Starting to worry about the excess skin I'll have.

[Snozzlemaid]

Starting weight was 18 st 6lbs, so I've a lot to lose.
Lost 1 st 8lbs so far at an average of 3lbs a week, taking Mounjaro.
I'm now starting to wonder how I'm going to look with baggy, excess skin.
I've never really considered it before, I just wanted to be thin. But now I think I'm not going to look great.
I'll never want to wear a bikini so not worried about bits that will mostly be covered but thinking my upper arms are going to look awful next summer when wearing a t shirt.
I'm taking collagen peptides every day but what else can I do to ease this?
Would weights help tone up my upper arms?
Anyone got experience of losing lots and how this was for you?

Yes start toning as you go. The worst thing is to do nothing. Hopefully it will be minimal.

I think it depends on how old you are.

I lost 6 stone in my teens and had to use safety pins to stop my trousers falling down, and never noticed any loose skin.

Same thing again in my thirties and fifties, lost massive amounts of fat and after a couple of years the loose skin had shrunk to fit.

Since turning 65 I have lost 10.5 stone and noticed wrinkly skin hanging in flaps from my arms and bagging around my knees like elephant legs. I wasn't sure if it was going to be permanent since I am now pushing 67, but the good news is that my lower arm flaps have almost been reabsorbed, and the bingo wings have shrunk, so perhaps it just takes longer when your skin is less elastic.

Start weight training and exercise as soon as possible somewhere you will feel welcome and confident. As a 60-something with 3-stone loss I thought flappy skin would be a real issue but after 7 months of gym effort, having done pretty much nothing for the preceding c.5 years, the skin situ is really improving. I'm going to take a view after one full year of effort. Finding a really supportive gym made all the difference for me - I deliberately sought one where 'mature' people were very welcome.

It took me 6 months before I could stand on the vibration plate for 10 minutes without needing at least one stick for balance. Now I only need support climbing on and off the plate and I have a stack of hand weights (1, 1.5 & 2kg) that I use during those ten daily minutes.

That has been enough to reverse muscle loss after my new smart scales revealed that I was losing a bit of muscle with the fat, and now each month my muscle mass plots on a gentle upward slope, while the fat loss continues on a much sharper downward slope.

It is my goal to become mobile enough to be able to walk to the bus stop, ride the bus then get off and walk the distance to the local gym. With enough energy left to be able to get inside and use their machines to strengthen my legs and back, and then get home again afterwards. However, despite now having lost just short of 13 stone with only 11 kg to reach normal BMI I still can't manage walk without constant pain and a totally untrustworthy knee that likes to give out and send me crashing to the ground when I least expect it. Once on the floor I can't get up under my own steam, I have to crawl until I reach something sturdy, like a park bench, trellis or sofa and then use that to slowly heave myself up until I get my feet under me again.

I'm still clinging to hope that the last few kilos will make all the difference. I don't care about wrinkles, or lose skin, I'm pushing 70 and don't mind looking my age. I just want to be able to walk without being stabbed and tortured by muscles, tendons and joints in right leg, or have gravity splat me because my treacherous left knee has decided to give out without warning.

Nothing will prevent loose skin developing however if you start building a little muscle your arms will look better. You can't tone loose skin with exercise though.

I think genetics plays a big part. I lost a significant amount in my early twenties and had bingo wings even though I was swimming and going to the gym a lot. I’m prone to stretch marks so think it’s just my genes.