How important is Collagen when on WLI and any genuine recommendations?

[KindlySurfiingPlatypus]

I've seen so many fake/obvious AI things about Collagen that I am wary of anything I could google, so I am hoping for genuine experience from people with a genuine mumsnet history.

I will hopefully be starting WLI shortly. Currently just over 100kg. Officially in the healthy range I should be aiming for 68kg but I have lost a lot of weight before a few years ago and I think I looked gaunt and haggard and utterly unhealthy once I was below 80kg so am wondering if collagen would make a difference.

Also I know it comes in different flavours to put into a smoothie or coffee but I don't really like drinking anything other than plain cold water. Are the "flavourless" ones really flavourless and can you just stir it into a hot meal or salad dressing without it spoiling the whole meal or losing its effectiveness?

You can’t eat collagen which your body then uses as collagen. Your body uses protein to make collagen. It’s important to get enough protein on WLI. Collagen conatins protein so taking collagen supplements is a way to up your protein (your body then turns that protein in collagen) but you can also just get it from
regular high protein foods.

There’s no evidence that it does much if anything for improving skin elasticity. It’s just a source of protein in your diet so it’s not harmful to take it but it’s not in any way important that you do take collagen.

When you take the collagen, it’s completely broken down by your digestive system and there’s then no mechanism that will make your body use those building blocks to make or repair your own collagen. The same building blocks can be got from just eating a range of protein sources.

Agree with @SilenceInside there is no independent clinical data that shows collagen supplements help skin aging and elasticity. So they are a complete waste of money. You need to eat the building blocks that make it- lean meat, chicken skin, pork rinds, bone broth, cabbage, mushrooms, dairy products and egg whites. Thus makes me realise why Asian countries all look young, Japan does a lot of bone broths, as does Korea. Korea eats pork rind and a lot of cabbage (kimchi), Vietnam has Pho which I believe is bone broth. That’s me back to making my own chicken stock soup again, and makes me feel better about stuffing the not quite pork crackling in my mouth yesterday!!

Thank you! I had got the impression from all the social media noise about it that collagen is a vital parallel expense when on WLI! Glad I didn't trust it.

I add collagen powder along with flax, chia, pumpkin seeds to Greek yoghurt or kefir most days for breakfast. It’s a cheap, quick and easy way to get added protein for only 50 calories.

It suits my wallet, schedule and calorie allowance but it’s not essential.

All you need to do on the WLIs is be in a calorie deficit while eating a balanced diet from all food groups, with a focus on protein, and stay hydrated. Anything else is just personal preference.

Unfortunately the damage to our skin was done when the weight was going on and it is luck, age, genetics, time that will determine how it looks after weight loss.

If it didn't shrink back last time it won't this time and there is little you can do about it. Perhaps for slightly loose skin, building significant muscle mass will help improve the look, but realistically for most people with significant loose skin it makes little difference.

Unfortunately it is something we need to try to learn to accept while celebrating the more important improvements to our health.

Surgery is the only real answer.

Just note collagen is 8 amino acids, not 9 so it isnt actually a complete protein. I hadn't realised this so likely won't be purchasing anymore once my stash is finished.

Not particularly. It’s a protein like others - it’s digested into its component amino acids when you eat it and is absorbed as those building blocks. The body may make more collagen from it or it may make other proteins.

Protein itself (high biological value protein) is very important to prevent muscle wastage and sarcopenia and subsequent lowered metabolic needs and unsupported joints etc.