Loose Skin after Weight Loos

Question
Hello Laura:

Thank you for taking the time to read my question.  I'm struggling to find help with a question I have, and I saw that you have a good deal of experience in the subject of Nutrition and Dieting so I was hoping you could help me.

I am young and I used to weigh 320 pounds @ 6'1".  I lost quite a bit of weight through dieting (moderate caloric reduction) and exercise, and now I'm at around 175-180 pounds.  I did this in just a little over a year, and now I'm facing a problem that I suppose most people who lose a lot of weight run into: loose skin.

I am 20y/o now, and I have the typical good amount of stretchmarks and loose skin.  A majority of my loose skin is concentrated around my stomach/abs region, with a little on the upper parts of my legs.  Do you know of any way to get rid of loose skin without surgery ?  I was told by some that loose skin is actually just fat no longer supported by muscle.  If this is true, can I continue my weight-loss program and lose the skin through more fat-loss ?

I am unsure where to go from here.  Thank you for your time!

Much obleiged,

Tim

Answer
Dear Tim, first congratulations on your accomplishment, I'm very impressed by your motivation. Second, unfortunately once you grow a fat cell you own it forever. Those cells are just deflated ready to swell up if needed say you start gaining weight again. They can only flatten so much. You could build the muscle below the skin to help firm things up, but getting rid of excess fat cells and the skin that hold the cells can only be done by a surgeon.
I would try the weight lifting route for a few months to see if you can firm things up. Good Luck, and again great accomplishment. Sincerely, Laura Kraemer, Slimkids.com

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