Extra skin question

[daretodenim]

I've got 10kg of body fat to lose, primarily from stomach. I'm going to be increasing overall muscle mass (got a PT) but looking at my belly I just..despair. I used to be very fit and thin (size 10, 5'6) and never had washboard abs. I don't need or want them. However, I have had two babies and despite oiling twice a day starting in week 6, at 38 weeks my stomach skin literally cracked. By 41 weeks when baby came, my entire belly was riddled with very, very deep stretch marks. Now I've got the stomach fat, it's a bit filled, but what's going to happen when I lose the weight? I will never be able to enlarge my abs enough to make any kind of difference. 😃

So does it make a real difference in terms of saggy skin if I lose weight quickly (but safely) or very slowly? Or is it just genetics?

Intermittent fasting is a good way to prevent loose skin when you lose weight. You need longer fasts of 24-48 hours which stimulate autophagy. You could consider doing a 36-hour fast once a week which also help you lose weight.

Ignore the nonsense above. No unfortunately it's mostly down to genetics with how little or much loose skin you will have after significant weight loss.

Once the elasticity of the skin is broken it doesn't usually spring back no matter how fast or slow you lose the timber. I have loose skin but I lost near on 70 pounds.

I wouldn't call 10kg significant though so while you may have some it won't be outrageous. Obviously having kids alters our bodies and they very rarely return to pre baby aesthetics!

What a load of bollocks!

@StuntNun
Nothing can really prevent lose skin and the only thing that can actually rectify it is surgery.

At 10KG to lose, you will lose some volume and will be able to notice if your stretch marks got as bad as you say, but no one will be able to tell looking at you fully clothed.

I've lost some weight and naked my stomach looks like a neglected and nearly deflated, wrinkly balloon but you can't tell anything looking at me clothed!

That's about as scientific as your previous post!

This

Its genetics. And once skin has ripped (so to speak) it will be like crepe paper

It will also take time to take its final form, so when you first lose the weight it will look different to a year later for example

But as the PP says, 10kg is not a huge amount at all.

I had no stretch marks and no loose skin post pregnancy despite massive bumps both times. Felt rather smug.

Then I hit 40 and the skin just sort of gave up. Now my tummy is rather wrinkly with a little pouch despite great abs and no extra weight there.

Basically the pregnancy stretching caught up with me - there was no way of avoiding it by eg slower weight loss because the damage was already done years ago.

Ok thanks.

Intermittent fasting of 24-48 hours would cause medical issues for me as I need some (not as much as I'd like 😂) carbs regularly. Can't do keto for the same reason.

10kg seems like a lot for me but I guess it's nice to hear it's not that much. It feels a lot in part because I put on a sports bra to pin my boobs down and it works brilliantly. Unfortunately there's no back fat and belly bra though! So I feel myself flopping around and it's not so comfortable!

Ah, definitely not for you then. As others have said, 10kg isn't a lot to lose so, as long as you don't drop weight rapidly on a crash diet, you shouldn't get very loose skin and exercise will help tone everything up as much as possible. Good luck with your weight loss journey.

There are some cosmetic treatments like micro needling that can help improve how deep stretch marks appear. Otherwise there are things like abdominoplasty but that is major surgery.

I have deep stretch marks and they are particularly bad, I've scarcely seen someone with ones as bad as mine. I wouldn't say the area looks worse after weight loss, not better and not worse. So I wouldn't worry if I were you, just do everything steadily and avoid rapid weight loss. Also it's important to remember if you feel there's been a negative change, you can always just stop what you're doing. Just keep an eye on it.

I have found running helps build the abdominal muscles in a way that supports the area. Eventually I would like it operated on.

I don’t know what the answer is! I have lost several stone, but the blubber refuses to leave the tummy area, despite regular four times a week swimming, continuation of the diet I started over a year ago and a massive cut in alcohol. No creams work either. My tummynis now very lined and saggy and looks like a monster coming out of the deep. It is very slowly getting smaller. I think the answer for loose skin is surgery which I cannot afford.