I found this guy’s story (on Diet Doctor) rather impressive, as did Dr Jason Fung, who says:
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’ve been wondering if a fear of having lots of leftover loose skin has in some way been putting up a mental barrier to my success in pursuing any kind of fat-loss program. I think somewhere inside I have a deep-seated attitude of ‘why bother - your body still won’t look any good anyway’, which I really need to work on. Yeah, I know … health markers are more important, etc, but when you’ve spent your whole life feeling fat, the dream of looking and feeling normal weight is powerful.
Success stories like this one are something of a motivator to give the IDM-style protocols a try, intimidating as they may seem (well, to me anyway).
If you have any encouraging loose-skin-conquering stories of your own, please feel free to share.