Interesting post re substantial weight loss with no loose skin

loose-skin
(PJ) #61

The skin issue is hard. I’ve lost well over 200#. I’m 54, female. I have a lot of loose skin, however, I’m still very overweight (330-360 depending on my carb/water level) so it is not just skin, but skin, fat and edema. Still it sucks.

There is this element of “Oh, I lost weight, now I’m more mutant.” It shouldn’t matter right, I’d rather be lean and just hide it under clothes and at least I’d have that, and I certainly want to be healthier. But there is something viscerally horrible to the psychology about the skin thing. I totally understand peoples’ reactions.

For about a month I took about 60g collagen a day in a supplement drink. That was a few months ago, I think October. I have not done that since though I intend to re-begin soon.

Interestingly, my fingernails are still growing longer (since that) than they ever have in my whole life – they were never strong enough before, they bent broke tore flaked etc.

Much of my hair fell out (thinned, not bald spots) with my 170# weight loss in '06-'07, then yet more fell out with my heart condition and near-death and heart surgery which spanned from '09 to '18, and then I had all that same weight loss plus a little yet again from '18-'19. As of last October when I began the collagen, just looking in the mirror with my hair brushed, I could see my scalp everywhere. It was horrible.

But it’s better now. Still stupidly thin mind you. But I don’t see my scalp clearly through my hair anymore. And my nails are still much healthier. And that was from one month of it (mostly) in October – and I was off keto mid-Nov to 12/27, and for a few days here and there since (I’ve been less consistent the last 3 months than ever), and have not done the supplementation since. So I’m really impressed!

I do not think I would be able to see if any skin result from the collagen happened at this point given the existing fat. Someone who had truly lost all the fat, so the skin was very thin/crepey as loose skin without a big fat layer underneath would be, would be a better person to test this.

But I am hoping if the work on healing my liver, my gut integrity, and the collagen spectrum continue, that I might get more hair back – and possibly see some good result that later might be more apparent, with the skin.

(Michael Wallace Ellwood) #62

I’ll just put in a plea for rebound exercise.

No guarantees, of course, but I’m hoping it will help me.

I’m currently on an EF, and have lost a fair bit, but still plenty to lose.
I’m obviously hoping that the miracle of fast-induced autophagy will do most of the work, but I’m also hoping that rebound exercise will help. As well as helping to tighten up the muscles, it’s supposed to do good things by getting the lymph system “pumping”, and helping to eliminate the bad stuff.

For more info, see the various books by Albert E Carter. No doubt he perhaps over-hypes the benefits somewhat, but on the other hand, he has done his homework. There is a lot of science in his books, especially the later ones.

#63

My own Humble Opinion is that most of this is genetic. You know how there are some women who get pregnant, get HUGE, and after the baby is born, they have no stretch marks? Then there are women who get stretch marks, but within a year you can barely notice them. Then there are women who get stretch marks and they always look fresh and the skin around them, looks like tissue paper. These results are probably genetic. Look at the mom. Look at the dad’s mom. Do they have stretch marks? How did they heal?

I think that a lot of people aren’t patient enough. It took years to get heavy. The body, amazingly, accommodated the bigger size. Now that the weight is leaving, be patient. Lose the weight slowly, if possible. Give the body some time and faith, to readjust to the smaller size. Look at the lose skin as badge of courage and honor. You have done it! Give the body some time to do it’s thing and recover.