lewisfan my skin is fine, but it all depends on your age (you're only 3 years older than me), genetics, how much exercise you do (i did very little other than walking during the first year), how quickly you put the weight on, where you carry the weight etc
honestly though, i know it sounds like a platitude, but it's better to be healthier and have some loose skin
it was quite quick for me, but that is just chance/genetics i think, and i did lose the first few stones very quickly, and then the later few took much much longer. i am still very slowly losing the last stone
it's better to lose slowly. especially as with the longterm aspect you need to be able to live your life and go off-plan for really special occasions/foods and spend time with friends and all that. it's best not to set concrete goals (five years sounds like a good time) as i think you can lose sight of the overall achievement when you miss a target. don't think about the ten stone, think about one stone, or a half stone, or whatever. and with this way of eating it's a really good idea to take measurements with a tape measure, because the weighing scales are a blunt instrument that don't take account of changing shape, hormones etc, and as low carbing means less bloating you often look sleeker at a given weight than you did at that weight on the way up if you see what i mean
bullshit about the singledom, but you know that. you're worth loving whatever you look like. but i know how it can feel like you're putting off living your life
whether you start low carbing straight away or whether you wait until the next bootcamp, i would suggest reading up on low carbing if you haven't already - john briffa's 'escape the diet trap' is a good start and is available at most libraries and he has a blog too. it really helps to understand why you should be making certain food choices with this way of eating, and understanding the impact that different nutrients have on your body helps to stop you making poor choices