| If you're overweight or if you've been | | | | of weight to lose, and even then, only if you |
| overweight in the past, then you know that | | | | are measuring body fat and you're certain |
| getting rid of excess pounds is only one of | | | | it's fat you're losing, not lean tissue). |
| the challenges you face. Once the fat is | | | | |
| gone, you are often confronted with an | | | | 8. There are exceptions to all of the above; |
| equally frustrating cosmetic problem; Loose | | | | i.e, people who gained and then lost |
| skin. | | | | incredible amounts of weight quickly at age |
| | | | 50 or 60, and their skin returned 100% to |
| I know this is a big problem because I | | | | normal. |
| receive a ton of e-mail from people who have | | | | |
| loose skin or from overweight people who are | | | | 9. There are many creams advertised as having |
| concerned about having loose skin after they | | | | the ability to restore the tightness of your |
| lose the weight. Just recently, I received | | | | skin. None work - at least not permanently |
| this email from a reader of my syndicated | | | | and measurably - and especially if you have a |
| "Burn The Fat" Q & A column: | | | | lot of loose skin. Don't waste your money. |
| | | | |
| "'Tom, I began a fat loss program using your | | | | 10. If you're considering surgical skin |
| Burn The Fat program and it worked so well I | | | | removal, consult a physician for advice |
| got down to 15 1/2 stones (from 19). However, | | | | because this is not a minor operation, but |
| this has caused me a problem: Excess | | | | keep in mind that your plastic surgeon may be |
| abdominal skin. I didn't crash lose this | | | | making his BMW payments with your |
| weight, it came off at the rate of about 2 | | | | abdominoplasty money. (It's possible that |
| lbs. per week just like you recommended. Now | | | | surgery may be recommended in situations |
| I'm unsure of whether to carry on, as my | | | | where it's not 100% necessary). Surgery |
| abdomen has quite a lot of excess skin - I | | | | should be left as the ABSOLUTE FINAL option |
| feel like I've turned into a bloody Shar-Pei! | | | | in extreme cases. |
| (You know, that 'wrinkly' dog!) | | | | |
| | | | 11. Give your skin time. Your skin will get |
| Does everyone go through this? Will the skin | | | | tighter as your body fat gets lower. I've |
| tighten up? I was overweight for more than 12 | | | | seen and heard of many cases where the skin |
| years. Am I going to end up needing surgical | | | | gradually tightened up, at least partially, |
| skin removal? Can you offer me any advice? | | | | after a one or two year period where the |
| I'm a medical student in the UK and my | | | | weight loss was maintained and exercise |
| colleagues seem determined to proffer surgery | | | | continued. |
| as the only option." | | | | |
| | | | 12. Know your body fat percentage before even |
| There are 12 things you should know about | | | | thinking about surgery. Loose skin is one |
| loose skin after very large weight losses: | | | | thing, but still having body fat is another. |
| | | | Be honest with yourself and do that by taking |
| 1. Skin is incredibly elastic. Just look at | | | | your body fat measurement. This can be done |
| what women go through during pregnancy. Skin | | | | with skinfold calipers or a variety of other |
| has the ability to expand and contract to a | | | | devices (calipers might not be the best |
| remarkable degree. | | | | method if you have large folds of loose skin. |
| | | | Look into impedance analysis, underwater |
| 2. Elasticity of skin tends to decrease with | | | | weighing, DEXA or Bod Pod). |
| age. Wrinkling and loss of elasticity is | | | | |
| partly the consequence of aging (genetic | | | | Suppose for example, a man drops from 35% |
| factors) and also a result of environmental | | | | body fat all the way down to 20%. He should |
| factors such as oxidative stress, excessive | | | | be congratulated, but I would tell him, |
| sun exposure, and nutritional deficiency. The | | | | "Don't complain about loose skin, your body |
| environmental parts you can fix, the genetics | | | | fat is still high. Press onward and keep |
| and age part, you cannot. Advice: Get moving | | | | getting leaner." |
| and change the things you have control | | | | |
| over... Be realistic and don't worry about | | | | Average body fat for men is in the mid teens |
| those things you don't have control over. | | | | (16% or so) Good body fat for men is 10-12%, |
| | | | and single digits is extremely lean (men |
| 3. How much your skin will return to its | | | | shouldn't expect to look "ripped" with 100% |
| former tautness depends partly on age. The | | | | tight skin on the abs unless they have single |
| older you get, the more an extremely large | | | | digit body fat, and women low to mid teens). |
| weight loss can leave loose skin that will | | | | |
| not return to normal. | | | | Except in extreme cases, you are very |
| | | | unlikely to see someone with loose skin who |
| 4. How long you have extra weight and | | | | has very low body fat. It's quite remarkable |
| stretched skin has a lot to do with how much | | | | how much your skin can tighten up and |
| the skin will become taut after the weight | | | | literally start to "cling" to your abdominal |
| loss: For example, compare a 9 month | | | | muscles once your body fat goes from |
| pregnancy with 9 years carrying 100 excess | | | | "average" to "excellent." Someone with |
| pounds. | | | | legitimate single digit body fat and loose |
| | | | skin is a rare sight. |
| 5. How much excess weight was carried has a | | | | |
| lot to do with how much the skin will resume | | | | So... the key to getting tighter skin is to |
| a tight appearance. Your skin can only be | | | | lose more body fat, up to the point where |
| stretched so much and be expected to "snap | | | | your body composition rating is BETTER than |
| back" one hundred percent. | | | | average (in the "good" to "great" category, |
| | | | not just "okay"). Only AFTER you reach your |
| 6. How fast the weight was gained also has a | | | | long term body fat percentage goal should you |
| lot to do with how much the skin will resume | | | | give thought to "excess skin removal." At |
| a tight appearance. Your skin can only be | | | | that point, admittedly, there are bound to be |
| stretched so quickly and be expected to "snap | | | | a few isolated cases where surgery is |
| back." | | | | necessary if you can't live with the amount |
| | | | of loose skin remaining. |
| 7. How fast weight is lost also has a lot to | | | | |
| do with how much the skin will tighten up. | | | | However, unless you are really, really lean, |
| Rapid weight loss doesn't allow the skin time | | | | it's difficult to get a clear picture of what |
| to slowly resume to normal. (yet another | | | | is loose skin, what is just remaining body |
| reason to lose fat slowly; 1-2 pounds per | | | | fat and how much further the skin will |
| week, 3 pounds at the most if you have a lot | | | | tighten up when the rest of the fat is lost. |