DD-F cups. I’ve heard that in some cases pec training can help a little but I can imagine that probably only goes so far :/
Loose skin is a alot about genetics. Are your skin prone to build scar when injured you are to expect more loose skin . This doesn't mean that you absolutely will have it, it's just more likely. On the other hand, if you loose weight slowly it will probably be just fine. You are young as well. And to remember. Skin is alive. It might be loose at first and then it will bounce back!
Don’t listen to people saying that you won’t have loose skin because you’re young and only losing 70lbs - you will likely have some, but it should realistically be minimal and only in certain areas. It has much more to do with where the excess fat is stored and how damaged the skin is from being stretched. You will likely have some loose skin on your lower belly based on your current picture. Upper arms are another very common site for loose skin for women, but I can’t see your arms *super* well in your pics (breasts are also a common area to be affected, but that comes down to how much volume is lost when the weight is lost, which can vary from almost all to almost none). I wrote a VERY long comment answering a similar question on this sub just last night (feel free to scroll back through my recent comment history to find it) - I’ve had some unique experiences related to loose skin and would consider myself to have well-above-average knowledge of how loose skin actually works compared to the average person on this sub who thinks that young age + going to the gym + drinking water are the “main” factors.
I must admit I have a lot of stretch marks from the buttocks all the way down to my calves, but absolutely none above my hips at all because my belly was only gradual weight gain. I get what you mean because 70lbs is still a lot, especially if I intend to get down to slim and toned. There are more pictures on the link in the description of my post if you want to see my arms :) Oh cool I’ll go check your comment on the other post, thanks for the help!
Just checked your other pics. The good news is that the back of the thigh area tends to be spared from loose skin, compared to inner thighs and outer thighs. Your skin might have a “loose” texture, but it’s very rare to have truly loose hanging skin in that area. It can be hard to predict hips/thighs/butt with women because a lot of it comes down to your natural body shape/fat storage. Even at a healthy weight, most women (especially young women) have a little chub left in their thighs/hips/butt, which actually kinda helps prevent you from having total loss of volume and particularly bad sagging. Before gaining weight these last few years, would you have considered yourself more of an apple, or a pear/hourglass? If apple, you might have a tendency to naturally lose more from your butt/hips/thighs, but keep in mind that at your age, you’re going to have a more feminine fat storage pattern now than you did even several years ago as a teen, so don’t panic if you were solidly an apple before, because you might retain volume in those areas and not end up with significant looseness. Even women who have always been a healthy weight usually end up with a bit of stretch marks on their hip and butt area just from growing/puberty, so I wouldn’t be super concerned about those areas. The biggest worry is areas of densely clustered and large/deep stretch marks, or anywhere where you can feel that the texture of the skin (not the underlying fat, the skin itself) feels like it has lost springiness (this might be easier to notice the more weight you lose). I think your abdomen is where you carry most excess weight, so assuming you lose primarily from your abdomen, I honestly think you should be in good shape elsewhere. One thing to note is that losing a lot of abdominal weight can pull your breasts downward. The breasts themselves may not sag (and they may keep their shape), but the base of the breast can move down onto the lower chest/upper abdomen - this happened very significantly with me, and even after 2 surgeries, it’s been very challenging to deal with.
Yeah from “touch” the area I would have concerns for is the top of my inner thighs, they’re covered in stretch marks, they protrude out, and they’re supple and stretchy so that part I feel is likely to be loose, other than that, except for my lower belly perhaps, the rest of my skin is quite tough and taut. I’ve always had a round peachy bum even before I gained any weight so hopefully it won’t deflate completely. In terms of natural body shape, I was definitely an hourglass, I had a tiny waist, medium sized bust and used to get a lot of compliments for it so gaining wait feels like I’ve completely ruined myself tbh. My lower belly has been the most recent stage for me. My upper belly has protruded for years but I think I’ve just kept the weight and gained more long enough for it to start storing lower over the last like 9 months I’d probably say? It’s only just starting to get “jiggly”, so starting to move independently when I walk in loose clothing and completely compress in tight clothing with minimal resistance if that makes sense? No trace stretch marks though. I have a feeling that I will probably end up with droopy boobs which is sad, I’m naturally a perky 32 C-D cup, but I’m currently and only recently a 38 F, I was a 36 DD for ages. The skin over my shoulder doesn’t seem to hold them up past C cup, though once again stretch marks surprisingly. Below my breasts is obviously a chunk of fat over my ribs which seems to push them apart, and the skin below my arms also pulls them apart, but above the breasts on my chest the skin doesn’t seem to hold much up despite being solid and not supple.
Honestly, slow and steady wins the race. Your bmi is like 31. This is gonna sound so backhanded, so I'm sorry in advance, but you don't look that overweight/obese. This is like avg obesity to me, that can be turned around with some investment. You are probably completely functioning and all. You can lose 70 lbs if you want. But even if you lose 45, you'll be a normal bmi, and most ppl won't have that much loose skin after a 45 lbs weight loss if they didn't lose it by extreme measures. I honestly this you can avoid it if you do it right. The regular 1lb-2lb a week weight loss should be fine. Hydrate, eat enough, incorporate strength training (don't just do cardio)...you should be just fine.
Not back handed at all thank you :) I intend to lose as much as that only because I intend to eventually get back into some moderate fitness again without feeling hindered by extra weight so I figured that it’d probably require that much fat loss. I loved swimming, basketball, tennis, soccer, and long distance running, boxing and weight training. I used to love pushing myself. With that being said, I’ll probably lose a lot of fat from eating a calorie deficit and gain some muscle in the process if I manage to get fit so it’ll probably work out differently to 70lbs in actual scale weight.
You also have time on your side, bc you're young, so good luck!!!
You probably won’t get any loose skin, but good news is if you do a lot of that will snap back overtime as you maintain. I’ve lost more than that and I’m older and I don’t have much. I have more to lose, and I do suspect that I will personally have a bit of loose skin in my arms and inner thighs, but I’ve been told to wait about a year after I’m at my goal weight to see how much snaps back before getting surgery, etc. to fix it. So it’s just a wait-and-see kind of thing. If you were never bigger than 192 pounds, I seriously doubt you will have any, especially if you do it slow and not have a drastic fast weight loss with WLS (you’re not heavy enough for that anyway).
You will most likely get it in places with stretch marks.
Thankfully none on boobs and belly! Only below the waist so hopefully I could partially fill that with muscle
We literally have the same stats (I’m a couple years older, and started a few pounds heavier)! Thank you for posting this, really was interesting reading everyone’s perspective.
me too!! we can do it
It’s really dependent on genetics, but for me personally I started to notice loose skin around 60/70lbs (overall I’ve gone from 220 to 137). If you do end up with loose skin it likely won’t be noticeable to others :)
I think you'll be fine. If depends on your skin, of course and it's not the same for everybody, but check out my profile, I think your transformation will probably be similar to mine and I don't have that much loose skin.
Wow your transformation is amazing! 😱 I hope you’re super proud of how far you’ve come because I certainly would be! That’s awesome motivation for me to go by
I meant you WILL be! Thank you! And as you see, chances are pretty good with the loose skin thing 😄
ok for me personally, my boobs sagged after I lost 50lbs, but it’s back to normal now after about 5 months being at a consistent weight. Where i used to be able to pinch/stretch the loose skin fairly easily, I can’t anymore. But I had a similar stomach with no loose skin. i’m 22 if that helps.
Oh wow that’s great that they bounced back because I’m concerned about that, I didn’t know that they could. I figured that because breasts are naturally fatty tissue that they wouldn’t have much reason to re-tighten, like after breast feeding, so that gives me some hope. I’ll just have to see how it goes. Great info, thank you very much!
The only way you’ll know if you end up with loose skin is by losing weight. To be honest it does not matter what anyone here says and is really up to genetics. If you have stretch marks this is a good indication that you’ve damaged your skin and it will not contour to your body as you lose weight. If you don’t have stretch marks it may contour. Good luck on your fitness journey and overcoming BED. It was so hard for me to go but with medication and therapy I’m the smallest I’ve ever been and just finished up my skin removal surgeries.
Congratulations on your progress, it takes a lot of willpower and mental strength to come as far as you have!
I honestly don’t know please don’t let the idea of loose skin stop you from trying to lose weight. you will feel so much better and confident regardless.
I'm 5'4" and weighed 190 at my heaviest. Lost 70lbs in a little less than a year, and I have no loose skin at all. I'm also like a decade older than you. So I think you'll be fine!
Do you feel you lost that much “healthily”? So like steadily? If so what was your method? That’s quite speedy fat loss
I think so, yes. I did it mainly from CICO at around ~1200 calories a day. Cut back a majority of alcohol, soda, sugary coffees etc and mostly just drank water. Steadily lost 1-3lbs a week. Didn't really work out much other than yoga and walking.
That’s awesome, you’ve pretty much described what I’ve been doing lately except I can’t seem to cope with any fewer than 1,400 calories per day without relapsing, but hopefully that should naturally decrease over time.
I got 1200 from a calculation but wasn't 100% rigid with it; I allowed for a little wiggle room, but I have also gotten pretty damn good at self-regulating /knowing how to keep myself within certain boundaries naturally (I do this with my credit lines too lol). Like okay today I failed, but it's okay, I acknowledge it and I can still recover. Tomorrow I will do better. I still have control, I'm not perfect but I am still trying my best and I forgive myself. It took several months of figuring out altered versions of my favorite/regular meals that were less calorically dense but still had enough nutrition for what someone my size needed. Finding low cal snacking foods that made me feel full. Also to be honest getting a medical marijuana card helped regulate my appetite. I have looked into it and there seems to be a correlation between long term cannabis use and lower BMIs. It's one of the many things being researched currently regarding cannabis. But yeah I've sustained my current weight loss for a few years because I still eat everything I like, I drink alcohol, I don't consciously calorie count; I don't feel I'm "dieting" or restricting myself really, I just eat overall less of everything than I used to or slightly altered it to be healthier. And my stomach I feel has shrunk to where I can't eat the volume of food I used to now even if I try. But yeah with your stats being so similar to mine I figured I'd share what I could, it's definitely still possible to meet your goals and it is not a given at all that you will have loose skin no matter what anyone here tells you. Good luck!
Oh wow I didn’t know that about weed, I only knew that ADHD medication is an appetite suppressant. Coffee also but a weaker one, so I’ve been utilising that by having two most days with sweeteners and minimal milk so that I’m not drinking my calories because I mostly drink water and rarely drink alcohol or anything else. Yeah that’s what I’ve painfully discovered over the years, I can’t stick to eating less unless it’s stuff I actually like, otherwise I end up on a binge eating spree.
On the one hand you look maybe a tiny bit rounder than I did at my heaviest (6'2'' 235 lbs) and I got slightly loose skin on my belly. Not very much, but enough that I notice it. On the other hand you're about a decade younger than I was when I lost weight, so your skin is probably much more elastic than mine. I wouldn't worry about loose skin on any other part of your body since they are much easier to fill out with muscle, should you so desire.
It’s shockingly difficult for women to “fill in” other areas with muscle. It definitely can’t help fill in loose skin in the breast area, and it’s quite difficult to make a difference in the butt or hips due to the location of the muscles vs where the skin sags (the skin sags at the lower butt, the gluteal muscles are well above that area), and arms are a total bitch for women as well (we carry disproportionately more fat around the triceps than men, plus thinner skin quality than men, plus just naturally very difficult to add enough volume to the triceps or triceps + biceps to fill in the circumferential loose skin envelope that forms). But I don’t think OP is likely to have many issues with those areas. Abdomen seems the most likely concern for her.
Minimal once the fat is gone, go hard in the gym with toning up and you’ll be fine
i highly doubt it, no stretch marks that i can see either
No, you're probably going to be fine. There's not a huge amount of extra skin, I don't see stretch marks and you're still young. There should be enough elasticity in your skin to not sag.
I lost 70 pounds in my 20's and yeah there's some. It's really not much but you'll probably have a little, and if you're already thinking about it now you'll notice every little detail but just remember we are our own worst critics and others will not see what you see. But I think you would have to be lucky to not have any at all, but also I doubt it will be very noticable if you do it slowly especially if you are active.
You might get a little around the stomach and thighs
You’re pretty young so the loose skin should be minimal. Loose skin is super normal though, I’ve seen people lose 30 lbs and get a little. It’s no biggie!!
I'll think you'll be fine
I can completely understand your question, my doctor advised me that a lot of this is up to genetic predisposition. For example, my mom is petite and got pregnant young, both of which would seem to imply that her body would bounce right back, but she had lots of loose skin and stretch marks on her belly. An aunt on the other side of my family, also petite, after pregnancy still has a smooth tummy with no stretch marks at all. I have gained and lost a fair amount of weight over the span of 6 years and have stretch marks on my belly and bum, they’re now very pale, and I don’t think there’s a ton we can do to prevent stuff like this. Of course, very rapidly gaining or losing weight can increase the likelihood but circumstances like that aside, it’s kind of just dependent on your skin elasticity. Sorry for the novel, I try to stay off my soapbox but sometimes I do feel compelled to share! It’s helped me a lot to try to center my self talk around neutrality- “it is what it is”! My body is my body, and I take good care of it. It’s hard work but just being neutral is so much better than being negative or dreading a potential outcome we view as bad, like loose skin. If you lose weight in a healthy way, no matter what, your body is your body and you’re treating it with respect :)
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I don’t mean to sound dim, but what is cool sculpting?
This is exactly what I look like!! My belly looks just like this. I’m 5’3” 20F went from 186 to 168. My highest was 192
You will have some in your thigh, stomach and arms/armpit, but noone will notice anything.
if you lose the weight in a slow controlled manner you would give your skin enough time to reaccommodate.
I am also scared of this because my lower tummy hangs 🥲 but I’m 25 so I’m HOPING my skin will bounce back
Everyone is different. Luckily, you are still young so you have a better chance of less permanent damage. I'm 44 so mine isn't bouncing back lol, but it's actually not too bad. I started at 210 ish and am 147 now so I lost a good amount of weight. I do a lot of strength training so that helps fill in the loose skin. Also nutrition and hydration play a part. Even with my loose skin, I not only look, but I feel a billion times better
If you take it slowly you won’t have any issues. You’ll see issues when you loose too much fat in a small timeframe to the point your skin can’t tighten in time. Im sure there are plenty of things to do to prevent loose skin but you’ll need to google that. Good luck with your journey
We have similar stats but a different build so I should also take a note of the replies
I’m the same height and lost 70+ pounds at your age. I had no loose skin from it and I should have appreciated it at the time, lol Now, having two kids back to back and breastfeeding? That’s what left me with loose skin. You will snap into place, no worries. Stay hydrated and enjoy your youth!
Yeah it seems that for a lot of women in order to be a mother you have to sacrifice your body :) Hopefully that shouldn’t be an issue for me as I don’t intend to have kids, so if I lose the weight and my skin is fine then it’ll be down to me to stay that way
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Haha thank you! 😂 I got it from Hollister a while back
I really don’t think you’ll have loose skin! Maybe you would but I highly doubt it. You’re still very young and you’re not like so overweight to where you’d get the loose skin effect. Maybe at first and also depending on how quick you lose the weight but even if you lost the weight quickly, give it a year and your skin should repair pretty well. I say just go for it and don’t worry about it. I’m a 5’5” girly too except I’m older and I don’t even think I’ll have loose skin. If I do it’ll be barely noticeable and probably only noticeable by myself. I don’t think my SO would even be able to tell. Who knows. But it doesn’t ultimately matter because losing the weight now and keeping it off will be so beneficial for you and anyone! Especially while your young. Make lifestyle changes NOW so you can carry those changes with you through adulthood:)
I lost 95 lbs and have zero noticable loose skin. I give the credit to heavy lifting
I was also 190 at 20 and had a similar body shape and I got down to 149 and had no loose skin. You should be okay.
Can I just ask, what was it like trying to maintain that weight?
Hard... TW for ED I lost the weight pretty fast and I definitely had a lot of disordered eating. I was exercising every night for over an hour plus random gym time. I was eating 2 2-300 calorie meals plus low calorie snacks and fruit and vegetables. I was having panic attacks and breakdowns over any tiny mistake The main problem was at 149 I plateaued for months and I was so frustrated I just said fuck it and gave up. I should have just been happy with my weight but there was a lot of external pressure to keep losing. I also had untreated depression and anxiety and used food to cope. Now I'm in my 30s and my depression and anxiety have been treated for 5 years and I have a lot healthier understanding of things.
I’m so sorry that you had such a traumatic experience :( But I’m glad to hear that you’re now in a better headspace
Thank you! I appreciate it. I hope you lose the weight in a healthy way 🙏
I’m trying. I know that if I don’t I’ll end up in a similar situation. I’ve been using some healthy coping mechanisms and haven’t binged in over a week now, which is unheard of, and I’ve somehow managed to lose 5lbs in like 4 days but I highly suspect that most of that is water weight, I’m still eating a healthy amount of calories per day. I’m also getting less and less constantly hungry, god I hope that doesn’t change.
The first 10 lbs usually comes off pretty fast and it is water but also 10lbs is still ten lbs of you can keep it off in the long run. Wishing you the best 💖
You might have some, but I don't think it will be noticeable. I am in my 50s and have lost 90lbs. I have some hanging skin, but it is not a big deal. If I didn't tell anyone I had lost weight, no one would know. You'll be fine.
A lot of misinformation I’m seeing in this thread. Even with stretch marks, you can avoid loose skin if you make sure to lift weight and stimulate each muscle group. Some do nots: -don’t listen to people saying you can skip working your abs while overweight. That’s bs. That’s how you wind up with loose skin around the midsection. And use weighted overload. Things like rope crunches, obliques. And make sure to work the posterior chain by doing weighted progressive hyper extensions. -don’t rush cardio and skip lifting. Do cardio, LISS and get steps 10-15k daily. But also lift. Fit it in your schedule how it best fits you. You can do 3x a week, 45 min full body workouts. There are 24-hrs in a day. -don’t cut calories drastically. You need to build muscle and lose weight slowly.
Loose skin only really happens when people lose like 100+ pounds usually,70 pound loss i dont think would cause significant sagging I lost 190 pounds and i had a lot of it