If I loose 50lbs should I expect loose skin?

fasting

(Mike D) #1

Referring to the unsightly skin that wrinkles or hangs by itself? I am not worried about loose skin when being pulled on. I am hoping to be able to see at least 6 of my abs. I am a 41 year old male, 5’10". Top weight was 200lbs, goal is 150lbs. I started at 30% body fat, goal is 8-10%.


(Pete A) #2

You might. Are you at 150 now? It can take awhile to lose the deep, subcutaneous belly fat…


(Mike D) #4

Not yet, I am 6 weeks in and 185 now.


(Pete A) #5

Good luck! When you get to 150 you can effectively evaluate.


(Denise) #6

I lost almost all I need to which was 25 lbs now and yes, I got, and still have some loose skin (wrinkly). I’m 69 years old so I have the regular wrinkles too, but that’s why I joined the gym because it’s pretty amazing what weight-training can do for us! I am impatient as well but I try to focus on the progress I’ve made in my 20 months on Keto. I’m a T2 diabetic so figured if I wanted to live a bit longer I best stick with it, especially this forum :wink:


(Marianne) #7

IMO, 150 at 5’10" is pretty thin, maybe too thin. How did you select this weight?

Anyway, at 41 years old, I’m sure you still have a bunch of elasticity to your skin, more than a lot of us older folks. I don’t think you will have unsightly loose skin. The longer you maintain your weight and eat well, the tighter it will become.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #8

Whether you’ll have loose skin or not depends on how fast you shed fat. A nice, slow rate of loss allows the body to keep the skin tight. There is a bodily process called autophagy that scavenges old or unneeded tissues. It can be boosted by judicious fasting, by the way.


(Denise) #9

I’m reading up on that one today Paul! Autophagy I’ve heard that term but didn’t know what it meant before now, thanks much! Do you think it could get rid of the extra “tissue” above and below my eye-balls :smirk: I’m quite serious by the way?


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #10

Dr. Jason Fung used to have before and after photos on his Web site of a patient who lost quite a bit and had lots of loose skin. Instead of going to a plastic surgeon, he fasted appropriately and tightened up all the skin. The difference was quite striking.

Now, there’s no telling how things will go in your case, but chances are good that you might get what you want. However, there are limits, and it’s impossible to predict just what results you’ll get.

For example, I have always had “raccoon eyes,” which are deepset and shadowed. It was the despair of the photographers who took publicity shots of me for company literature. On keto, I still have the deepset eyes, but a lot of the dark colour has gone away, especially the shadows underneath the eyes. The bagginess has also tightened up considerably.


(Denise) #11

It makes sense to me and I will look into it later today, I am doing a lot more time between meals now but maybe learn to get a bit more serious about it! Congrats on your improvements as I was thinking more exercise is always good for the whole body, but the improvement in your eyes is super good news. Living proof, that’s what I want to hear :slight_smile:

I’m gonna take Mimmie out now feed her then go back to bed, I think I’m ready, hopefully to catch a few more z’ssss. Sure glad for this forum :heart:


(J) #12

Purely anecdotal. Since February 28th, 2022, I have lost 100lbs. I expected to have a lot of unsightly loose skin. Remarkably, the only place that has it is below the belly button area, and even it is not that bad. Everywhere else (pectorals, etc.) is surprisingly a tight-ship, as they say. Inexplicable, except I suspect cutting out seed oils & processed foods, combined with an hour or more of sunlight each day, may have contributed to this. I can’t prove it, though. God be praised.


(Robin) #13

@SM0oth_0perator, I think it has a lot to do with how much elasticity is left in your skin. If you have (like me) gained a LOT and dropped a LOT over and over again for years, your skin can just give out like a pair of old stretched out elastic waist pants. It won’t snap back.

Some of this is common with aging (I’m 68) but a lot can be attributed to how far you have stretched that skin before.
I think that if you have been overweight for years, but have not “yo-yo’d” back and forth, you could have skin that bounce back.


(Joey) #14

Autophagy is Greek for “eating oneself.” :slight_smile:

It’s the healthy process by which aged, unneeded, or harmful cells are removed and recycled. It’s also the process through which stray pre-cancerous cells are kept from gaining a larger foothold. We should eat ourselves early and often.


#15

it may be too thin and it may be perfect, not everyone is muscular enough or has the build or whatever to be fine with a higher weight for this height. My SO is a tad shorter and he needs to go below 140 to lose his belly rolls and he still is far from being dry. And he even has more than minimal muscles though mostly on his legs, they are thick! :slight_smile: His frame is pretty normal too…


About the question… I don’t think so but it’s quite individual. When I was 40lbs down, I was okay I guess? Didn’t notice too loose skin BUT I still had much fat at my waist… I will be curious what happens if I ever manage to slim down. If it won’t be nice, I will fast if I can though that should come earlier and help me with fat-loss…?


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #16

Autophagy is always happening in the background, because every protein has a lifespan, ranging from seconds to hours to years, and it’s the job of autophagy to take those senescent proteins apart so that the amino acids can be recycled into new proteins.

It really comes into its own when our metabolic state is primarily catabolic, but one of the problems is that under the wrong circumstances, such as when we are starving, muscle can be scavanged, along with other stuff. This is why fasting can be dangerous, and it’s also why an ad libitum ketogenic diet helps avoid that problem—the incoming protein preserves existing muscle. As Bikman says, LCHF/keto is metabolically very similar to the fasting state, but without the deprivation and hunger.


(Denise) #17

I almost wish I hadn’t heard the Greek in that:grimacing: but ok, thanks Dean Koontz, :joy:


(Marianne) #18

Love this! I detest fasting!


(Marianne) #19

Right on, Robin. I agree! I’ve been fat and thin on and off my entire life, plus now age is a factor. Doesn’t help that I don’t exercise. My skin has lost a lot of elasticity, however, on the plus side, I’ve gotten rid of all cellulite (something that no other “diet” ever did for me, no matter how thin I got), and my feet and elbows are soft and supple (something I never had before, even in my youth). I figure for that to occur, something really great must be going on inside. So grateful for keto.


(Denise) #20

I love the sound of this!! Got to make time to study Autophagy today, especially after the quote from Bikman, one of my heros :grin:


#21

This story, by one of Jason Fung’s patients, might give you hope. For at least some people, fasting and autophagy can make a big difference when it comes to loose skin: