Have to lose around 5 stone. How much of a mess will my body look after and how do I minimise it?

[Malkuth]

I figure I have well and truly buggered up my skin as have been overweight for ages, plus had two pregnancies so have stretch marks galore. When I have lost the weight will I have loads of baggy skin? What can I start doing now to minimise that?

erm, I have a body oil from clarins that supposedly helps. Lose weight slowly

Don't imagine it will be quick! Does that mean that my body will have more of a chance to shrink? Should I start doing muscle toning exercises? Have realised I really don't have a clue!

drink lots of water to help with the skin elastin...

toning excercises..

TBH i wouldnt have thought in losing 4 ston will effect your skin to much it is more with people who lose 10 stone that have baggy skin

best of luck

Agree that losing it slowly is the best (it maximises the chances that it will stay off too). Increased muscle mass (from toning) will burn off more calories and a toned body looks better. I've done Pilates in my youth which was fab for getting a great waist and tummy. I haven't tried it after two pregnancies yet, but I've heard good things (although I suppose that expecting miracles is a touch optimistic ).
Good luck.

Thank you all! Have decided to approach it as a health issue. Don't want my kids to end up as carers for me because I couldn't stop eating. As a friend pointed out she gave up smoking which she loved for her kids so I should get a grip too. Have known her a long time and annoyingly she is right!

Oh and 4 stone will only bring me down to overweight so hopefully once I get going I will be able to actually change my eating habits and be in the normal range for the first time in a quarter of a century!

Good luck Malkuth!

We have a 5+ stoners weight loss thread HERE if you're interested in joining us

Thank you RGPargy. At the moment am trying desperately not to obsess and spend every waking moment thinking about food so trying not to talk about it too much but your thread titles have caught my eye before and I may well pop across for moral support at some point.

And 5+ stoners made me giggle and think of a group of hippies like Neil from the Young Ones!

I lost 3 and a half stone last year. Skin everywhere is okay ( bit of a crepey tummy, faded stretch marks etc ) but my boobs are an absolute disgrace, I really really hate them and am saving up for surgery. Basically, they reduced massively in size, but all the skin is still there, and they're hanging somewhere down by my pubes.

Yeah that is going to happen here I fear. Breastfed two kids so already could use a bit of help. Oh well, with all I save on food I will buy some nice bras!

I lost 5stone 2lb a few years ago, inside of thighs, unders arms and boobs were the worst bit, but not terrible! If you can combine a steady weight loss of 1/2lb per week with some gentle workouts and things will be ok.

i lost 3 stone last ye with the cambridge diet. went ok cos i drank lots of water and gradually increased my exercise at the same time.
boobs have suffered from breastfeeding tho.
lots of water whatever diet you are on is the key!

Will definitely up my water intake as that seems to be a common theme. MmeJaffaB do you have any handy hints? Congratulations as can't have been easy. Gives me hope!

Malkuth - the thread title is a disguise for what we really get up to.

I don't think saggy boobs are necessarily inevitable. I've lost 15kg (about 2 stone 4 pounds) and my boobs did sag a little but they've perked up again. They went from a 42D to a 42C to a 40D and now they're a 40E. I do weight training twice a week and my trainer says that bulking up the underlying pectoral muscle increases tone, so lots of push ups.

I thought I would have very saggy skin as I'm over 40 (sob) but I have lost the weight slowly and steadily and improved muscle tone and it's no saggier than it was when I started. I've been losing less than 2kg a month on average. My tummy isn't good, but it's slightly better than when I started and I hope it will continue to improve. I've been using some really good body butter which keeps it all nicely hydrated, and probably just the action of massaging it in helps too.

Good luck, and hope to see you on the 5+ threads.

Malkuth

I did it with slimming world, it was a great plan and suited me VERY well as I could still stuff my face. It took me 14mths to loose the 5st. For me, the only thing that really kept me going was attending class every week. I just found it kept my spirits up and kept me interested, I suppose I liked the praise the following week. Variety is the the biggest key, it's too easy to get bored when dieting and thats often what leads us to reach for the naughtys. try to allow it to change your lifestyle but not your life, IYKWIM. You can still go out for dinner, you can still party, just make the right choices off the menu. If you like a drink choose a spirit with a diet mixer rather than beer or wine.

Good Luck... the first 2 stone for me was the hardest, once I started seeing and feeling the results the rest flew off.

I haven't kept it all off, I have had 2 dd's since loosing it and need to loose about 2 stone now to get back into shape. I live abroard now and don't have the classes here so I'm finding it tough.

I have heard great things about slimming world from friends. At the moment I am avoiding groups as am broke and have problems with babysitters but did try WW online which worked up to a point. I always seem to lose a stone and then mess up so this time I am seeing my practice nurse every fortnight, writing everything I eat down and have an appointment with the GP to discuss medicinal options to get me over the hump.

I actually feel a lot more determined this time than ever before which I think is because I have changed my reasons for losing weight. Don't think choosing a month before Xmas to start is necessarily the best decision I have ever made but it is too easy just to keep putting it off. Best of luck with your losing 2 stone.

i am much in the same position I started a diet this january and have lost nothing well i have lost 1.5 stone but have 2-3 to go..

And dont want to put it off any longer... i am different to you as i have to see rapid weight loss otherwise i lose interest.. so i am on milkshakes.. i have to get rid of food alltogeter as i cant just have one of someething.. but if i dont have the first one i dont then want another..

you will do it you sound determined

1.5 stone is not nothing! Well done on that, it's more than I have ever managed. I know what you mean about being ok until you have that first one ... My brother has had addiction issues but at least with drugs he can stay away. Not so easy with food. (Which is not to say I am underestimating how difficult it was for him and how well he's done.)

yeah that is the problem we do have to have food
I sometimes writing down what i will eat that day helps then when i have eaten everything on the list thats it no more..

sorry to hear about your bro... hope he is on the road to recovery

He's been clean for about 5 years but was really lucky and got a funded residential rehab place where he was for 6 months and where they had counselling every day, grew their own veg and weren't allowed processed food, caffeine etc. Not so easy when you have kids and food is your "drug" of choice!

I lost just over 3 and a half stone, and i didnt do any excercise at all apart from walking instead of driving to work, and i hate my flabby tummy. My bingo wings make me cringe and if someone gave me a few thousand, i'd definately consider surgery

I put on about 7lb over xmas , so i'm having to do some exercise, to get rid of it, which has mainly been on our wii fit! I love that little guy

Well done losing the 3.5 stones! Incredibly I have discovered a form of exercise I enjoy!! I am now doing aqua aerobics twice a week and it rules.