How Do I Deal With The Aftermath Of Dramatic Weight Loss?

Question
I was a 42DD at my highest weight of 245 (I'm 5'6"). Now that I've lost 105lbs, I can't even say I'm lucky enough to have pancakes, it's all loose skin, very "Zulu Hag". I just turned 31 and have no kids, but my body sure looks like I do..... =( How do you find a cup size for skin???? There's no $ even for a new WalMart bra. And a lot of the weight loss was due to stress and i can't even imagine what I'm deficient in now... but my 31 y/o skin seems to now have the elasticity of a 60 y/o HELP!COLLAGEN.... WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?!   Also, with the amount of skin around my upper thighs, I have to wear a size 12/14 pant even though my waist and "knees down" are an 8/10.  I feel awful.  What do you do if you can't afford the skin removal surgery?  Any advice you could give me would mean a lot!

Answer
Hi,

Congrats on your weight loss!  Thats a huge achievement that most cannot do and you should be proud of yourself.  Remember being healthy is alot more attractive then being overweight and unhealthy.  So don't worry too much about the skin.

On that note, I know how you feel.  You worked very hard and you want it all to come together.  Don't worry, just keep at it.  The first thing I would do is make sure you have lost all the weight you should.  Check with your doctor to see if some of that extra skin is fat, loosing that may help with the flab issue you are seeing.  If so, make sure to loose weight slow.  Dramatic weight loss can leave stretch marks or loose skin.

Make sure you are exercising- jogging, lifting, etc.  This will help with skin elasticity.  Especially strength training...maybe focusing more on the parts that are loose and not to your liking.  For example; maybe you notice more loose skin on your arms...so start pumping those guns. You must change your body composition to see a difference, not just change your body weight.  So I would add more weight training for sure!

Also, drink tons of water and moisturize a lot!  Keeping the skin hydrated is important to keep it elastic.  Drink 8 glasses of water a day, if you workout, drink more!

While you are working on the strength, building more muscle, and keeping your skin healthy.  Make sure to also avoid crash diets and rapid weight loss, stick to healthy weight loss goals.  You can also use shape wear:  http://www.classicshapewear.com/ to help hold it all together.

Good luck and remember you have come this far, you are healthy now and thats what really matters!

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