Reading “Doctor goes Keto” post reminded me to post this. I’ve lost 75 and have thought about taking a scissor to cut off the excess. (Just kidding. I’m not into pain or blood)
Anyone else have this problem? Especially older guys like me (Age 73) who aren’t exactly muscle men? I’ve heard radio ads for something like “Cold Fusion” (maybe that’s not the right name) Is there any simple (low cost) options other than scissors … or chain saw?
I’ve heard that the act of fasting during weight loss and also eating foods with collagen (bone broth etc) or taking collagen supplements, helped with the tightening up of loose skin from fat loss.
Not sure though if that had to be done during the weight loss process for it to be effective or if it can still be done post.
I will be 60 in January so no spring chicken. I also have a lot of loose skin from being heavier years ago.
I try to do an EF at least once a month for 3-5 days with black coffee, electrolytes and water only. When I am not fasting I use a collagen supplement in my coffee twice a day.
I am seeing improvements in the loose skin, but it is very slow and gradual. May be from just keto alone but as long as I keep seeing progress no matter how little I will keep it up.
Autophagy can still tighten up loose skin after the weight is lost.
”…Yes, that’s all protein that should have been catabolized…” - Dr. Jason Fung
”…This would depend upon how much is lost from the body daily. This varies depending upon intake. More protein intake means more turnover of protein and more losses. Less intake means less turnover. So there is quite a variation. It is also energy-dependent. That is, if you are trying to achieve negative energy balance (lose weight) then you need LESS protein. Why? Because there is all sorts of protein loss associated with fat loss. There is less skin, connective tissue, capillaries, blood, dermis etc associated with weight loss – all of which needs to be catabolized (burned up and not replaced). Think about those bariatric surgery shows on TLC where surgeons remove 20-30 pounds of excess skin after weight loss. Yes, that’s all protein that should have been catabolized. As an aside, in my clinic where we do a lot of intermittent fasting, I have not yet sent a single patient to the plastic surgeon for removal of excess skin, even though weight loss sometime is over 100 pounds. …” - Dr. Jason Fung
Episode 082: Loose Skin After Weight Loss? Prevention, Facts & My Personal Experience
Thanks Bunny, Nice article. I actually read this one before a while back, but just read it through once again. … And towards the end, it kind of sums up something I was speaking about not long ago. ‘How protein amounts taken in can differ from person to person.’ 
Blockquote
That first year I dropped about 100 pounds (45 kg). The next year I went back to The Netherlands and sang at my best friends wedding. I felt better than I had since I was very young and wanted to do more but I had hit the dreaded plateau and had a lot of “flaps”. I had hangers 7 inches (18 cm) long in some places. It was very gross and surgery was not an option.
Vinnie Tortorich had Dr. Jason Fung on his show and I thought “here we go again” Time to try more crazy stuff. I began with intermittent fasting by accident. I was fat adapted and started getting busy forgot to eat for 2 days and didn’t feel hungry at all. My first intentional fast was 3 days. It was hard. I still kept going thanks to the support of the Facebook group. I then moved on to EF’s 4, 5, 6, 7 day fasts. I watched with glee as those disgusting flaps started to disappear. I finally got clearance from my doctor’s to start working out (all I had been able to do was walk… a lot). Once I got into the gym I slowly got more “fit” and the “skin flaps” completely disappeared. I wrote this long-winded dissertation for three reasons.
This is from an article from the diet doctor website I read a while back. Here’s his full story:
Tank you Marie that is the post and article I was looking for but I could not find it!
an interesting read for sure…
this point here especially - there is a bit of ambiguity in the way it’s written, but encouraging though;
“Third, the point about excess skin is very interesting. I have no proof other than anecdotes, but many people have found that fasting helps their loose skin. Remember that skin is not fat, it is protein. During fasting, there is a period of time where protein is being catabolized (broken down) to burn for energy. This is not a bad thing. In this case, it is very good. Obese individuals have an estimated 20-50% more protein than lean people. This is all extra tissue that needs to be removed. In the IDM program, we’ve had people lose hundreds of pounds, just like Robert, and we’ve never referred anybody for skin removal surgery.”
I have a hard time believing our resident internet researcher couldn’t find something…
